[Ranma][FanFic] Love and War: Love - Chapter 3, Parts 1-2

[Ethan Tsai]

This is a work of fiction by a fan for fans. This isn't meant to be an
intentional infringement of existing copyright laws. Ranma and associated
characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi. Needless to say, I hope I don't
get sued.

I apologize in advance for the strange partition of the chapters. I'm having
trouble getting WinVN to accept large files and so until I figure out a way to
increase the size of the file I can cut and paste, this is the best I can do.

Gomen ne!
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Chapter Three

"You have to be kidding me." Ukyou sighed. She leaned back in her seat
at the restaurant. They had returned to Ucchan's, while Mousse and Cologne had
tended to Shampoo. She looked into her cup of tea and frowned. "You know, if
he's so good at fighting, and he needs to fight people to get his honor back,
why isn't he going nuts and fighting everyone he's seen so far?"
Ranma shrugged.
"I dunno. I never really thought of it myself. The way he explained
it, it was like he had to wait for other people to challenge him. Seems to me,
he can't refuse them - even if they could kill him. Pretty stupid rules if you
ask me." Ranma shook his head and looked over to Ken as he sat alone at the
counter.
"You know," he continued, "he looks pretty lonely. I wish there was
somethin' we could do for him. I know what he feels like. It's horrible."
Ranma sighed. Akane smiled slightly.
"That's awfully nice of you. So where's the real Ranma?" she asked
jokingly.
"Hey! I was just trying to be nice!" he protested. Ukyou and Akane
shared a laugh.
"Look, Ran-chan, it was just a joke. Don't get so defensive." Ukyou
got up from the table and walked over next to Ken.
"You know, there's room for four at the table, and there's only three
there. Want to sit down and talk? You've been awfully quiet after that
fight," she said.
Ken smiled sadly. Ukyou was struck at how similar it was to when Ranma
felt sad. She immediately felt like she wanted to reach out and comfort him.
She shook her head slightly.
"Is something wrong, Ukyou-san?" Ken asked. She waved her hand
dismissively.
"I'm just a little tired. I'll be okay; and please, just call me
Ukyou," she smiled. "Why don't you come join us?"
Ken smiled and nodded his head.
Ranma and Akane quickly exchanged glances as Ukyou tried to persuade
Ken to join them. Akane had a wry grin on her face.
"You know, whenever she looks at Ken, it's like she's looking at you.
Did you see the way her eyes glazed over when he smiled at her? It reminded me
of the times you smile at her and she loses it," Akane noted.
"Maybe she likes him."
"Awfully fast, don't you think?"
"Maybe Ucchan sees something in him that she likes."
"Another Ranma? Don't flatter yourself," Akane snorted.
"That's not what I meant. I mean, I feel like I've known this guy
forever. He's been through a lot of the same I have, only it feels like I got
a better deal than he did."
Akane put her hand over Ranma's on the table.
"So what suddenly made you Mr. Sympathy?" she asked jokingly.
Ranma looked at her hand on his and sighed.
"I guess the whole wedding thing, and having my mom around more, made
me realize that I had a lot of growing up to do. Sometimes I look around and
think that I'm not the manliest of men anymore. I might be able to beat the
pants off of someone in a fight, but after looking at Ken, and havin' him
explain his whole life, it sounds like there's more to being a man than being a
good martial artist. He's been through somethin' that I haven't before and
it's really nagging me," he said quietly. Akane was about to say something,
but saw Ukyou bring Ken to the table.
"There. A full table. This is much better," Ukyou said. She looked
over to Ken. "Comfortable? I think it's a lot easier to talk to some friends
than to your teacup."
Ken smiled sadly.
"I guess so. I'm really glad I met all of you. I want you to know
that. It's nice to hear that you all think of me as a friend," he said sadly.
"Hey! It's not like we're going to die on you or nothin'!" Ranma
protested. Ken gave him that sad smile again.
"This has to do with the blood, doesn't it?" Akane asked softly.
"Yes," Ken said quietly, "it does. I've fought with Long-tzu for as
long as I can remember fighting. It was a gift to help me keep my confidence
in my abilities, and help me focus on fighting. It's never been proved wrong.
When I draw and see droplets of water, I always win. When I draw and see
blood, then I know I'm going to lose. I only saw blood three times in the time
I've fought with Long-tzu, and all of them have truly been losses to me."
"If you don't want to talk about it, Ken, you don't have to," Ranma
offered.
"No, it's best that you all know. I don't want any of you to think of
me as someone you want to associate with until you know more about me.
The first time I drew and saw blood, my parents were murdered. I told
you about that already. The last time I drew blood, I was disavowed by the
Oracle that chose me as her champion."
Ukyou raised an eyebrow.
"You explained the whole champion bit to Ranma, but I didn't hear it.
What's this all about?" she asked.
"To make a long story short, there are Oracles, beings that represent
certain aspects of the universe. They choose consorts, or champions to fight
for them in combat situations where duels of honor boil down to mortal combat.
It's kind of a petty power struggle, but that's the way it's been played out
for as long as anyone can remember. I was chosen as the Avatar, or the
champion, of Fate. She chose me, and her sister, Life, chose my younger
brother. It's funny. All the other Avatars, and their respective Oracles,
have always been people that loved each other. My brother married the Oracle
that chose him," Ken explained.
"So what happened to you? You're not married?" Ukyou asked.
"No."
"What happened?"
"I drew my sword and I saw droplets of blood," he said in a whisper.
Ukyou thought she saw Ken's eyes water, but she didn't see tears. She looked
up at Ranma imploringly. The situation had suddenly become very uncomfortable,
but Ranma and Akane were looking away. Ranma was biting his lip, looking
somewhat uncomfortable.
"You killed her?" Ukyou said quietly.
"No. I drew my sword and saw blood. That was the day she told me she
never wanted to see me again. She was only using me for her own means to an
end. Later on, I drew my sword again, and then she cast me out from her clan.
I was disgraced and disavowed before everyone in my clan, and thousands from
other clans."
"Oh."
Ukyou fidgeted. Things were becoming very uncomfortable, and she began
to regret suggesting conversation. Ken cleared his throat, and Ranma, Akane,
and Ukyou turned to look at him. He had a grim smile on his face.
"That's why I want you three to decide whether you really think you can
think of me as a friend or not. I drew blood again. I'm afraid innocent
people will get hurt because of something I do."
"It's just the short run, right?" Akane asked hopefully.
"I don't know. The predictions from Long-tzu are applicable to
anything during any time. It could be within the next ten seconds, or within
the year. There's no definite time scale here.
You've all been really nice to me, and I know you're all great people.
I don't want to risk hurting anyone out of my own selfishness."
"Hey! Now wait a minute! If we get hurt, it's our business. You
can't really make us choose one way or another. What are you going to do if I
keep sayin' you're my friend?" Ranma sat back and looked at Ken expectantly.
Ken took a breath to respond, but stopped.
"Nothing I guess. I really can't do anything."
"Then it's settled," Ranma said. "You're still my friend."
Ken managed a small smile.
"Thanks Ranma. I appreciate that."

When the four of them stood up to leave, Akane held Ranma back and
waited for Ken and Ukyou to move out of earshot.
"Are you thinking straight? You heard what he said! He said he knew
something bad was going to happen. What if someone gets killed?" she
whispered.
"Look, I can't explain it, but I think I know this guy. It's like
we've got everything in common, and nothing too. It's like he's a brother I
never had," he whispered back.
Akane wanted to say something, but when she saw Ukyou and Ken looking
at them, she swallowed her words and moved out with Ranma to join them.
"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Ken. Why don't you come back
tomorrow at lunch time to grab a bite to eat?" Ukyou offered.
Ken smiled broadly.
"I'd like that. Thank you Ukyou. It's been a pleasure meeting you.
It's not every day you meet a beautiful woman," he replied. Ukyou looked at
him and saw a smile and a twinkle in his eye that reminded her of Ranma. She
felt her face flush a little and turned away to say her good-byes to Ranma and
Akane. They exchanged farewells and they went their separate ways.
When the three of them reached the dojo, people were getting ready for
bed. Everyone had gone upstairs, and only Nabiki was downstairs turning off
the television when they arrived indoors. Ranma and Ken went upstairs to fetch
a bedroll since it had been agreed that he would stay in the dojo.
"So, where have you been? You three took an awful long time getting
back."
"We went to Ukyou's place," Akane said nonchalantly.
"Ranma stuff his face again?"
"Actually, no. Ukyou seemed a little preoccupied with Ken - whenever
she looked at him for long enough."
"He does remind you of Ranma, doesn't he?"
"No, not really. They're about the same height, but other than that,
and maybe the hair color, they don't look the same. Ken's on the skinny side,
and he's always got a sad look when he looks at people. It's like he's missing
something," she said wistfully.
"Well, I don't know about you, sis, but I think he's kinda cute."
"Nabiki! You don't even know what he's like!" Akane objected.
"And you do?"
Akane tried to stutter a reply, but couldn't.
"Well, he's a lot better than skinny. He's a martial artist like
Ranma, and that means he's got a body that defined. He's got that sad look,
sure, but it's the same thing Ryouga's got all the time. It suits him better
than Ryouga and he's cuter that way, too. He's actually rather charming, and
I'll bet he's great with women. Well, the thing with women is all speculation,
but that's what I think," Nabiki said with a grin.
"So you like him?"
Nabiki laughed.
"Heavens, no! Not like that! I just know a great way to make money
when I see one; and I see a gold mine right now," Nabiki replied as she eyed
Ranma and Ken walking down the stairs. When the two of them left the room and
their footsteps had faded, Nabiki put on a mercenary grin. "A gold mine
indeed." A stern voice snapped her back to reality.
"Nabiki! Honestly, I don't know how you can do that. You have no idea
what he's been through. I really don't think it'd be a good idea to do
anything of the things you do to Ranma to him."
Nabiki shrugged and went up the stairs. She paused for a moment, then
went on her way.
"Okay." she called over her shoulder.
Akane sighed as Ranma entered the room.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I think Nabiki's got something planned for Ken."
Ranma rolled his eyes.
"This, I don't need to hear. If she fixes a fight between us-"
"I don't think she'll do that;" Akane interrupted, "but I have no idea
what she's thinking of doing."
Ranma shrugged and flopped onto the couch.
"Man, I'm beat," he said in a tired voice; but then perked up and
looked at Akane as she flopped down next to him. "I think it's pretty nice
having Ken around. Maybe he can show me some of those moves he's got. I'll
bet he'd really like exchanging fighting stories and stuff."
Akane looked at Ranma. She had a thoughtful look on her face.
"Did you see that way Ukyou reacted when Ken was saying good-bye?"
"Not really. That whole 'beautiful woman' stuff almost made me gag."
"But did you see the way she acted?"
"No, why?"
"She started acting a little giddy. And there was the way she was
staring at him."
"So?" Ranma asked, blandly.
"Ukyou was dressed like she always is."
"So?" Ranma repeated.
"So do you think anyone would look at her when she's dressed like a guy
and tell her she's beautiful?"
"Ukyou's a girl!"
"Yeah, but do you think Ken would say something like that, unless - you
know?"
"Know what?" Ranma asked impatiently.
"Nevermind," Akane sighed, "but you have to admit she started to get
all starry-eyed when she was looking at him that way."
"What way?" Ranma asked.
Akane giggled.
"You really don't get it do you?" she asked. Ranma frowned slightly,
but noticed that Akane was giggling again. She had that look on her face, and
his heart skipped a beat. She was always so cute when she was like that. She
really is beautiful when she does that, Ranma thought to himself. Suddenly, he
realized Akane was staring at him.
"Ranma, now you're doing it," she said quietly, with an embarrassed
smile.
Ranma laughed nervously and started scratching the back of his head.
"Well- Uh- I was- But-" he stammered, but Akane got up off the couch
and leaned over his shoulder from behind him on her way to the stairs. Ranma
froze. Akane paused for a minute before kissing him lightly on the cheek. She
turned and went up the stairs, leaving Ranma by himself, idly brushing the spot
where she had kissed him.

Ken woke the next morning to the sounds of fighting outside. For a
split second he thought that he was going to be attacked; but reality sunk in
as he looked about the dojo. The clean floors, the small shrine in the back,
and himself on a bedroll in the middle. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes
and stretched. It had been a fitful night's sleep. Curiously, no dreams he
could remember - only the sensation of just closing his eyes, and then opening
them again to the morning. Usually, a nightmare would wake him, but not this
time. Ken smiled. Perhaps things were different here. He looked at his
sword. He wondered if he should draw to see if things were going to be bad or
good. An ambiguous clairvoyant message, but one nonetheless. He decided
against it. It had brought him agony in the past, and relying on it was no
longer a good idea. He had seen how Ranma had been living, simply enjoying one
day at a time. Ken decided that was the best way to approach life - one day at
a time. A loud rumbling from his stomach told him it was time for breakfast.
He stretched out completely, like a tiger waking from a long dream, and kipped
to his feet. He took off his shirt and opened the door.
Ranma and Genma were fighting again. Blow after blow was blocked in
mid-air as they repeatedly jumped and attacked each other. Ken found it
horribly amusing. Suddenly Ranma turned at the noise. He saw Ken at the door
of the dojo and shot him a grin.
"Hey! You're awake! A little early-"
Ranma was interrupted by Genma, who grabbed him and unceremoniously
threw him in the koi pond. Ken ran over to the pond to see if Ranma was okay.
A petite redhead stood up and shook her head. She unceremoniously spat out a
mouthful of water and wiped her brow. Genma laughed.
"You're getting sloppy again, boy!"
Ranma was about to grab his father and throw him in when there was a
soft "thump," and Genma toppled head over heels into the pond as Ranma jumped
out of the way. Ranma looked over to Ken who gave a smile and a wink. Ranma
burst out laughing. A furious panda jumped out onto the rocks and waved its
arms in rage. Ranma couldn't talk from the laughing and desperately pointed a
finger at Ken who was walking to the house.
The panda held up an impromptu sign.
"What?! That was Ken! He kicked you in!" Ranma protested. The panda
held up another sign.
"I'm not lying! Are you just acting stupid, or does you brain shrink
when you're a panda?!" Ranma yelled over her shoulder as she stomped to the
house. The panda waved his arms some more, then hunched his back when it
noticed nobody was paying attention to him. Genma shrugged to nobody in
particular and walked to the house.
When Ken made it to the bathroom, he was a little unsure of himself.
He really couldn't wear Ranma's clothes forever. After all, even though they
fit fairly well, he couldn't very well wear clothes that weren't his. Perhaps
he would have to go find a way to make some money and purchase clothes his own.
It was certainly dishonorable to freeload off of someone forcibly. Ken smiled
and shook his head. A job was what he needed, and then some new clothes.
"Oh! Ken, you're awake."
Ken turned his head to see Kasumi carrying a basket of clothes.
"Good morning Kasumi. How are you doing this morning?"
Kasumi gave Ken a smile that could melt ice.
"I'm just fine today, Ken. Thank you for asking. I just wanted you to
know that your clothes are clean now. I took the liberty of sewing up some of
the tears in the fabric. I hope you don't mind.
Ken shook his head.
"I don't mind, Kasumi. Thank you very much. If there's anything I can
do in return, please let me know. I'd be happy to help." he offered. Kasumi
looked at him thoughtfully and then shook her head, and smiled again.
"That's very gentlemanly of you, Ken; but I don't need anything else
done at the moment. Thank you for offering," she said as she handed him a
small, folded bundle of clothes. Ken took them thankfully with a smile and a
nod. Kasumi left him, and went down the stairs humming softly to herself.
Ken knocked on the door to see if anyone was there. No reply. He
opened the door and walked into the room adjoining the bath and unfolded the
clothes Kasumi had given him. His black one piece was back in order. Ken
smiled as he looked at it. It looked like a thinned down black gi with short
sleeves; and connected in one piece, like a jumpsuit. The patches Kasumi had
sewn to fix the suit were barely noticeable. Ken whistled and shook his head.
He hadn't seen anyone as skillful in mending things anywhere. His attention
turned to the bodysuit. It reminded him of a wetsuit, but it was made of light
cotton and silk; and fit tightly, whereas his jumpsuit was more baggy around
the edges. The dark green, almost black, bodysuit looked perfect as well. The
repairs Kasumi had done were barely noticeable either. Ken noticed the sleeves
were a little shorter than before - they cut off an inch or so up from the
elbow - but he decided it was something Kasumi couldn't prevent. Even the
mock-turtle neck was in perfect shape. He thought he'd lost it in his fight
with Brutus, but there it was back on the bodysuit where it belonged. Even the
thin black belt he had was back in order. Ken smiled broadly - everything was
back in order again. It looked perfect.
He made his way over to the door to the bath and knocked again. A
voice made him jump back in surprise.
"I'm almost done."
Ken thought he hadn't heard anything when he knocked the first time in
the hall. He shrugged. Perhaps he didn't hear her the first time. He folded
up his clothes again and walked out the door, only to run into Ranma.
"You're done takin' a bath already?" he asked.
Ken shook his head and jerked a thumb to the bath,
"Someone's in there. Sounds like Akane. We should wait until she's
done." Ken replied. He closed the door as Ranma looked at him questioningly.
"So just how did you figure it was Akane? She obviously didn't slap
you in the face - she punch ya or something?" Ranma asked with a grin.
"No, I knocked on the door."
Ranma sighed.
"You know, Ken, I forget to do that a lot. I guess I should be more
careful. It'd do me a lot of good."
"So you get slapped a lot?"
"No, I just have it timed so that she's done when I get in. Sometimes,
she's a little late, though. Then I get it good." Ranma said with a laugh, as
he rubbed his cheek absentmindedly.

Akane could hear them talking while the door to the hall was open. She
smiled to herself. Ranma was learning manners! Finally he's learning
something useful, she thought to herself. She decided being friends with Ken
would do wonders for Ranma's personality. He could be crass, rude and
insulting at times, but Ranma was someone she decided was actually a good
person at heart. To her, Ken was a gentleman, but didn't seem to live life
with a smile. Definitely like Ryouga, she thought to herself. Maybe Ken and
Ranma could learn from each other, she mused.
She lazily got out of the tub and dried off. She thought back to
yesterday as she put on her clothes in the adjoining room. Ranma had kissed
her. There was a look of concern and genuine feeling in his eyes. Akane
wondered if it was love. Then he kissed her. It wasn't a passionate kiss that
robbed her of her breath, like she had imagined. It was soft, and warm. It
sent a tingle down her spine; and Ranma had done it without anyone forcing him
to. Then there was that look on his face when they were talking before bed.
That dazed happy look on his face was comical, and completely wonderful to her.
Ranma didn't need to say anything. It was as if he was trying to tell her
without saying anything. Akane smiled, as she buttoned up the last of the
buttons on her school uniform. She opened the door and stepped into the hall,
giving a bright smile to Ranma, who looked as if he was in shock.
Ken looked at Ranma as Akane passed them on her way to the stairs. He
had a slightly shocked look on his face, but it was mostly a glazed look on his
face. Ken had seen it before. He nudged Ranma in the ribs.
"Hey, Romeo. I'm going to take a bath. I'll see you at breakfast."
Ranma shook his head.
"Hey! What was that for? And what's this Romeo stuff?"
Ken laughed and went for his bath.
When the two of them walked downstairs to breakfast, everyone was
eating.
"Sorry I'm late," Ranma apologized as he got to the table. He
immediately sat down in his usual spot next to Akane and wolfed down his food.
Ken smiled as Akane quietly nagged Ranma about his behavior at the table. To
him, it was as if they were already married.
"Good morning, Ken! We've got a spot right over here for you," Nabiki
called out. She patted a spot next to her at the table. Ken looked skeptical
and slowly walked over and sat down.
"We've got school today. Care to come with?" she asked.
"Um. School? I'm finished with my schooling." he replied nervously.
Why is Nabiki being so nice all of the sudden, he asked himself. Ranma told me
she only acts nice when she wants something, he said to himself.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow.
"Done with schooling? Just how did you accomplish that?" she asked.
"Advanced classes?" Ken replied sheepishly. It was always a chore
trying to explain how people like himself aged. Apparently, it was good
enough.
"So why aren't you in college?"
"Why are you asking?"
"I just want to know some more about our new guest," Nabiki said with a
smile. Ranma looked up and groaned. Nabiki shot him an expectant look before
turning back to Ken. "So why don't you just come to take a look around. It's
not like we're trying to enroll you in classes or anything. It'll be fun. You
can meet the rest of Ranma's friends."
Ken gave Ranma and Akane a pleading look.
"Well, time for school. We need to get going, right, Ranma?" Akane
asked sweetly.
"Grmph," Ranma replied through a mouthful of food. He nodded and stood
up to follow Akane. He swallowed and looked over to Nabiki. "He's not done
with breakfast. We should get going and plan a visit later, when we're not
going to be late."
Nabiki frowned inwardly. This was a crimp in her plans for the day.
"Okay," she said cheerfully. She got up to leave. "See you later,
Ken. We'll talk later."
Ken gave a halfhearted wave as Nabiki left. He looked back to his
food. Something was amiss with Nabiki, and it bothered him.
"So, did you sleep well last night, Ken?"
He looked up to Nodoka.
"Yes, I did. I hope I wasn't a bother."
"Don't be silly," Soun interjected. "You're a welcome guest here."
"Thank you. I appreciate it very much."
"No need to thank us," Soun replied with a laugh.
Ken smiled and nodded in thanks. He turned to his food and ate his
fill, mindful of the good luck he was having.
"Kasumi, I thought it would be a good idea to go shopping today.
Perhaps we should bring Ken along, to find some clothes for him?" Nodoka asked.
Kasumi smiled and nodded.
"Certainly. I think buying some clothes for Ken is a wonderful idea.
Ken, would you like to go shopping today?"
"Some clothes other than what I'm wearing right now would be nice, but
I don't have any money. I really don't think it would be appropriate for me to
go shopping without any money."
"Perhaps you can borrow some money from Nabiki?" Nodoka suggested.
"Nabiki would certainly lend you some money, and then you can buy some clothes.
I'm sure she'd be willing to lend you money. She's very generous," Nodoka
added.
"I don't mean to be rude, but Ranma told me some rather unflattering
stories about Nabiki and how she handles money," Ken replied quietly.
"Nonsense. Sometimes, I'll admit, Nabiki can be a little quick to make
a dollar; but she really is very generous at heart."
"Well, I would, but she's in school."
"Well, if you need an excuse to go, why don't you go to bring Ranma his
bento? I see that he forgot it," Kasumi said cheerfully.
Ken looked at her smiling at him, and nodded. It couldn't be all that
bad, he decided.

This is a work of fiction by a fan for fans. This isn't meant to be an
intentional infringement of existing copyright laws. Ranma and associated
characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi. Needless to say, I hope I don't
get sued.

I apologize in advance for the strange partition of the chapters. I'm having
trouble getting WinVN to accept large files and so until I figure out a way to
increase the size of the file I can cut and paste, this is the best I can do.

Gomen ne!
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When Ken made it to Furinkan High at the described lunch time, the
school was fairly busy. Students wandering about classrooms aimlessly, talking
to friends and exchanging the latest gossip. Ken felt a little out of place in
his clothes, but Ranma seemed to wear unconventional school clothes, so he let
it go from his mind. Finding Ranma wasn't difficult. All he had to do was ask
and all fingers quickly pointed his way. It seemed that when people looked at
him, and heard his request to find Ranma, they pointed a direction and started
to follow him. Ken couldn't make it out.
When he finally found Ranma, he saw him sitting quietly in a corner
talking to Akane in a hushed voice.
"Ranma?" he asked.
Ranma looked up in slight surprise.
"Ken! When did you get here? I actually expected you a bit earlier,"
he said.
Ken looked confused.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Ranma snickered.
"Nabiki slipped me a fake bento. I knew Kasumi would send someone out
to give me my lunch. I guessed it'd be you. Thanks for the lunch, by the
way."
Ken grinned.
"Hey, no worries. It was easy enough to find my way here. So, why was
everyone trailing me a ways when I asked where you were?"
Ranma looked at the small crowd of people near the door to the room.
"They think you're looking to fight me or somethin', especially with
that sword of yours strapped to your back," Ranma replied. "I guess they're
barking up the wrong tree."
People started dispersing when they saw a fight wasn't imminent.
"I guess I should feel bad for disappointing them, but I'm not," Ken
said with a smile. "So do you mind if I pry into what you and Akane were
talking about?"
"We were just talking about how long it'd take for Nabiki to take
advantage of you," Ranma said. Akane nodded in assent.
"I don't understand. Nobody else thought Nabiki was such a bad
person."
Ranma was about to say something when a voice cut them off.
"Oh Ken! Over here!" Nabiki called.
Ranma and Akane groaned.
"Oh. Hello, Nabiki."
"What? Not happy to see me?"
"Well, I was more or less expecting to talk to you today."
"Really? Moi?" she asked in as surprised a voice as she could manage.
"Well, Ranma's mother and your older sister recommended I borrow money
from you, so I can go shopping with them later on today. I need some clothes
to wear that aren't Ranma's, and I guess I don't have much money at all." he
said sheepishly. Akane rolled her eyes.
"That's great! Of course I'll give you some money!" Nabiki said
pleasantly.
"Really? Ranma- Owf!" He was interrupted by a quick jab in the ribs.
"Excuse me, Ken and I need to talk." Ranma quickly said and dragged him
into the hall.
"Are you nuts?!" Ranma practically shouted.
"I don't get it."
"You don't want to borrow anything at all from Nabiki. She'll put some
strange interest thing on it and then you'll owe her money for the rest of your
life!"
"Well, it was your mother's suggestion."
"Mom doesn't really get it."
"I don't seem to get it either."
"Let's put it this way. I've been forced by Nabiki to do things I
normally wouldn't do for money."
Ken looked shocked.
"What do mean by that?"
"She sells pictures of me to Tatewaki Kuno."
"You have to be kidding me. Kuno's that way?"
It was Ranma's turn to look shocked.
"No! You know about my curse and all! I told you already. She sells
pictures of me as a girl."
"Still sounds pretty twisted to me. You know, now that you mention the
curse, I noticed there are a few others that are cursed to. That pig that
Akane's got roaming around the house must be cursed too. No animal should have
an aura like that."
"You know?" Ranma asked incredulously.
"Look, I understand your apprehension at my borrowing money. I don't
like to borrow money either. The stories you tell me about Nabiki and money
are frightening; but I don't want to borrow your clothes forever. I don't
think you'd want me to either."
Ranma looked stumped for a minute.
"I guess not."
"Then it looks like I'll have to borrow money from Nabiki."
"How are you going to pay her back?"
"I guess I'll get a job somewhere. I don't see any other choice."
"Why don't you get a job from Ucchan? I'm sure she could use the
help."
Ken blushed.
"Yeah, well, I guess so." he stammered.
"You like her, don't you?" Ranma asked with a grin.
"Yeah, well, she's is really cute and all..." he said wistfully.
"Wow. You've only met her once and you're hooked. You're a real piece
of work, you know that?"
"So what are you two talking about?"
Ranma and Ken spun around to look at Nabiki grinning at them.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Ken replied quickly. "Well, Ranma, have a
nice lunch. I should get going. I need to find a job and some clothes."
Ranma laughed.
"I guess you've found one already, ne?"
"Well, not yet. I'm going to get some lunch of my own. I told your
mother I'd be out for the day, and Ukyou did offer me some lunch at her
restaurant."
"Good luck, Romeo," Ranma called to him.
"Look who's talking. You're the one with three fiancees!" Ken shouted
over his shoulder as he walked down the hall.
Nabiki gave Ranma a withering look.
"Don't tell me you just ruined my chance at a gold mine."
Ranma glared at her.
"Don't even think about it, Nabiki. Ken's not one of your money
machines."
"Nabiki, please be nice to Ken. I don't think he'd take kindly to
being exploited like you exploit Ranma," Akane added. Ranma looked over to her
and smiled. It was nice having her back him up for a change. She smiled back.
"Suit yourself," Nabiki said with a shrug.

When Ken got to the okonomiyaki restaurant, things were starting to
wind down from a lunch rush. He opened the door and waved to Ukyou. She
looked over to him and waved back with a smile. He looks so different in those
clothes, she thought to herself. Looks almost like a uniform, but it looks
pretty good on him. Ukyou quickly reprimanded herself for thinking so. Ken
walked up to the counter and smiled. Ukyou watched him settle into a seat and
drum his fingers. She could see the muscles in his arm visibly flex as he
strummed his fingers on the counter. Ran-chan's muscles do that, she mused.
He even acts like Ran-chan when he's depressed. I wonder how much he really is
like Ran-chan. She quickly turned to the okonomiyaki in embarrassment.
"So do I get that bite to eat now?" he asked with a grin.
"You and Ranma are more alike than I thought. Food's right up there on
your list of priorities, isn't it?"
"Well, I did get an exceptionally inviting offer from a very well
respected chef in Nerima."
Ukyou blushed.
"Well, sit yourself down and I'll fix you up something good."
Ken sat and looked around.
"Things starting to wind down?" he asked.
"Just getting started," she replied. "This is the first part of the
lunch rush. It picks up again two more times in the next hour or so.
Businesses and other folks just come at the same times."
"Need any help?" Ken asked. Ukyou smiled.
"I'd appreciate it. I haven't had much help since Konatsu left to go
home."
"Konatsu?"
"Yeah. He was a friend of mine, but he wanted more out of it." she
sighed. "I wasn't really ready to give up on Ran-chan, and I guess he decided
to call it quits. He said something about leaving to do some work before he
returned to show me something. I really feel bad about it."
"Well, it's not like you could do anything about it. You are engaged
to Ranma, after all." Ukyou thought he looked a bit depressed as he finished
the comment.
"Yeah, but I just hated having to break his heart like that. I mean, I
know I didn't treat him like he treated me, but I didn't want to hurt him like
I did. He took it pretty tough," she said sadly.
"Hey, don't worry about it. If he's like any of the people I've met
that Ranma hangs around with he'll be fine."
"Well, he didn't especially like Ran-chan, but I'll take your word for
it," Ukyou said with a smile. Ken found himself staring into her eyes for a
moment, before realizing what he was doing. He coughed and looked back to the
restaurant.
"So you're in need of help, I take it?"
Ukyou laughed.
"Is that an offer?"
"Well, I do need the money if you need the help."
"It's a deal then."
"Can I start now?"
Ukyou raised an eyebrow.
"So soon? Is this some kind of come on? You're not going to end up
like Konatsu are you?"
Ken laughed and raised his hands defensively.
"I just need the money so I can get some clothes later on today. I
didn't want to borrow money from Nabiki. I keep hearing these stories about
her."
Ukyou laughed with him.
"Sure. I know what you mean, Sugar. It looks like you're about to go
to war in those clothes."
Ken blushed.
"Well, it's all I've got right now. I didn't mean to intimidate
anyone."
"Don't worry about it. You look pretty handsome in them," she said.
Ukyou immediately blushed. I can't believe I said that to him, she yelled
mentally. What am I doing?!
Ken looked at Ukyou as she busied herself with the okonomiyaki. When
she glanced over to him, he quickly averted his eyes and blushed lightly. I
can't believe I'm staring at her, he thought. He scolded himself mentally. I
hope she doesn't think I'm being too forward. Ken sighed and turned back to
the restaurant. People were trickling in again and Ukyou looked a little
harried by the flurry of orders starting to come at her. Ken walked around
behind the bar to stand next to her.
"What do you need done?" he asked nonchalantly.
"You want to start now?" Ukyou asked, rather surprised.
"Well, looks like you need it, and I really don't have anything else to
do. Might as well earn some new clothes."
Ukyou grinned.
"You can start by getting me some more supplies from the back room.
And make it fast, I don't pay you to dawdle," she said in a stern voice. Her
eyes said otherwise.
Ken gulped audibly and hurried to the back room. Ukyou chuckled
softly. It's going to be nice having him around.

When the lunch rush finally died down, Ukyou surveyed the restaurant.
Instead of having the chaos of crumpled napkins and dirty dishes, the
restaurant seemed more orderly. There were a few tables that needed bussing,
but on the whole, it was clean. Cleaner than it normally was, and a lot more
orderly as well, thanks to her new help. Ukyou sighed and wondered how it
would have been without the help. Definitely a lot more messy, she thought to
herself. And maybe a little more lonely?
Things had been fairly quiet now that Ranma seemed to be completely
attached to Akane. The wedding had made her face a certain reality that she
had denied until then; the reality that perhaps Akane and Ranma were actually
in love with each other. It had been quite a reality shock looking at the two
of them together and not complaining for once. In fact, she had thought they
looked quite nice together in their western style wedding clothes. She had
always wished for something as nice for herself and her future husband; but was
it going to be Ranma anymore? She didn't know anymore. Sometimes, she felt
like she didn't want to know.
But now this new guy's here, she mused. He's not Ranma, but he sure
does seem a lot like him. She chuckled softly as she watched Ken dutifully
wipe the last of the tables and pile the rest of the plates and silverware for
washing. He was a lot quieter than Ranma, but she decided he certainly had the
same appetite. Ukyou watched as he rolled up his sleeves and wipe his brow.
She noticed that he wasn't as heavily built as Ranma, but had the same
definition, if not better. I'll bet he's quick on his feet, she surmised. She
blinked and shook her head. It was the fighter in her coming out again. He is
kinda cute, she thought, deciding the short hair was cute. I wonder how it'd
look on Ran-chan. She chuckled softly again and set about cleaning the grill.
Ken picked up the stack of dishes and piled silverware and walked to
the to the kitchen in the back of the restaurant. He unceremoniously dumped
them all into a large sink full of soap and dishwater. Scrubbing them was
always tough when everything was fairly dried and crusty, he had decided, so he
leaned back against a counter and waited. Ken let out a long sigh. Waiting on
the customers and cleaning had been exhausting. People seemed to want to
capitalize on the new help and were ordering him around. It wasn't annoying,
just exhausting for Ken, and he felt better being able to sit back and relax
for a moment. The past two hours or so had been fairly busy and had kept him
occupied for quite a while. He barely had time to call the Tendo's and tell
Kasumi he'd found a job and would go shopping later in the evening.
Ironically, things had become a lot less hectic now that he had stumbled into
Nerima, despite the conundrum of his new job. It meant no more running around,
watching his back constantly. People weren't out for blood and he could
finally make friends. Friends, he thought, I haven't had any in so long that I
don't even know what it felt like. It felt good, and Ken knew it. It was
something he missed, and something he knew he wanted to keep. Then there was
Ukyou. There was always this indescribable feeling that gnawed at him whenever
he watched her. She was so graceful, grilling, or serving, or just waltzing
around the restaurant. She had a smile that lit up the room and a laugh that
tinkled in his ear. He'd never felt this way before. Does she feel the same
way about me, he asked himself. He shook his head. He was someone who had
been disgraced publicly. He was sure people could see it. Could Ukyou see it,
he wondered. Ken sighed and went to scrubbing the dishes.

"Great granddaughter, what have you done with the circlet?"
Shampoo looked up from wiping the table.
"I've put it in my room. I was hoping to wrap it neatly and give it to
Ranma as a present. I'm sure he'd wear it if he thought it was a present. If
I were to flatter him, he definitely would wear it. You know how stubbornly
egotistical Ranma can be," she replied in Chinese with a smile.
"I do not think giving it to Ranma would be the wisest choice."
"Why not, great grandmother?"
"Do you remember your fight with the new guest of the Tendos?"
"That barbarian?" she spat. How could she forget? It had been the
most disgraceful event she could remember in a long while. He had simply
knocked her off her feet, plunged his sword into the ground, and then a bright
light surrounded her. She couldn't remember anything past that - just waking
up in her room feeling exhausted. Mousse wouldn't say what happened and
Cologne had a thoughtful look on her face the entire day.
"That barbarian bested you fairly quickly, Shampoo. He is an excellent
fighter. I do not doubt that his ability exceeds Ranma's. The spiritual
attack he used was far more controlled and powerful than anything I have taught
Ranma yet. I have the distinct impression that even Ranma's Hiryuu Shouten Ha
would be precious little against this new one."
Shampoo harrumphed and went back to wiping the table.
"So what do you propose I do with the circlet then?"
"Find a way to put it on the head of their new guest, Ken."
Shampoo looked puzzled.
"Doesn't he already know about it?"
"Only that there is jewelry that may be dangerous. He warned that the
jewelry from the strange man would only bring disaster. It may be true, but I
am not sure if I should trust him. After all, he did kill that Brutus fellow.
Perhaps he does not want us to discover anything he may find useful for himself
later on."
Shampoo shrugged.
"So why do you want me to use the circlet on him?"
"Because I believe he will be more useful than your future husband."
Shampoo furrowed her brow. Cologne chuckled.
"Your years of training as an Amazon has given you the gift of
perseverance in direction, but not in extravagant creativity. To use it on
Ranma would be a waste. It would certainly make things easier for him to admit
his feelings for you, but nothing else. Using it on this Ken fellow could
prove interesting. We would be able to eliminate many problems with him under
our influence."
"So you've discovered how to use the circlet?"
"I have not used it on anyone out of fear that it may become
permanently attached until death. However, after reading a great many tomes
and scrolls on this matter, I believe I know how it is employed. For now, we
must concentrate on slipping it on our friend's head so that we might
experiment."
"Why don't we use Mousse?"
Cologne shook her head.
"Imposing my spiritual will upon his weak mind would be too easy," she
said. "We must use it on the newcomer; but we must plan things out well in
advance."
Shampoo nodded in assent, but inwardly wondered what her great
grandmother would do with someone like Ken under her control. Great
grandmother knows best, she thought to herself, and finished washing the
tables.

"Hey, Ken!"
Ken turned around to see who was calling out to him. He saw Ukyou
trotting up behind him.
"You left your sword behind. Wouldn't want you to forget that piece of
work, would we?" she said with a smile.
Ken laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. I wonder
how she's able to hold it, he thought. Long-tzu would never allow such a
thing, normally.
"Guess not. Thanks for bringing it out."
"No problem. See ya later, Sugar!" she called over her shoulder as she
walked back to Ucchan's.
Ken's mind started working overtime. Should I ask her to a movie or
something, he asked himself. Maybe we can go for a walk someplace. He watched
as she made her way back to her restaurant, his mind racing for an excuse to
talk.
"Ukyou?"
She stopped and turned. She looked over to see Ranma, with the sun
behind his back, wind rustling his hair. He had an angelic glow around him
that sent shivers up her spine. She shook her head and saw Ken instead,
walking up to her with a slightly embarrassed grin. She could feel her face
flush a bit, and made a point of coughing and looking at the ground.
"Yes?" she asked brightly.
"I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk around. I'm not too
familiar with Nerima, and I need to find a place to pick out some clothes.
It's not too late, I hope."
Ukyou laughed. He loved the way she laughed. Not the insane cackle of
some witch, but a soft sound that made its way from her heart and put a roguish
tinkle in her eyes.
"You forget I've got a restaurant to run. I've still got a dinner rush
to take care of back there."
"Then why did you say I could leave?"
"I didn't want to be that hard on you."
"Won't you need my help?"
"It's nothing really, I-"
"Need my help." he finished for her with a smile. "I'll just call and
tell them my new job is taking me longer than I expected. I'm sure they'll
understand. Besides, it gets me out of their hair for a while."
Ukyou shook her head with a grin.
"You and your chivalry, mister. Come back and work, but remember, I'm
not paying you to sit on your butt and eat free okonomiyaki."
Ken laughed.
"If it's anything like the lunch rush I won't have any free time."
Ukyou put on a mischievous grin.
"Sugar, you ain't seen nothin' yet."

Kasumi put down the phone and walked into the dining room.
"Ken just called. He's still at Ucchan's and won't be back for dinner.
He said he needed to work the dinner rush there."
Soun nodded.
"Such an industrious lad. It's nice to hear he got a job so quickly."
"Yeah, "Ranma agreed, "now he doesn't need to wear my clothes."
"Don't you think he got his job is awfully fast, considering he only
got here yesterday?" Akane said with a knowing smile. Ranma raised an eyebrow.
"I don't get it."
Nabiki snorted derisively.
"There goes the loan I was ready to give. I'll just have to put it
aside for you, right, Ranma?" she said with a predatory grin. Ranma took one
look at Nabiki and busied himself with his food. Fortunately, his mother's
frequent admonitions of his father's eating habits had instilled enough
civility in Genma to leave Ranma's food alone. Ranma was able to busy himself
effectively until Nabiki started talking again.
"So Ranma, exactly what did you say about me to our new guest?"
Ranma half-choked on his food.
"What do you mean?" he asked defensively.
"You must have said something to make him so paranoid about taking out
a loan from me."
"Me? I didn't say nothin'! Right Akane?"
"Don't look at me!"
"So you told him I'm a money hungry mercenary, looking to make a quick
buck?" Nabiki asked snidely.
"No! I didn't say anything bad about you. Why can't you believe me?"
"Because you haven't paid off your loans yet."
"Nabiki, I'm sure Ranma didn't say anything bad about you to Ken."
"See!"
"Fine, fine. Take it easy, Ranma," Nabiki replied nonchalantly. In
the back of her mind, Nabiki quickly formulated a plan of financial revenge.
Ranma was becoming very defensive with regards to Ken, and it surprised Nabiki
to no end. Needless to say, she was intrigued and wished to explore it later.
The rest of dinner was uneventful. Nodoka and Kasumi quietly spoke
about Dr. Tofu, while Genma and Soun spoke about an upcoming shogi tournament.
Even Ranma and Akane had become civil to each other during dinner, an event
that was rapidly becoming commonplace after the failed wedding attempt.
After dinner, Ranma left for the dojo. It was a place to practice, a
place to relax and unwind. Things were becoming more and more sedentary now
that the wedding had come, failed, and gone. Other than Ken's sudden
intrusion, the only pressing matter was his mother's insisting on another
wedding soon. Ranma wasn't sure it was necessary. Perhaps Kasumi was right.
Things seemed to be falling into place, and it looked like there was really
only one person who was important now. He knelt in front of the small shrine
and closed his eyes.
"Ranma?"
Ranma turned to the door.
"Oh. What do you want, Akane?"
"Nothing much. You wouldn't want to go for a walk, would you?"
Ranma smiled.
"Sure, why not? That wouldn't be half bad."
Akane smiled back. She sat down next to Ranma, her expression becoming
more serious.
"You know, you were a little defensive when Nabiki was asking about
Ken."
"Yeah, well, I don't like seein' any of my friends gettin' the short
end of the stick, I guess."
"You really don't think too highly of Nabiki, do you?"
"No. Not at all."
Akane winced slightly.
"Sorry. I don't mean anything personal," Ranma quickly added, noticing
the look on Akane's face.
"Well, she is my sister, Ranma."
"If it helps any, you two are pretty different."
"What do you mean?" Akane asked.
"Well, she's always on the lookout for cash. She really isn't that
good at fighting as far as I can tell. Well, you are quite a fighter."
Akane blushed at the comment. Could he really mean that, she asked
herself hopefully.
"I gotta hand it to you, I don't think anyone would mistake you beating
up guys for your sister; I mean, it's a pretty macho thing to do." he said with
a laugh. Ranma didn't notice the look on Akane's face. It had been going so
well up until then.
"So you're saying I'm more of a tomboy than Nabiki?"
"Well, kinda-" Ranma started. He instantly realized what he said and
hit his head with the palm of his hand.
"Ranma, you insensitive jerk! So you're saying I'm not as much of a
woman as Nabiki?! My own sister?!"
"No! Why don't you ever listen to me?"
"I don't need to know what you're saying!"
"No you don't! Whenever any of the other girls come along and grab me,
do you think I tell them to?"
"That's different! You don't even bother to tell them to stop it!"
"You don't think I try to?"
"I don't see you trying whenever I'm around!"
"You think it's that easy, don't you!"
"Yes, it's that easy!"
"How would you know? I don't see guys chasing after you! Maybe if you
stopped acting like some macho chick, you'd know what I was talking about!"
"Shut up! You'd even tell me you think my own sister is sexier than
me!"
"Hey! It's not like that! All I said was that you're different in a
not-so-money-hungry tomboyish way!" Ranma winced when he heard himself say
that. He instinctively recoiled and braced for some form of physical abuse.
It never came. He looked up cautiously. Akane stood above him with tears in
her eyes.
"If you think she's so much more womanly than me, then why don't you
marry her instead." she spat out, then turned and ran from the dojo.
Ranma sighed. Things had been going so well.

Akane ran to her room and slammed the door. She threw herself on the
bed and buried her head into her pillow. It was times like this that she
wished P-chan was around. He'd just sit there and listen and nod. Sure, he
wasn't too eager to listen to her talk about Ranma, but at least he'd listen.
Trusty P-chan. It was a pity that he'd always wander off somewhere and then
not show up for a few weeks on end.
Akane wiped her eyes and reached for a Kleenex to wipe her nose. Maybe
I should have listened, she thought. But he always says such mean things to
me! Why do I have to put up with it, she screamed in her head. A knock on the
door caught her attention.
"Akane? It's me. I think we should talk."
Akane quickly blew her nose and wiped her eyes.
"Come in, Kasumi."
Kasumi gently closed the door as she walked into the room and sat down
on the bed next to Akane. She gently took Akane's hands in hers and looked at
her.
"It's Ranma again, isn't it?"
"He's such a jerk! Why can't he say anything without insulting me?"
Kasumi sighed and smiled.
"Perhaps Ranma is too clumsy with expressing himself."
"That can't be true. He expresses himself pretty easily when it comes
to insulting me."
Kasumi shook her head.
"I think you know what I mean, Akane. Isn't it time you stopped
expecting him to say what you want to hear?"
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone knows, Akane. It's very clear that you love Ranma. Everyone
can tell. I think that's why Ranma's mother is so eager for the wedding."
"I don't know anymore, Kasumi."
"Why?"
"Why won't he say it then? Why does he pretend to be nice, and then
insult me?"
Kasumi shook her head.
"I think Ranma cares about you more than you think."
"How would you know? You're not the one being insulted."
Kasumi peered at Akane intently. The failed wedding had put an
enormous weight on the relationship between Akane and Ranma, that much Kasumi
could see. The infrequent, but more intense fights were only the half of it.
There was a look in Akane's eyes that Kasumi could see whenever any of the
other fiancees showed up. It wasn't jealousy. Akane had passed that point
after the wedding. Now it was a look of sadness, and distance that Kasumi knew
Akane was feeling. Ranma was probably hiding his disappointment, but Akane was
nowhere near mastering controlling her emotions. It hurt Kasumi seeing her
sister so pained. She'd pushed and prodded Ranma into telling her things he'd
never told anyone else. Kasumi knew she probably should keep it a secret, but
it hurt her to see Akane so depressed. Telling would hurt Ranma, but Kasumi
knew that it would hurt Akane far more if she didn't know, and if Ranma would
never bring himself to say it himself. It took a near fatal situation to make
him begin to admit his feelings. Kasumi didn't want to wait for another one to
start things in the right direction again.
"Akane, I want you to listen very carefully. What I'm going to tell
you should not be spoken beyond the both of us. What Ranma and I spoke of the
night Ken arrived is very sensitive to Ranma. I really shouldn't tell you, but
I think it should be said to you so that you'll understand. Everyone's tired
of hearing the two of you fight. Whenever you do, it's absolutely awful."
Akane nodded.
"I won't tell anyone. I promise."
Kasumi took a deep breath.
"Ranma isn't familiar with love at all really. I don't know if you, or
any of our friends are. I know Father knows, and the Saotomes as well; but
between you and Ranma, neither of you really know yet. Perhaps you do, but you
don't know it's love.
"Ranma told me that between you, Ukyou, and Shampoo there was a certain
love that existed for all of you from him."
Akane clenched her hands into fists.
"Akane! Please. I'm not finished." Kasumi said quietly. Akane seemed
to deflate slightly.
"Ranma told me that with Ukyou and Shampoo, he could describe how he
felt. In fact, whenever he talked about Ukyou and Shampoo, he rained reason
after reason why he loved them. With you, it was different."
"He couldn't think of a reason, could he?" Akane said quietly, and
lowered her head.
"Precisely. He couldn't think of a reason he loved you, but he loved
you as much, if not more than any of the others."
Akane looked up quizzically.
"You didn't need to fight, or cook, or act beautiful for him to notice
you and to fall in love with you, Akane. Ranma loves you for who you are, and
he didn't need to explain it. He couldn't explain it; but it was there, and it
was as strong as any bond anyone could ever wish for."
Akane smiled, and wiped her eyes.
"He loves me." Akane said with a small smile. Kasumi got up and opened
the door to leave the room. She cast a look back to her younger sister. Akane
was resting on her side, her head on her pillow with a bemused, distant look.
Kasumi smiled as she left the room.
"Yes, he does. Very much." Kasumi said quietly as she closed the door.

To be continued...