[Ranma][FanFic] "Wanderer" Part 3 (repost)

[fher...@yahoo.com]

"Baka!!"

A fist crashes into the brick, pulping it. Akane shudders as she pulls
her hand back, the rage and sorrow over the previous day's events thundering
through her. Rage at Ranma for abandoning her like he did, ensuring she could
never reconcile with him for a long time to come. Honour aside, there was no
way that Souun would condone Akane meeting that "traitor" while she still lived
in this house. Sorrow that Ranma had concluded that the only way everyone
could get something out of the mess which was his life was to cut all links to
everyone, then forever freeze himself as a woman.

"Do you want to be friends?"

Akane shudders as those innocent words spoken in the living room a
lifetime ago come back. She had been the only one who was friendly to Ranma
that hectic morning. Angry at her father over the iinazuke question, she at
least tried to make their strange houseguest feel welcome. Kasumi was acting
like she normally does and Nabiki was prodding the shy redhead in the bosom,
demanding to know why their father was forcing them to marry another woman.

"There's a pervert in the bathroom!!!"

Or so they thought. The instant Akane stumbled onto Ranma in the
bathroom, both in quite embarrassing positions...! Akane squeezes her eyes
shut as her initial reaction to his curse flows back. She just offered to be
Ranma's friend...and then betrayed those very words by calling HIM a pervert
when SHE was the one who walked in on him, didn't take the time to understand
what he was feeling. How would Akane feel if she had been cursed by Jusenkyou,
forced into a body she wasn't born with by the touch of cold water?

"I hate you!!"

It was so easy. Blame the whole mess on him. The engagement, all the
idiot fiancees, all the fights. It was all Ranma's fault! He always insulted
her, deplored her skills, said all those things about her cooking and domestic
skills...why SHOULDN'T she hate him?

Except...it wasn't true.

Nabiki was right.

She loved him.

"The engagement is over."

Words that destroyed her heart...followed by a pronouncement that
guaranteed it could never be healed.

"I froze myself as a woman."

Raising her fist, she concentrates on the next brick...then stops, the
sobs shaking her from head to toe.

"This is the way I'll be until I die."

No more last-minute rescues. No more gallant protector to watch over her
when things happened. No more...fiance.

No love.

"Ranma, why...?!" she gasps, collapsing to the dojo's floor...

* * *

In her room, Nabiki gazes at the ledger before her. With all the money in
savings accounts with high interest yields, there was no immediate danger of
the family facing bankruptcy. But without a guaranteed source of income, that
wouldn't last for long. Still, the situation wasn't all that bad. With the
primary cause of many of the added expenses gone, probably never to return,
additional funds wouldn't be as urgently needed. At least the family was
safe...though Nabiki doubted it would emotionally recover from the harsh way
Ranma stormed out of their lives.

"She'd rather KILL HERSELF than marry you!"

Nabiki winces as Akane's scalding words from yesterday storm back. Ranma
would've been her brother-in-law for heaven's sake! A part of the family. And
how did Nabiki treat him in return? She scorned him, didn't take into account
his own feelings over his life's many problems, then cashed in on his problems
like he was just a money-making machine! But what was so wrong with that?!
Ranma was just a freeloader, someone who didn't give a damn about what his
actions were doing to everything around him!

"Not EVERYONE wants to be your personal money-puppets!!!"

Nabiki squeezes her eyes shut, then covers her eyes with her hands. It
had been so easy. Ranma attracted so much attention, it was simple to
manipulate people into surrendering their money. The gambling spirit in Nerima
was something to behold at times and Nabiki had made the best of that spirit
to serve her family. She had to do it! Souun, still grieving over the death
of his wife Kimiko, just didn't care to be the family breadwinner, Kasumi
already sacrificed so much for their behalf and Akane wasn't ready to assume
any of her own responsibilities.

Only now, she realized that her zeal to earn money had forever earned the
contempt, the HATRED, of someone who meant so much to her younger sister.
Worse, Nabiki's actions had probably forever destroyed what trust Akane gave
her.

"Some loving sister I turned out to be..." Nabiki hisses. "Oh,
Akane-chan, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

* * *

"So quiet," Kasumi muses as she watches her cream soup simmer on the
stove. No hard exercise on Ranma's and Genma's part in the front lawn over the
koi poind. Ranma was gone and Genma, after recovering from the beating he got
yesterday, had staggered off with Souun to inebriate themselves at the
destruction of their dreams, their hopes for their families and the Art.

"I'm just tired of all of this."

Kasumi shakes her head. No one seemed to want to understand all of
Ranma's problems, all his fears and resentment at the harsh way life had
treated him...HER. There was a stunning concept! Ranma willingly surrendering
his manhood, then ensuring that HER mother couldn't take her to task for it by
renouncing her family. If Nodoka still tried to press the seppuku
issue...though deep down, Kasumi didn't believe she'd go THAT far...then Ranma
could fight her, KILL her if necessary and claim it was simple self-defence.
Shaking her head, she takes the boiling pot off the stove, then lets it cool
off by the sink.

"You're the only one who seems to want to listen to me."

Kasumi smiles. Ranma had trusted her. It was because of everyone else
that she altered herself, then left. What could she do about it? No, she
couldn't demand that Ranma come back, revert to the way things were. It
wouldn't be fair to Ranma and everyone else wouldn't learn a thing from it.
But at least there could be some attempt at reconciliation, a peaceful parting
of the ways.

Now, where could Ranma have gone...?

To Ukyou?

Kasumi nods. Ranma had told her that she was the only person who listened
to him...outside of Ukyou.

A little visit to U-chan's was called for...

* * *

"Wanderer"
a fantasy crossover tale of Ranma Saotome
by Fred Herriot
fher...@hotmail.com
**** **** ****
Based on "Ranma 1/2," created by Rumiko Takahashi; "NoeL - La Neige," created
by Pioneer LDC; and "Major Raeburn," created by Fred Herriot
**** **** ****

NOTE: This is a rewrite of the original version of Part Three, released to
r.a.a.c. in September 1998. The other parts have been heavily rewritten;
please remove them from all archives. Certain elements of this story are being
redone to reflect comments and criticisms made by readers in the wake of the
release of the original Part Three. Given the complex situation of Ranma's
love life (does s/he have one?), it's hard for ANY fanfic writer to satisfy all
Ranma fans as to who will be with Ranma at the end, so if you don't like the
way this version comes out, I apologize.

**** **** ****

PART THREE - DELAYS

"Stop, thief!!!"

"You pervert, come back here!!!"

"Give our panties back!!!"

"He-he-he!! Gotta catch me, first!!!"

Ranma's eyes roll as she walks down the street towards the bathhouse from
U-chan's, her fellow Jewel Warriors beside her. "What's all this about?" Ryou
looks back as the ominous cloud of dust marking Happousai's attempt at fleeing
a storm of very angry high school students from St. Hebereke approaches.

"That pervert is my so-called 'master' at Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu,
Happousai," Ranma muses, leaping up to balance herself on the fence. "C'mon up
here! Hopefully, he won't bug us too much."

"Hai!" the others nod as they leap up to join her.

Happousai grunts as he pours on the speed, then blinks as he spots a very
familiar pair of women, even if one had rid herself of a braided pigtail.
"Ranma, m'boy!!!" he bounds up. "There you are!! Come give your master a
hand...!"

Just as he is about to land on Ranma, an invisible shield forms around
her, nearly squashing Happousai into okonomiyaki and sending him falling to the
street! The five Jewel Warriors ignore his screams as the St. Hebereke crowd
gang up, smashing him with brooms and other weapons as they retrieve their
undergarments.

"Some places in this city are so loud," Chisato yawns.

"You get used to it after a bit, Chi-chan," Ukyou winks.

They return to street level as Happousai is left behind, now pounded into
paste and deprived of his pilfered silky delights. "Wha...happened...?" he
moans, then passes out.

"You have interesting acquaintances, Ranma-chan," Yumi muses.

"You can say that again, Onee-chan," Ranma rolls her eyes.

"Ranko!!"

Ranma stops, her eyes widening as a familiar...and now somewhat
unwanted...figure appears before her. "Oh, no..."

"Uh-oh," Ukyou tenses.

Yumi falls in beside Ranma as Nodoka walks up. "Hello, Ranko-chan, how
are you?!" she smiles.

"Hello, Mrs. Saotome," Ranma stiffly replies.

Nodoka blinks, surprised at the younger woman's formality. "Ranko-chan,
there's no need to address me as that..."

"Correction, ma'am, there is," Ranma curtly answers, then sighs.
"Ryou-chan, Chisato-chan, U-chan, would you excuse us? Onee-chan and I'd like
to speak to Mrs. Saotome alone."

"Sure thing, Ran-chan," Ukyou nods as she, Ryou and Chisato proceed ahead
to the bathhouse.

Nodoka tenses. "What's wrong?"

"Forgive me," Ranma's throat dries, then straightens herself. "Mrs.
Saotome, you have been lied to for the past couple of months, ever since you
came to the Tendou home looking for your husband and son. The Tendou family
and I've been part of that, but right now, it's time for you to know the truth.
Even if you learn the truth and accept it, I warn you now, you cannot change
certain facts."

"And...what are those facts?" Nodoka suppresses a gulp.

"Ma'am...a decade ago, a promise was made by your husband concerning your
son's upbringing," Ranma sighs, closing her eyes, wishing there was another way
around this. "When they proceeded on their training trip, your husband vowed
that your son would return to you a 'man above men'...and if he failed to
produce a man above men, then both your husband's and your son's lives would be
forfeit through seppuku. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right," Nodoka nods.

Ranma sighs, then gazes at Yumi. "Mrs. Saotome, may I present Yumi
Tachibana of Kadokura-shi," she waves to her adopted sister. "You better take
over from here, Onee-chan."

"Of course," Yumi nods.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Nodoka blinks, surprised at the passing of
the buck between them. "Will you please get to the point, Ranko-chan!"

"Be assured, Mrs. Saotome, there is a point about this," Yumi sighs. "Two
years ago, I met your husband and son while both were in China continuing
their martial arts training. When I got to know them, I was struck by how
well-trained and well-motivated towards his Art Ranma-chan was. At the same
time, I was horrified by the emotional harshness his father demonstrated
towards Ranma-chan. Your husband was so obsessed to make Ranma-chan the best
martial artist of his generation...he was, in my opinion, slowly but surely
killing your very own child."

"What...?!" Nodoka pales, then moves to a bench to relax. "How could
you've made that conclusion, Tachibana-san...and what does this have to do with
Ranko-chan...?!"

Yumi closes her eyes. "You really have no idea what your child has
endured over the last decade and more, Mrs. Saotome. What I will tell you will
shock you beyond belief, perhaps shatter all your dreams and hopes towards
your family. Certainly, it will destroy your faith in your husband's words.
For that, I am sorry."

Silence falls as the older woman considers Yumi's warning. "If you feel
motivated to tell me about my son's fate, if you really care for my son...then
I can accept whatever you say, Tachibana-san," Nodoka muses. "Please, go on."

"A year or so after your husband and son departed, your husband stumbled
onto a unique form of combat called the Neko-ken," Yumi begins. "It is...a
very dangerous technique to employ. It could, with the right conditions, make
someone unbeatable. At the same time, learning it...extracts a horrifying toll
on a person's very soul. To...learn the Neko-ken, one must wrap the student
in fish, then...the student is lowered into a pit of very hungry cats. The
trick of this for the student is to beat away the cats from eating the
fish...and most likely the student himself."

Nodoka turns sheet-white at the very IDEA of Ranma being in such a
situation. "M-my husband d-did that...?"

"Many times...until your son's sanity snapped and...he gained an incurable
case of ailurophobia," Yumi sighs. "Only at that moment did Genma, who had
taken his instructions from an old manual on the Neko-ken, turn to the LAST
page to see why the technique was outlawed. But it was too late. To this day,
Ranma-chan can't stand to be even CLOSE to a cat. If he is forced into a
cat's presence for long, or overwhelmed by many cats, he loses control over his
very sanity...and regresses into an anthropomorphic cat."

Silence falls as Nodoka shudders. "Oh, Ranma...I shouldn't've let you
go..." she sniffs.

Ranma gently grasps her mother's hand. "It gets worse," Yumi sighs.
"During the trip, your husband behaved in a manner more fitting to a common
street beggar than a martial arts teacher. Did you know that atop Ranma-chan's
bond to the Tendou family, he had at least SIX other fiancees bonded to
him?!"

"WHAT?!?!?!"

"It's true," Yumi nods. "Now, one of them, Ukyou Kuonji...you just saw
her, she's the one we called 'U-chan'...had her very DOWRY stolen by your
husband. To avenge herself and her family for the loss of honour, she plunged
into an insane training regimen of her own, disguised herself as a boy...and
destroyed her life for ten whole years until she caught up with Ranma-chan. It
is a miracle that she remembered their childhood friendship enough to set
aside thoughts of vengeance and reform a close bond with your child." A pause,
then, "I've no idea what the exact conditions were for the other fiancees
Ranma-chan acquired on the trip. Further, Ranma-chan was never told about his
fiancees, even Ukyou-chan...until they came to the Tendou home over the last
year to collect."

Nodoka shudders, covering her eyes. "Oh, Genma, why...?"

"That's not all, I'm afraid," Yumi sighs.

"What else could there be?!!" Nodoka hoarsely demands.

"The reason you may never see your son again," Yumi takes a deep breath.
"Over their travels, your husband learned of a remote training ground called
Jusenkyou; it's located in the Chinese highlands. What he DIDN'T know was that
Jusenkyou is filled with springs, each cursed. When one falls into a spring,
one is cursed to gain the physical form of whoever or whatever drowned in those
ponds over the last five thousand years. And since martial arts training
automatically implies the risk of accidents...the chances were low that your
husband or your son would NOT fall into one of those ponds...and wind up
cursed."

Nodoka blinks, then stares at Ranma. "So...you're saying that Genma and
Ranma...are cursed?!"

"Yes," Yumi nods. "I am a telepath and empath, Mrs. Saotome. I can read
people's minds and sense their emotional states. There were enough warning
signs that should've convinced any normal person away from such a place. Your
husband didn't CARE about what they'd run into. All he cared for was making
Ranma-chan the best...even if that would have seen Ranma-chan dead. Even if I
tried to stop him, he would've gone around me and plunged right into it. Who
was I to him? Another would-be fiancee to freeload off of, then run away at
the last minute? So...I interceded."

"In what way?"

"I made your husband agree that if Ranma-chan was placed in what I...and I
alone...judged a life-threatening situation, then Genma would automatically
surrender all legal rights to Ranma-chan as his parent, renounce all marriage
and engagement bonds...and thus make Ranma-chan my sibling."

Nodoka blinks, then her eyes fall on the redhead beside her, realization
dawning as to where this conversation was going. "Oh, no...!" she gapes, then
gulps. "Tachibana-san, may I ask...if within these springs of
Jusenkyou...there is a...?"

"'Nyannichuan,'" Ranma sighs. "Girl-drown spring. Yes, there is. And
yes...I fell into it a little over a year ago."

Nodoka shudders, then looks down. "Oh, Ranma..."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Ranma looks away.

Yumi remains silent as the elder Saotome covers her eyes, the conflicting
emotions of the moment overwhelming her. The former Saotome, now Tachibana,
looks away, her own eyes tearing. Finally, Nodoka gazes at Ranma. "How could
he do that to you...?"

"I don't know," Ranma shakes her head. "I...I never even knew you were
still alive until that letter came the morning of the day you first came to the
dojo. And then...when I learned what Oyaji promised you...what he tricked ME
into promising you...what was I supposed to do? I was so...overjoyed to be
with you again...but then to find out that...if I revealed who I really was,
I'd have to pay for that accident...with my very LIFE?!?! What could we do?!"

Nodoka blinks, then looks down, sensing the hidden accusation in Ranma's
words. "You really believed that I'd...?"

"Yeah, I did," Ranma nods. "You may be my genetic mother, but you're a
STRANGER to me! I don't KNOW you!! All I learned about you came through your
husband!! What could I do?! Tell you the truth and potentially risk my
life...you never ONCE indicated if you'd back away from forcing that agreement
on us...or stay silent and break your heart?! What should I've done?!"

The elder Saotome sighs, then stares at her. "I...don't blame you for
doing what you did, Rank-...Ranma. I assume everyone at the Tendou
house...agreed to help you."

"Hai, they did," Ranma nods. "While I'm ashamed at lying to you...as are
they...we felt we had no other choice."

Nodoka sighs. "Genma has...much to answer for, indeed. As do I, I
believe. Ranma, I...when your father wanted to take you on that trip, he was
adamant on the matter. No matter what I tried to do, I couldn't talk him out
of it. Tachibana-san here is quite correct about Genma's obsession with the
Art. Believe me, now that I understand what has happened to you, I certainly
will NOT force you to the letter of that agreement. As for him, however..."

"Don't bother," Ranma grunts. "He's not worth it. I...lost my respect
for him a long time ago. Honour is all that bound me to him, to all the
promises he forced on me...but recently, I began to ask some pretty hard
questions of myself and where my life was exactly going. Where does family
honour end and personal happiness begin? When do I take control over MY life?
When do I have control over MY destiny? Even since the trip began, I've had
NO control over my fate...and I don't want that anymore. Until recently, I had
EIGHT fiancees, seven through your husband and an eighth with a woman of a
tribe whose laws DEMAND I marry her because I defeated her in combat...and they
don't at present allow ANY compromise on that. So what was I to do?"

"What have you done?" Nodoka wonders, dreading the answer.

"I...shortly after Oyaji and I were cursed...I ran across a former
classmate of mine from junior high school, Ryouga Hibiki," Ranma sighs.
"He...followed me to China. We...were both friends and rivals of a sort. He
wanted to challenge me due to a lot of misunderstandings while we were at
junior high school...and when we missed each over on the day of the challenge,
he followed me. And when he stumbled across me...he suffers from a complete
lack of directional sense, by the way...I, then going berserk over being cursed
and not seeing where I was running, knocked him into one of the Jusenkyou
ponds...and wound up cursing him."

"Oh, Ranma...!"

"So whatever friendship I had with him died that day," Ranma sighs. "He
vowed vengeance on me and he's been coming after me since that time. And I
hated the whole damn situation with Ryouga, a lot. So...not two days ago, I
came upon a way to...transfer the power of his curse unto me. To that end...he
is free...and I am frozen in my cursed form." She looks down. "Your son is
dead."

Nodoka shudders, then stares at her. "Then if I cannot have a son...I
shall have a daughter."

"It can't work out," Ranma shakes her head. "If you wanted to do that,
then I'd automatically demand you divorce your husband or force him to commit
seppuku for destroying my life and our family honour. There would be no
compromise on that from me. I will not hold myself to ANY promise he made for
me anymore, not to Akane Tendou, not to Ukyou Kuonji, not to ANYONE...and I
will not see your life and honour sullied anymore with his mistakes!"

"But by your becoming a girl, there can be no marriages...and I will
ensure that Genma never forces a man on you; you can't ask a man to adjust THAT
quickly into becoming a woman!" Nodoka muses. "And this other girl, the one
from that tribe...?"

"Shampoo...Nyu Xian-pu is her proper name," Ranma augments.

"Can't marry you if you're a girl," Nodoka completes, then smiles.
"Besides, you could still be bound to her through other means. I assume you
have made some arrangements to that end."

"It's been settled," Ranma nods.

"Then honour is preserved for all sides," Nodoka smiles. "In my eyes,
Ranma, you proved yourself beyond a shadow of a doubt by admitting your mistake
with Hibiki-san and freeing him of his curse, even if it cost you your
manhood. The one thing Akane and the others impressed me with the most about
you is your willingness to suffer before others did. And I...have made
mistakes on my own concerning how I presented the way I believed you should be
when we met again...and now I have to atone for them. Your father will have
very much to answer for when I see him next. Oh, by the way, when you were at
Jusenkyou, did he perchance fall into...?"

"'Shonmaoniichuan,'" Ranma grins. "Panda-drown spring."

"I thought as much," Nodoka sighs.

"Well, it seems that this matter is settled," Yumi sighs. "In the
meantime, would you care to join us at the bathhouse, Nodoka-san? I'm sure
Ukyou-chan'd love to meet you, as would my friends."

"I'd be honoured," Nodoka nods as they rise, turing toward the bathhouse,
mother and daughter walking hand-in-hand...

* * *

"Something's going on here...!"

Happousai scratches his head, now relaxing in his guest room at the Tendou
home. Nabiki and Akane had gone off to school just as he had staggered back
in, still dazed by whatever he had run into when he tried to grab Ranma. Souun
and Genma were passed out in the dojo after what looked like a night of VERY
heavy drinking. Kasumi left sometime later, having said nothing to him. And
one peek into Ranma's guest room revealed that his prize student had moved out
of the house lock, stock and barrel, most likely having moved in with Ukyou at
her place.

Puffing his pipe, he closes his eyes and thinks. Whatever he had run
into, it felt like some energy field. Okay, how did Ranma learn to generate
something like that? If he didn't find a way around it, then he couldn't cop a
feel from Ranma's female form anymore...and THAT idea displeased him greatly.
And if he was displeased, NO ONE had the right to be happy around him.

No one at all...

* * *

"Here you go, Mrs. Saotome!"

"Thank you, Ukyou-chan," Nodoka nods, then stares at the okonomiyaki in
question. "My, this is beautiful!"

"My pleasure," Ukyou returns to her grill.

Ranma is already eating her okonomiyaki, though trying her best to slow
down in front of her mother. Her mother! Finally, she could stop hiding
behind "Ranko Tendou" and revel in Nodoka's company without any fear of her
life ending too soon. Though she suspected there was some part of Nodoka that
would like to have seen what her child was like as HE had been born, it was a
relief to know that her mother had taken the explanation for everything pretty
well. Now all that needed to be told was the Power Jewel and Ranma's
commitment to Kaemal.

"How long have you practiced?" Nodoka muses.

"Since before the day Ran-chan and I first met," Ukyou smiles. "Then,
after Genma stole my family's yatai, cooking okonomiyaki and learning how to
use spatulas and other kitchen tools in battle became the only thing that drove
me for a decade."

Nodoka blinks. "Oh, Ukyou, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize for your husband's greed and cowardice, Mrs. Saotome,"
Ukyou stares at her. "Or what happened to me after Ran-chan and I parted.
Ran-chan had no idea what my father forced me into until the day I came to
Nerima looking for him. And...part of what happened was my fault. I blinded
myself to revenge and nearly destroyed my life because of it. Then...when I
realized I wanted to love Ran-chan, it was pretty well too late; Akane was
involved."

"By most people's standards, Akane's claim on Ranma would take precedence
over yours," Nodoka muses.

"Which is why I had to do something to end it in such a way that everyone
could get something back, Mom," Ranma closes her eyes. "In your eyes and
Oyaji's, Akane's bond comes first since the agreement between us and the
Tendous was chronologically the first. But in U-chan's eyes, she comes first
because her dowry was taken; Akane still has the dojo awaiting her when she
becomes of age. In Shampoo's eyes, until yesterday, she was the ONLY fiancee
because her tribe's laws don't recognize other engagements when the target in
question is bonded to one of her tribe; rivals are obstacles and they're to be
eliminated by any means possible!"

Nodoka shakes her head. "It's a wonder that someone didn't die from this
mess..."

"Believe me, I'm more than relieved that no one did."

"So, the question now should be raised as to how will the Tendous be
convinced that this is for the best," Yumi hums. "The bond of friendship
between your husband and Souun Tendou is a deep one, Nodoka-san."

"And there's the question of Akane's feelings," Ukyou muses.

"Yeah, that's true," Ranma slowly exhales.

"You really love her, don't you?" Nodoka stares at her.

Ranma blinks, then gazes at her mother. "I...care for her very much, Mom.
I...if that's love, then yes, I love her. But, if I do love her, did I have
the right to subject her to the insanity which has ruled my life and nearly
destroyed hers? Atop that, we...well, I suppose it was because of pride and
being forced into this by our fathers...fought a lot, over some of the most
idiotic things you could ever imagine. It started right from the instance
Akane learned of my curse...and...never seemed to stop..." A pained sob bursts
from her lips, then she leans down. "Damn me, why couldn't I've told her
straight up...?"

"Oh, Ranma..." Nodoka embraces her.

Ukyou gazes sadly at her best friend, her own eyes tearing. Yumi, Ryou
and Chisato remain silent. "Why couldn't I've tried to make it easier...?"
Ranma wonders. "Why couldn't I've tried to straighten things out...why did it
have to go this far...?"

"We all blinded ourselves, Ran-chan," Ukyou muses. "We're all at fault
here. It's not just you, y'know..."

"She understands, Ukyou-chan," Ryou sighs. "She just needs time to let it
settle in."

The front door opens. "Oh, Ranma...Auntie Saotome!!" Kasumi gasps on
seeing Nodoka.

"Kasumi-chan!" Nodoka beams, helping Ranma sit up. "Come in. I think she
deserves a sample of your cooking, Ukyou-chan."

"Hai, coming right up!" Ukyou nods.

"I don't mean to intrude," Kasumi apologizes, then gazes at Ranma.
"Um...Ranko-chan...?"

Ranma grins. "Relax, Kasumi. She knows everything now."

"Oh, that's a relief," Kasumi exhales, then gazes at Nodoka. "I should
apologize for lying to you like that, Auntie."

"You acted out of concern for my child's safety, Kasumi-chan," Nodoka
smiles. "Believe me, there's nothing to apologize for. But in the meantime,
we best settle this business concerning Ranma-chan's bond to your sister Akane
right away."

"I don't think Ranma-chan will be welcome back at the house after what
h-...SHE just did!" Kasumi flushes. "Excuse me, it is still quite too early to
fully accept what you did, Ranma-chan."

"No way to change it back, not for a lot of people's sakes," Ranma shakes
her head. "Kasumi-chan, you might as well know that Shampoo won't be a problem
anymore thanks to my...decision. When one is cursed by Jusenkyou, there may
come times when they...elect to live the rest of their lives in their cursed
form. This is especially true of cross-gender transformations. Shampoo's
tribe has a rule that respects that. When I froze myself, I was freed from
marrying Shampoo, then became eligible to be her blood-sister. She can then be
free to marry Mousse; as is my right in that instance, I selected him to take
my place."

"Oh, that's a relief!" Kasumi nods. "I'm glad that Shampoo can go home
finally; she always seemed so sad here."

"I should see Shampoo's great-grandmother and make sure that nothing
untoward will happen," Nodoka hums. "Even if honour is acknowledged, we should
ensure there are no hard feelings."

"That might take a while, Mrs. Saotome," Ukyou warns. "You know, there's
a part of me that wishes that...Ran-chan didn't have to change, that...I
could've won him over without him having to hurt anyone, with him...still a
man. I'm sure Shampoo feels the same way. How's your sister been taking it,
Kasumi?"

"Not good, I'm afraid," Kasumi sighs. "She understands Ranma-chan's
motivations, but...she's been swinging from anger to sadness ever since she
came home yesterday and told us what had happened. I...I really don't know
what to do to make her come out of it."

Ranma shudders. "I hurt her..."

"And if you didn't make a decision?" Yumi asks.

"I would've still hurt her, Onee-chan," Ranma shakes her head. "I hurt
her no matter which way I turned...!"

She buries her head into her arms, quiet sobs escaping her. Everyone
stares at her, then sigh. "Forgive me, but...did Ranma-chan actually call
you...?" Kasumi stares at Yumi.

"'Onee-chan,'" Nodoka smiles. "Oh, speaking of family..."

"Your husband is still passed out at the dojo," Kasumi warns.

"That's good," Nodoka rises, her hands grasping her katana. "Then it's
time for that deadbeat fool to realize how much he has to atone for the pain
he's unleashed! Please watch over Ranma-chan, Yumi-san. I shouldn't be
long."

"Of course," Yumi nods.

They depart. "So when do we spill the big news?" Ukyou asks.

"When Oyaji's out of the way," Ranma sniffs, rubbing her eyes. "If he
learned about my having a Power Jewel, much less that con-artist Akane calls a
sister, who knows what could happen!"

The others hum, nodding...

* * *

Furinkan High School...

"Akane Tendou!!"

Akane looks up from her lunch as Tatewaki Kunou walks up, Nabiki right
behind him. "Can I help you, Sempai?"

"I have heard from some of your classmates that scoundrel Saotome has
permanently taken his leave of you," the kendoist relaxes beside her. "Is this
true?"

Akane sighs. "No, Sempai. It is far worse than that."

"Pray tell me what has happened."

"Ranma has committed seppuku."

Kunou's jaw drops. "I...beg your pardon?! He actually..."

"He felt he had no choice, Sempai," Akane relaxes, falling on her drama
training to sound convincing. "You made a mistake when you believed the
pigtailed woman also named Ranma Saotome was his slave. You are wrong. They
are brother and sister, but bound together with nefarious magic not of
Ranma-kun's doing sometime prior to their coming to Nerima. This
magic...constrained Ranma-chan, the one you loved, body and soul to Ranma-kun,
the one you despised, truthfully for all the wrong reasons. He...never wanted
his beloved sister to endure such suffering...so he decided that the only way
for Ranma-chan to be free...was to end his life."

"I see..." Kunou blinks, then looks down. "Is there another reason that
the male Ranma would do such an honourable thing?"

"Yes, there is," Akane frowns. "Ranma-kun's father treated his child like
a prized bull at times, having him engaged to nearly a dozen women over the
years of their training trip. I am one of his many 'fiancees,' as is Shampoo
and Ukyou Kuonji. Could Ranma-kun actually marry ALL those girls at once?
Certainly not. Yet if he chose one..." she sniffs, wiping her eyes, then
nodding as Kunou hands her a handkerchief, "...the others' honour would be
gravely damaged. Ranma-kun didn't wish that to happen, so...he elected to
eliminate the problem by denying us all...him."

Sitting nearby with several other classmates, Sayuri winks at Akane,
giving her the "OK" sign; it was a masterful performance. Then again, as
Nabiki had oft proved, Kunou could be a gullible jerk. "I see," Kunou rises.
"I once believed Saotome to be an evil sorcerer out to beguile all around him.
It appears I was mistaken. I'm man enough to admit such. I can also see that
you cared for him, Akane. I will leave you to your time of mourning. May I
at least know where the pigtailed one might be found?"

"She too requires a time of mourning, Sempai," Akane sighs. "Her love for
her brother was profound. Ranma-chan...has left my home. I have no idea when
she may return, if she'll return."

"Understandable," Kunou nods. "Again, my profound thanks, Akane Tendou.
Excuse me, please."

He walks off. Akane watches him go, then sighs. "Nice performance,
Akane-chan!" Sayuri winks again.

"Thanks!" Akane nods.

"What are you trying to do?!" Nabiki demands.

"What does it look like?!" Akane glares at her. "Ranma went out of
hi-...HER way to give me my freedom of choice back! I'm doing the same thing
for her! Got a problem with it?!"

"Yeah, it's not like you've skimmed ENOUGH money off Ranma-kun's problems
already!" Yuka sneers.

Nabiki jolts, then marches away. "No offense, Akane, but that sister of
yours can be such a cold bitch at times!" Hiroshi sighs.

"Not really. She actually means very well; she just doesn't take the time
to understand the fallout that occurs every time she tries to make money to
keep the dojo and the family out of bankruptcy," Akane sighs, rubbing her
hands.

The others blink surprisedly. "Well, given that there hasn't been any
students at your dojo since I first met you, I suppose she's got a right to do
that," Sayuri hums.

"So what happens now?" Yuka inquires.

"Dad's forbidden me from trying to track Ranma down," Akane announces.
"I'm not sure what could happen next; last I saw him and Mr. Saotome, they were
passed out in the dojo after raiding a few bars last night."

"Doesn't surprise me," Hiroshi shakes his head. "All their dreams were
pinned on you and Ranma-kun getting hitched. When Ranma did what he...SHE did,
that got blown out of the water!"

"How did Ranma do it, anyway?!" Daisuke muses.

"Do what?" Akane wonders.

"Freeze himself as a girl?"

"Well, shortly after she and her father got cursed, Ranma bumped into
someone close to Jusenkyou and got him cursed, too," Akane muses. "She...felt
it was only right to do that for him since it was her fault."

Unnoticed by any of them, one of Nabiki's assistants sitting at a nearby
table perks up, then blinks as she considers the matter. *The boss'll
definitely want to use this!* she muses, rising to put her food tray away, then
head back to class.

"Ain't that Ranma for you?" Daisuke shakes his head, sadly sighing.
"Always willing to go out to help others before helping himself. What a guy!"

"I can't believe you just let him slip through your fingers like that,
Akane-chan," Yuka muses.

"What does THAT mean?!" Akane growls.

"Akane-chan, you have to admit that even if you and Ranma-kun fought all
the time, he was ALWAYS there when you needed help!" Yuka holds up a finger.
"And don't you start with all the garbage about being able to handle things on
your own! You know quite well you couldn't've tackled the likes of Shampoo
without Ranma-kun being around, much less those creeps from China who kidnapped
you that one time you had a marathon chase around town..."

"And that other one who froze Ranma-kun as a girl with that soup ladle;
remember him?" Sayuri adds.

"And what about the time that Dojo Destroyer came by to shut your school
down?!" Hiroshi muses.

"You gotta admit, Ranma helped you a lot," Daisuke shrugs. "And what
happens now? You still got that old lech at the house; without Ranma around to
slow him down, what's to stop Happousai from making your life a real hell?!"

Akane shudders, a denial hanging on her lips, yet no sound escapes her as
their words hit home. While Ranma had indeed caused all his problems...

*Did he?*

...he still always strove to solve them. In fact, he seemed to go out of
his way to make people more comfortable.

*Including you.*

*That's not true!*

*Oh? Remember when you first met? You were the only friendly person in
the whole house. Who said 'let's be friends,' then betrayed those very words
not a hour later? How would you've felt if you were the one cursed, wondering
why this was happening to you? Then when you started insulting him, he
insulted you right back...and it never stopped! What did you expect from him?
He grew up with no friends whatsoever, never knowing a single place to live
for ten years! He was so socially immature, he didn't know how to act. The
only friends he ever had that whole time were Ukyou and Ryouga...and he was
dragged away from them both. How else would he've acted? He didn't know how
to act around people, especially someone who could've been his wife!*

*He should've known better...!*

*YOU should've known better!! When he came to the house, he never knew a
SINGLE thing outside martial arts! The only other interests he acquired, he
acquired them while he was living at the house...and that usually was because
YOU prodded him into it! Even after all the fights you had, he trusted YOUR
judgement about a lot of things. When you cooked, he at least tried what you
made, even if it nearly killed him every time! Yuka's right, you know. You
could've done so much for Ranma...but YOUR pride got in the way, YOUR anger
kept you apart...until it was too late. Happy now?*

*No...*

* * *

"Are you sure that's what Akane said?!"

"You got it, Boss," the girl nods. "Ranma-kun got himself stuck as a girl
by drawing off the power of someone else's curse and augmenting that power to
his own curse."

"Thanks," Nabiki nods, then relaxes in her chair as the girl heads off.
"Well, well...who could that've been, I wonder...?"

Shampoo...?

Doubtful; given the amount of effort the warrior-maiden had poured into
winning Ranma over during the last year and more, she'd NEVER agree to that,
even if her losing her curse very much guaranteed Ranma wouldn't succumb to the
Neko-ken conditioning around her when she got soaked!

Mousse...?

Oh, THAT would be choice revenge. Given the amount of time the
weapons-master spent as a duck in punishment for his glomping Shampoo all the
time, it would be the perfect slap in the face to Shampoo and Cologne to steal
their means of keeping him repressed. It might not've helped if all that was
needed was to give him a new curse, though Nabiki once heard from Toofuu Ono
that once one was cursed by Jusenkyou, one couldn't be cursed again even if
they found a way to ditch the curse. There was a possibility.

Genma...?

Nabiki laughs. Not a chance!

Nabiki's eyes then widen. "Of course!!" she gasps. "Ryouga!"

Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Ranma always got into fights
with Akane over her pet pig. Not only would Ranma restore his friendship with
Ryouga, he'd still cover Ryouga's tail when it came to the secrets surrounding
P-chan...and give Ryouga a clear road to winning Akane over once Ranma was
forever out of their lives! Ryouga loved Akane, yearned for the chance to win
her love...and Ranma had just given him the chance to do just that.

Shuddering, she rises to get things set into motion to locate the lost
boy...then stops. "Why am I doing this?" she hisses, sinking back into her
chair. "Ranma'd never come back..."

What would happen if Ranma DID come back? Souun would NEVER allow the
"traitor" through the front gates even if he did realize how much a good thing
Ranma was to the Tendou family. Sometimes, her father had no idea how much he
allowed personal and family honour to get in the way of reality.

Even if that problem was overcome, Ranma would never again want to live
anywhere close to Nabiki. He...SHE...might be an idiot, but she learned fast
from all her mistakes...and she had made it pretty damn clear to Akane the
previous day that there was no way that she'd live under the same roof as
Nabiki Tendou.

Even if that was overcome, what then? Weirdness followed Ranma like a
dark kami; it had been a factor in everyone's life since Ranma came. Would it
all end even if she remained a girl, was free of her commitments to all her
fiancees and that? Would it be worth the aggravation, all the hassles about
repairing the house and dojo, the extra food bill...the reminders of what was?

Nabiki sighs. The chasm separating Ranma from the family that had
supported her for a year was too wide now. Even if some peace could be
achieved and maintained, there were things that could never be forgiven by all
sides, especially Ranma. Reconciliation was possible in some places,
especially between Akane and Ranma. Trying to get some vengeance on Ranma for
the pain she caused them now was not just reckless, it was suicidal! Now as a
woman, Ranma was practically free of her old-fashioned warrior's code, which
meant that Nabiki, someone who hadn't seen the inside of a dojo for quite some
years, wouldn't stand a chance if she forced her into a challenge to recoup her
financial losses. Words only went so far and she couldn't reap the rewards if
she was crippled or worse.

"Looks like you won this fight, Ranma-kun," Nabiki sighs, leaning on her
arms as people begin streaming into afternoon classes. "You not only won the
fight, you won the war, too..."

* * *

"Welcome home, everyone!"

Nabiki and Akane sigh as they step into the Tendou home, looking around.
"Where're Dad and Mr. Saotome?" the former wonders as they drop their bookbags
off.

"Father's in bed right now," Kasumi smiles. "He's still quite upset over
what happened with Ranma-chan. Mr. Saotome's gone."

"Typical of that coward..." Nabiki sneers.

"Not exactly, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi shakes her head. "Auntie Saotome came
by earlier on and dragged him off."

"WHAT?!?!" Akane exclaims. "Wait!! Does she...?!"

"She knows everything now," Kasumi nods. "Even better, she wholeheartedly
accepts Ranma-chan as she is now."

"You're kidding me!" Nabiki shakes her head. "So what's going to happen
to that lazy jerk?!"

"I'm not sure what will happen to Mr. Saotome, but things might be
decidedly cool at their home from now on," Kasumi muses. "Ranma-chan has
stated that she will NEVER accept Mr. Saotome as her father again; if Auntie
Saotome wants Ranma-chan to come home finally, Mr. Saotome must be thrown out
of the house or else commit seppuku for destroying Ranma-chan's life."

"Ai-owch!!" Nabiki winces. "Boy, Ranma's got the old fool on the hot
coals this time, huh?!"

"True," Kasumi sighs. "Oh, you'll all be happy to hear that matters
between Ranma-chan and Shampoo are settled."

"How?!" Akane demands.

"Well, there do come times that Jusenkyou-cursed people decide they like
spending the rest of their lives in their cursed forms," Kasumi muses. "This
is especially true of cross-gender changes. If they're engaged to one of
Shampoo's tribe and they make this decision, they're no longer bound to marry
them and are adopted as one's blood-kin. In fact, Ranma-chan now has the right
to choose his own successor as Shampoo's fiancee."

"I bet he chose Mousse," Nabiki smirks.

"Indeed he did," Kasumi nods. "I went over to the Nekohanten this
afternoon to see how they're doing. Things are quite fine, in fact. It turns
out that Mousse is part of a sect in the Nyu-che-zuu who violently disapprove
of the combat-for-marriage law...the 'Ones Who Suffer In Silence' as they're
called in Joketsuzoku. He in fact took an oath that if he EVER raised his hand
against Shampoo in anger, he would kill himself. Cologne and Shampoo were
quite surprised when they heard this; they never suspected Mousse was like
that. So Shampoo has a lot of thinking to do."

"What does this mean for their marriage?" Akane prods.

"Well, Ranma-chan has the right to set the conditions of how Mousse and
Shampoo can wed," Kasumi smiles. "She stipulated that Mousse and Shampoo were
to be given the chance to build a new sense of confidence between them before
they wed...and no one in their tribe, not even the elders, can stop that from
happening."

"That's good," Akane sighs. "At least Shampoo gets something out of this.
So where's Ranma now?"

"She's staying at Ukyou's place," Kasumi muses.

Eyebrow twitch. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Akane snarls.

"Akane-chan, despite the problems forced on them because of their
engagement, Ukyou is Ranma-chan's best friend, remember?" Kasumi frowns,
causing the youngest Tendou to wince under her disapproving stare. "Believe it
or not, they're getting along quite fine. Besides, by doing what she did,
Ranma-chan helped Ukyou get what she was after when she first came to Nerima;
the complete destruction of Mr. Saotome's family."

Silence falls. "I should go see her..." Akane smiles.

"I think that'd be a great idea, Akane-chan," Kasumi nods approvingly.
"Oh, by the way, if you see three strange women there with them, don't be
surprised."

"Why's that?" Akane blinks.

"One is Yumi Tachibana," Kasumi muses. "When you see her, she'll be the
black-haired girl with the ponytail. She supposedly was the latest 'fiancee'
Ranma-chan learned of."

"Oh, her!! So what's she doing here?!"

"Well, it turns out that Tachibana-san was NEVER Ranma-chan's fiancee,"
Kasumi smiles. "When she met Mr. Saotome two years ago, she was so horrified
at what he was doing to Ranma-chan, afraid that it could've eventually led to
Ranma-chan's death, she tricked him into signing an agreement which states that
if Ranma-chan enters a life-threatening situation, Mr. Saotome surrenders all
legal custody over Ranma-chan to Tachibana-san, thus making Ranma-chan her
sister. Atop that, all marriage agreements would be automatically nullified,
the fault of which..."

"Being recognized as falling on 'Uncle' Saotome's shoulders!" Nabiki's jaw
drops open in stunned disbelief. "Ye gods, that is sheer genius!!!"

"That is something I can't believe...!"

Eyes turn to see Souun standing there, slack-jawed at his eldest
daughter's revelation. "Oh, Father!!" Kasumi gasps.

The ashen-faced Tendou patriarch staggers up to them. "You mean to say
that this woman made Saotome-kun sign an agreement that gave Ranma away to
her..." he stammers, "...AND destroyed all the marriage agreements at the same
time, including...?!"

"The one to our family," Kasumi nods. "Yes, Father."

"Which means our family honour is quite intact," Akane adds. "Your
so-called 'friend' stabbed you in the back when he got Ranma hitched to Ukyou
and everyone else...then REALLY let you have it when he gave Ranma up to
Tachibana-san. After all, by knocking Ranma into Nyannichuan, that conceivably
would've put Ranma into a 'life-threatening situation' concerning his own
mother!"

Souun shudders. "How...how could you do that to me, Saotome-kun...?" he
gasps, his eyes tearing. "How could you sign such a devil's agreement in the
first place...?"

"Well, Tachibana-san said he was drunk when she made him sign it," Kasumi
muses.

"Then it has no meaning!!!" Souun then asserts. "Saotome-kun was tricked
into signing it...!"

"On the contrary, Father, it has meaning since Ranma-chan and Auntie
Saotome recognize it," Kasumi interrupts. "Further, there is no way Mr.
Saotome can refute it or attempt to destroy it. Ranma-chan has placed a
non-negotiable condition on her finally returning to the Saotome family:
Auntie Saotome must divorce her husband or force him to commit seppuku for
destroying Ranma-chan's life. Mr. Saotome has no leverage on Ranma-chan
anymore. Until Auntie Saotome does either of those things, Ranma-chan will
be...and most likely remain...Ranma Tachibana."

Souun shudders, then spins on Nabiki. "Nabiki, you must find this
Tachibana woman and force her to surrender Ranma!!!"

"I can do nothing, Daddy," Nabiki shakes her head. "Ranma-kun made her
choice pretty clear. Besides, even if we got Ranma-kun to come back...which I
doubt she'd ever want to do willingly...how are you going to try to change her
back to a boy to marry Akane?"

"We'll just go to Jusenkyou, find Nannichuan water and change him back!!!"
Souun asserts.

"You can't do that to Ranma-kun, Daddy," Nabiki sighs. "If you don't
believe me, you can ask Toofuu-sensei if you want. Once you're cursed by
Jusenkyou, you can NEVER be re-cursed and expect it to work, which is what
finding Nannichuan water from Jusenkyou would do. And Instant Nannichuan won't
always work."

Souun staggers, then straightens himself. "Then we must learn how
Ranma-kun froze himself as a girl and get him to reverse it."

"The way he froze himself in the first place was to absorb the energy of
someone else's curse!" Akane asserts. "And seeing as how Ranma HONOURABLY
accepted her responsibility in cursing the poor fellow in the first place, it
would shame her further to force the curse back onto him!! Daddy, how can you
say YOU are an honourable man by forcing Ranma to do THAT to someone and
dishonour himself even further?! Besides, as a girl, you can't force an
engagement between us anymore, which suits ME fine!!"

Souun wails. "Akane, where is your sense of duty to your family?!!" he
pleads. "You can't let this end like this!!!"

Akane hums, turning away. "Well, maybe I could talk to Ranma and make
some agreement about it..." she muses.

"Yes!! Yes!!!" Souun nods.

"Oh, okay, I'll go," Akane shrugs. "But don't be upset if I come back
empty-handed!!"

She walks out. "Oh, I have such a dutiful daughter!!" Souun wails,
falling to his knees and bawling his eyes out.

Kasumi and Nabiki sigh. "Pathetic..." the latter muses.

"It won't change a thing," the former sighs.

"Yeah, but it'll give them the chance to part peacefully," Nabiki mutters.
"I hope..."

* * *

To be continued...