Three years ago

It was raining. Pouring, really. That heavy, misty rain that washed out all the color from the world and made everything look the same. It had been raining for two straight days and everything was soaked and unrecognizable.

It was ironic that this was the day Ryouga finally found his way to the empty lot.

It took him a minute to be sure it was the right one. The tent was gone, but he could see the spot where it had sat for so long, the grass dead and brown and garbage strewn about, abandoned by the former squatters.

He stumbled over to the spot, staring at it. He left.

He clutched the ragged, dog-eared folded paper in his hand, crumpling it. He willed for the familiar dark shock of messy black hair to pop into view from over the retaining wall, or for the other boy to give his usual infuriatingly casual greeting.

He left.

The full import of it hit him like a kick to the chest. Ranma was gone and he had no idea where he had gone, or when he might come back - if ever.

He LEFT!

He crushed the letter in his hand, clenched his fists and shook with fury. How DARE he!? We made a PROMISE!

You made a promise for four days ago.

We were going to have one last fight! Settle things without any regrets! We swore we would be there! Both of us!

You swore to be here FOUR DAYS ago…

Ryouga trembled with emotions that roiled between shame, despair and unfocused anger. The curse had never been this bad before. He had been lost for hours… maybe even an entire day, but never this long!

I tried! He struggled to shut out the feeling of loss - the feeling that he had missed out yet again and that he had lost something important. I tried to be here! I tried my hardest! I didn't want him to go like this! He squeezed his eyes shut and sank to his knees as the blackness of despair filled him.

Everyone left, after all. Everyone left and it was his fault now. Maybe it always was.

He opened his eyes and gazed up into the rain. The rain was good. The rain hid the tears. He stared sightlessly up into it, feeling the shame and self loathing eat away at him inside, his doubts bubbling up from the black ooze to remind him that no one liked him. That they all thought he was weird. That he was a homeless vagrant. Even Ranma.

He had been a fool to think Ranma would understand. Why would he? Ryouga had just been a burden, making Ranma lead him home day after day.

He probably only did it for the free food. A dark thought bubbled up from the morass. It was… comforting. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal to break his word, right? If Ranma was just a vagrant and the son of a thief anyway…

If he was really my friend, he would have waited. Another dark thought. Soothing and horrible at the same time. He knew somewhere deep down it was a betrayal, but it was the only way he knew to save himself - the only way to make it so it wasn't him that was so horrible. I bet he never even showed up! The coward!

His breathing grew faster. Anger was easier. Anger pushed the darkness back a bit, kept it from suffocating him.

"He should have waited…" he said softly.

It was a promise! A promise between men! A matter of honor! He should have been here no matter what!

"He should have waited!" he repeated, louder, more firmly. His voice was lost in the rain.

He was afraid! He knew his tricks weren't going to work this time! He RAN!

"He should have waited!" Ryouga shouted.

The heavens were unimpressed. The rain continued to fall.

I'm never going to see him again…

His breath caught in his throat and, for a moment, the anger flickered and died.

No.

"No…" he breathed, realizing it didn't matter. What was the point of making it Ranma's fault if there was no Ranma? Who would even care but Ranma, anyway?

His eyes fell as the darkness rose up again, the despair threatening to swallow him. What does it matter? What does any of it matter?

His eyes fell on a rain-soaked pamphlet. Its bright red color caught his attention a moment, a brief distraction from his own downwardly spiralling thoughts. After a few minutes of just staring at it, he mustered the herculean will needed to force his limbs to move, to reach over and pick it up.

The pamphlet was old and faded, worn at the edges and soaked nearly to disintegrating. He couldn't read most of the words, but he could make out that it was about some place in China. It looked like a travel brochure or some kind.

"China…" he breathed.

Suddenly, he lurched to his feet, still clutching the pamphlet. He was exhausted, he had been running literally all day, but it didn't matter. He was going to follow Ranma even if it meant going to China. He was going to make Ranma see that he was wrong. They were going to have their fight, and then…

And then…

He would figure out the rest from there. He turned, mumbling to himself. He didn't notice at first that there was anyone there until he heard his name.

"Ryouga…?"

He looked up. There was a girl standing there. She was a few years older than him, though it was hard to tell because she was no taller than he was. She was wearing a dark silk shirt and black pants, and her red hair was plastered against her face by the rain. Two bright blue eyes peeked out at him, the only real color in the rainy world around him.

His eyes widened and the pamphlet fell from his nerveless fingers. "R… Ranma?"

000

Present Day

Ryouga woke with a start. He almost sat up, but something was pinning his side, and some instinct told him to stop before he pushed it off. He took a few quick breaths, trying to focus his eyes. He rubbed them as the unfamiliar ceiling resolved itself.

Right… the Nekohanten… He groaned and relaxed back onto his pillow as his heart rate gradually dropped back to normal.

He had been back in that empty lot. He could still feel the wet from the rain and the soggy texture of that travel pamphlet between his fingers. He had been right back in that moment, with all the emotions that came with it. It was already starting to fade, but he got the feeling this wasn't the first time.

"Ryouga?"

He moved his hand and for a moment he was worried it was still the dream. Those same blue eyes that he had seen in it were looking back at him, soft red hair framing a face full of concern.

"Ranma…" he breathed, then his memory caught up with him. He glanced to his right, and saw Shampoo against his side, her head pillowed on his shoulder. She was still asleep, apparently deeply enough that he barely heard anything from her through the Link. He felt a twinge of worry, like he was caught in someone else's bed (specifically Ranma's), but when he turned back to her, he still saw only worry on her face.

"Sorry…" he said quietly, not wanting to wake Shampoo. "Bad dream. I didn't mean to…" He trailed off… "That was you, wasn't it? In the dream. How much…?"

"Was that what happened?" she asked softly. He could sense a whirl of emotions from her. Regret… Pity? Sadness even. "What you were feeling? I…"

"I'm sorry," Ryouga said again, closing his eyes and looking away. He couldn't stand to see the pity there anymore, though the Link wouldn't let him close it off so easily. "You… never deserved any of that anger. I using you as an easy out from hating myself. I shouldn't have expected you to wait one day, much less four."

"I tried," Ranma replied. Ryouga blinked and looked back at her.

"I knew you were trying to get there. I knew about your problem, and I knew it was getting worse." She shook her head and laughed. "It… it was the first time I really stood up to the old man, you know? He was getting antsy after the first day, but I just refused to listen to him and stood in that spot." She sighed. "At the end of the third day, he just beat me until I gave in."

Ryouga looked away again, guiltily. "That doesn't exactly make me feel better, you know. You shouldn't have waited that long for me. It wasn't worth it."

"After what I just saw… after that dream, you're trying to tell me that?!" Ranma raised her voice a little. "D'ya think I'm that stupid, Ryouga?!"

Ryouga's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Th-that's not…!"

She sat up and folded her arms, huffing and looking indignant. "It did mean that much to you. And it meant that much t'me, too! I… we gave our word, right? The first time I did that an' it really mattered." She took a breath and her expression softened as she seemed to study the far wall off to the right. "I… suppose you never found the letter, huh?"

"Letter?" Ryouga said, confused.

Ranma sighed, a bit of color rising in her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head. "It was… I vaguely remember leaving you a note or something explaining everything. I think… I'm pretty sure I even apologized, so… If you want any indication of how bad I felt…" She glanced at him shyly. "I… don't remember exactly what was in it… But I remember it was important. I stashed it behind that loose brick in the retaining wall, the one you used to smuggle the homework assignments to me when Pops was being a jerk and wouldn't let me go to school."

"I… didn't look," Ryouga admitted. He remembered he had more or less stumbled his way home eventually, packed up and left for China. "How do you not remember what it said if it was so important?"

Ranma scowled and hunched, her blush deepening. "I… I just don't, okay? It was probably some stuff about promising to challenge you again when we were men or something like that, I don't know! I forget a lot of stuff, okay? It's… forget it! We gotta get up anyway. It's still a school day and the Old Ghoul will probably want to open for the breakfast rush."

"How thoughtful of you, son-in-law. We'll make a dutiful husband of you yet," Cologne's voice wafted in from the kitchen, causing both teens to freeze. "If you're done with your charming little heart to heart, I could in fact use some help in the kitchen preparing for that breakfast rush. There are still dishes left over from last night."

"Damn it Ryouga, now look what you did!" Ranma huffed.

000

"Now, don't complain. I did miss out on a fair bit of business traffic last night to accomodate you kids and I know you wouldn't want me to think that you're freeloaders, right?" She smirked. "Besides, the furo is small, and while I would be tempted to allow Son-in-law and Shampoo to share, it's a school day and, knowing my great-granddaughter, chances are you would be late. I wouldn't want to cause Ranma any new problems in his challenge with that Himura girl, now would I?"

"Y'know, Ranma and I could just go together and save some time," Ryouga said, his arms already up to the elbows in suds as he scrubbed at dried-on rice, egg and sauce. He watched Ranma out of the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction and saw her tense up immediately.

Cologne thwacked him on the back of his head. "You're doing dishes, sonny! You can have your turn when the girls are done."

"Ow! It was just a suggestion you old freak!" Ryouga's protest earned him another solid whack, this time against his forehead.

"WASH!" She said in a tone that told him he had best stop talking, lest the beatings get worse. Despite his resilience, Cologne knew how to make those staff blows HURT. She turned to Shampoo, who was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Go show son-in-law where the linens are. Let her go first. Your uniforms are folded and on your bed."

"Yes Great-grandmother," Shampoo said, smiling at Ranma and gesturing towards the stairs.

Cologne tapped her on the backside with her staff (Though far more gently than she had with Ryouga). "And no hanky-panky! I'm serious, child. I appreciate your enthusiasm for producing an heir, but there is a time and place for such things, and before school is not it."

Shampoo bowed, suitably chastised. "Shampoo know, Great-grandmother. Will be good. Save for weekend."

"Good girl," Cologne chuckled and watched as they headed up the stairs.

With a sigh, Ryouga returned to scrubbing. Ranma looked TERRIFIED when I suggested that. Almost like… like when her mother would come over and there was a danger that she might find out about the curse - back before Ranma defused all that. He considered. Well, maybe not QUITE the same. Not a 'fear for her life' kinda look, but… still… it's like…

"Someone is very deep in thought," Cologne commented, startling him. "And not the job he was given!"

"Uhhh, sorry!" Ryouga said quickly though, after a moment, he realized that the comment had not been punctuated by a smack from the staff.

"Sorry Elder," Cologne prompted. "I permit Ranma's casual disrespect because she's family and because she doesn't know any better - thanks to her rather wretched parents. But you have a perfectly good mother who I am certain taught you different. If you intend to be part of this family, I expect you to hold yourself to a higher standard. As an example to Ranma."

"Sorry Elder, I…" Ryouga replied automatically before his mental gearbox threw a cog. "Wha… wait, what?!"

Cologne sighed and rolled her eyes. "Isn't that what your obvious little test was about, boy? You were seeing if Ranma was comfortable reverting to her natural form around you. I presume the answer you got was the one you were expecting? The look on her face was quite plain."

Ryouga sighed. "Yeah… It's like… it's almost like… She's forgotten that I know about her curse… that she thinks that I think she's a girl, and… and… something bad will happen if I see her as a guy?" He scratched the back of his head. "I've been trying to figure it out, but I still don't really get it, honestly."

Cologne clucked her tongue and hopped up into the counter in front of her, sat down and pulled out her pipe. "Honestly, you cannot be this dense, boy," she said as she took out a match and lit her pipe. "She knows you are aware of her true nature. She is simply trying very hard to avoid reminding you of it."

"But… why?" Ryouga replied, still confused. He put the dish he had been washing onto the rack, still wet.

"Dry the dishes before racking them!" Cologne snapped, thwacking him on the head. She waited until he had picked up the plate and started to dry it before taking a puff on her pipe. "It's because she wishes you to see her as a girl, and only as a girl."

"Why would she want that, though?" Ryouga grumbled, scrubbing at another plate with more than recommended force.

"Careful with the china, boy. That's imported from back home!" Cologne warned him, then took another puff. "And isn't the reason obvious? Why would a girl want a boy to see her as a girl and not just 'one of the guys', as you might put it?"

Ryouga paused in drying the plate he had just rinsed. "To steal a scroll for some secret martial arts technique?"

Cologne promptly bopped him on the head. "Don't get smart, boy!"

Ryouga muttered darkly and rubbed the sore spot on his head. He could tell he was going to have a few lumps there later. "Give me a break! That's why she did it last time!"

"And do you have any scrolls of secret techniques?" she asked. Then her leathery face stretched into an awful smirk. "Or perhaps you are just happy to see her?"

Ryouga dropped the plate into the sink, which was, thankfully, still full of water. He backed up, feeling his face burn. "H-hey!" He folded his arms tightly and looked away. "I-I would never…! Listen, you perverted old hag…!"

She hopped down and jabbed him in the gut with her pointy end of her staff, driving the wind from his lungs. He sank to his knees, clutching at his middle while he gulped for air and tried to coax his spasming diaphragm to work.

"Don't be stupid, boy. Your interest in her is painfully obvious. Something I see my Shampoo has picked up on… and accepted." She folded her hands behind her back and started pacing in front of him. "Which has come as something of a surprise. My dear Great-granddaughter is not overly fond of sharing… or at least she hasn't beenup to now. It seems she has grown somewhat through this arrangement." She glanced at Ryouga. "Fair enough. As my heir, she's entitled to bend the marriage laws somewhat, and bringing two outsider males with the obvious qualities you and son-in-law possess… well, there will be some jealousy, certainly, but she's dealt with that all her life. Though don't think you won't have to pass more than a few tests to ensure your worthiness and commitment. Ranma did, after all."

"Thanks… that's great… really…" Ryouga wheezed, finally getting back enough breath to speak.

She turned and glared at him through narrowed eyes. "It is great, though your flippancy suggests that you don't understand just how great. For a Joketsuzoku warrior to accept an outsider male freely without requiring he defeat her in combat first is a rare honor. Her affection is a gift - one that I plan to spend the next few years making very sure you are worthy of." She gave him another brief, awful smirk. Then it faded. "As I said, though, none of that is overly concerning to me, now that son-in-law's affection and commitment to Shampoo has been cemented. What concerns me is the change I have seen in Ranma, which appears to be primarily centered around you. Given the nature of this Link that you and she share, and which you now share with my Great-Granddaughter, you can understand the basis for that concern, yes?"

"Look, I'm not trying to pull anything, and I'm not trying to screw up Ranma's relationship with Shampoo, or muscle my way into it, or any of that!" Ryouga said. "I'm just trying to cure my direction curse so I can find a way to cure my Mom's! I'm… I'll be out of Ranma's hair once this is all over with."

Cologne grunted, folded her arms and nodded. "I see."

"O-okay…" Ryouga blinked, relaxing a bit as he sat back on his haunches. "So… we're good then?"

Cologne responded with a solid thwack to the head, hard enough to make him see stars for a moment.

"Of course not, you stupid boy!" Cologne croaked. "Because that answer tells me you're clinging to denial as tenaciously as son-in-law! How you can be sharing your emotions all this time and be so blind to the truth still baffles me! If my generation were as blind as yours appears to be, we would have all died walking off of cliffs!" She thumped the end of her staff on the ground. "I am trying to help you, boy! Help you and my Granddaughter before all of this ends in heartbreak and dishonor!"

"What are you talking about?" Ryouga asked querulously, rubbing the top of his head.

"Son-in-law is expressing interest in you, as a female, and has even gone to some not inconsiderable lengths to be a female in your presence! Have you not noticed her change of hairstyle? Of mannerisms? Or her adoption of pet names for you?" She poked him in the chest with her staff to punctuate her point. "I have been watching, young Ryouga. She spends more time with you and has sought out a level of physical closeness and intimacy that is remarkable given her usual… 'skittishness' with regards to such things. And she is avoiding changing forms around you for fear of undoing all of the hard work she's done to draw you in!"

"I… you make it sound like Ranma is trying to seduce me!" Ryouga squawked.

"Isn't she?" Cologne chortled. "Oh not on a conscious level, mind you. That super-masculine mindset her idiot father imparted to her makes that nearly impossible for her, even now. But it's hardly a new thing, is it? Women spend excessive time with cosmetics, hair styling, exercise regimes and outfits, all to enhance their allure, and are often loathe to be seen by their beloveds without such accoutrements. For a shapeshifter, choosing the most appealing base form would be a natural part of that process."

Ryouga clenched his fists. "But… Ranma isn't a girl, is she?" he asked tightly. "This is wrong. Even if she does care about me, she shouldn't have to… to pick one form for my sake!"

"Why not?" Cologne bopped him on the head again, but more lightly. "Do you expect her to become enamoured of your piglet form all of a sudden? Or do you think that she should not be with my Great-Granddaughter because of her fear of cats, or that her revulsion towards them means she cares about my Shampoo any less?"

"I… well…" Ryouga stammered.

"Which is precisely why your pig-headed attitude is the problem!" Cologne added. "She wishes for you to see her as female, as something attractive and desirable, and she won't be comfortable in her male form around you until you accept her as such and you've built sufficient trust that she can be certain you won't reject her. I would think, given your struggles with Akane Tendo and your own curse, that you'd be somewhat more sympathetic to such feelings."

Ryouga stared at the floor a moment, as if the pattern on the linoleum held the secrets of the universe - or at least the secrets of his own personal little world. "So… Ranma Saotome… man amongst men… wants to be a woman… for me?" he asked, carefully piecing together the concepts. "Without any magic potions or spells or whatnot involved?"

"Well, I suspect your Link has had more than a small effect on things," Cologne said. "But from what Dr. Tofu has told me of it, the Link merely brings understanding and perspective. It does not inject artificial emotion like various types of love magic. The emotions are genuine, even if they were given a little assistance in flickering to life. Also…" she trailed off and looked away. "Perhaps I am still mistaken, but all of this has reawakened an old suspicion in me."

"Old suspicion?" Ryouga said, leaning a bit closer to listen.

Cologne sighed. She folded her hands behind her back and turned away from him. "What I am going to tell you I tell you in the strictest confidence. You may discuss this with Nabiki Tendo if you wish, I trust her to use the knowledge appropriately, but none of the others until I've had a chance to discuss it with them, and not until after Son-in-law is ready to accept the implications." She took a deep breath. "When my Great-granddaughter told me about Ranma, there was still some doubt as to Ranma's true gender. The change - hot water male, cold water female - that she reported suggested a male true form, of course, but that the girl claimed to be female despite such a claim invoking a literal death penalty was odd. So when I first came to Nerima, I tested son-in-law. I forced him into a form that should have been unnatural for him, placed before him an impossible test and waited for him to crack."

"But he didn't," Ryouga replied.

"She didn't. Though all along she loudly proclaimed her male nature, she displayed a… comfort with her female form that is unusual for Jusenkyo sufferers. There are certain 'adjustments' the curse makes to allow the victim to function, certainly, but… high level martial arts? The only other I have heard attaining a modicum of such control is Mousse, and admittedly the boy is exceptional. And his ability to wield weapons as a duck does not compare to Ranma's mastery of her form." She chuckled. "Of course she won my impossible little contest, without submitting to my demands or surrendering her male identity, so I could simply chalk that up to exceptional determination and will. I had noticed that, despite her experience, her exceptional level of comfort with her female form has continued, and she shifts smoothly between them."

"What are you saying?" Ryouga asked, cocking his head.

"That Ranma appears… uniquely compatible with her Jusenkyo curse. So much so that it may be a mistake to consider her as one gender or the other. Something that is… not without precedent," Cologned continued.

"Wait… so… someone getting… well, 'caught between'... this has happened before?" Ryouga asked.

"There have been many reactions to Jusenkyo curses. Most have been difficult to live with. It is a curse after all. You young people have adapted well, but there have been many cases of older victims being unable to adjust." Cologne resumed pacing. "There are also cases of those who have come to prefer their cursed forms. Men electing to live as women, women as men, individuals afflicted with curses that bring about personality changes finding their new personalities better suited to life… even a few cases of sufferers of animal curses becoming feral and abandoning their humanity." She clucked her tongue. "That Taro boy skirts dangerously close to that abyss, though thankfully none of you kids have shown any signs of it."

"So… the curse does change something in our heads?" Ryouga said nervously.

Cologne scoffed. "The curse changes physical form, grants some reflexes and instincts, and nothing more. The rest is all supplied by the human mind's inexhaustible capacity to warp itself. For example, a weak man of low importance and average intelligence might find himself transformed into a powerful beast, where his 'average' human intelligence is a tremendous advantage. Free from the restrictions of society and with the power to take what he wishes, he can slake his long-repressed bloodlust without consequences. Despite our best attempts to keep intruders out of the Jusenkyo grounds, one arises every generation or so. The curse one receives from the pools is no act of random chance; there is an intelligence… a will to the place. The curses bear significance to the victim's life. Shampoo's was an obstacle to her pursuit of love, one she had to overcome. Mousse's represents his desire for freedom from the cultural restrictions placed upon him and his own physical limitations - a form that can go nearly anywhere. Yours is… well, yours is self-evident." She chuckled.

Ryouga ignored the barb. "And you think Ranma's was…"

"At first I thought it was an obvious counter to that super-masculine upbringing. But as her father's cursed form is an accurate reflection of his lazy, gluttonous and unimposing true nature, it is possible that Ranma's curse reflects something buried within her. Something she even now struggles to accept, but which the curse will not allow her to bury or deny." She hopped back up into the counter and took another puff of her pipe. "In fact, I am shocked it took as long as it did for it to creep into her psyche. Perhaps the hope of a cure staved it off for a time. No matter. For now… she is in a fragile state and, for whatever reason, she has tied this emerging identity to you. So… the question is what you will do with it?"

Ryouga crossed his legs, still sitting on the floor. He stared at his hands a few moments. "What should I do? How do I avoid… hurting her?"

"Could you accept her? As a woman? Even as she is a man to others? Can you accept that contradiction and resolve it within yourself?" Cologne asked.

Ryouga closed his eyes. That wasn't the problem! That was never the problem! He wrestled with it a moment. Accepting Ranma as a girl? That was far, far too easy. The idea that might be what she wanted? That just made it more enticing. But taking that step felt like a leap over a great, yawning chasm.

Ukyou's words came to the surface. I learned the hard way over this past year that you can't have both. I'm a lot of things with Ranchan… but a trusted outsider isn't one of them. That kind of trust doesn't survive the first kiss. Once there's that… investment in the other person, it changes things, for better or worse.

"I… feel like there's no going back once I do," he said softly. "If I do… If I tell her how I feel, then… things will change. One way or another."

"That's how love works, boy," Cologne said. "It's a gamble. But, whether you take it or not, you cannot stay here - in this moment. You can only move forward."

"People keep telling me that," Ryouga replied. "But… taking that step… It's terrifying."

Cologne chuckled. "That's how you know it's the real thing, boy." She hopped down from the counter, walked over and gave him a pat on the head. "And that's enough for me. It appears you have the support of the others, too. All that remains is to get the notion through Ranma's thick skull. I would also hope you have more than a passing affection for my Great-granddaughter as well?"

Ryouga blinked. It took him a second to switch gears. It was a strange idea for it to not only be allowable for him to like more than one girl, but for it to be expected of him. "I… well… I didn't spend much time with Shampoo before all of this started, but… After last night? I… well, I can see how things might have gone differently for me if I had gotten to know her sooner."

"It's a shame you didn't. The competition did wonders for Ranma and Akane's relationship," Cologne said. "But that's good. Despite what salacious rumors might claim, my Great-granddaughter is very particular about the company she allows to share a bed with her."

Ryouga ducked his head, face burning.

"Now, come along, Son-in-law, you have dishes to finish before the girls come back down." She hopped back up onto the counter and thumped her staff against the countertop. "Hop to it!"

"Okay, okay, I'm…" Ryouga got to his feet, then froze. "…son-in-law?"

"Yes. As I understand it your marital status to Ranma is already secured, and for a male to share a Joketsuzoku warrior's bed without being wedded to her would mean death, so I will be charitable and take the forging of this Link with my Shampoo as a proposal. Congratulations, boy! Not many can count themselves so lucky as to be part of the harem of the heir to the legacy of the Joketsuzoku!!" She chuckled as she refilled her pipe.

Ryouga rubbed his forehead. He hadn't been prone to headaches before all of this, had he?

It might not be that bad, a small, hopeful voice said from somewhere deep inside. He felt a goofy grin spread as he had a mental image of having his arms around a laughing, smiling Ranma and Shampoo. Maybe curled up on a couch in front of a roaring fire together? But what about Nabiki? He felt a small pang, then realized that she could be there too, and she suddenly joined the pleasant fantasy bringing in a tray of steaming mugs, and his grin widened. Why the hell not? He plunged his hands into the soapy water, content to enjoy the happy daydream as he worked.

"Watch out, the water's cooled quite a bit while we were talking," Cologne commented dryly, just as Ryouga vanished into a pile of clothes on the floor. A small black piglet wriggled free of the pile and whimpered plaintively.

Cologne clucked her tongue and shook her head, blowing a ring of smoke at him. "I can see we have a long way to go when it comes to mental discipline, son-in-law."

000

The screams were hardly the worst part.

Himura had claimed the changes would be slight and so the process should not be overtly painful. She had been wrong. The figure on the other side of the glass had convulsed and writhed as bones cracked and muscle and sinew re-wove themselves, becoming sickening bulges and ripples under the skin.

The screams just made it harder to look away.

The worst of it was over before Mineko even arrived, apparently. Regardless, she had to fight the urge to not throw up, and it was only a stalwart determination to see it through that kept her breakfast down.

This is for the best. It's for the best! This will make her life better! Mineko repeated as a mantra to herself as the screams finally abated to a pathetic whimpering.

"I admit, the initial formulation is somewhat… rough," Himura said dryly. She had watched the entire scene so far with complete dispassion.

"Outsiders botched recipe," said the green-haired girl in chinese silk next to them. Mineko had always felt uneasy around the foreign girl. Despite being about the same age, she always felt small when the girl looked at her, as though she was in danger. The girl's movements spoke of power and confidence, and she seemed to look out on the world like a tiger, assessing threats, rivals and prey. Mineko had no illusions about which category she fell into.

"You think the substitution caused this, Tan Pohn?" Himura asked, her tone businesslike, unaffected by the scene in front of her.

"No, issue is with preparation. Process as important as ingredients. Settles out impurities. Needs hand of one who trained in ki healing to do properly," Tan Pohn replied. "Outsider's good at mechanical precision, miss subtleties. Magic needs human element."

"Will it have the desired effect, then?" Himura asked.

"Yes. As said, Outsiders good at mechanical precision. Refinement merely make transition easier, more survivable." She stepped forward and tapped on the glass. "This one strong though. Good candidate. Will do well."

"Y-you mean… this might have killed her?" Mineko asked quietly. "You said it was safe!"

Tan Pohn smirked, sniffing disdainfully at Mineko. She walked over to her, and despite the chinese girl actually being shorter than her, Mineko got the feeling of being looked down upon. "No magic safe, girl, much less magic made from curse. Outsiders abandon long ago. Prefer safe science. If not have stomach for risk, should not play with."

"Th-this isn't a game!" Mineko retorted, marshalling her courage. "That's a person suffering in there!"

"Much work to refine potions. More people be in that room after this one," Tan Pohn said, a hint of menace in her voice. "If not have stomach for, maybe spare next person this? Take potion own self. Maybe try out animal curses next. Tan Pohn think girl make good mouse."

"Peace, Tan Pohn," Himura said sternly, cutting her off. "Mineko has a valid concern. The potion in this unrefined state is worthless on the open market, no matter how miraculous the eventual effects are." Himura stepped past the chinese girl and put a hand on Mineko's shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. "Please believe me when I say that I never intended for things to be this bad. This was a miscalculation on my part. I will ensure that she makes a full recovery, and will not remember any of this."

Mineko still felt uncertain, but she knew she was powerless to do anything further. She sighed and looked away. "When… when will I be able to see her?"

"Tomorrow," Himura said. "She'll be awake and believing that she's recovering from a bout of illness - and she will be very happy to see you." Himura squeezed her shoulder, then let her hand fall away.

"Will… will she remember me?" Mineko asked, hope warring with guilt.

Himura nodded. "Of course! Her memories of you will be unchanged… save for one small detail, of course. Can I tell her you'll be here in the morning to see her? I'm sure that will be a tremendous help to her in completing the transition."

Mineko breathed a sigh of relief. Part of her had been worried Himura might not allow her access. "Yes. Yes, of course!"

"I'll send the limo around to your house first thing, then," Himura replied. "Now… off to school with you! Make sure we win a resounding victory in today's game! I'm trusting you to keep our players on track in my absence."

Mineko closed her eyes and nodded. She wished that nagging uncertainty would go away, but she didn't want Himura to see her still conflicted. Not now. I've gone too far to back out. I started this, I have to see it through. "I'll make sure we trounce them, Himura."

Himura smiled. "Good. Good! Off with you then. I'll see you on Saturday."

000

Himura waited for the limo taking Mineko away to pull out of sight before she let her usually pleasant smile settle into the more comfortable self-satisfied smirk.

"[Why do you bother lying to her?]" Tan Pohn grumbled in Mandarin, crossing her arms. "[She's weak. She should be doing what you tell her because you tell her to.]"

"[Fear and intimidation don't breed much in the way of loyalty, my dear Tan Pohn,]" Himura said softly, turning to walk back inside as the Chinese girl fell in step. "[My grandfather taught me that you can only get so much by cracking the whip. They'll work until they no longer mind the sting and then turn on you. But convince them that you're on their side, working towards a common goal? Make them feel like they're part of your 'vision'? Oh they'll struggle, sacrifice, and die for you.]"

"[Hmph. Joketsuzoku only follow the strong.]"

"[There are different kinds of strength. Strength of arms and Strength of Leadership are often very different. Many great generals and conquerors of history were hardly imposing as individual warriors,]" Himura replied.

Tan Pohn made a noncommittal grunt.

Himura changed the subject. "[Can you help my little Chemistry Club friends perfect the formula before next week? Things are moving ahead quickly, and if all goes well we will need it by then.]"

"[The Elder has already ordered us to work on the problem. Your application of the false curse powder to the original formula was interesting to her. We'd never get approval from the Council to do such a thing ourselves, but if your test is successful, it will have many applications,]" Tan Pohn replied. "[Though that is only a fraction of what you promised us. You said you would deliver the Godslayer to us, and many more besides. Lo Shan grows impatient.]"

"[Yes, yes… I've already told her that this will take time, and I must complete this challenge my Grandfather has set out first. All of this is simply laying the groundwork for what comes after, which is where our true partnership begins. Ranma will be delivered by the end of it, the rest will be scattered, and it will just be a matter of rounding them up.]"

"[Yes, we are aware of the plan,]" Tan Pohn said testily. "[But Lo Shan is not convinced you can deliver on your lofty promises, and neither am I.]"

Himura turned and gave the girl a look of hurt and shock. "[Why… Tan, I'm appalled! How can you think so little of me, after all the time we've spent bonding?]"

Tan Pohn scoffed. "[A couple of loud indoor celebrations with alcohol, drugs and male sex slaves is not 'bonding'.]"

Himura crossed her arms. "[Please, my dear, those were the highest end clubs in Tokyo. And please don't refer to the male escorts as 'sex slaves' to their faces again? It costs extra.]"

Tan Pohn grinned. "[Different name, same thing. Most of them are pathetically fragile, anyway. But… fun to play with.]" She seemed to consider. "[Send that tall, dark one… what did he call himself…? Ah yes, Lantis. Send him to my room tonight, and I'll see about putting a good word in with Lo Shan to get you some more time.]"

Himura smirked. It was always just a matter of finding what someone wanted, after all. "[He'll be waiting for you. I'll make sure he's at your disposal from now on.]"

"[I am still not sure how you plan to cow the Godslayer by next week,]" Tan Pohn said. "[It seems… ambitious. Elder Cologne has been here nearly two years with no luck. Rumour has it she has subjected him to all manner of horrors.]"

"[It's a matter of finding someone's breaking point, my dear,]" Himura said as they returned to the observation room. The figure on the bed was still now, though her chest could be seen rising and falling as she laid sprawled on the mattress. Faintly through the walls could be heard Himura's own voice, a special recording that was meant to play for the one inside once the worst had died down. "[Reserve your judgement until Sunday, when my plan goes into motion. Ranma should be relatively easy to secure. And even if not, she will no longer be any sort of obstacle.]"

000

"Y'know, it's unusual to see schoolkids here, much less on a school day," The middle-aged security guard said, chatting amicably as he led the three teenagers though a series of disused offices full of file storage racks. "Ever since everything went digital, nobody much comes down here. In fact, the guards hardly ever patrol down here. Think it's haunted."

Daisuke ran a finger along the dust covering an old microfiche reader. The decor of the offices was dated at best, and none of the equipment looked new - as in 'older than he was'. "I think the ghosts would hang out somewhere more exciting."

The guard chuckled. "Well, I like it down here. It's quiet. Have my lunch down here sometimes and talk to the ghosts."

"They don't… talk back, do they?" Yuka asked nervously.

"Not yet, but I have had my sandwich go missing a couple of times when I wasn't looking," he replied nonchalantly.

"They steal your food?!" Yuka squeaked.

"Yeah!" The guard replied. "That or I set it down somewhere and forgot about it. I tend to wander a bit when I eat, and now and then I get distracted and forget where I put things. If you find something rancid in the stacks that's probably my fault. The janitorial staff don't come down here too much either, y'know."

"Can't imagine why," Hiroshi said dryly.

"I know, right? Well, I do my best to make up for it. Weekend guards always slack off, stick to ground level and above. Friggin' part-timers." The guard led them to a far corner of the room. "All right, here you are. Microfiche readers are there and the index cards are in those drawers over there. Holler up to the front desk if you need anything or have any questions. Closing time is at 5 PM sharp. Be sure to poke your heads out before then. They're bad about locking up without checking in here first."

"Yes, sir," Daisuke said dutifully.

The guard turned to leave and the three breathed a sigh of relief, before he stopped and turned back.

"Damned peculiar, three students bein' sent here to check the old archives. What was it for again? Normally there's all kinds of red tape to even get down here. This place is full of people's personal data after all." He scratched the back of his head.

"Correcting school records," Yuka said, thinking fast and not missing a beat. "Our Principal was caught altering student records and he did it in such a way that it messed up their online files, so we have to compare to the hard copies. The parents didn't trust the faculty with the job after all of that, so we were assigned to do it as internship work."

"Really?" he said, frowning. "That's pretty damn odd. Which school?"

"Furinkan High," Yuka replied.

"Oh god damn!" the guard chuckled and shook his head. "Say no more, little miss, and my condolences for dealing with that nutjob. Ain't the first time that freak has sent work down here. There was the time he changed the names on all the faculty teaching licenses to Hawaiian-themed names." he shook his head and turned away again, with a wave. "You kids have fun and don't go crossed-eyed squinting at the labels!"

"We won't, sir," Hiroshi said. "Thank you!"

The three of them waited as they listened to his footsteps disappear down the hall, then the big fire doors close behind him. They all let out the breaths they had been holding.

"Okay, pro bluff Yuka, I am honestly impressed!" Hiroshi said.

"How did you know to throw the Principal under the bus like that? Not that he didn't deserve it," Daisuke added.

"Lucky guess. I remember that bit with the teaching licenses. Don't you remember he came on the PA and started announcing the teacher's new 'Big Island' names?" Yuka said.

"Oh yeah!" Hiroshi replied. "When Ms. Hinako learned the dress code for female teachers now included a coconut shell bra and grass skirt, she marched right up to his office and drained him so hard he was out of commission for a week."

"Yeah, well I remember them griping about all the issues with fixing their ID's. I figured the Principal had a history," Yuka said. "So… where do we start?"

"Well, I think we go to those index cards over there, look up 'Saotome', and it'll tell us where the files are with all the documents," Hiroshi said. He walked over to the card file and pulled it open. And stared.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked, coming up beside him. "Is it empty? Did Himura beat us to the punch?"

Yuka came up on Hiroshi's other side. She blinked as she realized what he was looking at; index cards. Hundreds of them.

"Apparently… there are a lot of people in Japan with the last name 'Saotome'..." Hiroshi said quietly.

000

Akane usually appreciated going to school. For all of the insanity, strife and stress that blossomed there, it had slipped into that balance where most of the time the craziness was manageable ever since Ranma had arrived to help her weather it. It could even be fun. One minute they'd be in some dramatic martial arts battle, the next they'd be sitting down and having ramen together. Then back to battling.

She was starting to realize the craziness acted as a distraction - it kept her from focusing too far into the future. Her life had become all about getting through the next day with nary a thought to what might come later, even as far as graduation. With the exception of the ever-present threat of parentally-enforced marriage.

Taking back control had felt good. She found a lot of her anger was calmed simply by the fact that she felt more in control of her life than she ever had before. Most of the conflicts had been smoothed over, the Hentai Horde had been shamed out of existence and the Principal had been put on one of his long hiatus'. It was true that the whole marriage mess was more snarled than ever, but now they had a path forward independent of whatever their parents decided.

But now? Now that getting through the immediate chaos was conceivable she was starting to wonder what shape her life might take after high school.

I guess I never really thought about it, she mused as the group walked towards school. She glanced over to where Nabiki was chatting with Shampoo and Ranma, and Ryouga walking a few steps behind, looking like a fifth wheel. I mean, I'd nod and agree when Sayuri and Yuka talked about having a career, meeting someone, getting married and having kids, but…

Truth was, even before admitting her own sexuality to herself, the idea of becoming an office lady, or a teacher, or taking up some other mundane career just didn't parse for her. I guess I figured I would inherit the dojo. Part of why I resented Ranma, I suppose. She looked up at the redhead's back, smiling a bit. She's a better teacher than me. She'd be good at it. But is that really what we're going to be doing? Her eyes shifted to Ukyou. Ukyou has Ucchan's, and I'm sure Nabiki has bigger business plans than just running a dojo. She glanced at Shampoo. Then there's the Amazon thing. She sighed. And it has to be something that has room for ALL of us right? All five. Her eyes shifted again to Ryouga. Maybe more?

She considered a moment. She wasn't really getting anywhere quelling her worries just rattling around in her own head. There had been one person she had always used as a confidante when things were bothering her… maybe he could help again? She sped up a little, coming up behind Ryouga and hooking his arm with her own.

"Hey, I… Akane?" Ryouga said with some confusion.

"Hey Ranma? I'm just going to borrow Ryouga for a few minutes, okay?" Akane said.

Ranma glanced back at her, and gave her a quizzical look. "You're not gonna break him or anything, are you? He hasn't done anything to deserve it!"

Akane scowled. "Do you have to assume I'm always in danger of becoming violent?"

The redhead scratched the back of her head, pondering. "…Yes?"

Akane huffed indignantly and started dragging Ryouga along with her. "Come on, Ryouga! I feel like walking the rest of the way with someone who respects me!"

"I… uh… sure?" Ryouga said, glancing about nervously. He shot Ranma an apologetic look and then let Akane drag him off some ways down the road.

Akane sighed and slumped a little. She had slipped into an old, bad habit and had taken advantage of Ryouga again to get back at Ranma for a minor slight. She slowed down, then stopped. "I'm sorry, Ryouga."

"I… uhh… what for?" Ryouga asked, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"What Ranma said made me mad and I went right back into my 'Why can't you be more like Ryouga?' thing… I know that caused a lot of friction between you two." She sighed and resumed walking, holding his arm a bit more loosely. "I'm just… a little apprehensive."

"Apprehensive…" Ryouga said. "You mean about the Link?"

"Partly," she replied. "Part of me is all twisted-up and jealous that I'm the last one to go, but part of me is…" she swallowed, "part of me is scared that everyone will see what an awful person I am and… a-and… stop loving me, you know?" Her voice trembled and broke a bit at the last. She clenched her fist and scrubbed at her eyes impatiently. "Damnit…"

"Hey…! Hey hey hey…" Ryouga immediately stopped, took hold of her shoulders with both hands and turned her to face him. "Akane, listen to me… it doesn't work that way, all right? It's the opposite, really. It'll… it'll help you understand what they're feeling, and help them understand your feelings."

"I-I know… I know. Nabiki told me some of it. She's convinced we need this to make it all work, but… but part of me…" She cringed. "I'm scared, Ryouga. I'm frantically trying to get a hold of all these terrible things about myself before they're all out there for everyone to see, and… and…"

Ryouga gave her a weak smile. "Akane… Trust me. You've always been wonderful. Take it from the guy who… who probably knows more about you than he has any right to."

"But that's part of it!" Akane continued. "I… I used you. I keep using you, even now! I'm…" She hugged herself and pulled away a little. "I'm so selfish… even now. I don't know how you do it."

"Me…?" Ryouga asked, blinking.

"Yes, you!" She turned back to him. "You're always so kind and so thoughtful! You always listen! You always encourage me and teach me when I need to learn, and… and…" She sagged. "And you were exactly the kind of boy I'd always say I wanted back when I was deluding myself into thinking I wanted a boy."

Ryouga looked off to the side then took a deep breath. "Akane… I'm… I'm not really any better than the other guys in your life… You know that, right?"

She looked up at him, seeing his eyes shadowed as he looked down. "Ryouga…"

He sighed. "I'm not groping you or being grabby or pushy… but not because I don't want the same things. I'm just shy and a coward. When the time came to say or do the right thing, or to keep lying so I could be close to you… I lied. I've had two girls fall in love with me and I didn't have the courage to tell them that… that I didn't… love them the same way. And… when I did fall in love… I…" He trailed off.

There was a moment of silence between them then Akane stepped forward and hugged him.

"You're nowhere near as bad as you think," Akane said softly, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. She relaxed it a bit and looked up at him. "And… you're right, I'm not as bad as I'm moping about being either, am I?" She smiled at him. "Maybe we should just keep reminding each other of that?"

His answering smile was a bit more genuine. "Yeah. I… yeah. That sounds good."

"I... actually wanted to talk about something else," Akane said sheepishly as she released the hug and took his arm again. "I was wondering if you've ever thought much about the future?"

"Huh? The future?" Ryouga pondered a moment. "Kind of? I mean… I sort of had this… vague notion about it. Marrying the girl I loved, having kids, domestic bliss... " He shook his head. "When I would really think about it, though, it was just me inserting myself into their lives."

"Nothing about what you would be doing?" she asked. "What career you might choose… where you would live… that sort of thing?"

He shook his head. "I think with Akari I had some vague idea of just being on her farm forever and training her pigs."

"You are a good teacher," Akane said. "When I was training for my fight against Natsumi and Kurumi, you were absolutely brilliant at it."

Ryouga's face fell again. "Akane…" He sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head sadly. "I… I have a confession about that. I walked away at the end there because… because I was starting to hope that you'd lose the rematch. So you wouldn't be engaged to Ranma anymore."

"But you taught me anyway, and what you taught me helped me win," Akane said with a smile. "You focused on the needs of your student. Maybe you're the one who should be running a dojo, not Ranma or me."

"Maybe," he said thoughtfully. "I'd need to find a dojo that'd be willing to let me teach, first."

Akane sighed heavily as she realized the hints she had been dropping had all sailed over Ryouga's head. "Ryouga…"

"Maybe I could open my own… I'd need to work a while to save up for it… Maybe if I could find a longer-term construction job… those pay pretty well. Still, we'd be talking years…" Ryouga continued to muse out loud.

"Ryouga, I want you to teach at the Tendo dojo," Akane blurted out.

"Huh? What did you say, Akane?" Ryouga snapped out of his reverie, his eyes widening.

"I want you to teach at our dojo," Akane repeated. "At the Tendo Dojo."

"O-oh… You mean… when you all go back to China with Shampoo?" Ryouga asked.

Akane shook her head. "No. I mean… come teach now." She twiddled her fingers. "I… I've been thinking about… about how things might work, and… even if we are all going to end up going to China to make this work, we're not going anywhere until we're done with school, and that probably means waiting for Nabiki to finish her degree, so… I thought you could come stay with us, o-or even just teach classes…" She trailed off, then after an awkward pause added, "so we can figure how to make all this work."

"Make all of what work?" Ryouga asked.

Akane closed her eyes. "Before I answer that… When you were talking about the people you did fall in love with… Do you mean me, or Ranma, or… or both?"

She waited for the answer. The silence stretched to new levels of awkward.

"Ryouga…?" She cracked an eye open.

"Both, okay?" he finally blurted, blushing and looking away. "You were gonna find out anyway when you got added to the Link, so…"

"Still?" she added.

"Yeah, still," he mumbled, jamming his hands into his pockets.

She walked in front of him and stopped him. "Ryouga, look at me."

He reluctantly raised his head, looking her in the eye. She cringed inwardly when she saw the distress in his eyes. It was obvious this had been tearing at him.

"Ryouga… Would you believe that I love you too?" she asked. He blinked, then frowned, so she continued before he could ask. "I can't… I'm not attracted to you… and that's not your fault! But… I do love you. Does that make any sense?"

"What, like a brother?" He scratched at the back of his head. "I… I'm honored, I guess?"

Akane sighed. "It's… Not quite. You've always been my best friend, Ryouga. You've always been the person I could talk to about… so many things! You're the person I go to when I need to rely on someone. I know… that's been one-sided up until now, so… So I wanted you to know that I want to be someone you can rely on too." She nodded. "I know this is hard… I… kinda know a bit about unrequited crushes."

"Huh? Oh… wait, something about Doctor Tofu, right?" Ryouga sighed. "A crush, huh?"

"No, no, I didn't mean…! I'm not trying to belittle your feelings or anything!" she said quickly. "I know it's more serious than that. I just… Oh, I'm making a mess of this, aren't I?" She swiped her hand through her hair, took a breath and tried again. "What I'm trying to say is… I want you around, Ryouga. And I know that means that things will have to sort themselves out with you and Ranma, and Nabiki… and Shampoo…" She grunted. "Honestly, she just had to mix herself up in that too, didn't she?"

Ryouga smirked slightly. "Mad you haven't gotten your kiss from her yet?"

"Yes! I mean NO! I mean…" Akane glared at him. "Wipe that grin off your face, Hibiki!"

He laughed, and she was forced to giggle a bit too after a moment.

"God this is so stupid…" Akane said, shaking her head. "Yes, I wanted a kiss. I still want one. I need to pull her aside and… and work out where we stand before all the unspoken tension and everyone else getting it on makes me crazy." She took a deep breath, feeling much more centered. "There… it feels so much better to admit that. I'm not mad about that. But if you kiss Ukyou like that, I will feed you your own entrails."

He held up his hands placatingly. "No, no, no worries there! I don't have that kind of relationship with Ukyou even with the Link. It'd be like… you kissing Nabiki or something."

Akane swallowed. "Aheh… yeah… Anyway," She cleared her throat. "You are planning on telling Ranma how you feel, right?"

"Is everybody going to get on my case about that?" Ryouga grumbled. "Look… I'm just kinda coming to terms with the fact that I… That I have these feelings for her… and that maybe it'd be okay to tell her… Maybe even that I'm obligated to. I wouldn't say I've got anything like a plan about it."

"Well, then I could help with that!" Akane said brightly.

"No," Ryouga said flatly.

Akane was a bit taken aback and maybe even a bit hurt. "Wh-why not?!"

"Because Ukyou tried that with me to get me to tell you," Ryouga said. "And it backfired every single time. I'm… I dunno, I'm probably just going to blurt it out at the worst possible moment like I usually do because that's the only way I'll ever do it…"

"I… okay, point," Akane replied. "But… there has to be some way I can help?"

Ryouga said nothing for a moment, lost in thought, so they walked in a companionable silence until he spoke again.

"I guess you could answer a question for me. Answer it honestly - don't hold anything back," he said finally. He looked upwards at the clouds as they walked. "If you could have the best outcome for you, just for you… like having Ranma to yourself, or Ranma and Ukyou, or whatever… and there was no downside - the rest of us would be just fine… what would be your perfect outcome?"

Akane blinked. "Why do you ask?"

Ryouga sighed. "I guess I want to know what you're giving up for this. Marrying Ranma was something that's been set up for you your entire life. And… it's obvious you want to be with him. Or her…" He glanced at Akane. "How would things go if everything was perfect for you?"

Akane considered the question. She folded her hands behind her back, and started to walk a little closer to Ryouga. She didn't know why - possibly for support - like she could hide behind him from her answer. "I… Would it surprise you if I said it wouldn't be just me and Ranma?"

"So… Ukyou too," Ryouga said quietly.

Akane shook her head. "Not like that. I mean, not just because of that." She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. "How do I explain this? I had Ranma to myself, Ryouga. After Jusendo, and nearly dying? All I had to do was say 'I love you', and we'd have been married, and that would be the end of it. But… but I couldn't… as much as I wanted to. Every time it's just me and Ranma, no matter how much we want it to be different, we both just… snap back into our old, stupid patterns. We both want to be together, I know that. But we also both need someone who can defuse us… nudge us onto better paths for dealing with our problems. For Ranma… that was Nabiki. For me…" a ghost of a fond smile crossed her lips, "for me, it was Ukyou. But we couldn't make that work alone. Shampoo was the one who brought the ability to… to accept each other, and the courage to say 'Who cares if no one else has done this before?'. So… I guess I can't answer your question because I haven't been able to figure out any other way that all of this could work. Nabiki figured out early on that we all needed each other," She shrugged. "Maybe I could have made it work with just Ukyou and me, but… that would have eaten both me and Ukyou alive inside. And I know it's the same for the others, too. We're doing this because… well, not just because if one of us wins everyone else loses, but… because we can't figure out any other way that even one of us can win. If that makes sense."

Ryouga nodded. "I guess I can understand that." He rubbed the back of his head.

"What about you, Ryouga?" Akane asked. "What's your perfect outcome?"

Ryouga blinked then blushed and looked away. "I don't know."

She elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Come on, that's not fair! I answered. You can't hold out on me like that!"

He grimaced. "I'm not holding out! I…" He sighed. "I think… Everything has been so tied up in not being lost anymore. I just wanted a home that… that I didn't need to leave. That may be why the idea of the Tendo Dojo or a farm appealed to me so much. I could work in the field or teach classes without having to go anywhere. I'm starting to think that I was so desperate for… for something… stability, I guess…? that any girl who could offer it…" he trailed off. "And then I would screw it all up anyway because I still had something to prove to Ranma."

"And Ranma? Why was it so important to prove yourself to her?" Akane asked. "Not the bread feud, was it?"

Ryouga shook his head. "No… that was just an excuse to be angry. The truth was, in middle school, Ranma made me feel needed. Even if he couldn't admit it. So it was okay for him to beat me to the bread every day. My ego wants to say I let him, but it'd be lying. And he'd have known if I had ever held back. But… that was okay, too. We both got better for it. Having him around… made life manageable. I wasn't a charity case because of my directional problems and I wasn't a burden. He needed me to get by just as I needed him to get by. That was all I wanted… to be needed… to be useful. And then…"

"He left," Akane finished for him.

"He didn't need me after all. He was headed off into the world and was gonna be just fine without me… and I was back to being doomed." He kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk, watching it skitter across the concrete. "I didn't deal with it well. The two years wandering and getting the second curse didn't help much. All I wanted was to face him down, beat him and prove that I didn't need him. That's all I saw when I looked at him."

"So that's why you helped him when he was vulnerable," Akane said. Gently she took hold of his arm again. "He needed you."

"I guess. I never wanted him dead. There were a thousand times I could have done that. It just sounded better in my head than 'I want him to be sorry he left me'." He grimaced again. "Damn… that sounds like some maudlin jilted ex-lover crap. It… wasn't actually like that."

"Except he turned into a girl," Akane said.

"When… she pulled me out of the Shi shi hokodan… She said she needed me… that she always had. And, because of the Link, I believed it. I couldn't not. It was the truth." He shrugged. "Then… I guess that changed things. I'd never allowed myself to really see Ranma as a girl before - probably because, deep down, I knew this would happen. So when Ranma was suddenly someone who needed me and a girl…" He chuckled dryly. "I guess that's all it took."

"To be fair, if I hadn't met Ranma as a girl first, I would never have fallen for her," Akane said, a small smile gracing her lips. "She was… she was so cute… another girl who liked martial arts the same as me, but was even more of a tomboy. It didn't matter if she was better than me - she was someone I could relate to." She laughed. "Finding out she was actually a boy? It took a long while to forgive her for that. Not because she had done anything wrong, but because finding out that I related to a boy better than I related to most girls just made the insults they used to throw at me at school feel more real. The irony was that, because Ranma was there, a lot of the scrutiny came off of me."

"Yeah… Ranma is good at distracting people," Ryouga said. "He usually grabbed so much attention in middle school that the other kids didn't bother me much anymore, even though I was hanging out with him a lot."

"So… your 'perfect outcome' would have to have Ranma in it somewhere, wouldn't it?" Akane asked. "After all, you made her your anchor for a reason, right? Even if your direction problems are cured, that reason will still remain."

Ryouga let out a long breath and nodded. "Yeah. You're probably right." He shrugged. "Long way from here to a perfect outcome, though."

Akane sighed and rolled her eyes. "Every time I think I get somewhere with you, you roll it back. You're a serious pain, you know that Hibiki?"

"What?! What did I do n-" Ryouga started to protest, but he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Without thinking, he snatched Akane up in his arms and dodged forward out of its path, curled around her protectively and rolled until he figured they were clear.

He leapt to his feet and set a somewhat dazed Akane smoothly onto hers. He looked back to see a massive wet streak spread across the pavement and the adjacent concrete wall. "Water? But…"

"RYOUGA HIBIKI, PREPARE TO DIE!"

"Aww, c'mon, what did I do this time?!" Ryouga looked up into the glare of the sun in time to see a silhouette descending towards him, carrying some sort of weapon poised for an overhead strike. He reached back for his umbrella to block the strike only to find empty air. He lurched back in a last minute attempt to dodge, barely getting clear while the weapon brushed his nose before it struck the concrete and fractured it.

Ryouga hopped back a couple more steps and dropped into a ready stance. His eyes widened as he recognized the blue groundskeeper's overcoat and white headband of his assailant.

"Shinnosuke?!" he yelped. "What the hell are you doing in Tokyo?!"

"That should be my question!" Shinnosuke straightened to give Ryouga an icy glare. "After you ran off, I followed Akari here. I expected to find you together, but I've been following you for the past few days, and now I see the truth!" He levelled his pushbroom at Ryouga like a rapier. "Akari wasn't enough for you! How many other girls have I seen you around with!? I've lost track!"

Ryouga blinked, paused and ticked off on his fingers. "Lessee… there's Nabiki... Ranma... Shampoo… Anna… Uhhh… six?" He rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I know your memory is bad but I can't really blame you on this one. It's been nuts for the past couple of weeks…"

"Shut up!" Shinnosuke roared. "How can you be so shameless about cheating on Akari?! On your fiancee!?"

"She's not…" Ryouga started to say, then shook his head - that wasn't the issue at hand. "I never cheated on Akari!"

Shinnosuke's eyes narrowed. "Just because my memory is bad you think I'm stupid? I've burned every moment, every transgresson into my memory, Hibiki. Including where you kissed that purple-haired girl!"

"I… oh," Ryouga trailed off. "I guess… Look, the situation was complicated, and I never… Hang on! Were you peeping on me during that?!"

"I… uhhh… no!" Shinnosuke looked nervous. "A-actually, there was this guy in glasses who stomped out the back door that was complaining about it. But you just confirmed it!" He levelled the broom again. "Prepare to die you… you… enemy of women!"

Ryouga had the oddest feeling of deja vu… enough that he forgot to dodge as Shinnosuke came in for another swing with the broom. Someone moved in front of him and the broom thwacked solidly against a familiar red bamboo umbrella.

"Shinnosuke, stop this!" Akane said, fending off the broom with Ryouga's umbrella. "There isn't any need for this… if you'd just stop and listen!"

Shinnosuke recoiled, his eyes widening. "A-akane?!" He stepped back a pace, looking as though he had seen a ghost. "It… it's… it is you, isn't it? I… I remember you!"

Akane smiled. "I remember you too, Shinnosuke." She lowered the umbrella. "You know I wouldn't lie to you, right?" She held out a hand. "Please believe me. Ryouga hasn't done anything wrong. I know the situation he's gotten into can look pretty bad, but he'd never…" She trailed off a bit, and shot a glance over her shoulder at Ryouga. "Well, almost never take advantage of a girl's trust like that…"

"Hey!" Ryouga squawked, realizing she was referring to P-chan again. "I thought we were past that!"

"Well it's not like I'm just going to let you forget it!" Akane scoffed, turning to face him. "You were sneaking into my bed at night!"

"You knew! And besides, half the time you had to drag me there!" Ryouga shot back.

"WHAT?!"

Akane's eyes widened as she heard the cry of outrage from behind her. "Sooooo… I'm guessing this was probably a bad time to have this discussion, right?"

Ryouga was already backing up, his own eyes wide and fearful from the expression on Shinnosuke's face. "Yeah. Yeah, you might say that…"

Akane felt beads of cold sweat on her brow. She could almost feel the heat radiated by Shinnosuke's ki across her back now. "Ummm… too late to try and explain and smooth it over, do you think?"

Ryouga grabbed her wrist and pulled her away as Shinnosuke shattered the concrete with an angry cry, his ordinary-seeming wooden push broom smashing the surface like it was dried mud.

"What do you think!?" Ryouga yelped. "Run!"

000

Ranma watched Akane drag Ryouga off down the road, scowled and returned her gaze to the sidewalk. She kicked at a pebble and jammed her hands into her pockets. "What's she gotta drag him off to talk about anyway? She better not be trying to sweet talk him into something. She knows he's still soft on her!"

"So you, Akane and Ryouga are together and one of you puts their foot in their mouth, so the other two storm off. Some things do change…" Nabiki started, sidling up to Ranma. She noticed that Ranma didn't react to her light jibe and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey… you okay? You're not actually worried, are you?"

Ranma sighed heavily. "That they'll do something intentionally stupid? No, not really." She kicked at another pebble. "It's never intentionally stupid. I just…" She chewed on her lower lip, trying to think of the words. "You know how I have this habit of saying something to Akane… like, not even meaning anything bad by it… and it'd totally ruin her day? Well… that, I guess. 'Cept it's usually her doing it to Ryo. I still worry he's not outta the woods yet as far as… well, y'know. Kaboom."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow then smiled and slipped an arm around Ranma's shoulders. "Well, well! That's probably the most perceptive and empathetic thing I've heard you say yet, Ranma. I'm proud of you. You've come a long way in figuring people out!" She leaned over and kissed Ranma's cheek. "I think you're dead on the money. And your being so concerned about Ryouga being hurt is actually kind of sweet. Though… don't discount Akane's feelings either."

"Ryo'd never hurt Akane in a million years," Ranma scoffed. "I'm pretty sure if she told him to use his sword-belt trick to stab himself in the chest, he'd still do it."

"Yeah, but like you said, it's not always intentional," Nabiki replied. "I imagine there will be some fireworks when those two get Linked."

"This really isn't fair to him, you know," Ranma said, her shoulders sagging a little. "I… sorta got a peek at why Ryouga is the way he is. It's kinda my fault. I was his only friend when he felt like he was alone in the world, and I just… walked out when he most needed me to go that extra mile for him."

"Weren't you rivals, though? Was it rational for him to expect you to wait for days for a challenge?" Nabiki asked.

"It… wasn't like that," Ranma said. "I mean, yeah, it was a challenge, but… before that… we did pretty much everything together. We called each other names, we fought over lunch… but then I'd come get him at the end of the day and walk him home, and he'd give me dinner… And a lot of the time we'd even forget about the fighting, and just talk." She shook her head. "It's… it's weird. I didn't remember any of this stuff when he showed up again. It was like he was just some random guy that I scuffled with over lunch - and even dredging that up was a stretch. I… It's weird that I don't remember a lot of stuff like this, right?" She glanced at Nabiki for confirmation. "You know… for the longest time I didn't realize I had a mother. It's not that I thought she was dead or anything, just… the whole idea that I had one somewhere, living or dead… It just never occurred to me." She shook her head. "So much stuff is nothing but a big blur. Is that… is that normal?"

Nabiki cocked her head. "Not really, no. I mean, my memory is very good, so maybe I'm not the best to ask? But…" Nabiki considered. "Actually, now that you mention it… things do get a bit blurry around the time that Mom started to get sick. You'd think that knowing my Mom was ill would make me treasure those memories more, but… Sometimes they just slip away until something happens to remind me. Like when Kasumi found that old cookbook. I think… maybe it's simply easier to let the memories of the most painful things slip away."

"Huh…" Ranma slumped a bit. "But most of my childhood is like that."

"Your Dad tried to sell you to a Singaporean businessman to pay a debt," Nabiki pointed out. "Your childhood sucked. I'm guessing that having to skip out on Ryo, knowing he was depending on you, probably loaded up all those memories with guilt and… well, easier to just forget if you're never going to see him again, right?"

"Ryo didn't forget." Ranma mumbled.

"Yeah, he kind of did," Nabiki replied. "His memories all ended up twisted up into anger and resentment. Now that you've both sorted that stuff out, it's starting to come back."

"That just worries me about what else I might remember that I'd rather not," Ranma shuddered. Her scalp felt itchy, as though there was some crucial detail about it all that she was still forgetting.

"Worry about that when you do, not before," Nabiki advised. "For now, focus on the present. You were saying you were concerned about Akane and Ryouga being off alone together? Surely you're not just jealous?" Nabiki smirked and nudged her in the ribs.

"Ryo wouldn't try anything. Hell, even when he was inclined to he wouldn't," Ranma said dismissively.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Nabiki prodded. "Seems to me that you're the one who usually drags Ryo off for some 'alone time.'"

Ranma blinked in confusion at her. "What do you mean?"

"Ranma… you're very possessive of Ryo. Don't you realize that?" Nabiki said. "If I hadn't stepped in, I worry you might have hauled off and punched Shampoo for kissing him."

"I-it's not like that!" Ranma said, her cheeks burning as she crossed her arms defensively. "I-I mean… how do you know I wasn't about to punch him, huh?"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "To be fair, you might have… but… Ranma… were you mad because he kissed Shampoo?"

"He didn't! Ryo's too shy to make a move like that! He's just a big pile of anxieties around girls, and Shampoo shoulda…!" Ranma began hotly, then trailed off. "I… look, I was mad because she was manipulating him! Ryo doesn't know how to say 'no' to a cute girl! I should know!"

"Because you're a cute girl he can't say 'no' to?" Nabiki asked with a smirk.

"Yes! No! M-maybe…" Ranma hunched down a bit more. "I… I don't wanna do that to him anymore. Not now that I know how much it twists him up inside… I just…" She felt uncharacteristically nervous… unsure. She groaned in frustration and slapped at her own cheeks. What the hell is wrong with me lately!?

She had thought adding the girls to the Link would settle the weird emotional flashes she was getting whenever Ryouga became a topic of conversation, but it only seemed to have gotten worse.

Nabiki was quiet, just… waiting. Not interrupting or cutting in with observations, just… listening. Somehow that made it even more awkward. Ranma realized she wanted Nabiki to accuse her of things. It was easier to shout a denial of something when someone else brought it up first. "I… I… look, I know what you're thinking, but… it's not like that!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Not like what, Ranma?"

"Like… like…! Arrgh! Don't make me say it! It's weird!" Ranma huffed.

"I'm not making you say anything," Nabiki replied. "And I'm not going to try and tell you how you feel. I'm just saying you should probably sort out what you do feel…"

"I don't feel nothin'!" Ranma shot back hotly.

Nabiki glanced up slightly. "Oh! Ryouga, you're back!"

Ranma felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, a cold dread bubbling up from a yawning chasm that had opened inside her. She turned, half expecting to see Ryouga staring at her with a hurt, broken expression. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to try and explain, without having the slightest idea what she was actually going to say…

There was no one there.

She felt Nabiki put a hand on her shoulder. "If you don't want him to think you don't care, then don't say it."

Ranma jerked her shoulder away from her grasp, whirling on her. "That was cold, Nabiki! That was Ice Queen."

Nabiki winced, an expression of pain crossing her face. Her brow furrowed and she scowled, momentarily angry. "Yes, all right, fine! It was cold! And… and I'm sorry." She deflated. "I don't know how else to get this through to you though, Ranma! You need to stop trying to figure out what you think you should feel, or what you should feel to protect everyone else's feelings, or what it's right or wrong to feel, and just feel it! Even if it's only in your own head!" She clenched her fists. "You're possessive and jealous about Ryouga because you're insecure about something - because you're afraid of losing something; Whatever that might be. And… you can't protect that… I can't help you protect it if you can't even say what that is. What do you want, Ranma?"

Shampoo and Ukyou had stopped, exchanging concerned glances as the conversation started to get heated.

"What do you want me to say!?" Ranma threw up her arms. "That I want Ryouga? That I love him? What?!"

"Do you love him, Ranma?"

For a second, Ranma thought Nabiki had asked that. But then she realized the voice was wrong - too high pitched - too… sweet? She turned to see who had spoken, and that cold wave of dread washed right back over her, full force.

Akari was standing there, with Anna beside her.

Akari's expression was… the oddest mix of sorrow, hurt and resignation. Ranma felt like she had just stabbed a kitten.

Akari sniffed and forced a smile, though Ranma could see the tears forming. Anna was giving her a concerned look, touching her arm and saying something in English that Ranma didn't understand.

"It's okay, Ranma," Akari said softly. "I… I knew when Ryouga left the farm… when he always left… that there was something he was going to. If… if you feel the same way about him, then that's good. He… he deserves to have the person he wants want him back. He does!" She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "J-just… Tell me? Tell me you mean it? That you really do love him?"

"I… I…" Ranma backed away a couple of steps.

I just gotta say 'No', Ranma thought. I just gotta say it's a joke! Just say it! She'll believe me, and then I can patch things up between her and Ryouga, and… and… He'll go with her. A-and that's what's best for him! You're not a real girl anyway, he's got no business… no business… Her eyes widened as dangerous notions about what all those warm red feelings from Ryouga actually meant started to seep around the edges of her carefully constructed wall of denial.

Anna tugged on Akari's sleeve and repeated her question. Akari glanced at her, cleared her throat, and in halting, broken English said a few words. Anna's eyes went wide, then a mask of rage slipped over her face and Ranma realized that she had blown her chance to defuse things.

Ranma didn't actually understand the words at the time, but afterwards she was told that what Anna said was "[Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!]"

And then she picked up the car.

000

Ryouga stumbled through the school gates, reeling.

Akane had gotten him back to the school where he had hoped Ranma would be able to help him subdue Shinnosuke with a minimum of property damage. Unfortunately for him, Ranma was nowhere to be seen and Shinnosuke wasn't giving him much breathing room.

Against most other quicker opponents, Ranma included, Ryouga's endurance generally allowed him to bull through. But Shinnosuke's fighting style was developed almost exclusively to deal with the oversized, magically enhanced animals of Ryugenzawa. He wasn't quite as fast or agile as Ranma, but all of his strikes were carefully focused to deal with opponents who had armored hides or dense fur, and the style was proving more effective against Ryouga than he liked.

A series of quick strikes of the broom to Ryouga's head staggered him. Ryouga dropped low and swept with his leg, but Shinnosuke backflipped away from it, then darted forward again before Ryouga could even take a breath. Ryouga was forced to dodge as the next strike from the broom shattered the asphalt.

That broom feels like a steel bar! Ryouga thought, raising his guard again. He's doing something to it with his ki, like my iron cloth technique, but… it's magnifying the strike rather than making an edge. He dodged a few more swings, but he knew that Shinnosuke's speed would get through his guard eventually.

He ducked another thrust and stabbed a finger into the pavement. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The asphalt exploded outwards from that point, but rather than dodge back or parry, as Ryouga expected, Shinnosuke dove into the cloud, twirling his broom handle to deflect the worst of the debris. Ryouga didn't have enough time to move before a savage whirling strike caught him under the jaw and sent him sprawling.

Ryouga hit the ground, bounced, rolled and lay sprawled on the pavement for a moment, groaning.

This is stupid, he thought, staring up at the sky. I could probably just blast him with a Shi Shi Hokodan, but I don't know if he can take what he dishes out. It might really hurt him. I gotta find another way to end this. He grunted and flipped himself back onto his feet to see Shinnosuke stalking towards him, murder in his eyes.

"You feel any better yet?" Ryouga asked, wiping his mouth. The back of his hand came away streaked red with blood.

"I'll feel better when you're dead and Akari is finally free of you," Shinnosuke growled.

"Trust me, it's never that simple," Ryouga replied.

"What could you possibly know!?" Shinnosuke howled, darting forward and thrusting the broom head directly at Ryouga's face.

Ryouga had anticipated this, intentionally giving the other boy an easy opening, knowing that talking would probably provoke a face shot. He grabbed hold of the broom handle, with the head inches from his face and held on tight. "I've got some experience in avenging unrequited love," he shot back, smirking a little.

"Shinnosuke, stop this!" Akane called as she finally caught up to them and ran up to join the fray. "It's not what you think!"

Shinnosuke turned to look at her and his eyes were cold. "I thought you were better than this, Akane. You deserve better than him."

With that Shinnosuke did something with his ki and the broom suddenly became incredibly slippery in Ryouga's grasp. The broom head smacked him in the face (though without the force of the previous blows) and it surprised him into letting go.

The next three blows were lightning fast and the broom had regained its unnatural density and hardness. A swipe across the face, followed by two jabs to the gut that drove Ryouga back and earned a grunt from the Lost Boy.

Ryouga grit his teeth and growled. "I'm starting to lose my patience with you, Shinnosuke..."

He noticed movement from the corner of his eye, a streak of read and blue. He looked up to see a familiar redheaded figure soaring over the wall… or, more accurately, tumbling end over end.

Shinnosuke had seen it too and, for a moment, his stance slackened. "What the…?"

Ranma spotted Ryouga as she tumbled and their eyes met for a moment. "Ryouga, catch me!"

"Wha…?! Ooof!" Ryouga barely managed to react in time and caught her awkwardly. Her hair was mussed and dirty, and her school uniform was battered, rumpled and even torn in places. "What the hell happened to you?!"

Ranma looked up, and her eyes widened. "Car!"

Ryouga blinked and turned his head to look, then dodged frantically as a mid-sized sedan sailed over the wall after Ranma, crashing and crumpling into the tarmac a few scant feet away. They all stared at the wreckage.

"What the hell was that?" Ryouga asked.

"A Celica, I think," Ranma replied. "She's been working up from the compacts to mid-sized on the way here."

"That's not what I… Who is… Ranma, what did you do!?" Ryouga demanded.

"Another one, Hibiki!?" Shinnosuke snarled, levelling his broom at them. "Don't you have any shame!?"

Ranma and Ryouga blinked and looked at each other, then realized that Ranma was still clinging to Ryouga, who was holding her in a bridal carry.

"No, no! This-" Ryouga started.

"-Isn't what it looks like! We're-" Ranma continued

"-Victims of circumstance!" Ryouga finished.

Shinnosuke gave them a skeptical look. "Uh huh."

Just then the cement wall exploded.

"[WHERE IS SHE!?]" a familiar voice roared in English. The rather unassuming form of a farmgirl stepped out of the cloud of dust over the rubble, eyes searching.

"Ack! Ryouga, hide me!" Ranma whimpered, huddling closer to him.

That caused a mild short in Ryouga's brain, long enough to delay the notion that Anna seeing him holding Ranma like that was probably not the best way to defuse the situation. The idea hit him right about the time her eyes locked onto him. Even though she was twenty feet away or more, he swore he could see her pupils dilate.

"[You HUSSY!]" she snarled. "[Joe, you get your hands off her!]"

"I don't know what she's saying, but she's mad and I think it's because she thinks I stole you from Akari," Ranma said. "Which would have been okay except she started throwing things. Big things. Things that were probably bolted down."

"Yeah, well jumping into my arms probably didn't help any…" Ryouga muttered, putting the redhead down as he started to back away nervously. Shinnosuke was advancing on them again as well.

"I didn't have much of a choice. She clipped me with a mailbox!" Ranma replied testily. "I'd probably be out cold if it hadn't been Tsubasa! You have to talk her down!"

"I can't!" Ryouga shot back. "I'm still working on talking Shinnosuke down!"

"Shinnosuke? What did you do to Shinnosuke?!" Ranma asked, glancing toward the Ryugenzawa guardian.

"Among other things he thinks I'm cheating on Akari with Akane. And now, probably, with you." Ryouga watched apprehensively as Shinnosuke started to twirl his broom.

"Didn't you explain to him that Akane isn't into guys!?" Ranma demanded.

"It got kinda hard to find a conversational opening for it after Akane started talking about how I used to sleep in her bed!"

"Well, to be fair, you've slept in a lot of girls' beds and nothing has happened."

"That doesn't help, either!"

"Including mine."

"Still not helping!"

Akane looked from one to the other as they argued, then to the advancing American girl and Shinnosuke, who seemed like they were about to settle into an impromptu alliance to beat the hell out of Ranma and Ryouga. She glanced at the crowd of students gathering and realized they were far too close if cars were going to be tossed around. "I'll clear the courtyard. You two deal with this… somehow!" She turned and ran towards the crowd, yelling at them to back up.

"Deal with it how?!" Ryouga called after her, then returned to eyeing Anna and Shinnosuke nervously.

"Okay, okay…" Ranma took a deep breath, glancing between Anna and Shinnosuke. "All right, partner switch."

"What!?" Ryouga yelped

"Swap dance partners! I'll take Shinnosuke. I've fought him before and I'm pretty sure I can shut him down. You talk to Anna since you speak English," Ranma replied, then gave him a quizzical look. "Why, what did you think I meant?"

"Nothing! Nevermind! It's been a bad day for it!" Ryouga muttered nervously. "Let's just do it now before they kill us both. You sure you can get Shinnosuke's attention off me?"

Ranma gave him a confident smirk. "Trust me, getting people pissed at me is a speciality of mine." Ranma locked her gaze on Shinnosuke and settled into a ready stance. Shinnosuke looked momentarily confused, then his eyes narrowed in response.

"Yeah, I'm pretty well acquainted with that," Ryouga muttered.

"You love me and you know it," Ranma replied with a wink.

Ryouga suffered another brain seizure. The lock up must have been apparent on his face, because Ranma's eyes widened and the color drained from her face as she realized what she had just said.

"I-I mean… as a rival! Friendly rivalry!" Ranma babbled. "Brotherly love! Or… sisterly? Damnit, just go talk to your ex girlfriend!" She blurred as she dashed towards Shinnosuke, earning a yelp from him as he barely blocked her overly enthusiastic kick with his broom.

Okay, just calm Anna down, and… Ryouga stepped forward. "[Anna, listen, this is all a big misunderstand…]"

"[DIE, TWO-TIMER!]" Anna hefted a large chunk of concrete from the wall she had shattered and threw it at him.

Normally Ryouga would have just used the breaking point to shatter the debris, but this close to Anna he was worried about hurting her with shrapnel. Without much other choice, he caught the chunk, grunting as he skidded back a bit. "[Anna, wait! I…]

"[RRRRAGH!]" She picked up an even bigger chunk and hurled it at him. He didn't have time to drop the piece he was already holding, so he had little choice but to catch the second as well. He grunted, bowing a bit as he tried to hold up the weight of both pieces, each one bigger than he was. "[... Nnnnf… Anna, just listen, I…!]"

"[DIE!]" Anna hefted the final large chunk, bigger than either of the other two, and brought it slamming down on top.

The weight was too much. Ryouga buckled and collapsed as the concrete shattered into rubble and buried him.

Anna stood looming over the pile, panting and glaring at it. Gradually, her breathing slowed and the red haze over her vision cleared. Her eyes widened as she spotted Ryouga's arm poking up out of the pile of smashed cement.

"[Oh no! What did I do!? Joe!]" She darted forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him free of the pile of rubble.

Ryouga groaned woozily. There was a limit to what he could take in a day.

She threw him over her shoulder. ""[Don't worry Joe, I'll get you some help, I'll… I'll…]" She looked around, but Ranma and the other boy were nowhere to be seen, having vanished during her tantrum. She looked around the unfamiliar surroundings.

"[AKARRRRIIIIIII!]"

000

Ranma threw a frantic flurry of blows at Shinnosuke. She had to admit, she was impressed that he was keeping up with her. Though she wasn't really trying to take him down, just to lure him away.

"Why are you fighting me?!" Shinnosuke yelled in frustration as a spinning swipe whiffed harmlessly past her. The skills that had been effective against Ryouga's stony defenses were coming up short against Ranma's speed. "My fight is with Hibiki!"

"Yeah, about that. Why are you beefing on Ryo?" Ranma asked, perching on a chain link fence post. "I mean, it's Akari you like, right? If Ryouga's with another girl, doesn't that free her up for you?"

"You don't get it. He walked out on her!" Shinnosuke growled. "He needs to pay for that alone! The fact he's dragged Akane into this just makes me more certain of it!"

Ranma blinked. "So you remember Akane then? Cool, that'll make this easy." She dodged another few swipes, trying to make it look casual, though he was starting to get close with a few of them. "Remember when we were all in Ryugenzawa fighting the Orochi to get the cure for you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Shinnosuke took a step back, scowling. "I've never met you before in my life!"

Ranma blinked, then grit her teeth. "Of all the… you remember Ryouga and Akane, but not me!? I nearly got eaten saving your rotten hide!"

"The Orochi is a myth," Shinnosuke said, glaring at her. "A story my Grandpa tells to scare away the tourists. Just like the Water of Life or… or the giant animals!"

"Your forest is full of giant…!" Ranma stopped, clenched her fists and grunted. This isn't working! His memory is swiss cheese… gotta work with what he DOES remember! "Didn't you used to lament about how you never told Akane how you really felt?" Even though you DID and just forgot?

"How did you…? So what?!" Shinnosuke twirled his broom, pacing her warily.

"Well? Are you going to repeat that same stupid mistake with Akari?!" Ranma scoffed. "Here you are, wasting your time on revenge when you could…"

Shinnosuke darted forward faster than she expected, sweeping her feet out from under her and sending her toppling off the fence post to land ungracefully on her backside on the grass. Before she could get up, the end of the broom was at her throat.

"I already told her," Shinnosuke said coldly.

"Uhhh… Oh," Ranma said. She swallowed nervously, glancing down at the end of the broom poised to crush her windpipe. "Then… why…?"

"Because she deserves better than him!" Shinnosuke snarled. After a moment he flipped the broom handle away and seemed to deflate a little. "Even if it isn't me…"

Ranma sat up slowly, self consciously rubbing at her throat. "I… look man, I'm sorry…"

"Save it," Shinnosuke cut her off. He turned and started to walk away. "Just… Make sure the next time he says he loves someone, that he means it."

000

Ryouga groaned as light filtered through his eyelids. His head was pounding, and there was a general ache in his muscles, like he was bruised all over.

Where am I…? It didn't feel like he was lying on a pile of broken concrete. He was lying flat, like on the ground or on a bench, and his head was propped up on something soft. Cautiously he cracked an eye open.

Anna was smiling down at him. "[Hey. Finally awake?]" she asked.

Ryouga groaned and closed his eyes again. I'm on a bench, my head is in her lap, and I'm officially a dead man. "[Anna, look, I shouldn't be here…]" He started to sit up.

She pushed him back down with surprising strength. "[Hush and be still a minute, will ya?]" she said. Her tone was playful, but there was an undercurrent of… something sad beneath it. "[Ah haven't had a minute alone with ya for over a year, and Ah've got some stuff to say. Just… get comfortable, okay?]"

He sighed but didn't resist. He had learned that panicking generally only made things worse. It didn't help the guilt, though. I don't deserve to be comfortable...

"[Ah'm sorry about the bump on your head,]" she said sheepishly. "[Ah kinda got carried away. And Ah owe an apology to Red, too… What's her name? Ranma? And probably a few property owners along the way…]"

She started unconsciously touseling his hair, which actually felt pretty good, and made the guilt worse. "[Look, Anna…]"

"[Ah said hush!]" she chided him. "[Now… Now before you start gettin' ideas…]" She took a deep breath. "[... You broke up with me. You made that clear when you left. Your heart was someplace else. Ah knew that comin' out here. For alla my carryin' on… You're not mine. So… don't go thinkin' I'm all deluded about that.]"

"[Anna…]" Ryouga felt the stabbing ache in his heart get worse. I am literally the worst person on earth…

"[Ah came here because… well, part of it was to check on you. But… part was… well… this is the world you came from.]" She looked up and around. "[There's so much world out here… outside of my sleepy little corner of Omaha. You've seen so much more of it than me, and… and Ah realized Ah wanted to see it too. Ah wanted to be more like you. And… Ah wanted to make sure you were okay.]"

"[I'm sorry,]" Ryouga said. He tried to sit up again. "[I'm sorry for… for walking out! I'm sorry for never trying to get in touch with you, I'm…]" He winced as a wave of dizziness passed over him.

She stopped him, then helped him sit up. "[Don't be. You were honest, even if it was something Ah didn't want to hear. Ah'd rather you be free than to see you starin' off at the horizon day after day, knowin' you were pining for something or someone else.]"

He slumped forward, his forearms across his knees as his studied the pavement. "[I haven't always been honest. I've been lying for a long time, about a lot of things… even to myself.]" He shook his head. "[I'm not 'Joe', Anna. I'm no hero.]"

She smiled at him. "[You'll always be my Joe, Ryouga. But… you're something to other people, too. Ah… don't understand all of what's goin' on, but… Ah think Ah understand why you had to leave when you did. You're bein' pulled all over the place, aren'tcha? Akari, and Red, and… there were a few others, too?]"

Ryouga sighed. "[It's… complicated.]"

"[But Red's at the heart of things, isn't she?]" Anna asked.

Ryouga nodded slowly.

"[Is she the one you left for?]"

Ryouga chuckled bitterly. "[I would have denied it violently back then. But… I don't know. Maybe. Our relationship has always been… complex. But I'm… seeing a lot of stuff about myself that I didn't realize before.]" He studied his hands. "[I think… I need to see where this goes.]"

"[Well… Make it simple then.]" Anna punched him gently on the shoulder. "[Tell her how you feel, get her to tell you how she feels, and then follow your heart!]" Her eyes flicked up and the smile faded. "[but… before that… Ah think there's someone else you gotta talk to first.]"

Her glanced at her quizzically, then followed her gaze. Standing nearby, partially hidden by a tree trunk, was a girl with a very familiar streak of pink in her hair. On the ground next to her, a massive pig was sleeping.

Ryouga felt his insides twist up into knots again.

"[You gotta tell her,]" Anna said. "[You gotta be honest. Like you were with me.]"

"[Does it make it easier?]" Ryouga asked.

"[Not really,]" Anna admitted. "[But… at least you can start t'move past it.]"

Ryouga clasped his hands, staring at the ground, lost in thought for a moment. Finally he looked up, locked his eyes on Akari and stood.

"[When you do finally find Joe… the real Joe… You tell him he's a lucky bastard. And… and he better work damn hard to deserve you, or he'll hear from me,]" Ryouga said, not looking back at her.

"[Ah will,]" Anna replied. He hadn't looked back at her because he knew he'd see the tears and then he'd break. "[Good luck, J-Ryouga.]"

He took a deep breath and stepped forward. What am I doing!? part of him wailed in horror as his feet continued to carry him forward.

Go back! Apologize! You can't just break a girl's heart like that, you monster!

I'm not going to lie to her, Ryouga decided, firming his resolve. She deserves someone who'll be her hero. He focused on the form of the girl ahead of him. So does Akari.

You'll be alone! Where else are you going to find a girl who can accept you!?

His stride faltered a moment. I'd rather be alone than keep lying, he decided. I'm tired of all my secrets and fears crushing me. Pretending I'm someone I'm not… that I feel something I don't… won't save me from being alone. I'll just drag someone else down with me. He drew another deep breath and resumed walking.

Akari was leaning against the tree. She had her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes were closed. For a moment he wondered if she had somehow fallen asleep like that until she spoke.

"I wish I understood what you and Anna said. She's been helping me with my English, but…" Akari opened her eyes, but she still wasn't looking at him. "I think… I caught the gist of what you were talking about, though."

Why do I have to do this twice in one day?! that small voice wailed in Ryouga's head.

"I'm sorry," Ryouga clapped his arms to his sides and bowed formally and stiffly. "I've been behaving like an idiot and… and… I've done things that hurt you. And that's unforgivable."

Akari blinked in surprise at him, then her expression melted into a smile. "Don't be ridiculous, Ryouga." She tapped him on the top of his head with her finger and motioned for him to straighten up. "I could forgive you anything. You know that."

His jaw tensed. "That's exactly why you shouldn't…"

She shook her head. "Ryouga… I love you." She locked eyes with him and he wasn't able to look away. "Maybe… I think at first it was silly and childish and naive, but… I do love you. But… That doesn't mean you're obligated to love me the same way. I don't want it to." She turned to him, stepped closer and raised a hand to his cheek. "When I met you… I was so afraid of being alone forever that… I didn't question it. You had to be the one for me. How could there be anyone else?"

"Akari…" he said hoarsely. This hurts. I don't want to do this.

"But… Then I got to see your world, and… I realized that mine had been so small. You already had so many others who cared for you and wanted a place in your heart and your life, and you struggled with it. And that's good. That's a good problem to have. After I met Shinnosuke, and he met all of my grandfather's qualifications the same as you, I asked myself why I didn't love him as well. I realized I was being a hypocrite… I was using it as an excuse to justify how I felt about you, and that you should feel the same for me." Her hand slipped away. "I… I'm not ready for this yet, Ryouga."

Wait… is she…? Ryouga's eyes widened.

"At first I hoped Ranma could give me the answer… She seemed to know so much more than me, about how this works… I thought I could just take notes…" she scoffed. "She… she knows you. More than I ever did. And she knows… why she feels the way she does about someone. I need to learn how to do that. How to tell the difference between what I feel, and what someone tells me to feel." Her shoulders sagged a bit. "I'm not ready for someone like you, Ryouga. I'm… I'm going to make sure I am ready… someday. But I can't make you wait for me."

Ryouga swallowed. "Are… you breaking up with me?"

Akari bit her lower lip. "I don't want to say it like that!" she said, clenching her fists. She folded her arms again and looked away. He could see that her eyes were wet and she seemed to be struggling. "I hate this. It hurts."

"I know," Ryouga said.

Akari glanced back at him. She smiled weakly. "Your… your mother was telling me and Anna stories about your father. How he was such a Casanova, with girls chasing him all over. But… I don't think that's right. Not the way she talks about him, how he was afterwards. I don't think he'd choose to break all those hearts. I know that's not who you are, either. He had to make a lot of mistakes to find the right person. And… I know you feel guilty about making the same kinds of mistakes." She smiled. "But I think… I think I need to make some mistakes too. When Anna goes back to America… I'm going to go with her. I'm going to see the world that you've wandered for so long. Maybe… maybe decide what I want."

"I…" Ryouga just stared at her a minute, not entirely sure how to respond. "Umm… That's a big trip…"

"I'll have Anna and Katsunishiki with me. Anna made the trip all on her own. I'll be fine." She smiled a little brighter. "Now it'll be my turn to send you postcards!"

"Yeah… I…" He laughed weakly, but stopped because it didn't feel right. "Yeah." He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the old dread grip at him, that fear of losing something, like a door slowly and ominously closing. I'm not afraid of being alone. I'm not afraid of being alone. I'm NOT…

"Take care of yourself," he said finally, forcing a smile. "I'll… uhh… I'll see you around?"

She giggled softly. "Ryouga… somebody has to guide you back to school, don't they?"

000

By the time Ranma got back to the school, Ryouga was missing. Akane said that Anna had run off with him and she had lost track of the girl. They had searched for a bit, but classes had started and Ranma couldn't afford a black mark for missing out, forcing her to leave the search with others.

He's fine, she thought, staring out the window and tapping her foot on the floor. He's fine. He's been lost before, he'll find his way back.

Unless his direction problems have gotten worse.

She squeezed her eyes shut. No! He's FINE! He's still got his Anchor… he's got a whole MESS of Anchors!

Unless that MADE it worse?

He'll be back! Any minute! She started tapping her pencil as well.

Anna could have him halfway to America by now.

NOPE! Ranma grit her teeth. He. Will. Be. Here.

"Ms. Saotome!" Ms. Hinako said, rapping her ruler on the desk and nearly causing Ranma to jump up into the rafters. "Is there something you need to share with the class?"

"Uh, no, Ms. Hinako! It's nothing, Ms. Hinako!" Ranma said, sitting up stock straight.

"You seem more on edge than usual. What sort of delinquency are you up to this week, hmmm?" The diminutive teacher started flipping a 5 yen coin with her thumb as though she was a gangster.

"I'm not! Up to anything I mean! Really!" Ranma eyed the coin nervously. She glanced around the room, but Akane and Ukyou were out looking for Ryouga, Sayuri and Rin were too far across the room for her to subtly signal for help, and Yuka, Hiroshi and Daisuke were all missing. Crap crap crap! What do I say?!

"Well?" Ms. Hinako caught the coin between two fingers. "I'm waiting Ms. Saotome!"

Ranma whimpered softly, then sighed and slumped. "I don't got a good reason. Ryouga's gone and gotten lost again and I'm worried that his ex girlfriend has hauled him back off to America or something." She closed her eyes in acceptance of her fate. "So… just drain me and get it over with."

She waited for the awful cold, dragging pull to drain away her strength, but nothing came. Cautiously, she cracked open an eyelid to peek.

Ms. Hinako was leaning in close, eyes wide and watery, her lower lip trembling. "Y-your boyfriend has run off to another country with another woman? That's so sad!"

"I… wait… He's not…" Ranma said, blinking in surprise. She glanced around and realized the entire class was looking at her.

"How heartless! And after Ranma has been so brave choosing to become a woman for him!"

"I always knew Hibiki was wishy-washy! Using that curse to fool everyone into thinking he was a cute little pet piglet!"

"I dunno. Maybe it's like all those times Akane was kidnapped by some kook who wanted to marry her and/or Ranma?"

"And/or?"

"Well, there was that Chardin dude."

"Yeah! Remember that crazy circus lady who attacked the school last week?"

"Oh this is so tragic! Ranma, we just want you to know that we're all behind you!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"And if you need a guy to replace your deadbeat boyfriend…"

"Dude. Let the corpse get cold first! Come on!"

"No! Look, it's not… he's not…!" Ranma said. "I'm not…! I…" She watched in horror as their conversation continued without her and realized she had now officially lost all claim to manhood at school. She slumped and dropped her forehead to her desk. "I give up…"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. She sat up and looked out the window, scanning the courtyard. Someone in a school uniform was walking through the gates, flanked by two girls. She squinted, then caught the hint of a yellow bandanna around his head.

"Ryouga!" She popped open the window and, without a second thought, leapt smoothly through the opening, dropped the three stories or so to the ground and landed lightly on her feet. I am going to kick his ass! For… REASONS!

She ignored the faint cheering she heard from the open window behind her and stalked towards Ryouga. However as she got closer, the expression on his face caused her clenched fists to slacken, and her deliberate pace to quicken.

"Ryouga!" She jogged forwards towards him.

"Yo." He held up a hand and smiled. It was fake, forced and weak, and just reaffirmed what she already knew.

Ranma glanced from him to Akari and Anna flanking him. Their expressions were downcast, almost guilty. Not ashamed, but… not willing to meet her eyes either.

"What happened?" Ranma asked, stopping a few paces away from him.

"It's all good now. I… uhh.. I sorted things out with Anna. And with Akari, so… no more flying cars," Ryouga said. He chuckled weakly.

Ranma regarded him skeptically. "No… something happened. Ryouga, what did you do?"

"Ryouga, we should go," Akari said softly, touching his arm.

"Oh… uhh… right…" Ryouga said and turned a bit awkwardly. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands and finally settled on picking at his jacket sleeves. "Will… I see you later?"

"Probably not," Akari replied. "I need to go home and talk with Grandpa before anything else, and there's a lot to do to get ready. Anna needs to head back home sooner rather than later, so if I want to go with her, I have a lot of preparation to do." She sniffed lightly. "I-I'll call you before we leave… and I'll write you letters. Every day if I can!"

"Yeah…" he nodded. "I'd like that." He swallowed hard. "Take care, okay?"

Akari nodded, then gave him a fierce hug, which he timidly returned. Then she released him, wiped her eyes and gestured for Anna to follow. Anna gave Ryouga her own bone-creaking hug then followed Akari as they headed back through the gates.

Ranma simply blinked, watching. That was a goodbye. Why was that a goodbye? "Ryouga, what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing," Ryouga replied heavily, turning and starting to walk towards the school.

Ranma stepped in front of him, glaring. "Don't feed me that crap, Ryo! What. Just. Happened?"

"Akari and I broke up," Ryouga said reluctantly.

Ranma's eyes widened. "What!? Why would you do a-a rock stupid thing like that?!"

"It was Akari's decision," Ryouga said, holding up a hand.

"She broke up with you!?" Ranma boggled. "Damnit, how did you screw this up?! You wait right there! Akari!" Ranma tried to step past Ryouga and call after the pig loving girl, but Ryouga clapped a hand on her shoulder and stopped her dead.

Ranma tried to slip out of his grip, but his hand was clamped like an iron vice. "Ryouga… Ryouga let me go! I can fix this! This is… this is a misunderstanding!"

"Ranma, it's not a misunderstanding," Ryouga replied. He sounded… tired. Defeated.

"She probably found out about that kiss Shampoo gave you, o-or the Link or…" She wriggled, but couldn't get free. "Let me go so I can get her back for you!"

"I don't want you to get her back!" Ryouga barked. "This doesn't have anything to do with you or Shampoo or the Link or any of it."

Ranma stopped her struggles and looked up at him, startled by his tone.

The hard expression on his face faded. He released her shoulder. "It… We weren't ready for each other," he said finally. "Akari needs the chance to make more mistakes… and I have to learn how to stop making them."

"B-but… No. That's not fair," Ranma said.

"We were both terrified of being alone, so we jumped at the first chance to escape it. That's… not a great foundation on which to build a life together," Ryouga said quietly. "She's gonna travel for a while and see the world. This… this will be really good for her. It's something she can't do tied down to me." He managed a weak smile. "I… guess I should get back inside and take my detention, huh?" He turned and started to walk towards the school again.

"I… no!" Ranma ran in front of him again, spreading her arms and blocking his path. "You dove off a cliff to save a picture of her! How can you just let her walk away like this!?"

"Because she asked!" Ryouga shot back, clenching his fists, his eyes flashing with a little of the old fire - which quickly guttered out. "Because it isn't about what I want this time, Ranma. She's right - everything she said, and everything she's doing to try and fix it. If I really love her I gotta let her go, and if I don't… I've got no right to stop her either way…" His hands relaxed.

"A-and… that's it?!" Ranma said. "You just wander off to be alone again, after we've done all of this to fix your life?! How'm I supposed to be okay fixing my life when yours is in the trash!?" She grit her teeth, not sure if she wanted to punch him in the gut for being an idiot or… something else. She wanted to fight something over this but… the only target available didn't deserve it.

"My happiness isn't your responsibility, Ranma," Ryouga said.

"Don't say that!"

Ryouga stopped short, staring at her in surprise.

Ranma clenched her fists, trembling and glaring at him. Her vision was blurry for some reason. "Don't you ever say that!" she snarled at him. "How dare you think I would be okay with… with coming this far and just leaving you like this!"

"I…" Ryouga simply gaped at her. She didn't know what had him so flabbergasted, and for the moment she didn't care.

"You always do this! You always get close to what you want and then you throw it away for some stupid noble bullshit, and then you try and pass it off and be all stoic and cool! Like… like nothing hurts you! Well you can't pull that crap with me anymore!" She walked up to him and thumped him on the chest with her balled up fist. "I'm going to make you happy, goddamnit!"

Ryouga's gape widened, then his mouth snapped shut with a click of his teeth as he looked around, noticing that there were more than a few students hanging out of open windows following the exchange. "Uhhh… Ranma…?"

Why is this so important to me? Ranma wondered. She was still angry… furious, almost. He was supposed to be okay! It was okay for me to move on with my life because he was going to be okay! He had someone else, so it was okay… Her vision clouded further.

"Hey. Hey." Ryouga noticed Ranma starting to tear up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Ranma? Why are you…?" Without thinking he lifted her chin and wiped the tear from her cheek.

For a moment Ranma's eyes locked with his, and she felt another lurch in her chest of the type that was becoming disturbingly common around him, but it was much stronger this time. Just for a moment… she got the feeling that… something was going to happen.

But it was wrong. She wasn't a real girl and he didn't belong to her, and suddenly she felt like a thief stealing someone else's moment. For some reason, that just brought more tears, despite her frustrated attempts to push them back down. She finally just dropped her head and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, finding it less humiliating than letting him see her blubber about… about nothing.

"H-hey… Ranma…" Ryouga said, glancing around and unsure where to put his hands.

"Shut up," she mumbled. "Don't tell anyone."

"I'm… I'm pretty sure the whole school is watching us, Ranma," Ryouga replied sheepishly.

"Still shut up," she replied, muffled by his shirt. "And still don't tell anyone!"

"I… Okay, Ranma." He sighed, a small, but genuine smile crossing his lips as he allowed his arms to fall loosely around her. "I won't tell anyone."

000

Nodoka sighed happily as she pressed the seal into the wax on the envelope. It would have been more traditional to use a scroll, but those were hard to come by in the stationary stores. She imagined this would do. She examined the Saotome family seal in the red wax with satisfaction.

"Just one envelope?" Genma asked, peering over her shoulder. "Not five?"

"Well, I'd hate to get the other girls' hopes up," Nodoka said. "Besides, they'd likely be upset, or come by to pester Ranma to try and change my mind. Better we give them some time to themselves before we start sending out the wedding invitations. More chance of nature taking its course." She smiled. "Ranma will be so happy to have this over and done with, I'm sure."

"I'm… not entirely sure this would have been his choice…" Genma said, then quickly held up his hands placatingly. "Not that I'm questioning your decision, dear!"

"He'll accept this is for the best in time," Nodoka sighed. "It's a shame Soun had to wheedle him away from us, but I suppose allowing him one last bit of freedom can't have hurt. He has quite a bit of work to do, after all." She handed the envelope to Genma. "Dear, could you deliver this for me? I'm sure our future daughter-in-law is eagerly awaiting this."

Genma took the letter and tucked it into his grungy gi. Nodoka frowned, promising herself that the garment would have an 'accident' the next time she did the wash. It might have been Genma's favorite, but it had not aged well on the road.

"We'll need to round up the boy afterwards," Genma said. "If we leave word with the Tendos'..."

"I'll call Kasumi and tell her I'd like my son to come home for Sunday dinner," Nodoka replied. "They don't need to know more than that yet. We'll give them some time to cool down before inviting them to the wedding." She noticed Genma's crestfallen look and clucked her tongue, touching her arm. "Now don't be like that, dear! I know you had your heart set on joining the schools with Ranma and Akane, but there's plenty of life left in you and Soun, and once one of the girls has a son or daughter we'll make the arrangements with one of our grandchildren. We'll make sure they grow up together so that we don't have the same… 'compatibility issues' this time."

"I still think I could have gotten it to work between Ranma and Akane, with just a little more time," Genma huffed.

Nodoka's eyes narrowed. "You know we don't have any more time. He's starting to ask questions. Maybe if you had fulfilled your oath properly…"

"I did the best I could!" Genma snapped back. "If you'd have been able to have more children then maybe…"

Nodoka's eyes' widened and she stared at him. Her hand trembled slightly as her breath caught in her throat.

He trailed off, his look of shock mirroring her own as he realized what he had said. He quickly dropped his eyes. "N-No-chan, I…"

She slapped him across the face, hard. Her hand stung from the act, though he barely flinched.

"How dare you," she hissed in a voice barely above a whisper, then louder. "How dare you!"

"I-I'm sorry, I forgot myself," Genma said, falling to his knees and prostrating himself before her.

Her lip twitched. She wanted to step on him, to grind him down further, but she relented. "This has been hard on both of us, and Ranma's ingratitude for the sacrifices we've both made only makes it harder," she said softly. She took a few breaths to steady herself. "We can't turn on each other now - not when we're so close." She knelt and extended her hand to him, forcing a smile. "Always remember, Gen-chan… it's the Kami who robbed us. We did everything right. Everything. We are owed this. All of this strife and struggle is just to remedy their mistake. Through Ranma we will finally have the life and family we deserve."

He pushed himself up onto his knees and accepted her hand. "You're right. I will try harder to teach the boy respect."

"For now, let him be childish, for the last few days of childhood he has left," Nodoka said. "Go to his bride and make sure she is ready. I know I have made the right choice in her. Just a bit further, and we may both rest." She pulled him in and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

000

Things were a bit awkward for the rest of the class until lunch. Ranma wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but it felt like the entire school was watching her.

As they gathered at the tree, Nabiki intercepted Ranma and Ryouga steered them over to one side and sat them down together.

"Ummm… are we being sectioned off for something dumb we did?" Ranma asked.

"Not quite. I wouldn't exactly call it dumb, just… well, implicative. Ryouga, scoot over to your left… no, no, your other left. No, your… towards Ranma! That's better."

Ranma blinked, feeling a bit nervous as Ryouga was directed to sit practically touching her. The rest of the group was chatting and seemed unconcerned about the whole thing.

"There, perfect!" Nabiki put her hands on her hips and nodded in satisfaction, then reached over and scooped up a bento box. "Here, and feel free to indulge any urges you might have to sit in Ryouga's lap, Ranma."

"What," Ranma said flatly, then snatched the bento out of Nabiki's hands. "Nabiki, what are you up to? And why do we only get one bento!?"

"You can have another once you finish that one. Together," Nabiki said. She held up a finger, going into lecture mode. "You two managed to cause one of the biggest rounds of romance speculation Furinkan has ever seen with that little display today. And that is a feat, believe you me! Now the school is unsure whether that was a heartwarming reconciliation between lovers after Ryouga was tempted by a pair of seductresses and their pet pig, or Ryouga is playing poor innocent, sweet lil' Ranko for a fool and every male in the school is obligated to descend upon him like a pack of vengeful wolves. Much as I could probably make a killing on the betting pool for the Justice Horde vs Ryouga, I'm guessing you two would rather not go through that every morning. So, while the whole school is watching, you two need to be as lovey-dovey as possible, and your first assignment is to feed each other lunch."

Ranma and Ryouga glanced at each other, then back at her.

"You can't be serious," they said in perfect unison.

"You two are adorable," Nabiki said with a smirk. "And I'm dead serious." She squatted down in front of them. "Look… Teasing aside, I know you two are uncomfortable about this. I'm sorry, but Furinkan is just like that. Without Hiroshi and Daisuke to run counterintelligence for me, I'm stuck dealing with whatever the current rumor mill churns up. They're convinced Ranma has gone full-time girl, or at least close enough for their hormone-addled brains, and if they get the notion she's single, or at least not in what qualifies as a 'real' relationship in their bigoted little minds, then they'll be all over her just like they were with Akane."

Ranma sighed and looked away. "Great. You realize if Mom or Dad get wind of this I'm dead, right? As in seppuku contract dead?"

"That's not happening!" Ranma was a bit surprised when this time it was Nabiki and Ryouga who were in sync.

Ryouga and Nabiki glanced at each other. Ryouga blushed a little and looked away, while Nabiki's smile widened a bit.

"Don't worry, Ranma. We're not going to let it come to that. You just be you," Nabiki said, patting Ranma's shoulder.

Ranma glanced past her to where Akane was chatting animatedly with Shampoo and Ukyou. "And… nobody else has any objections to this?"

"We had a pow-wow when we got back and it become obvious Furinkan was a hotbed of speculation," Nabiki replied. "Akane did have one condition, of course, but otherwise she's on board."

"Oh yeah? What's the condition?" Ranma asked, as she removed the cloth wrapping from the bento box.

"She made the bento," Nabiki replied with a wink. "She wants every bite gone."

Ranma's eyes went wide. She glanced at Ryouga, and then put on the sweetest smile she ever had in her life. "Oh, Ryouga, honey…"

Ryouga winced. Out of the corner of her eye Ranma could see Akane turn and clasp her hands with that very familiar expression of eternal hope she wore whenever she brought out one of her creations. Which was often immediately followed by rage, the appearance of a mallet from somewhere and then a blank spot in Ranma's memory.

Well… maybe it's something okay, Ranma thought. She can make decent okonomiyaki now, right? Maybe it's that! Or Spanakopita… she did okay with that… somehow… even without having the right ingredients… She cracked open the lid and peeked.

There were some dark shapes in the tin, covered in white stuff, with a few red bits amongst them. Ranma lost her nerve and closed it again without risking inhaling. It wasn't anything she recognized. Oh crap…

Ryouga noticed her expression and swallowed nervously.

"Well?" Akane said. "Go on, try some! It was my first time trying to make it."

Ranma stomach lurched at those words. She remembered vividly some of Akane's other 'firsts'. She glanced down at the bento and swallowed, then picked up her chopsticks. Okay… I'll… I'll just wolf it down quick. No point in both me and Ryo going down for this. And we don't want Akane being mad at him just before we do the Link. She popped open the lid.

She felt a nudge against her arm. She glanced at Ryouga to see him open his mouth and close his eyes.

"Ryouga, what are you doing!?" Ranma hissed.

"'Ust ooo eet quick!" Ryouga hissed back.

"But…!"

"OOOO EEET!"

She stabbed her chopsticks into the box, snagged a lump of… something. It resisted a bit before coming free - whatever the white stuff was a bit stretchy - but she was able to get it clear and pop it into Ryouga's mouth.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered as he closed his mouth and chewed a couple of times with grim determination.

He was tense a moment, braced as if waiting to be struck down. Then… another chew… and another. His eyes opened. "Mmmm?"

"'Mmmm'!?" Ranma demanded. She fully removed the cover and looked down at the odd concoction, poking it with her chopsticks experimentally. Was the white stuff… some sort of cheese sauce and not some horrible permutation of egg? Then the black stuff was… She risked a sniff.

She blinked. "That… that actually smells pretty good!"

Ryouga nodded and swallowed. "I have no idea what it is, but that is good!"

"Try it Ranma!" Akane said, eyes shining.

Ranma's brow furrowed. She regarded the food suspiciously. She snagged a morsel with her chopsticks, then carefully placed it on her tongue. No burnt plastic taste. No horrible capsicum burn. No explosion of greasy, salty sourness.

She carefully chewed once. Then again. It was cheese! And… eggplant… mushroom… the red bits were tomato? And some sort of meat… She chewed and swallowed. No horrible aftertaste. Definitely some seasoning, but it wasn't the explosion of mismatched flavors she had come to expect.

"Mmmm?" she repeated, dumbfounded.

"Isn't it good?" Akane asked, her grin a mile wide. "It's Moussaka! Ya Ya helped me make it!"

"'Ya Ya'?" Ranma and Ryouga said in unison.

"Remember how Ukyou and I needed to distract Akane while you and Ryouga linked Shampoo?" Nabiki said. "Well, Shampoo suggested this little Mom & Pop place to go for dinner after the movie. Little Greek family restaurant."

"She practically adopted Akane," Ukyou added. "Remember the Spanakopita she made? Well… apparently it wasn't a fluke.

"Greek cuisine just makes so much more sense to me!" Akane said. "The recipes are so easy to follow!"

"The recipes are in Greek!" Ukyou huffed, apparently a little put out that her progress with okonomiyaki had been overshadowed by some foreigner's dish. "And some of the measurements are things like 'A pinch' or 'Some' or 'Give it a good sprinkle'!"

"And those make so much more sense!" Akane gushed.

"Shampoo go with Akane next week to visit. See if Ya Ya can teach more," Shampoo said. "Should all go! Would make them too too happy!"

"Who is 'Ya Ya'?" Ryouga repeated, confused.

"Shampoo has secret Greek Grandparents. I met them when we went on our date," Ranma replied. Mindful of Nabiki's instructions, she scooped up more of the Moussaka and popped a morsel into Ryouga's mouth, earning a small noise of surprise from him. "Which begs the question of how we're going to explain things to them if we all go."

Shampoo shrugged. "Not have to tell whole story. Ya Ya and Pappou understand making families of choice. Just… leave out bits that should not be discussed with Grandparents anyway."

"Yeah, but…" Ranma was cut off as Ryouga took the opportunity to pop a morsel of the Moussaka into her mouth. She shot him an annoyed glare as she chewed. He had an amused smirk on his face. Oooh, shutting me up with food, hmm? This isn't a challenge you wanna lay at my feet, bucko! She finished chewing, and then as she spoke casually crammed the rest of the bento into Ryouga's mouth with amaguriken speed, using her Parlay du Fois Gras technique. "How do we explain the curse to them?" She gestured at herself with her free hand.

Shampoo, Akane and Ukyou exchanged glances, considering.

"Well, for occasional visits? Probably safer to just be Ranma's 'sister' like you are with the Kunos," Nabiki said.

"Geez… it's starting to feel like I'm living a second life here," Ranma said, slumping a little. "I mean… I guess there was always a little bit of that with Kuno, but I never actually claimed to be someone else before I got stuck attending school as a girl. Now Ryouga's Mom thinks I'm a girl, the Kunos think I'm two people, and now Shampoo's adopted grandparents?" She sighed heavily.

Ranma felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Ryouga looking at her, concern in his eyes.

"Nflo maddur whad, ur Ranma," he said solemnly around the mouthful of food he was still struggling to get down.

Ranma stared at him, then burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you are such a dork!" She giggled as she reached for a napkin. "Finish chewing that mouthful before you try and say something profound!" She reached up and cleaned up some of the dribble around his mouth as he chewed mightily and struggled to get an entire bento's worth down.

"Gah! Well, maybe if you'd be a bit gentler with your feeding technique!?" Ryouga said. "I thought my jaw was going to dislocate!"

"That was nothing. I managed to get a whole roast turkey into Chardin's face. Though he was a freaking rubber-face mutant." She shuddered. "He kept trying to kiss me by shoving my whole head into his mouth."

"Yeeech." Ryouga made a face. "That's weird, even for weird martial arts. I don't even understand why he'd do that. Even if my mouth could stretch like that I wouldn't wanna kiss you like that."

Ranma blinked. It was an odd way to say it… like maybe Ryouga would want to kiss her the normal way? She could see his eyes widen as realization of what he said hit him too. They looked away from each other quickly. Ranma could feel the warmth in her cheeks though she didn't risk a glance to see if Ryouga was blushing as well. She cleared her throat softly and turned her attention to the girls, ready to move to a different subject.

All four girls were staring back at them in dead silence.

"I-I mean, not that you'd want to kiss me at all, right Ryo?" Ranma asked with a nervous laugh.

"Y-yeah!" Ryouga agreed, laughing along with her. "I mean… that would be weird, right!"

"Yeah, I know! Totally not what you meant!"

"Exactly!"

"I never should have brought it up!"

"Right! I mean, it's not like I'd want to kiss you!"

That pricked Ranma's pride. She glanced at Ryouga and narrowed her eyes. "Well, it's not like you'd know. You haven't exactly got a lot of experience."

Ryouga blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"

Ranma smirked and stretched nonchalantly. "Well, I'm just saying that a guy like you'd be pretty hard pressed to land a kiss from a girl like me."

"Hey! I've had plenty of… of opportunities to kiss a girl! I do fine!" Ryouga protested.

Ranma smirked and poked him in the chest. "Oh please, you wouldn't know what to do with a hot little number like me! You froze up when Shampoo kissed you."

"Hey!" Shampoo protested, feeling vaguely insulted by the inference Ranma was making.

"Because she isn't my fiancee, and I was in a room with people I was sure were going to kill me for it!" Ryouga shot back. "You didn't do a whole lot better when she kissed you if I recall!"

"I've had a lot of practise since then!" Ranma replied haughtily.

"What, kissing Kuno?"

"It doesn't count if you use tape!"

"Too bad. If you had just kissed him normally I'm pretty sure the dead fish lips would have cured him of his pigtailed goddess obsession," Ryouga replied with a smirk.

"What!?" Ranma leaned forward, nearly nose to nose with him, glaring daggers. "I do not have dead fish lips! Trust me, Mister, if I kissed you, it'd ruin you for any other girl!" She folded her arms and rocked back, smirking. "If you had the balls to do it."

"You're confusing lack of resolve with a lack of desire, Saotome," Ryouga shot back. "I only lock up when I get kissed by pretty girls."

She leaned back in and growled, poking him in the chest again. "Don't kid yourself! If I planted one on you, you'd be in a coma for a week!"

"Yeah. With food poisoning. Dead fish will do that to you," Ryouga said back with that same insufferably smug expression. "Otherwise I'd barely flinch."

"Oh yeah, smart guy?" Ranma said. "Prove it. Show you're a big man. I bet you don't have the guts to actually do it."

"There isn't any tape to save you this time, Ranma," Ryouga growled, leaning in so their noses were actually touching.

Ranma scoffed. "Not like I'm worried or anything."

"You'll move," Ryouga said. "You'll dodge out of the way at the last second."

"I'm not going anywhere," Ranma replied. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips. "You're gonna crack first."

"Not a chance," Ryouga replied. "Just giving you the option to back out gracefully."

"Not happening, buddy."

"Not happening here, either, so you'd better pucker up!"

"C'mon, plant a big fat one right..." She cracked an eye open. "…Ryouga what the hell are we doing!?"

"I don't know!" Ryouga whispered hoarsely. "How do we stop this?"

"How would I know! Usually someone interrupts with a camera or waving wedding decorations or screaming death threats or SOMEthing!" Ranma hissed back.

Slowly, they both turned to see Shampoo, Ukyou, Akane and Nabiki still watching them, enraptured.

"Well?" Nabiki said. "Get on with it!"

"Yes, is just getting to good part!" Shampoo added.

"If you stop after that much buildup, we're going to be cross," Ukyou said, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms.

"They won't do it," Akane scoffed.

"Crap!" Ranma muttered under her breath and looked back at Ryouga. "Think of something!"

"What do you want ME to do!?" Ryouga hissed. "YOU started this!"

"I did not! You were the one who said you wanted to kiss me!"

"I didn't! All I said was I wouldn't do it the way that Picolet guy did it!"

"Which implied you WOULD do it!"

"Don't let's start THAT all over again! How do we get OUT of this?!"

They glanced back toward the girls who were looking considerably more impatient now, glaring and tapping their fingers or feet.

"Why do they want us to kiss, anyway!?" Ryouga whimpered.

"I think it's revenge for all the times they went through this," Ranma replied.

"So what do we do!?"

Ranma swallowed. "I don't know! I know that look, they're expecting something and are gonna be mad if they don't get it! We… we're gonna hafta…"

Ryouga swallowed. "I… was serious when I said I didn't have any tape. Sorry..." Ryouga said. He was definitely blushing now.

"I mean… you're not Kuno…" Ranma said. Oh God, I'm not actually doing this, am I?! "I'm… uhh… I'm sorry too. I mean… I'm not a REAL girl or anything."

Ryouga frowned. "Didn't you tell me that was YOUR decision which you were?"

"I…" Ranma's lips felt dry.

"So... which are you right now?" Ryouga asked.

"I'm… I…" Ranma noticed his face was a lot closer. Had he leaned in? No, she had… they both had? Everything was in slow motion. She had that same terrified, anxious feeling she'd had when it had been her and Akane in the dojo doing this. J-just tell him you don't want to right now! Just tell him you're a guy! Just LIE! Do SOMETHING! Everything is gonna change if you don't…

"Hey guys, how is the Ranma Family Buffet today?" Riko's familiar voice called out.

Ranma and Ryouga both bolted back a couple of feet, looking across the field as the volleyball team (Minus Yuka) came striding towards them.

OH, THANK GOD! Ranma thought. Her heart was thundering in her chest and she was struggling not to hyperventilate. I almost… almost…

Ryouga glanced at her then looked away guiltily. He looked almost… disappointed?

Did he… did he WANT to? Ranma gawked at him. He… he COULDN'T, could he?

"Hey, what's with the dirty looks?" Riko asked as she settled down on the grass nearby. She was receiving somewhat modulated death glares from Ukyou, Akane, Shampoo and even from Nabiki.

"You know when the phone rings right when the drama you're watching gets to the best part?" Ukyou asked dryly.

"Oooh I hate that!" Rin said, sitting down next to Riko. "But what has that got to do with… oooh, is that Moussaka?"

"Well, aren't we getting fancy with our lunches?" Sayuri sat down next to Rin. She glanced around the rest of the group and frowned. "Seriously, did we… interrupt something?"

"No!" Ranma said quickly.

"Not at all!" Ryouga added, laughing weakly.

"You interrupted a 13-to-1 longshot," Nabiki muttered, with a sigh. "I only had one ticket on that one. The pool would have been sweet."

"I can't believe you're running betting pools on your own relationship dodecahedron," Sayuri said. "Isn't that a conflict of interest?"

"Probably? The Tokyo Gaming commission doesn't exactly do much regulation at the high school gambling level," Nabiki winked. "Besides, if I don't do it Hana will and I don't particularly like the categories she chooses. Public opinion at Furinkan tends to sway depending on what odds the local bookie puts on something."

Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "That sounds way over my head. I should probably be a little worried about how complex your schemes get, but…" She sniffed. "I smell baklava."

Ranma's tummy growled, and she realized that she had hardly had any of the Moussaka she had fed to Ryouga. She reached for the second bento box, but Nabiki scooped it up before she could get it and handed it to Ryouga.

"But… why?" Ranma asked plaintively, actually tearing up a bit.

"Remember the plan, Ranma," Nabiki said. "You can have this but Ryouga has to feed it to you. You gave all of the other one to him."

"We still gotta do that?" Ranma whimpered.

"What's this?" Sayuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"More PR. Basically the school either expects lovey-dovey, or a big fight with these two now. Most of the students think Ranma has gone full time girl. Probably Himura pulling PR to humiliate her now that I think about it… and if the Hentai Horde thought Ranma was single and available we'd be right back to daily challenges. Ryouga's been nice enough to play boyfriend to keep them off her but the student body needs a certain level of PDA to keep buying the act."

"Is that what this morning was all about?" Riko asked. "I mean… from our vantage it looked like Ryouga had broken up with his own girlfriend to be with Ranma or something, and she totally broke down."

"Yeah… that'd be crazy huh?" Ryouga said weakly.

Ranma shot him a suspicious glance. That wasn't… No, he didn't break up with Akari over ME… right?

"Awww… it wasn't real?" Rin mumbled around a mouthful of baklava. "It was so sweet, though!"

"You two should try out for the drama club if you can pull off stuff like that," Riko added. "That kiss scene Ranma and Akane did last year was intense. I bet you two could top it easy after that little courtyard performance!"

"Yeah," Nabiki said dryly. "I imagine I could run a pretty good pool on that too. It'd be like a… oh, I don't know… a 13-1 longshot at least!"

Ranma groaned and slumped. Everyone in my life has gone insane. Including me. It's probably malnutrition. She looked longingly at the bento in Ryouga's hands, then finally decided that hunger outweighed whatever shred of dignity she might still be clinging to. She slumped against his side and gave him her best big-eyed pleading look. "Ryo, I'm hungry. Can I have some?"

"I… what… but?" Ryouga replied intelligently, looking slightly panicked at her change in demeanor.

"Pleeeeease?" Ranma said, and started drawing little circles on his shoulder with her finger.

She could almost watch as the gears in his head seized up.

She smirked and gave him a wink to break the illusion. I probably shouldn't enjoy messing with him as much as I do, some small part of her thought.

Realization dawned on his face, followed by a flicker of anger that melted into bemused acceptance as he realized she had intentionally let him in on it. It all passed in a fraction of a second and she was rather proud of herself that she didn't need the Link to see it.

Or the Link has just become so normal for me I don't really notice that's how I know this stuff… Ranma thought as she realized it had been there all along, as sort of a low level background. She was so caught up in her musings that she was a bit surprised when a pair of chopsticks appeared in front of her face. She glanced up at Ryouga.

"I mean… you did ask nicely," he said, smiling a little.

She snickered a bit, but accepted the morsel. She scooted a bit closer to him, purely to facilitate the process as he began digging for more.

Sayuri frowned as she watched the scene. She sighed heavily. "Nabiki, how much would it cost to suddenly find myself in a situation where a cute boy is required to feed me lunch?"

"35000 yen and you have to supply the boy," Nabiki replied without missing a beat.

Sayuri slumped. "Damnit."

000

Young Mi winced as she dabbed the salve on the cut on her arm. Her trip through the concrete wall had opened a nasty gash. Thankfully, first aid was one of the many things she had been taught almost since she could walk. Circus work was dangerous after all.

She was leaning against her liger on the floor of an old warehouse. She had dragged some old sacks and boxes to create a makeshift nest for them, but it was hardly what she would call 'comfortable'. Still, she had endured worse.

Samson grumbled behind her, the sound resonating through his massive frame.

"Yes, yes… I will find you some food…" She tried to sit up and winced when her ribs protested. "Nnnnh… in a little while. Can't let Darling see me in this condition, now can we?"

"Perhaps we might help with that?"

Young Mi started and scrambled to grab her whip, making an abortive attempt to bolt to her feet and getting halfway before the pain staggered her. Luckily Samson was already up, shielding her with his bulk and growling at the intruders.

"Oooh, kitty!" another voice said. Young Mi made her way around Samson to see and spotted two girls; One was tall and statuesque, with long blonde hair - the other was shorter and more classically 'cute', her hair tied off to the side in a ponytail.

"This 'kitty' bites," Young Mi said, a warning note in her voice as she tried to straighten and hide her injuries. "Leave us in peace."

"But I wanna feed the kitty! I'll get the meat!" the shorter girl said. She disappeared behind the taller girl, towards the blinding light of the open door.

"We don't mean any harm. My name is Sanae, my excitable friend is Omi," Sanae said, flipping her hair out of her face. "Himura Tanaka of the Furinkan High Student Council sent me."

"Furinkan High? Oh, that school…" Young Mi sighed. "If you're here for money for damages…"

"Not at all," Sanae said. "Quite to the contrary, Himura and the council has been rather moved by your plight. She is quite the romantic. She's hoping to help."

"Help? Help how?" Young Mi asked suspiciously.

Just then Omi came back in, pushing a large cart. Young Mi could see it was piled high with raw meat. Samson could smell it and, with a rumble, started to pad forward.

"Samson, geuman!" Young Mi snapped. She gathered herself and walked over to the cart, eyeing the meat suspiciously. It looked like much higher grade than the usual animal feed. "If this is poisoned…"

"Ooooh… was it supposed to be, Sanae?" Omi said. "I thought we were playing nice. I didn't even look up what kind of poison to use on a cat…"

"Omi, please. We are not here to poison anyone," Sanae said with a sigh. "That would be counterproductive. You are looking for the martial artist known as 'Mousse', yes?"

Young Mi decided the meat looked safe enough and clicked her tongue to Samson, giving him the all clear to eat. He practically pounced on the cart, earning an excited shriek from Omi. "No. I am looking for the purple-haired maechunbu who has lured him away from me. Once I've dealt with her, I will find Darling and… resolve the matter of his infidelity."

Sanae produced a photograph of a girl with purple hair, wearing a Furinkan school uniform. "Shampoo, correct? Of the Joketsuzoku Amazons?"

Young Mi stepped forward and accepted the photo cautiously. "Yes, that matches his description of her. So she is a student at your school?"

"She is," Sanae agreed. "I've been instructed to tell you where to find her. But… you might be more interested in this girl." She handed over another picture, of a mousey-looking girl in a set of gym bloomers and T-shirt. Young Mi recognized her as the girl who had convinced the redhead to release her.

"I know her," Young Mi took the picture. "She seemed to know who I was and who I was after, though I've never met her before in my life."

Sanae smirked. "That would be because of this." She produced another picture.

Young Mi took it and squinted. She realized it was a picture taken at some distance, though it was quite clearly Mousse with the girl in his arms as he landed on the roof of the school. She looked up at Sanae, a demanding glint in her eyes. "Is this true? Is she the one who has bewitched my Darling?!"

"Her name is Rin Ito," Sanae said. "It seems after Ms. Shampoo rejected your 'Darling' one time too many, he began to take up with her. He's been seen in her company quite a few times."

"She knew…" Young Mi said, her voice soft, disbelieving. "the whole time. She knew who I was and why I was there and she didn't even flinch." She crumpled the picture in a shaking fist. "Geu changnyeo!"

"I'm quite happy to give you her address," Sanae said with a smile. "But… Himura would like to make a more… comprehensive arrangement."

"'Comprehensive' how?" Young Mi asked.

"What you do with Shampoo is… mostly irrelevant, though we have interested parties among us that would be happy to see her removed from circulation. Rin Ito we would very much like to have taken care of. We are happy to facilitate both. But in exchange for some coordination on the timing of your action, we are willing to provide more support. Food, housing…" she paused and looked Young Mi over, "and Medical attention. For you and your pet. All we ask in exchange is you wait for our signal to strike."

Young Mi glanced over at Omi as the girl threw gobbets of meat to Samson for him to eat, seemingly unconcerned about how close the snapping jaws got. She was giggling and laughing, clapping her hands like a child with a new toy.

"I'm… intrigued," she said at last. "What are your terms?"

000

Nabiki frowned at her phone as the recording played for the third time that day. "…not in service. Please hang up and try your call again. This is a message from…"

"Trying to make a phone call?" Rin asked, glancing at her phone.

"Just trying to check in on Hiroshi and Daisuke. I guess they must be somewhere they're not getting cell service," Nabiki replied, tucking her phone away. "I wasn't really expecting them to have anything for me yet anyway."

"Oh. Is Yuka with them? I haven't seen her all day," Rin said. She fidgeted a little. "I… I've been wanting to apologize to her since yesterday."

Nabiki lost the battle to resist ruffling the younger girl's hair once more, and did just that. "From what Sayuri told me, you were just standing up for yourself. I'm sure it'll be fine. People snap and say unkind and unfair things when they're stressed, and you're both under a lot of it."

"Mm," Rin replied noncommittally.

"So… how's your Dad doing with his new job?" Nabiki asked.

"Oh!" Rin brightened at the topic change. "He's doing really great! I haven't seen him this happy in a long time! And he says the team is doing terrific!"

"That's good," Nabiki fished out a couple of tickets from her bag. "I took the liberty of snagging a couple of good seats for their game next week. I figured it'd be a good distraction from our own problem. Did you want to be my plus one?"

"M-me?" Rin blinked. "W-well… sure, of course! But… wouldn't you rather go with… well…" she gestured at the rest of the group, "anyone else instead? Shampoo or Ukyou or Ranma?"

Nabiki shrugged. "It's hard to get them to sit still long enough for these things. Plus I'd like to meet your Dad in person, and I figured since we took in this side project together, it makes sense for you to see the results. Aside from that, I'm trying to socialize a little and have a life outside the harem."

Rin blushed a little and looked away. "I… ummm… I know it's a… complicated situation but… d-do you guys really call yourselves a… a… h-harem?"

Nabiki chuckled. "Sometimes. Really there isn't a word for it that isn't either ridiculous or a euphemism for something ridiculous. Maybe we'll figure out a new one. I suppose we'll need one when it comes time to explain this to our kids' teachers someday off in the future."

"Y-you're planning on having kids already!?" Rin squeaked.

"God no!" Nabiki chuckled. "I mean… it's almost guaranteed with this group, sooner or later, but I'd rather we put a few of these crises behind us and have at least one or two of us with stable jobs before we really think about kids." She glanced over at Shampoo and sighed. "I more than half suspect a few of the girls aren't going to be so patient, though. It doesn't help that Ranma seems to have already chosen a name for her first. Personally, I'm content to wait until I'm successful enough that the business suits don't need to be quite as tight and the skirts don't have to be quite so short, if you get my meaning."

"I… yes, right. That makes sense." Rin said, having quite obviously missed Nabiki's implication entirely. "I guess… I'm kind of astonished. You all make it look so easy."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm… now slightly terrified of what your definition of 'difficult' would be, Rin."

Rin huffed. "No, that's not…" She took a breath. "I mean… you all managed to find each other, figure out you all liked each other and… work things out. And now you're already thinking about the future. I can't even make up my mind about one guy."

"Ah," Nabiki replied knowingly. "Mousse."

"What do you think of him?" Rin asked. "A-and… please don't try and spare my feelings or anything. Please be completely honest."

"Well… honestly?" Nabiki considered. "He's… well, he had a rough childhood. Even if you didn't know his history you could guess that. Inferiority complex the size of China, black and white worldview, tends to objectify people… or one person in particular at least," she gestured towards Shampoo. "He's not that unusual given how obsessive-compulsive the entirety of Nerima is on average, but he focuses on that one obsession to the exclusion of almost all else and… that's kind of dangerous."

"You don't think he'd… he'd do anything, do you?" Rin asked.

Nabiki shook her head. "Despite what he says, Mousse isn't a killer or liable to take advantage of someone sexually, though I wouldn't put potions or other magical stupidity past him. The problem with being so focused, though, is that once that goal is taken away, there isn't a whole lot to fall back on."

"I think… he was afraid if he allowed himself to think he might fail, he might falter again," Rin said quietly. "I think he was probably a lot different when he was with Young Mi and the circus."

Nabiki nodded. "That's probably a good read. Ugh… tossing away all the complexity and depth to your life because you think it's weakness. That's Genma Saotome-level stupidity," she grumbled.

"Why is it stupid?" Rin asked. "I-I mean… I don't think I'd ever want to live that way, but I can understand people pushing everything aside but the goal. Dad said he knew a lot of athletes like that."

"When you make defeat unthinkable; when you only allow yourself the option of victory, with no way out and no backdoor; no idea what to do when you fail? That's it. You're done." Nabiki folded her arms. "Wisdom in business or anything else is built on failure. If you take risks without any allowance to fail, you're not taking risks - you're just in denial. It's at least as important how you recover from your failures as it is to succeed in the first place, maybe even moreso. That's why you need to spread yourself out, have diverse interests and try different things - to give you something to draw upon and build from when your first idea goes in the can."

"S-so… you think Mu Tsu's problem is that he isn't diverse enough?" Rin asked.

"Exactly. He has no friends, no interests outside of Shampoo or Martial Arts, no real career path and no school… He's like a tree that put all of its effort into growing one big root, instead of a whole bunch of smaller ones. Any one of the other local crazy martial artists has at least got something. Shampoo cooks, is honestly focused on the Nekohanten, and she's been besties with Ukyou for… well, almost since they met, even though they were rivals. Not to mention her intention to succeed Cologne and be the best in her village. Ukyou has Ucchan's, her drive to be the best Okonomiyaki Chef in Japan, she was going to school and has her own gaggle of odd hangers-on. Akane has a whole life outside of martial arts and Ranma has school friends, and now volleyball… heck, even Kuno had the Kendo Club! If you're asking how to help Mousse out? Maybe start with a hobby for him or something."

"A hobby…?" Rin cocked her head. "Hmmm… Well… he likes to find vantage points…"

"A hobby that doesn't do double duty to facilitate sniping," Nabiki corrected herself.

"Then I suppose airsoft is out?" Rin giggled a bit. "Writing, too, I suppose."

"Writing? Why writing?" Nabiki gave her a puzzled look. "Has he taken to tossing mechanical pencils in lieu of throwing knives now?"

"Oh! Oh no, no…" Rin paused and considered. "Well, actually I can't be sure, I think he said something about using a porcelain training potty once, so I suppose anything is fair game for him. But I meant that he's… not very good at it."

"Ah. No luck with the letter then?" Nabiki asked sympathetically. She had first hand experience that writing skills and wandering martial artists did not often go together.

"He's trying," Rin said sheepishly. "But… no, his attempts at a letter so far have been… pretty terrible."

"Well, him being good at something isn't a requirement for it to be his hobby. Just that he enjoy it and find some fulfillment in it." Nabiki shrugged. "I was terrible at photography when I started. Kasumi was almost as bad as Akane at cooking when she first started trying to learn Mom's recipes. Everyone starts out bad. But… it doesn't sound like writing is his thing."

"I'll think of something," Rin finally said. "But… that gives me some ideas on how to help. Thank you." She twiddled her thumbs. "U-um… i-is everything good w-with you? I know I-I-I'm not exactly the sort of person who can be of m-much help to someone like you or Senpai, b-but…"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Rin, you're kidding, right? You're instrumental to all of this!"

Rin blushed and ducked her head. "I-I mean, I know! The volleyball thing, b-but…"

"No, not just 'the volleyball thing'" Nabiki gave into the urge to ruffle her hair again. "Trust me on that. Having you around has a way of… getting all of us out of our own problems. That and Ranma tries that much harder to improve because she knows you look up to her."

"I-I do!" Rin said enthusiastically. "Senpai is the person I most want to be like when I get older!"

"Well… just don't book any trips to Jusenkyo," Nabiki replied, somewhat bemused. "The springs are all flooded out anyway and, from what I hear, it'll be a century or more before things will settle down enough to even see if the cursed pools will still work."

"Why would I need to go to Jusenkyo?" Rin cocked her head.

"Well… You know, Ranma's curse?" Nabiki said. "I was mostly joking."

"Oh! But why would I need a curse? I'm already a girl," Rin replied. She glanced down at her chest and sighed. "Maybe not as… obviously as Senpai… But I don't need to learn how to be a boy from senpai, just how to be a better girl."

"But…" Nabiki scowled as if to protest, then paused. "No, you're right. That's kind of brilliant in a way, isn't it? Ranma would have a unique perspective, being able to see both sides of the fence, as it were."

"Mmhmm!" Rin nodded.

"What are you two talking about back there?" Akane called back. With so many in the group, it was difficult for everyone to walk together.

Nabiki quickened her pace. "Rin and I were just discussing how Ranma might just be the perfect female role model."

"What," Akane said flatly, giving Rin an incredulous look.

"What?" Ranma repeated, blinking owlishly.

As the rest of the group's attention locked onto her, Nabiki smirked. "It's simple; Ranma is both, so Ranma understands the male brain, expectations, what guys think and how to deal with them, but at the same time she's going to deal with all the usual girl nonsense like grabby perverts. Plus she's proud of herself and her looks without needing to be validated by ogling, drooling boys."

"And she's got no feminine modesty, runs around without a bra half the time if she isn't completely topless, and she's totally shameless manipulating boys into giving her free ice cream or other goodies," Akane huffed, crossing her arms.

"To be perfectly fair, you would call her a pervert when she did wear a bra," Nabiki replied dryly.

"I… well… hmph!" Akane hunched her shoulders, red-faced.

"Y'know, I can see it," Sayuri replied thoughtfully. "I mean… as much as a lot of it is cheesecake pandering to boys, Ranma's a pretty good example of a girl who doesn't put up with being treated as anything less than an equal. Y'know, when she's not taking the boys for a ride."

"Now that I think about it, that'd actually be a pretty good social experiment," Riko added. "Have Ranma go somewhere as a girl, and then as a guy, and then write down the differences in how she was treated."

"That sounds a lot like homework," Ranma said sourly.

"It is homework," Nabiki replied. "But you might wanna hold onto that idea. Third year classes sometimes give extra credit for stuff like that."

"That sounds like voluntary homework, which is worse," Ranma made a face like she had just tasted something disgusting. "Besides, I'm way too manly to be a good female role model. Right Ryo?" Ranma batted her eyelashes at Ryouga in an exaggerated manner.

Ryouga blinked. "I… uhh… I'm getting some mixed signals. Can we just skip to the part where you punch me?"

Ranma scowled and put her hands on her hips. "I'm serious! I mean, obviously not when I'm trying to be girly, but otherwise it's pretty obvious, right?"

"So am I," Ryouga muttered. "Amaguriken. Right to the gut. Just get it over with."

"H-he's right, Senpai," Rin said.

Ranma whirled on Rin, looking almost hurt. "Awww… c'mon, really?"

"I-it's not like you're super girly or anything. It's just… when you pay attention, you blend in," Rin said nervously. "Th-that's not a bad thing. It just means as a boy or a girl you seem… well, normal."

"Probably a martial arts thing," Sayuri said. "The only time I remember Ranma being awkward is when she's trying too hard."

"Happens when she's a guy, too," Riko added, chuckling.

"What!?" Ranma yelped.

"Well, I mean, you get a little silly when you're trying to be macho…" Riko said nervously, realizing she had stepped on a landmine.

"But being macho is manly!" Ranma protested.

Nabiki sighed. "No it isn't, Ranma. It really isn't." She patted her on the shoulder. "You are way manlier when you're not trying to be."

Ranma blinked. "But… but Pops said…"

"What have we established about your father, Ranma?" Nabiki asked.

"That he's an idiot?" Ranma replied, confused.

"Yes, and that his area of expertise extends and is limited to martial arts," Nabiki continued.

"And your mom's definition is pretty cracked, too," Akane added defiantly.

"Yeah, but…" Ranma protested weakly. "Well, what is manly then?"

"Ummm… Well, strength obviously…" Riko started.

"But not, like, those over-muscled oiled up guys who work out at the beach just to show off," Sayuri added. "That's just trying too hard. That's macho."

"I suppose it's… being kind and thoughtful?" Akane said.

"Well, that's really more of a general good thing, boy or girl," Nabiki said. "I always felt confidence was manly."

"Confidence can be womanly too, sugar," Ukyou replied.

"Yeah, that's how Ranma pulls off vamping guys so well. She even told me so," Akane added.

"Well, then… confidence is sexy at least," Nabiki shrugged.

"Yeah, but we're not looking at what's sexy," Sayuri admonished her.

"That's a mistake. I always look out for what's sexy," Nabiki winked.

"I thought you always looked out for money?" Riko said.

"Money is very sexy."

"Shampoo think manly man is one who keep home well, raise strong children, keep wife happy."

"Y'know, I like Shampoo's version."

Ranma sighed. "Nevermind…"

000

"Guys? I just realized we might have a problem…" Akane said as they approached the front door.

Sayuri, Riko and Rin had parted ways some distance back, off to their respective homes, leaving just Shampoo, Ukyou, Nabiki, Ranma and Ryouga with Akane. They stopped short and waited for Akane to explain.

"Doctor Tofu is coming over to monitor all this, right?" Akane said.

"Yeah… the plan is the same for how we did it at the Nekohanten," Ukyou said. "Except this time we're doing another sleepover in the dojo, right?"

"Except this isn't the Nekohanten," Akane said slowly. "This is where Kasumi is."

Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they all realized the danger.

"Shampoo too young to have limbs switched around," Shampoo said nervously.

"Why didn't we think of this!?" Ranma wailed. "Aww man… it's too late to pick somewhere else!"

"We have to get Kasumi out of the house," Nabiki said. "At least long enough for Doctor Tofu to get the equipment set up, dose Akane and make sure the Link forms properly. A few hours should do…"

"Probably not a bad idea to get Dad out of the house while we're at it?" Akane added. "We still haven't really explained to him what's going on, just that we're having a sleepover."

"What, were you planning on just bulling through and hoping he folded?" Ukyou asked skeptically.

"Pretty much, yeah," Akane replied sheepishly.

"Okay okay okay, give me a minute," Nabiki said, leaning against the frame of the gate. She brightened and reached into her schoolbag, fishing around until she pulled out a small card.

"What's that?" Akane asked, peering at it.

"One of Jiro's business cards," Nabiki said proudly. "You know how he always makes the first cup of tea free, so he can guess your preference?" She smirked. "There's no way Daddy would turn down a free cup of gourmet tea. And Kasumi's been needing a reason to get out of the house."

"You sure that'll work?" Ryouga asked. "It's a little late for tea."

"I'll tell him the coupon expires today. Daddy is a sucker for free food. Sort of a bad habit he picked up from Mr. Saotome," Nabiki said. "It'll work! Trust me!"

000

"Daddy's gone out?"

Nabiki blinked, looking almost crushed as her scheme fell apart before it had even begun.

"Yes, apparently the repairs to their house are complete and Mr. Saotome wanted to spend some time with Father," Kasumi said. "He said that Mr. Saotome had something important to talk with him about and not to wait up for him."

"Of all the…" Nabiki groaned.

Well, there goes our excuse to get Kasumi out of the house, Akane thought. How are we going to convince her to not be here while Dr. Tofu is working?

"I heard Dr. Tofu is coming over?" Kasumi asked brightly. She walked over to the pegs and lifted off her light fall jacket. "Could you be a dear and tell him I left a covered plate of cookies for him on the counter? After his work is done, of course."

"I… Wait, you're going out?" Nabiki asked, looking shocked.

Kasumi gave Nabiki a wan smile. "Well… you are relying on Dr. Tofu for his medical expertise tonight, yes? I imagine my presence would make that difficult. It is terribly flattering how flustered he gets around me, but it wouldn't be appropriate right now."

"Wait, you know?" Akane said.

Kasumi shifted her smile to Akane. "Of course I did, Akane. But… I felt pointing it out would merely humiliate him. So… I played along. He's a sweet man and deserves to keep his dignity." She slipped the jacket on.

"Hold up… how many other things that we thought you were oblivious to have you just been 'playing along with'?" Nabiki asked, folding her arms and giving her older sister a skeptical look.

Kasumi grinned, closed one eye and held up a finger. "Ah, now that is a secret."

"Don't you start going all mysterious on me, sis! My worldview can't handle it," Nabiki said. She held out the card from Jiro's tea shop. "Have fun. Uhh, I was gonna suggest you and Daddy check this tea shop out. You might as well go on your own. The owner is… a bit quirky."

Kasumi considered. "I suppose I could drop by. Will you all be okay for dinner?"

"We'll be fine, sis," Akane said. "I'll make sure of that."

Akane scowled a bit when she saw the momentary look of panic cross Nabiki's face. She huffed. "I'll get Shampoo and Ukyou to help and we'll make sure to clean up after. No experimenting," she clarified, a little annoyance creeping into her voice.

"Thank you Akane," Kasumi smiled. "I am so very proud of how much progress you've made cooking, but I'd really rather be there when you try something as ambitious as dinner for so many people. I'll make it up to you tomorrow. We can work through some more of those recipes that nice woman from the Greek cafe gave you."

Akane brightened, feeling a bit better. "Okay!"

They both watched Kasumi leave. Nabiki waited until the door had closed to speak.

"Ever get the sense we've completely misjudged her all these years?" Nabiki asked.

"I feel bad that we just assumed that she… well…" Akane said.

"Was oblivious to obvious stuff?" Nabiki finished for her with a raised eyebrow. "I get the feeling she cultivated that notion."

"I guess it helped her get by and stay neutral while everyone around her was losing their minds," Akane said a little glumly. "Especially me."

Nabiki reached over and ruffled Akane's hair. "Don't worry too much about it, Baby Sis."

Akane ducked away and scowled. "You're hanging out with Rin too much!"

Nabiki giggled as they walked back to the living room. "It's hard to resist the urge around her, isn't it?"

"It's a bad habit is what it is…" Akane grumbled, trying to un-muss her hair. She spotted Ukyou and Shampoo at the table and gave them a thumbs up.

"Mission accomplished?" Ukyou started to get to her feet. "Okay, Shampoo and I can whip up some snacks. This whole process takes a lot out of you and I kinda wish I'd had some snacks my time around." She motioned to the Amazon to join her as they slipped into the kitchen.

"Airen and Shagua laying out futons and blankets in dojo," Shampoo added as she walked past. "Seemed to be talking. Shagua seem nervous."

"After your session I don't blame him," Nabiki replied, poking the Amazon's shoulder as she passed.

"I hope he's not hoping I'll kiss him," Akane made a face. She knew Ryouga was aware of her preferences but she also knew he tended to get his hopes up.

"That or that Ranma will," Nabiki said, leaning against the wall.

Akane sighed and sat at the table, pouring herself a cup of tea. "I really thought they were actually going to do it today." She took a sip of her tea and made a face. Bleh… Jiro has spoiled me.

"You almost sound disappointed," Nabiki said, slightly bemused. "I know why I like the idea… and by extension Shampoo, but boys aren't your thing, so…"

Akane glowered at her. "Must you make everything lewd, Nabiki? It's not about that!" She sighed. "I was hoping it'd happen so we could finally just… get it out in the open, you know? I… kind of know what it's like to not deal with feelings like that." She took another sip of her tea.

"Fair enough," Nabiki shrugged. "It's a bit more complex for those two, though. Especially Ranma."

"Yeah. Hard to define what's 'straight' and 'gay' if your gender changes if it rains," Akane mused. "Do you suppose that's why Ranma stays a girl when Ryouga is around? To try and… keep the problem simple?"

"Maybe. Not quite what I meant, though," Nabiki said. "Notice the seppuku contract has popped up more than a few times? Ranma is still worried about that."

"Must be nice to know what Ranma is actually feeling," Akane said, propping her chin in her fist. "I'm so bad at it normally."

"It's not magic, sis," Nabiki walked over and sat next to her. "It's… well, it's a confusing jumble most of the time. Shampoo and Ukyou seem to be better at sorting it out than me. It's not like what you're sensing is labelled or anything, so a lot of it ends up being subjective based on how you react to what you're sensing, like 'black with spikes is bad' and 'red and warm is good'."

"I thought you said they weren't actually colors and shapes?" Akane said.

"They're not, those're just… well, kind of what I've labelled them because that's what they feel like to me. Ranma and Ryouga did the same, the only problem is there's no way to be sure if their 'red' is the same as my 'red'. I've tried to compare notes but they get really squirrelly about feelings in general." Nabiki poured herself a cup of tea. "We should probably sit down with Shampoo and Ukyou and see if we can clarify some of that."

"Still… It'll give me an idea." She glanced out the doors to the backyard. "So… You've 'sensed' them both, and when they're both together. Ryouga's admitted it, but do you really think Ranma…?"

"Ranma is good at denial," Nabiki said. "Look how long she held out about you. You, at least, had an excuse for not admitting first. Several, I guess."

Akane sighed. "I think Dad is still holding out hope that Ranma will 'straighten me out'."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Well, think of it this way; If we can get Ranma unblocked about her attraction to Ryouga, then you giving Daddy grandkids to carry on the school is still entirely possible… as long as Instant Nannichuan exists."

Akane blushed red and ducked her head. "Nabiki! I-I'd never!"

Nabiki smirked. "Aww c'mon. It was just a thought." She waited until Akane warily took a sip of her tea before adding. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Ukyou has dibs on going first with that plan."

Akane snorted a good mouthful of tea into her nasal passages. She was left coughing and spluttering, flailing for a napkin for a few moments. She glared at her sister. "That was mean, Nabiki!"

"And true!" Ukyou's voice called from the kitchen.

Akane's eyes widened as she realized Ukyou was eavesdropping on her. She crushed the napkin in a clenched fist. "Don't you start, Ukyou!"

"Seriously though, sis. Don't worry too much about Daddy. I'd say focus on Ranma for now," Nabiki said. "This might be a good opportunity for you to help Ranma with this. I mean… you've struggled with your sexuality as much as she has."

Akane sighed and slumped back down. "How are you so… so comfortable with it, Nabiki?" She glanced at her sister.

Nabiki folded her hands behind her head and lay back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "Well… I mean, even before Ranma came I kinda had a sense. Not really that I was into girls but… that I sorta didn't care. It was a background thing and didn't really matter. I figured I'd just go with whomever I went with when it came up. Then this redhead shows up, this fiance that Daddy promised, and he's cute and I was honestly seriously into the shota thing. Then… turns out it was a she. And there I am, poking her breasts, and still considering it.

"So you were feeling her up!" Akane said. "I knew it! Busted!"

Nabiki stuck her tongue out. "It wasn't intentional, okay? It's just… I hadn't seriously considered it before, and suddenly… well, my brain just kinda shorted out for a second because I hadn't processed that her being a girl kinda invalidated the 'fiance' thing. I admit that I wasn't really ready to deal with it so I tossed him to you. I've had a lot of time since then to come to terms with it."

"How long before you regretted handing her off to me?" Akane asked, smirking.

"I didn't. Not right away, anyway," Nabiki replied. "Oh, I came to terms with the fact I was attracted to her in a week or so, but Ranma was so rough. If he hadn't been such a macho jackass for the first few months, maybe I'd have felt different." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I broke my own rule about judging people at face value. By the time I realized that I had missed something, you had already started to warm to him, so…"

"So you wouldn't have taken him even if he was a boy when he arrived?" Akane said.

"I probably would have, but I'd have regretted it when I found out about the curse and our personalities started to clash," Nabiki sighed. "I wasn't any more ready than you were. Daddy really bungled the whole thing."

Akane lay down next to her. "So… what should I say to Ranma? 'So, we think you might be gay for Ryouga and we just wanted you to know it's okay?'"

Nabiki snorted and shook her head. "If you wanna say that, you get to clean up the property damage. Besides… I don't think it works like that for Ranma."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked.

"I mean… there's nothing like Ranma, is there?" Nabiki said thoughtfully, opening her eyes again. "What is sexual orientation to someone who's actual gender is changeable from one minute to the next? I think… it's more like Ranma is girl for Ryouga. She's gay for you."

"Huh?" Akane knit her brow, confused.

Nabiki paused, searching for the right words. "It's like this: Ranma is male for me. I'm more than happy to make out with her as a girl, but… even then, she's not entirely comfortable with it. She enjoys it, but I can sense a sort of weird conflict when we do. Ukyou has told me Ranma goes back and forth with her, so it's not just me, either. With you, though? She's pretty comfortable with girl-girl stuff. She… kinda shifts based on who she's with."

Akane frowned. "But… That just means she's going along with what the person she's with wants, doesn't it?"

"I don't know. Ranma never struck me as a 'people pleaser'. But then, he slips way too easily into the 'male fantasy' role sometimes. Given the Neko ken and God alone knows what else his parents have put him through… then throw in the curse… I think Ranma's self identity is built on shifting sands. That's why Ranma needs all of us… including Ryouga. All of us bring out some part of Ranma, and the only way to find the 'real' Ranma will be with all of us together." Nabiki sighed. "Which… is probably not the best task to leave to the pile of issues each of us is, but… we're what Ranma has."

"Well… you said I could probably talk to Ranma about struggling with her sexuality, since I know what it's like… perhaps we're actually the best suited for it, since all of us have our own troubles that let us relate?" Akane suggested.

Nabiki snorted. "I don't think we're that lucky, sis. Empathy is something none of us have a great track record with, after all." She took a deep breath. "I don't know. Maybe it will help, but I don't want to create any illusions that this is not going to be hard as hell."

"And we're trying to talk Ryouga into joining, and trying to get Ranma to accept it," Akane added.

"Or at least talk about it and make a decision about it that isn't 'Something something MANLY,'" Nabiki muttered. She turned her head to glance at Akane. "Speaking of which… you sure you're okay with this? You do know you're basically going to be sharing a bed with Ryouga again tonight, right?"

"Cold water is a thing," Akane replied with a smirk.

"Don't be a jerk Akane. We've only just got the poor boy over that," Nabiki chided her. "Besides, it probably wouldn't work with P-chan."

"I know," Akane sighed. "I'm still trying to… well, reconcile in my head what my relationship with Ryouga is. And I feel like a complete heel now that I know he walked away from a girl who actually wanted a romance with him for me."

"I don't think Ryouga seriously thought he had a shot with you," Nabiki said. "I think he just didn't feel right pursuing something with another girl while he was still hung up on you. And the whole obsession with Ranma being unappreciative. I'm serious, though… I mean, you're not going to have sex with him or anything, but cuddling may be a thing."

"I've cuddled with him before. Maybe not in human form, but it was still Ryouga. He's about the only guy I trusted enough to let that close. Even Ranma… though that was for different reasons." Akane stretched. "What about you? You've been weird around Ryouga ever since you got Linked to him."

"Mmmmaaaaybe slight before," Nabiki admitted sheepishly. "I think I started doing it just to mess with them because they kept sneaking off to have their secret chats. But now…?"

"See? Between you and Shampoo I'm sure he'll be taken care of," Akane said. "Just… not in my bed, okay?"

Nabiki smirked. "No promises."

"Nabiki! At least not while I'm there, okay?" Akane replied, aghast.

Nabiki's smirk widened. "Again, y'know… heat of the moment and all…"

"Don't you DARE!"

000

Yuka peered around the corner. She could see the guard walking along the hall, flicking off lights, whistling some tuneless song as he made his way up the staircase and closed the heavy fire door behind him.

"Okay, he's gone," she hissed to the darkened room behind her.

"Okay, good," Hiroshi said, exhaling the breath he had been holding as he flicked the light switch back on. About half of the bank of fluorescent lights flickered to life.

"Can't we turn on more than that?" Daisuke whined, squinting at the card files. "I'm gonna get eye strain without more light."

"Here," Yuka fished a penlight out of her bag and handed it to him. "You two really should prepare better if you're going to be hotshot detectives."

"Yeah, well I figured we'd be done by now!" Daisuke grumbled. "There's so much pointless junk in these files."

"We probably should have thought ahead and seen if Ranma could swipe his Dad's ID - something to narrow down the search," Hiroshi replied, scrolling through microfiche images on the archaic reader. There was a grumble from his stomach and he slumped back in his chair. "I think we should take a break."

"You guys did bring food, right?" Yuka asked nervously, realizing she hadn't thought that far ahead either.

"Are you kidding? I always have food," Daisuke winked, opening up his pack and removing several bento boxes.

"Wow," Yuka said, picking up a bento. It certainly felt hefty and well-filled. "That… explains why you've been putting on a few pounds."

"Wha…? Hey!" Daisuke huffed and snatched the bento back. "If you're gonna be judgemental then you can just provide your own! I worked hard on these!"

"I…" Yuka started, then her stomach growled as well. She grit her teeth and stared at the floor. "S-sorry."

Daisuke seemed to ponder a moment, then handed the box back. "If you want to know why I made so many… it's because I'm surrounded by freeloading bottomless pits for friends."

Yuka snatched the box. She lifted the top off the tin and sniffed cautiously. "You made this?"

"Yeah? So what?" Daisuke said, handing another box to Hiroshi as he fished chopsticks out of his bag. "It's the 21st century. A guy is allowed to cook without it being weird."

"Is that why you tell everyone your sister made these?" Hiroshi asked as he opened his. He was apparently familiar with the Daisuke lunch specials.

Daisuke scowled. "Look, you give 'em any excuse to give you flak about stuff in that school, they'll jump on it. Hell, even Ranma would probably give me grief for it not being 'manly'," he grumbled, sitting at the table. "But they never have enough food at lunch, even with both school stores open now. I kinda always felt bad for poor Gos always getting his lunch clipped… and there's always someone who's hungry at lunch, even if Gos is good."

Yuka scowled, looking for some sign of dissembling from him, but as far as she could tell, he was serious. She plucked a little hot dog on a toothpick, cut to resemble an octopus, and popped it into her mouth. She blinked. "Hey… that's not bad, actually. I was expecting it to just be microwaved."

"Yeah… well… Mom taught me how to make those…" Daisuke muttered.

"Cooking is one thing," Yuka said with a grin, pointing the toothpick at him. "But I never figured you for the sort to make a cute bento, Daisuke-kun."

"'Kay, that's it, if you're going to make fun, give it back." Daisuke made a grab for the box but Yuka pulled it back and held it protectively.

"Who's making fun? It's a compliment!" Yuka said, then glanced back down at the box. "I'm sure you'll make someone a wonderful wife someda-ACK!" She yelped as a cherry tomato bounced off her head.

"He's sensitive about the octopi," Hiroshi commented dryly.

Yuka glared at Daisuke, who had been the source of the vegetarian projectile. She briefly considered returning fire but another rumble from her midsection made her think better of it. "Don't waste food," she muttered as she dug into the bento.

"So… how far into the catalogue are we?" Hiroshi asked. "I just got done with… what, I think it was the twenty eighth file? No sign of a Genma, Nodoka or Ranma in that Saotome family."

"Oh, good, we're nearly there then," Daisuke muttered. "Only one-hundred and thirty-seven to go."

"Don't even joke like that, Dai," Hiroshi said.

"I'm not."

Hiroshi's chopsticks dropped from his fingers.

Yuka sighed. "I hope you guys packed a few more of these bentos. We're gonna be here all weekend…"

000

Once Doctor Tofu arrived, it took a little herding to get him to the dojo. Apparently simply being in the same house that Kasumi lived in was enough to be a trigger for him. Nabiki even had to talk him down from trying to give the post for the laundry line a tetanus shot. Once he had gotten himself under control, they set up in the dojo.

"I'll be setting the machines to record automatically. For… obvious reasons, I think it best if I don't stay here and monitor directly," Doctor Tofu said. He cleaned off his glasses for the fourth time in the last few minutes.

"Are… you okay to do this, Doc?" Ranma asked nervously with a glance at Akane.

Doctor Tofu took a deep breath. "I… took precautions. All of the dosages were measured out well in advance and clearly labelled and I have here a list of emergency contact numbers that aren't me if there should be any side effects, including a couple of colleagues who are familiar with this herbal medicine and its side effects."

"You know… if you ever want any help with this…" Akane said.

Doctor Tofu smiled. "I'll be sure to ask. But… for the time being I imagine your problems are a far more immediate concern. For now, we should finish the experiment so that we'll be ready tomorrow to go see Dr Hirano. I… expect he will have some choice words about all of this and it's best we avoid antagonizing him further by at least doing it correctly."

They all made their way to the futon pile, where Akane settled down in the middle. Everyone was already in pajamas (With the exception of Ranma and Ryouga, who were in boxers and undershirts) and they all arranged themselves around Akane.

Akane swallowed nervously. "Does… Does it hurt?" she asked. She gulped down the pills before she could have second thoughts.

"No, but it can be a bit tough to stay awake, and you feel cold," Ukyou replied, moving in beside her.

"It's important until the initial link is formed that each of you be in contact only with Akane," Doctor Tofu advised as they arranged themselves.

"It's like some kind of bizarre game of Twister," Nabiki muttered, taking up position at one of Akane's feet. "Do we have to sleep like this?"

"No, once the Link is established, all that's required is that Akane keep contact with enough of you to maintain a continual flow of ki. Since we surmise Ryouga is the key to formation of the Link, it'd be best if he remain in contact. How much contact… I leave to your discretion and would prefer to not know too much about unless medically necessary." He cleared his throat.

"Speaking of…" Shampoo grinned and leaned in and started whispering in Akane's ear.

Akane suddenly turned beet red. "Sh-Shampoo!"

Shampoo smirked. "Not get to try out for own self yet, but Pintou say is very interesting with Link," She winked. "Maybe we try out together?"

"Yes. That. That would be exactly what I was referring to," Doctor Tofu said dryly. "I'd request you reserve your… experimentation for another day?" He busied himself with getting the monitoring machines ready.

Ukyou ended up pillowing Akane's head in her lap, while Shampoo lay to her right and Ryouga to her left, holding her hands. Nabiki and Ranma were down by her feet. They all fidgeted nervously as they waited.

"So… Anyone for a game of cards?" Akane joked.

"Strip Poker?" Shampoo said suggestively.

"No," Ryouga, Tofu and Ukyou all said in unison. Ranma squirmed nervously. She had elected to take a more neutral position in an effort to stay out of any awkwardness this time.

"Come on, Shampoo, don't tease," Akane huffed. "I'm already annoyed about how shameless you were yesterday at the Nekohanten."

"Did Akane want kiss instead?" Shampoo asked, smirking.

"Yes…! I mean no! I mean…" Akane squirmed, growing redder by the second. "It's… it's hard to focus right now, okay?" She yawned widely. "This stuff hits… pretty hard…" She mumbled the last words.

"Stay awake or no work," Shampoo said.

"I'm cold." Akane shivered.

"Yes. Feel warmth outside, yes? Warmth all around? Just let warmth in, and feel better." Shampoo said.

"'Kay…" Akane mumbled.

Ranma shivered as she felt the resistance break, and awareness of Ryouga and the four other girls flood into her as Akane became a conduit for their ki. Akane lurched and gasped in shock, her eyes going wide when she felt the energies surging through her, and she found herself suddenly quite wide awake.

"Oh!... Oh!" She started looking around at each of them in turn, eyes wide with wonder as though she were seeing each of them for the first time. "I… you! And she… And you too! And then…!"

Her babbling was cut off when Shampoo leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. The Amazon rolled over on top of her, lavender hair falling over their faces as she very quickly tangled herself up with the youngest Tendo.

"Aaaaand that's my cue to leave I'm sure you have my number if you have any problems remember to use protection and please tell your parents I know nothing about this situation goodnight!" Doctor Tofu beat a hasty retreat, earning a bemused glance from Nabiki.

"Wanted some distance from the inevitable, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, elbowing Ranma gently. She noticed that Akane had very much not frozen up as Ryouga had and, in fact, had wrapped her free arm around Shampoo and pulled her in and that Ukyou was looking increasingly nervous as it seemed the two of them were more than happy to make out in her lap.

"Uh huh," Ranma said, watching a bit slack jawed.

"Is it helping any?" Nabiki prodded.

"Nope." Ranma swallowed. She had been on the receiving end of kisses from each of them, but somehow the sight of them together stirred some odd, twisty feelings in her gut that she wasn't sure she currently sported the right equipment to process. She was definitely regretting the light fabric of her tank top, however.

"I guess it's my job to be the wet blanket." Nabiki sighed and crawled over beside the two, tapping Shampoo on the shoulder. "Okay, okay, there's two years of built up sexual tension between the two of you - we get it - but not right here and not right now, okay?"

Shampoo and Akane finally broke the kiss, panting softly. They parted, but only slightly.

"Shampoo been wanting to do that for very long time," Shampoo said breathily, stretching a bit as she looped her arms around Akane's neck, but making it clear that she had no intention of moving from her spot for some time.

"Why didn't you?" Akane asked, sounding a little dazed, but in a good way.

"Not sure. Akane very good kisser. Have been missing out," Shampoo replied. "Worry about why later. Make up for lost time now, yes?"

"No, be good Shampoo!" Nabiki tapped her on the back of her head. "The two of you are carbonating everyone's hormones plenty as it is and the point of this isn't to start an orgy. Stick to cuddling. Exploration and funtime come later, okay?"

"Yes, Pintou," Shampoo and Akane said in unison.

Nabiki shuddered. "Please, Akane, don't call me that until you find out what it actually means, okay? Especially not in front of anyone who speaks Mandarin. That's a lot of explaining I don't want to have to do."

"So, what are you doing Saturday night, then?" Akane asked.

"You," Shampoo replied, earning a giggle from the youngest Tendo.

"I'm leaving, I can't handle this much cheesiness." Nabiki said, getting to her feet. "I'll go grab some snacks from the kitchen and then we can start the movie marathon until your hormones calm down."

Ukyou gave Nabiki a pleading look, still pinned by the two girls who seemed perfectly content to use her as a pillow. "Halp?"

"Later," Nabiki said, handing her the remote. "Here's a distraction. I have a sneaking suspicion someone else in in worse shape.

Ranma released Akane's ankle, deciding Ukyou and Shampoo were probably generating enough ki between them to keep things going. She crawled over to where Ryouga was as Nabiki walked around to him.

He had pulled off several bandannas and was holding an entire fistful of them to his face. The red was already starting to seep through. He had rolled away from the two girls, but his hand was still firmly clasped with Akane's.

"You okay, big guy?" Nabiki asked, squatting next to him.

"Nuh." Ryouga shook his head, his voice muffled by the fabric.

Ranma patted his leg in sympathy. She could still feel the waves of… well, raw lust coming off the two of them, as two years worth of accumulated tension was uncorked all at once, and rebounded through the Link. She could imagine that it must be even worse for Ryouga. "Look, I'm right there with ya, pal."

"You c'n left go," Ryouga muttered darkly.

"I'll get you some proper tissues," Nabiki said, straightening. "Maybe some towels. Ranma, could you come help? I'm afraid the only thing I really know how to work in the kitchen is the coffee maker."

000

The bell above the door rang as Kasumi pushed it open. At first she wondered if the small shop was even open as her eyes adjusted to the dimmer lighting and she could not see anyone at any of the tables or the long bar. "Hello?"

"Oh, hello my dear!" A funny-looking man wearing a woman's formal kimono, and quite a bit of makeup came into view. Though she was certain he must have been there a moment ago, she hadn't noticed him. He was tall and thin, with a hawkish nose and bright eyes. He came around the bar and smiled. "Welcome to Clara's Leaf! I don't believe I've had the pleasure." He extended his hand.

"Kasumi. Kasumi Tendo," Kasumi replied, though she wondered why she had felt the need to give her full name.

"Oh! You must be Akane and Nabiki's sister! I was wondering if you'd drop by. Come, come!" He gestured her towards a table. "Have they told you much about my little shop?"

"Only that they come here quite often. Nabiki said you sold exotic teas?" Kasumi sat down at the table. She frowned a bit as she glanced about. She had the distinct feeling that she was missing something.

"Well, that's partly true. I serve your tea. Whatever blend, brand or type that might be," Jiro replied with an airy gesture. "Sometimes that can be exotic, sometimes it can be mundane, but that hardly matters so long as it's the right one."

"Oh?" Kasumi canted her head. "I don't believe that I have a strong preference for any particular brand…"

Jiro clucked his tongue and patted her lightly on the shoulder. "That's simply because you haven't had the right kind yet, my dear. Now, tastes may change, but at any given moment of someone's life they have a 'right' variety. I like to play a little game with my customers. The first cup is free, but you have to let me guess your blend. If I'm wrong, you get to choose whatever type you might like, also for free."

"And if you're right?" Kasumi asked.

Jiro's smile grew. "Clever girl. Quite right. Then I get a loyal customer, aaand… a fairly significant boost to my already astounding ego." He winked. "So… are you game?"

Kasumi grinned. "Sounds adventurous!"

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Oho? Crave a little adventure, do we? Well, then, let's see." He produced a saucer and teacup from apparently nowhere, and a teapot in the other hand that hadn't been there before. "This is a complex little blend from the Azim Steppe, created by the nomadic tribes there." He poured out a thick, creamy mixture of tea and milk, swirling it a little and sprinkling something into it as he poured. "You have to blend in just a touch of salt when pouring to bring out the flavor. Adding it at any other time ruins it."

Kasumi cautiously picked up the cup. It seemed much more robust and hearty than she was accustomed to, with the slight scent of spice and chestnuts, as well as a light sweetness. She took a tentative sip.

"Mmm!" She looked down at the cup in her hands in surprise, then back up at him. "I never would have thought to try something like this! It's very rich, but…"

"Invigorating, yes?" Jiro grinned. "It's said the warriors of the Steppe used this to maintain alertness and vigor in the cold climes at higher altitudes." He stood. "I'll leave you to enjoy it then. Do call me if you need anything."

As he turned, Kasumi nodded. "Oh, please do. I see you have other customers to attend to!"

Jiro stopped dead in his tracks.

"Pardon?" he asked, turning slightly. "I hadn't heard anyone else come in after you." He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Oh, no… I think they were here before me?" Kasumi said. She cocked her head. "Curious I didn't notice them before, but… this little shop is quite busy, isn't it?"

Jiro spun on his heel, pulled the other chair out from the table and sat down in one smooth motion. He rested his elbows on the table, folded his hands and perched his chin atop, regarding her. "Tell me, my dear… describe them to me?"

"Pardon?" Kasumi frowned.

"I know it's an odd request…" He gestured with his hand. "But humor me? Most folks who come in here are so preoccupied with their problems they don't even notice any of the other patrons, much like the others don't notice you. Pick one."

Kasumi nodded. She looked around… had there been other patrons? She swore she'd seen others out of the corner of her eye… She squinted and wondered why it was so hard to pick one out. "It's… Well, there's…" The certainty started to fade. "I was sure…"

Jiro smiled. "Of course you were, my dear. The shadows in here play tricks. It's nothing to worry about." He scooted the chair back to stand up once more.

Kasumi blinked. "At the bar."

"Hmmm?" Jiro paused.

"Off-white jacket. Reddish hair. Hunched over a bit," she said softly. She wasn't sure exactly if she was seeing what she was talking about, but she found that if she unfocused her eyes and let her mouth simply say what it would, it allowed her to talk around whatever difficulty she was having with her perceptions. "Odd garb. Worn. He looks tired… no… he looks beaten."

Jiro blinked. "Interesting…" He got up smoothly and moved over beside her, taking a knee beside her, careful not to break her line of sight. "What can you tell me about him?"

"He's… lonely. Bitter. Angry. Tired. But... under it all…" She frowned. "Guilty. Ashamed. There's something else there though… like a… mirror? Green eyes staring back at him." She shivered. "He's… unusual somehow, isn't he?"

"Yes… very interesting," Jiro said. "Do you by any chance have any idea what sort of tea he might like?"

She frowned. "He wants something bitter. Harsh. Punishing. But… it's not what he needs. But… you couldn't just give him what he needs because he'd reject it…" She licked her lips. "Something… complex then? I'm afraid I don't know."

"No, no, one could hardly expect you to have the experience for that." Jiro smiled at her. "But… promising." He cocked his head at her. "Try again."

She looked around once more, narrowing her eyes. Then they widened. "Ranma? How? No… no that's not Ranma. Not at all. But the resemblance is uncanny… hmm…" She chewed her lower lip. "She's… complicated, isn't she? Innocence and wonder mixed with… a kind of cynicism? Or maybe it's detachment? Like… Alice in Wonderland. She's very intelligent, quick… Sees the world differently."

"She does," Jiro agreed. "And what would she drink? What sort of tea would compliment her?"

"Flavorful. Deep, but… not heavy. Not a fan of bitterness." Kasumi cocked her head. "Her tea is going to change though, isn't it? Quite soon…"

"Those two are a couple of my more recent clients, and interesting ones," Jiro said. "They're some of the few I've gotten wrong precisely because of what you are seeing about them. You've even managed to pick out a few details I missed the first time around." He folded his hands. "What about her companions?"

Kasumi frowned again. There were a couple of other women with the girl, a redhead with a shock of shorter, wild scarlet hair that seemed to go up and out more like flames than obey gravity, and another girl with long, dark straight hair. Both were dressed in outfits that were barely more than swimsuits. Older… mid twenties? She couldn't really tell - something made their ages difficult to determine, but there was a worldliness there. But beyond that. "O-oh my… It's hard to say… It's like… the air around them is rattling…"

"Yes, precisely!" Jiro clapped his hands. "They don't come in often… deeply pondering decisions is not really their modus operandi… And with good reason. I doubt any detailed plans they make would last long enough for the ink to dry on the paper they're written down on. Those two are chaos-touched for certain. But… they seem comfortable enough with that. Their direct supervisor however… he has been one of my clients for years. Poor man."

"But why show me this?" Kasumi asked, frowning.

"Oh, I didn't," Jiro replied with a smile, his teeth white, straight and perfect. "You perceived this all on your own."

"O-oh. I'm sorry. Have I ruined the trick?" Kasumi asked, taking a sip of her tea. "I do hope you're not angry, are you?"

"Far from it!" Jiro laughed. "What you are doing normally requires a tremendous amount of skill, but I sense there's a… serenity about you. Most people make so much noise and clamor going through their lives that they're not receptive to the noise and calamity of the lives of others. You're different, though."

"But… why now?" Kasumi asked. "I've never been known to be particularly perceptive before."

Jiro snorted. "My dear, please. Don't try and pass off your carefully constructed mantle of obliviousness as the real thing to me. You already know why, don't you?"

Kasumi blinked, considering a moment. "This place. It's… quiet."

Jiro smiled. "Exactly."

"But…" She frowned. "Why?"

Jiro shrugged. "Why not? My dear, when you've lived as long as I have, things can get… well, dull. You start to think that you know everything; that you've seen everything. And then some child, who knows nothing, picks up a stone that you know is nothing special, a worthless lump that you could describe in the most minute detail… and laughs. And he treasures it. He sees something in it that you don't see. And just to be present for such a thing can make you look at that stone anew." He sat back in his chair. "Most people don't realize that happens every moment of every day, for countless people. They don't see it. They don't hear it. They're too noisy. I made this place… a quiet, safe place… just so I could be here for it. People started to come here as a refuge, a place to wrestle with their problems, and I realized that it was the purest form I had found. Someone takes some thing… a problem or a choice… and makes it into something new. They take it in a direction that is wholly theirs. Those moments, and the privilege of being able to witness them, are what I live for."

"Even if they make poor decisions?" Kasumi asked.

Jiro nodded slowly, his face falling a bit. "That… is the price. The shape they choose might not always be beautiful or innovative. You will see old mistakes made, over and over and over again. But if you get too involved, you ruin the moment. People have to come to their own decisions."

"Too involved," Kasumi noted with a smile. "So you do meddle then?"

Jiro chuckled and tilted his head, acknowledging her point. "I nudge from time to time. Most of the time, just listening is enough. I believe you've done much the same, haven't you? Your entire family seems to hold you in quite high regard for exactly that."

Kasumi blushed. "Well… I don't know if that's credit I deserve. For the longest time I've just listened without doing anything."

"Listening is often enough. Sometimes that's really all they need." He sighed. "But these days I can't often give my customers the time to just sit. Even now I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul a bit for this chat. Which leads me to the point." He leaned forward. "Tell me, Ms. Tendo… would you, by chance, be interested in a part-time job?"

000

The movies lacked Riko's flair for finding gems to get people talking, but they worked as a distraction. Much to Ukyou's dismay, Akane and Shampoo continued to insist on using her as a pillow and/or backrest and made out whenever Nabiki wasn't looking, so things never did quite settle. When they were just content to cuddle, Shampoo had drifted into her habit of purring, which had caused Ranma to retreat to Ryouga's side opposite them.

Thankfully, the initial surge of energy that came with the rush of ki from the Link soon wore off and Akane was left nodding sleepily. Akane was nestled in the middle of the futon pile and she, Ukyou and Shampoo eventually ended up in a tangle together. Nabiki wound up on the right side with Ranma, while Ryouga settled to the left, slightly separated, with his hand peeking out of the covers to clasp Akane's.

It was still uncomfortably close. He felt like an intruder. The girls had made every effort to include him during the movie, but he had remained withdrawn.

Tomorrow this is all over, after all, he thought. The dojo door was open and he could see the moon and the starlit sky. Not as many as he was used to seeing out in the country, of course, but it was still pretty. Tomorrow we try for a cure, and if it goes well then… He glanced to his right. I guess I haven't got much reason to stick around, do I?

He didn't like that thought. He closed his eyes, trying to keep the dark thoughts from causing a spike in his heavy ki that might wake up the girls. He felt a bit of a protective surge at that. Maybe I could just… stay? Just… make sure they're okay? I could just find a spot out of the way, and…

That train of thought died off as he looked at his hand, wrapped around Akane's own delicate one. Holding her hand had been a simple wish of his for so very long, but now? Even as he got his wish, he was on the outside - on the edge - intruding where someone else belonged.

No… I tried that, he thought glumly, looking out at the stars again. I couldn't get out of Ranma and Akane's way… ended up making a jackass of myself. I'd just end up doing it again over Nabiki or Shampoo or… or Ranma. He sighed.

Still.

He smiled a bit as he thought back over the last few weeks. I don't think that I'd change anything. Even if some of it has been messed up. Things haven't been this… NORMAL for me since… since… well, since Middle School. It's been nice having friends again. He glanced to his right as Ukyou mumbled something and shifted. He could sense their ki had settled into a pattern together, and wondered what they were dreaming about. Part of him just wanted to drift off and join them.

I'll stay a while. He decided at last, compromising with himself. Make sure they're okay. As long as they actually NEED me. I'm sure, once Ranma's life settles down, things'll get awkward, so I'll leave before that. Then… He swallowed. I guess… That would be a good time to tell, her how I feel? Or… should I just keep it to myself?

"Ryouga?"

Ryouga blinked, noticing someone sitting up on the far side of the group from him. In the dim light he could make out unbound red hair. Ranma stretched and rubbed sleepily at her eyes.

"Uh… yeah?" Ryouga kept his voice low, not wanting to wake the others.

"Can't sleep either?" Ranma asked. She started crawling around the group to the foot of the futon pile, kneeling and looking out the open door.

"Mnnn," Ryouga replied noncommittally. "Just… kinda thinking about stuff."

"Me too," Ranma said softly. She turned to look at him, then crawled closer, next to his futon. She knelt again, and started fidgeting with her unbound hair. "Ryo… am I manly?"

Ryouga blinked. She was framed in the moonlight, just barely enough for him to make out the color of her hair, and the glimmer reflected in her blue eyes. The dim light gave her an aura, an almost glow that reminded him of a painting of a sad girl - one of those images so full of emotion that you wished you could step into the painting and comfort the girl.

"You know," he croaked, "it'd really be a lot easier if you'd just skip to hitting me if you're gonna ask things like that…"

Ranma sighed in frustration, her eyes glinting a bit as she shot him a glare. That bright flash of emotion framed by the moonlight was another snapshot.

"That's not… Look, I know I'm not a man at the moment." She took a breath. "But… but that's not what being 'manly' is about, is it? I mean… I mean…" She wrung her hair more. "There's… there's more to it, isn't there? Like… like being honorable and… heroic and stuff."

Ryouga levered himself up, releasing Akane's hand. There had been plenty of time for the Link to form and he didn't want to risk disturbing the girls. He sat cross-legged and considered.

"It's… not really the word I'd use," he decided finally. "Not anymore. Doesn't really apply to me, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked, confused. "You're manly! Way more than Mousse or Kuno!"

"No, I'm not," Ryouga replied, chuckling. "At least not how your Dad defines it. I'm a crybaby, I'm too wishy-washy to tell the girl I l-lo-care about how I feel, I was too afraid to own up to the humiliating truth of my curse with Akane…" He shook his head.

Ranma scooted closer. "Y-yeah, but… you're strong, and… and you care about honor, even if you struggle with it sometimes, and… and you do things because they're the right things to do, even when it goes against getting you what you want."

Ryouga glanced at her. "That sounds more like just being a good person."

Ranma looked away nervously. "W-well… yeah. Isn't that what being 'manly' means?"

Ryouga studied her face a moment, then shrugged. "Not to me. Not really. Don't have to be a man at all to be any of those things. I mean… Haven't they taught you that?" He gestured at the girls sleeping next to them.

"I… kinda figured girls had their own version?" Ranma muttered.

"Then why not ask if you're that?" Ryouga asked. "Or why not got get some hot water? A hell of a lot easier being 'manly' if you're a man, right?"

Ranma scowled at him. "I don't… I mean… I-I don't wanna go to the trouble! 'Sides, I'm… not wearing the right underwear for that." She blushed and looked away. "This ain't about asking if I'm macho or anything. I just… I guess I'd use the girl word if I knew it… but 'womanly' doesn't sound right, and besides, I ain't exactly a real girl."

Ryouga drew his knees up and folded his arms across them, looking out at the moon. "If you wanna know if you're a good person?... Yeah. Yeah, you are. It used to drive me nuts that I couldn't deny that, actually. Why do you think I jumped on even the smallest of things you did? I had to work sometimes to find reasons to hate your guts. And whether you're a real girl or not is up to you."

Ranma stared at him. He glanced at her, and could see a blush spreading on her cheeks. It wasn't the usual flush of outrage, but more it seemed something he had said hit home.

"I… what do you mean?" she asked softly.

Ryouga shrugged. "What, about you being a good person?"

"N-no…"

He raised an eyebrow, turning and giving her his attention. She was fidgeting, wringing her hands in her lap and unable to meet his eyes. He felt a surge of anxiety as he realized this was one of those moments. I could just tell her. Tell her now and be done with with…

He shrugged the idea off. Don't be selfish! She doesn't need that now! "I mean… who says you're not a real girl? There isn't anything physical to say you aren't. Nothing to say you can't be a guy while you're in a girl's body too, I guess. But that's just it… the only thing that gets to determine what you are, up here, is you." He reached over and poked her forehead. "Nobody gets to tell you what's there but you. The rest is just… hot and cold water to adjust."

Ranma swallowed. "B-but… I know what I feel like, but… If it's that easy…" She shuddered. "I guess I'm just afraid of… of becoming something I don't recognize."

"I recognize you," Ryouga said. "Even after everything that's changed. You aren't gonna suddenly go off doing tea ceremonies and flower arranging just because you decide you're a girl one day. And nothing to say you can't decide to be a guy the next."

Ranma shivered again. She hugged herself against the chill of the night air.

Ryouga pulled the down comforter up and wrapped it around her shoulders, earning a look of surprise from her.

"It's getting cold out," he said.

"Aren't you gonna be cold now, dumbass?" Ranma frowned at him.

"Heh… I'm used to a little cold. I'm a survivalist," Ryouga replied. Then he shivered involuntarily. Crap. It IS cold! He looked away, trying to push down the reflex and keep her from seeing.

He felt the warmth of the comforter wrap around his shoulders. Before he could react, a small warm body moved in against his side.

"Dumbass," Ranma repeated as she wrapped the comforter around them both. "A real survivalist knows to share body heat."

"I…" Ryouga's brain locked up.

She peeked up at him from the folds of the comforter. She apparently noticed him stiffen. "I guess… this is too weird, huh?"

"No! Not at all! Weird, I mean!" Ryouga babbled.

"I guess… I should probably decide what I am before I do stuff like this." She moved to slip back out from under the comforter but he quickly put an arm around her shoulders.

Ryouga forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. "No. It's okay, it's just…" He closed his eyes and focused on calming his thoughts. "You don't gotta figure it out right now."

She blinked at him a moment, then leaned against him. He fought the urge to tense up again.

"Is it okay to… just be like this for right now?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he breathed. He closed his eyes.

"..."

"Ryouga?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it better to be manly, or warm?" She was mumbling sleepily now.

"Warm, definitely," he replied. He could feel his eyelids starting to droop, in fact.

"Mnn," she replied. "Good. S'good to be warm. S'posed to find the right girl to keep you warm."

"Mn," Ryouga replied noncommittally.

"I'm sorry about Akari."

"I know," Ryouga sighed. "She wasn't the right one, though."

"'Kay," Ranma said softly. "I'll keep you warm until you find her."

He blinked and glanced down at her, but she was already starting to snore.

000 (Chapter 30 End)

I just thought I'd clarify, Nabiki's comment about business suits and skirts is a lampshade on the sexism that still exists in the business world. Be cute and sexy until you're highly ranked enough that you don't need to be anymore. That might offend people, but it fits with Nabiki's biases and beliefs. It is not intended to offend.

I hope you guys liked the glimpse of Jiro's Tea Shop. I may never fully explain what it actually IS, but I will probably include it in some form in future stories. Yes, even stories that aren't in the Ranmaverse or time period.

The Week of the Link is now coming to a close. The next Chapter? The Cure, The Kiss, and the Calamity!