Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ Storm Warnings ( Chapter 29 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[Author’s Note: The characters and setting herein- with the exception of one or two O.C.’s of my own design- are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I don’t own anything- except the computer I use to write this and other stories. And now…]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 29: Storm Warnings

--------------------

The approach of dawn was strangely quiet at the Tendo estate. An early morning mist hung in the air like gauze curtains, softening the approach of the sun. The odd bird chirped in response, but few if any sounds accompanied it. A light breeze brushed through the leaves of nearby trees, soft and whispering. It, too, garnered little response. As the sun crept higher, another bird would chime in from time to time, with nary a noise to interrupt it. In some places, it would seem to be the picture of an everyday, peaceful morning. Which made it all the more unusual; mornings at the Tendo estate were never so peaceful.

There were no vicious sparring sounds. No insults hollered, no screams, no thud of a mallet to be heard. There wasn’t even the foghorn-like snore of a panda.

One sound’s absence had an apt explanation. The panda wasn’t in the house to do the snoring. The previous night, a withdrawn and shellshocked Genma had returned(read: hoisted over his wife and son’s shoulders and dragged) to the Saotome household, where he had fallen asleep(after tripping and falling on his face) in his own bedroom. Ranma had wondered if Nodoka would ask him to stay home again, rather than return to the Tendos’, but surprisingly, she had not, recommending instead that he stay where he felt most comfortable.

Part of her had wanted him to stay, but at the same time she hadn’t wanted to put him in an awkward position; with the way things were developing between him and Akane, she could sense that he wouldn’t want to leave the dojo again. And there were certain things- things Nodoka had discussed with a certain Amazon matriarch- that she didn’t want him to get involved with or have to worry about. It wasn’t something she looked forward to, but she hadn’t been able to think of anything better.

The other sounds’ absence from the estate was due to many similar reasons, many of which had occurred over the past week.

The fighting sounds, however, did not disappear completely. They were merely slightly delayed.

--------------------

Akane stirred. Her eyelids fluttered slightly and she rolled onto her right side. A slight sigh escaped her mouth as she began to make the transition from sleep to semi-wakened, once again reluctantly leaving her dreams behind. She stretched her hand out, flexing her fingers one at a time… and then stopped, muscles tensing.

Something’s there. I can feel it. Her newly sharpened aura began to reach out, acting as a second set of eyes in her half-asleep state. It’s coming towards me…

She could feel the intruder in her room pause for a moment, felt its own aura recede, pulling back until it almost couldn’t be felt. A long moment passed, and then Akane could feel it advancing again. Slowly but surely, bit by bit, until it was almost on top of her bed. It was being stealthy, to be sure, but not enough. She could feel it practically over her head now… powerful, yet strangely hesitant.

She felt a faint movement… could almost ‘see’ a limb extending forward, coming towards her hand… mere centimeters over her wrist…

Her eyes snapped open. “GOTCHA!” she shouted with a grin, grabbing the limb with lightning reflexes and pulling towards the wall; the owner of the limb gasped and rolled through the air, just as she rolled up and hooked him downwards, slamming him deftly onto the mattress. She continued with the motion of her throw, planting her elbows on the intruder’s chest as she straddled his stomach, a coy smile etched on her face.

“And what exactly do you think you’re doing in my room, Mr. Saotome?” she asked; she was trying to look imposing, but the light dancing in her eyes ruined the effect.

The pig-tailed teen beneath her chuckled. “Well, uh… I just… thought I’d left some of my homework in here last night when you were givin’ me a hand on that math problem, that’s all.”

Akane gave him a half-lidded look and smirked. “I find that hard to believe, Ranma.”

Ranma folded his hands under his head. “Would you believe I was looking for a lost sock?”

“In my room?” She giggled. “Well… unlikely at best. Still don’t believe you.”

“Um… sleepwalking?” He flashed her a huge grin; she growled in mock-irritation.

“Nope. Don’t believe that.”

“Your dad sent me here to wake you?” “He might, but I doubt it.” “Kasumi sent me?” “Try again, goofball.” “I… thought this was the bathroom?” “If you were Ryoga I might believe that…” It was getting harder for both of them to keep a straight face; fortunately Ranma chose that moment to stop kidding around.

“How about this. I was hoping to talk ya into an early morning exercise since my usual sparring partner kind of… retired, shall we say, recently.” He propped himself up on his shoulders and gave her a warm smile. “And… I thought I might try waking you with a kiss, Sleeping Beauty.”

Akane flushed slightly and smiled in return. “Now that I think I can believe… though that last part was a little too syrupy for my taste.”

“Eh, it was worth a shot,” Ranma replied. “I ain’t so good with mushy talk, y’know.”

“I know… but it’s the thought that counts,” said Akane as she leaned a little closer and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She pulled back and looked at him for a moment, then started to giggle again.

“Huh? What’s so funny?”

“Just… well, everything,” she replied. She reached over and brushed a hair away from his eyes. “Not too long ago I probably would’ve put you through the floor by now.”

Ranma blinked and nodded slowly. “Yeah… either because of something I didn’t mean to say or just ‘cause I happened to be in here.” He took a deep breath and shook his head, a wry smile emerging. “Heh. And it only took us a year to get a friggin’ clue.”

Akane nodded. “Well, get a clue and deal with the local loony bin at the same time,” she chuckled. “It’s strange, though… only one year, but it felt like it was a lot longer, y’know?”

“I know what you mean.”

A moment passed before Ranma suddenly took on a thoughtful look. “Hey, speaking of years and time an’ all…” He shifted to one side; Akane quickly disentangled herself from him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I just remembered something.”

“What’s that?”

“Well… uh… I don’t think we ever got around to setting a date.”

“Date? What do you mean, setting a… OH,” Akane replied. “Oh. Right, THAT date.” A sudden thought hit her, and her smile faltered some. “Oh no… we never did tell Dad about us; we tell him that you proposed now and we might end up with another forced fiasco on our hands.” Her eyes suddenly widened. Wait… oh crap, we can’t talk about this out loud now, he’ll hear us!

Ranma shook his head. I doubt it, ‘kane. Your dad’s still sound asleep in his room. Kasumi’s down in the kitchen right now, and Nabiki’s still asleep. He paused, then smirked. And don’t worry about Nabs’ surveillance gear, either; I turned it off at the source before I came in.

Akane blinked. You messed with Nabiki’s stuff?

I didn’t mess with the hardware. I just turned it off and stole most of her blank tapes while I was in the Umisen-ken, that’s all. He flashed her a ‘cat that ate the canary’ smile and she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Oh, you are such a BAKA!” she giggled, swatting him on the head. “You know she’s gonna throw a fit when she finds out!”

“Not necessarily,” he quipped. “Something tells me she’ll be in a pretty good mood for a few days- given the share me an’ Mom gave her out of Pop’s secret stash.”

Akane paused for a moment, then smirked as she remembered the two of them procuring a metal strongbox the previous night, one that Genma had apparently hidden under the tatami mats and floorboards of his and Ranma’s room. How long it had been there was anyone’s guess, but no one had been surprised to discover large wads of banknotes inside- Genma’s ‘retirement plan’, Nabiki had joked acidly. It was only the amount of banknotes that was any real surprise, given how often Genma had appeared to be in need of cash. Nodoka had shaken her head in disappointment, wondering how much of the money had been scammed and how much had been stolen. Ranma had been partly stunned and partly disgusted.

Nearly half that money had gone straight to the Tendos at Nodoka’s insistence, as compensation for room and board for Genma. The rest had gone home with her, to be used in a similar fashion. “It is past time his debts were repaid,” she had said before she and Ranma had dragged him home.

“Well… you do have a point; I almost heard cash registers going off in her head when you and your Mom gave her that much money at once,” she said. “Thought she was going to faint for a moment.”

“Me too,” said Ranma. “So a little thing like a missing tape or two probably won’t faze her too much today.” He shifted closer to her and took her hand in his. “So, like I was saying…”

“Huh? Oh… oh yeah, setting a date.” She paused for a moment in thought, then looked up. “What’d you have in mind?”

Ranma shrugged. “Dunno. We still got a few things we gotta get cleaned up, plus take care o’ school… assuming we haven’t missed too many classes by now.” He rolled his eyes; she nodded in agreement. “But I don’t wanna wait too long either… I wasted too much time already beatin’ around the damn bush, y’know. But then again…” He paused, then shrugged and smiled. “Fact is, whatever time is best for you is fine by me, ‘kane.”

Akane beamed. Wow. I never thought I’d see the day Ranma Saotome started acting this grown-up about things… course, it didn’t help that I was too busy blowing my top to grow up myself… She squeezed his hand. “Yeah, we do have a few things to take care of… especially the whole bloodline thing… but I’m not so sure I want to wait too long, either.” She paused, then got up, pulling him along with her. “It’s only a couple more weeks until summer break; maybe we could try for mid-August? I know we’d still have to finish up school, but given the rate we’re going we might have most of our other messes cleaned up by then.”

“August? That’d be kinda short-notice…”

“Ranma, our fathers can pull a wedding ceremony out of thin air in less than a day, remember? Assuming we let them get involved, that is…”

He paused, then groaned theatrically. “How could I forget…” he muttered before joining his fiancée in a chuckle. “Well, if that’s what you want…”

“That’s what I’ll get,” Akane finished with authority- and a soft smile. “Now, what was that you said earlier about sparring?”

Ranma nodded. “Yeah. It’s still plenty early yet, we oughta be able to get a good warm-up at least- if you want to.”

“Great. Let me get changed and I’ll meet you outside in a few.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it, beautiful,” he replied, giving her a quick hug and a kiss before slipping out the door. Akane quickly doffed her pajamas as she opened her closet, pulling out a clean gi and laying her school uniform on the bed.

Five minutes later, the sounds of sparring mixed with laughter and light-hearted jokes emerged from the backyard of the Tendo estate. Nabiki stirred in her bedroom, sat up briefly, groaned and flopped back again with a light snore. Soun emerged from his room, his face an odd mixture of regret and joy at the same time. Shingen eventually appeared from his rented room and sat on the back porch, nodding approvingly as the two teens darted back and forth across the yard in a ballet of punches, kicks and attempted grapples far beyond anything Ranma and Genma had done in the past year. Kasumi paused for a moment in her kitchen duties to listen, then returned to work, a brilliant smile on her face.

--------------------

The return to school routines went surprisingly easily. The morning jog to the gates had no interruption by bicycle-riding delivery girls, no psychotic gymnasts, not even a random death threat bellowed out of nowhere. Ranma hadn’t even been splashed by the old lady who cleaned her walkway each morning- though this fact was attributed to him and Akane taking an alternate route. Rather than the usual sidewalk jog, the two of them engaged in another game of Tag, starting at the dojo and ending at Furinkan’s front gate. It made quite a sight to see, two teens laughing and tossing jokes back and forth as they bounded across Nerima’s skyline almost effortlessly. Of course, having seen stranger things, most people took it in stride and turned to their own affairs.

Their arrival at the gates was slowed, however, by an unexpected welcoming committee. They had almost expected Kuno to show up, even in his injured state… but he wasn’t there when they were. Instead, half the student body seemed to swarm them the second they stepped onto the grounds, inundating them with a barrage of questions. “Did I hear right?” “Way to go, Saotome; you kicked some major ass yesterday!” “Course he did, nobody can beat that guy!” “He really pummeled his own father? That’s awful!” “Yuka, everyone knows his old man’s a damn con artist…” “More than that if I heard right, Daisuke…” “Did you two really go out of town on a trip together?” “I saw you two hugging after that fight; I knew it all along!” “Akane, did he really defeat a hundred eight-foot tall barbarians to save you? How romantic!” “Hey, I heard it was five hundred barbarians with clubs and swords! My brother’s girlfriend’s cousin’s best friend saw the fight herself!”

Ranma groaned inwardly. Well, some things never change, do they, Acchan?

I guess not, she answered with a sigh of her own. Something tells me they’re gonna be pestering us all day… better not tell them now, huh?

Ranma shook his head. Hell no. We let slip that we’re engaged for real and they’ll never let up. He gritted his teeth and turned back to the crowd. “HEY! If you don’t all shut up and let us through, every one of us is gonna be on bucket duty for bein’ late again! An’ I’m NOT in the mood right now!”

“Yeah, me neither!” Akane piped up. “So will you please stop pestering us and let me and Ranma in?” She grabbed his hand and started pushing her way through a momentarily stunned crowd. Ranma caught up rapidly, but they hadn’t gone more than a few yards before the questions started up again.

“Look, they’re holding hands!” “Hey Saotome, there something you ain’t telling us?” “Something happen on that little trip of yours?” “Does this mean you two are really…”

Ranma stopped, turned on his heel and glared. “Next person that asks another dumb question gets a sparring match with me and Akane at the same time.”

“SAOTOME!” bellowed a very familiar, very angry voice, quite obviously in a good deal of pain. Ranma and Akane both turned around, a slow burn in their eyes as they watched a heavily bandaged Kuno hobble towards them, bokken in hand. “How dare you show your face before me? Our duel is far from over, thou perverse barbaric Lothario! HAVE AT THEE!” He staggered forward, laboriously attempting to execute his pattern strike.

“Big mistake, you bastard,” Ranma growled. “I told you I was done fooling around.” He quickly stepped into Kuno’s pattern and grabbed the bokken with his left hand, then pulled as he spun on his left heel clockwise. Kuno was promptly yanked off balance, and a second later was seeing stars as Ranma delivered a bone-jarring hook kick to the back of his head with his right foot. The upperclassman collapsed heavily, releasing the bokken- which Ranma promptly broke into splinters with one squeeze of his hand.

Ranma straightened up and heaved a heavy sigh. “C’mon Akane, don’t wanna be late because of the local moron, do we?” He gave her a devilish grin, which she returned readily. The other students took in the sight in front of them and quickly decided it wasn’t a good day to bother either Akane or Ranma. The mob dispersed, and Akane strode over to Ranma’s side- stepping roughly on Kuno’s sword hand in the process. The two of them locked hands again and walked in, bracing themselves for the rest of the day.

--------------------

A large shadow moved slowly but surely through the trees in the local park- in most cases around the trees, though in others, some smaller trees were left bent or broken in the beast’s wake. Several birds decided it was time to roost elsewhere, prompted by the shudders sent through the ground with each step taken by the shadow’s owner. It moved in one direction at first, then would turn and move in another before pausing again, changing direction and proceeding once more.

At length, the giant slowed to a halt at the urging of one of two figures on its back.

“I think we took a wrong turn somewhere. If only Grandfather had made us a better map.”

“You sure we have to go to this particular store? What’s wrong with just any old pet store, I’m sure they’d have what we need.”

Akari shook her head. “I doubt it, sweetie. Grandfather’s very particular about what we give to the younger pigs when they get sick. He used to visit this store all the time before he got ill; he trusts them, and he wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less.”

Ryoga sighed. “I know, Akari-chan, I know. It’s just that… well, the only thing clear on that piece of paper is the address, and you know how bad I am with even that much.”

“Which is why I was wishing he’d given us a better map,” she replied.

Ryoga shook his head. “Wish I could be more help to you.”

Akari looked up, then smiled and hugged him from behind. “Ryoga, don’t worry about it. You’re getting a little better; we didn’t take too many wrong turns coming home yesterday, right?” She nestled her head against his shoulder. “Besides… it was kind of fun taking the scenic route home.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed. “I just… I just wish I could find the way for both of us for once. Then maybe we wouldn’t need to leave the house with a map every time we want to go to some place new.” He turned around and looked at her. “And what if we wound up getting separated… what if… what if I couldn’t find my way back and…”

Akari ran a thumb along his cheekbone tenderly. “Sweetheart, you’re just going to work yourself up again,” she said softly. “You are getting better, I promise you. You didn’t wander away from the estate all weekend, right?”

“…Right.”

“You didn’t get lost too badly inside our house, did you?”

“Well, no… not after the first few hours…”

“Then stop worrying about it for now,” she finished with a bright smile. “Come on, let’s get out of this park and get some directions; Katsushiro’s fever won’t get better if we don’t get that medicine. And Grandfather thinks he’s got real promise.”

Ryoga paused, then nodded with a half-smile of his own. “Yeah, I’ll admit that one does have some potential, even if he is still young,” he chuckled as Katsunishiki began waddling out of the park. “Though if you ask me, the big guy here oughta be more concerned with Kikuchiyo; that boy near managed to head-butt me out of the ring in yesterday’s exercises.” The sumo pig beneath them gave a derisive grunt. “Hey big guy, afraid of a little competition, I see!”

“I’m not so sure about that, Ryoga,” Akari giggled. “Kikuchiyo might be strong, but he’s still so darned reckless and overconfident…” Their voices faded as their mount sped up, moving quickly beyond the thicker tree clusters of the park.

As they left, they failed to notice a gray, green-eyed figure peering around a clump of bushes. Its eyes narrowed in a gleeful leer before it turned to the shadows below a cluster of cherry trees. It raised its right hand; eldritch sigils etched into the flesh of its palm glowed a deep indigo as it made three short, sharp gestures.

Rise up now, friends. Spread the seed of chaos. Leave the shadows behind and wreak havoc where you see fit. I shall attend to the needs of my Lord. Now go.

The imp faded back into the shadows with a sneer. Below the trees, the shadows bulged and distended, rising up into large quadruped shapes easily the size of an adult Bengal tiger. Each shadow lazily clawed at the earth with muscular, three-toed forelegs, and glowing red eyes emerged from the blackness of each beast’s head.

--------------------

A pair of knarled hands brushed lightly over Genma Saotome’s bald head, tracing odd patterns on different points of the scalp. He snorted lightly, but did not rouse from the deep sleep he was in. The hands paused for a moment, then resumed their motion, massaging a spot here, pressing firmly there.

“He sleeps like a bear,” the owner of the hands mused. “Hasn’t changed since I first saw him. That may make this easier.”

“I’m surprised you even offered to do something like this,” said a younger voice from the side of the room. “I thought you might refuse.”

Cologne looked up. “In most circumstances, I probably would have refused,” she said before resuming her work. “But then, these are not most circumstances. And frankly, this might be the only sort of thing that could teach this whippersnapper a good lesson.”

Nodoka sighed. “I only wish it hadn’t come to this,” she murmured, absently fingering the saya of her katana. “But I just can’t bring myself to break with him completely- not even after learning about what he did to my baby.” She looked up, a sudden hint of steel in her eyes. “Not until I’m sure he cannot be redeemed.”

“Which is why you came to me after the match last night,” Cologne replied, shuffling to a small incense pot and lighting the contents. She quickly replaced the lid and chanted several arcane phrases, then turned and prodded Nodoka out of the room. Once outside, the two of them closed the door.

“As I said, under most cases I would have been reluctant to do this even for a sister of the tribe- much less an Outsider.” Cologne paused, then smiled. “However, given what I know about that fat fool and what he did to Ranma… well, I suppose every now and then I can bend tradition a tiny bit.”

“I fear I am indebted to you, Honored Elder,” said Nodoka, bowing her head.

“Oh, don’t worry, my dear- in truth, I only wonder why I wasn’t tempted to do this to that moron beforehand.” She smirked, then chuckled. “Perhaps it was because I was too focused on his son at the time.”

“Perhaps,” Nodoka replied with a wry smile. She looked at the closed door, partly out of concern, partly out of the ire she still held for the sleeping man inside. “So what do we do now?”

“We do nothing,” said Cologne. “The Sleep of a Thousand Memories will do the work for us. Right now, he should be revisiting every vile and dishonorable thing he has done in his life. The incense combined with the pressure points brings it all back in clear focus… and without any of the rose-tinted lenses he probably viewed them with. All we have to do is wait.”

Nodoka nodded. “And then?”

“Then hopefully he’ll have a clue.” She glanced to one side, towards Nodoka’s sword. “And if not… then you may need to re-examine your options, dear.”

Nodoka’s face fell slightly, but quickly regained itself. “Indeed, I might have to. And if it comes to that…” Her grip on her sword tightened. “Then I will do what I must to redeem the Saotome honor.”

Cologne nodded appraisingly. “I can see where Ranma gets his strong sense of honor from,” she murmured. “I daresay, you’d have made a fine tribal sister. It’s a shame you weren’t born a Joketsuzoku.”

Nodoka smiled and bowed again. “You flatter me, Elder,” she said. Snorts and occasional mumbles began to emerge from Genma’s room. “Is there anything I can do to repay you for helping me?”

Cologne shrugged. “Perhaps you might allow an old woman to join you for tea,” she replied. “My great-granddaughter and Mousse can keep the restaurant going by themselves for a while… and I would like to get to know the new head of Saotome clan a little better,” she added with a chuckle.

“Well, that’s not entirely accurate,” Nodoka replied as the two walked down the hall to the Saotome tearoom. “Technically that title more properly belongs to my son; I only keep it in trust for him until he comes of age.”

“Perhaps, but you are the clan Matriarch, my dear,” Cologne said with a grin. “Where I come from, the two are one and the same.”

--------------------

As for Genma, to say that he was having an unpleasant dream was like saying the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was uncomfortably warm. As the incense took effect, he became increasingly agitated and assaulted by image upon image, memory upon memory. He felt like he was standing on an endless sea of black water- and every time he turned around, a ghostly image of Nodoka in ritual garb confronted him, katana drawn and ready.

“You broke your word, Genma… you have tarnished the clan’s honor… you must pay…”

Images were breaking through the surface of the water… images of the time he sold his infant son for some fish and pickles… the con job where he swiped Kuonji’s yattai, leaving a crying Ukyo behind… the scams he’d pulled at various monasteries, convincing them to take them in and then stealing what he could before running off… then more memories, worse ones. He pulled away, trying to close his eyes and cover his ears, but ghostly hands forced his senses open.

“No, Daddy, please… don’t make me go in there, I don’t wanna learn this technique! Please, not again… Daddy, it hurts! Help me!” “Will you stop your whining, Ranma? Get back in that pit and learn that technique already!” “Please! Don’t make me do this, Dad! I wanna go home…” The cries began cutting through him like razor wire as memories of the Neko-ken training erupted in front of him. Every detail was crystal clear- and not merely the sights and sounds. The pain was becoming all too clear. The pain he had inflicted on his son because he failed to read the full manual. Pain that would never be fully healed.

Genma felt himself doubling over as waves of nausea hit him, but the images didn’t stop. More images and sounds came to bear, more hellacious training… throwing his son out of trees, hurling logs at his head and chest… and then more memories, events that he had orchestrated ever since their arrival in Nerima. The lies when Nodoka had reappeared with the contract… more scams to get free food or an extra bit of cash… and as the images continued their assault, he began to see something he hoped he would never see.

He saw himself. He saw the man behind the white gi, glasses and bandanna… and due to the nature of the pressure points and the incense, saw for the first time how others saw him. Nothing was glossed over- none of his traits toned down. His self-image of the ever-dedicated martial artist grew warped and distorted, replaced by an overgrown, spoiled child in the body of a fat, balding man. The images grew brighter, the sounds louder. He could almost feel each memory clawing at him like a pack of rats.

Genma wanted to scream, or turn and run, but the rapid-fire shocks were giving him no chance to collect his thoughts. Faces were beginning to swim towards him, each one a person he’d managed to scam, cheat or win over for his own benefit, each with the same angry scowl on their face. Over his shoulder, his wife’s disapproving countenance seemed to grow larger.

“Is this really who you are, Genma… you’re no man at all… you’re a bully and a coward…”

He opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out. The memories began to swirl, replaying themselves over and over; screams of pain which he knew weren’t his own echoed in the darkness around him. He fell to his knees in the dreamscape and began to curl into a ball.

For the first time in his life, Genma Saotome did something he had always derided as unmanly. He wept.

And the dream went on.

--------------------

“The Neko Hanten thanks you for your patronage,” said Mousse as he slid the delivery box closed and bowed at the door of their latest order. The matronly woman smiled and bid him thanks as she gathered up her order and padded inside.

“That’s the third take-out order so far, and we’re only just into the lunch rush,” he muttered as he slung the box under one arm. “I better get back before Shampoo blows a gasket and decides to take it out on me,” he added with a chuckle.

The two of them had been a tad surprised when Cologne had announced she would be spending some time at the Saotome household that day, and even more so when she told them she was confident they could handle themselves just fine in her absence. The wink she had thrown in had been a little unnerving, making Mousse wonder if there wasn’t something up her sleeve.

Actually, it’s been pretty good so far, Mousse thought. I know Shampoo wasn’t too happy about being holed up in the kitchen, but she looked like she was enjoying it. He smirked, remembering the lecture she had given him earlier about taking care of her bike- something about ‘Mousse get bent out of shape if he bend Shampoo’s bike out of shape’ with a glare or two thrown in. He’d almost believed she was angry with him until he noticed the playful sparkle in her eyes.

Her eyes… He paused for a moment, looking up into the sky. Whichever one of you was responsible for fixing mine, thank you. I never knew she had such beautiful eyes before.

He shook himself out of his reverie and strapped the empty delivery box onto the cargo rack of the bike. He straightened out his tunic and was just about to get on the bike, when all at once he got bowled over by something moving towards him very fast. “Oops! Sorry, mister!” came the voice of a young boy on roller skates who proceeded to continue down the sidewalk as if nothing had happened.

“Ow…” Mousse groaned and sat up abruptly; he turned around to catch sight of his attacker, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. “Geez, some children these days. Need to watch where they’re going…” He paused, then snickered at the irony. “Barreling into other people like that… kid’s just like me when I was that age.” He straddled the bike, then shook his head and laughed. “Or a few weeks ago, for that matter.” He absently brushed a hand over his ear, nearly straightening his glasses before he remembered they weren’t there anymore. “Better get back before Shampoo kicks up a fuss,” he murmured, kicking up the stand and heading down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.

Somehow, he failed to notice that a section of his white tunic had a series of fine- yet deep- cuts in it.

Nor did he notice the leering smile of the boy who had hit him, his eyes turning an unnatural shade of green.

--------------------

Shingen’s head snapped up. That doesn’t feel right, he mused as he stopped the weapon kata he had been practicing in the backyard. Something’s definitely stirring. Feels like the chaos stream is starting to move a little quicker… but by what means?

He glanced upward; it looked like a small number of rain clouds were forming in the distance. Yeah, I can almost smell it. Something is very wrong… and it feels like it might be heading towards… Oh, this is not good. He shifted the naginata in his hands and darted indoors. Once he reached his room, he quickly procured two slim bundles wrapped in cotton cloth and tucked them both under one arm.

“I have to go out for a moment Tendo-san, Kasumi-san,” he hollered as he tugged on his hiking boots and sprinted out the front door.

I only hope I get there in time.

--------------------

Akane shivered. What was that? That felt really weird… She set her chopsticks down and rubbed her forearms briskly as a light breeze spun through the Furinkan grounds. It was lunchtime, and she and Ranma were sitting together under one of their favorite trees.

“Hey, you feelin’ okay?” Ranma asked, setting his bento box down. “You’re lookin’ a little pale there, ‘kane…” He trailed off as a similar chill washed over him. “Whoa, is it just me or did it just get a little cooler out here?”

“I don’t think it’s just you,” Akane replied, picking up her lunch again. “Felt kind of chilly there for a moment.” She paused, looking up at the sky; several clouds had begun to gather and held definite signs of things turning damp before the day was out. “Great. And I left my umbrella at home, too.”

“You’re not the only one,” Ranma groaned. “I hate walking home in the rain.”

“Well, at least you won’t have to worry about walking home as a redhead this time,” Akane replied. She paused, then gave him a sly smile. “Unless you want to, that is…” Ranma rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her, prompting her to laugh and respond in kind.

“Hi guys,” said a familiar- yet slightly hesitant- voice. “Mind if I join ya for lunch?” The two of them glanced up in time to see Ukyo sitting down next to them. Ranma and Akane blinked; there was a distinct difference about her, not only in her hesitancy, but also in the manner of her attire. She was still dressed in the shirt and slacks combo favored by Furinkan’s male students, but her hair was flowing freely, not pulled back as it normally was during school hours. Furthermore, her shirt appeared to be stretching outwards in a certain place- prompting Ranma to cough and look away as he and Akane realized she wasn’t wearing her breast bindings.

“Hey Ukyo,” said Akane, recovering from the mild surprise first. “Sure, I don’t mind if you sit here; what about you, Ranma?” Ranma blinked and looked at her quizzically. It’s okay, Ranma, you don’t have to freak out while she’s here; she knows about us, Akane said in his mind’s ear. And she is your friend, too, so why not? I already know how you feel, it’s not like I’ll get the wrong idea…

Ranma paused, then nodded. “Yeah, it’s okay by me if you wanna join us,” he said. Ukyo’s face went from tentative to elated as she sat down, forming a sort of triangle with Akane and Ranma. Before long, one of her specials was cooking on her portable grill and the three of them had settled into a comfortable chat.

“I’m still kinda amazed that you went and challenged your old man, Ran-chan,” said Ukyo as she took a bite. “But what I really didn’t get is why you took so long to beat him; you could’ve done better than one minute any day of the week.”

Ranma shrugged. “Yeah, I know… I was just driving the nail home,” he said. “I didn’t wanna humiliate him too badly, so I gave him some time to try and do something, just to see if he could actually do anything to me.” He paused, then smirked. “Besides, Akane wanted a shot at winning Nabiki’s pool for once.”

Ukyo blinked. “So you gave him one last gasp at honor? Even with all that he…”

“No, I knew I could beat him. I just wanted to show him I wasn’t playing around anymore, like I used to with our morning sparring.”

“Oh… now I think I… hey, wait a minute!” Ukyo glanced at Akane. “A shot at winning the pool? Did you two set that time up in advance?”

“If you repeat that to Nabiki, I’ll deny it,” Akane giggled. Ukyo stared, then burst out laughing herself.

“Oh, that is rich…” she said at length. “Almost as good at watching that old fart get his butt handed to him.”

“Yeah, he had that one coming,” said Akane, turning serious again. “I only wish I could’ve gotten a few punches in myself; you have any idea how many times I heard him talk about how women are weak?”

“Usually when he was deriding me for my damn curse,” Ranma growled.

“Well, all I can say is good for you, sugar,” said Ukyo, giving Ranma a firm pat on the shoulder. “So… got any big plans for your school now?”

Ranma paused, then sighed. “Right now I just wanna wait for things to settle down a bit,” he said. “We still got a lotta garbage to deal with at the moment, Ucchan… but… I know one thing I gotta do is figure out a way to restore the school’s honor.” He looked at Akane for a moment, then turned back to Ukyo. “Mom an’ me talked about it a little last night. And… well… we want to try and fix what Pop did to you and your dad.”

Ukyo shook her head. “Ran-chan, what’s done is done. I know ya didn’t know about that stupid agreement, and I already told you both that I’m over it. I appreciate the thought, but you don’t have to try an’ fall over yourself to pay me back. I can deal with my old man myself. ” She smiled weakly before turning to Akane. “I know it took me forever to figure it out, and I know I did a lot of stupid things to try an’ fight it, but… I guess I always knew you two were meant to be.” She reached over and took Akane’s hand. “You better take good care of him, Akane.”

Akane blushed, then nodded slowly. “Well, I’ll do my best,” she said. “I’m sure as hell not going to let go of him now, that’s for sure,” she added before promptly slamming her mouth shut. Uh oh… I hope she doesn’t take that the wrong way! She was so dead-set on being his up until…

“I figured you’d say something like that,” Ukyo replied before sitting back and taking another bite of her lunch. “Heck, after everything that happened recently, I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t.”

Akane blinked. “You… you’re not upset? I wasn’t trying to…”

“Akane, it’s not a big deal. I already told ya both, I want to start over. No more rivalries. Fact is, sugar… I’m happy for you. I saw you both when you were fightin’ that weird chick that popped out of Shampoo the other day… and I don’t think I’d ever seen Ranma here smile as much as when you two were fighting together.” She brushed back her long hair, one hand tapping against the handle of a back-up battle spatula she’d dragged out of the closet. “As long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters. Kami knows his old man didn’t let him have much happiness.”

Ranma shook his head. “Ucchan… I didn’t think I’d be hearing that from you any time soon.”

Ukyo shrugged. “Call it a case of me getting a clue,” she said. Or a little more than that… maybe I should tell them now. Or should I wait till Akane’s alone and just ask her about… ah, hell with it. She paused, then smirked a little too broadly. “So… have you two gotten around to setting a wedding date yet?”

Akane almost choked on a mouthful of rice. What the? She only called off her engagement to you a few days ago, Ranma; I wasn’t expecting her to be this casual about it!

I know, ‘kane, this is startin’ to weird me out a bit. “Uh… Ukyo, no offense, but you seem to be takin’ everything that’s gone down pretty easily. Are you feelin’ okay?”

“Of course I am, Ran-chan, what kind of question is that?” She shifted slightly, folding her arms across her lap. “I just wanted to know if you guys were planning the big event, that’s all.”

“Ukyo, it just sounded a little weird the way you said it,” said Akane awkwardly. “And… well, about your clothes…”

“What about them?” she replied in a similar tone of voice. “I was… well… I dunno, I just didn’t feel like… well… doing the whole ‘pretend I’m a guy’ thing anymore today.” She pressed her index fingers together nervously.

Ranma’s brow furrowed. Acchan, I dunno if I’m reading her right, but she’s getting worked up over something. I haven’t seen her like this in a while…

Akane nodded. Me neither. Do you think she’s still holding a grudge? I know she said she wasn’t, but…

Yeah, I thought of that, but I’m not picking that up from her. Her ki doesn’t feel angry, and believe me, I know angry. The two of them had to stifle a quick laugh. This is more like… I dunno, like she’s hiding something… or that she’s embarrassed?

Ukyo, for her part, was starting to get nervous. Oh gods… they know something. I can tell, they’re giving me that ‘concern’ look again, and they’re bein’ WAY too quiet. Geez, they probably think I’m still pining over Ran-chan; dammit, I thought I wasn’t going to make it look like something it wasn’t! She fidgeted in place. Maybe this was a bad idea after all… good way to make some light conversation, Ukyo, now you’ve made ‘em both suspicious!

Maybe I should have just talked to Akane alone- but it’s not my fault I couldn’t find her till now! She swallowed hard. I gotta tell them something. But… how can I talk about something like this? Especially in front of Ran-chan… I mean… Kami’s sake, I spent months acting like HE was my one and only… how can I tell him that… that…

A sudden rumble echoed from beyond the school wall, breaking everyone out of their reverie. Nearby, other students began to look up in surprise as the rumbling grew louder. Akane gasped as another trail of ice shot up her spine; Ranma flinched as an identical feeling tore through his gut. Ukyo stared at both of them, then gasped as she felt a tremor run through the earth beneath her. “Uh… guys, this doesn’t feel so hot…”

“You’re telling me,” Ranma replied through gritted teeth as he scrambled to his feet. “I really don’t like the vibe I’m gettin’ right now.”

“Me neither,” said Akane, standing up as well. “There’s definitely some bad ki in the air.” A low growling noise began to echo through the air; several dozen Furinkan students began to get up and run off in random directions, leaving papers, books and bento boxes behind. It was about that time the rhythmic rumbling began to get louder- and a sudden angry voice pierced the air.

“DAMMIT, GET OUT OF OUR FACES AND LEAVE US ALONE, YOU FREAKS!”

Ranma gaped and spun around to stare at Akane, who was staring at him with equally wide eyes. “That wasn’t… was that Ryoga?”

“Sure sounded like him; I’ve heard enough of him screaming at you to last a lifetime.”

It was at that moment that part of the school wall exploded and all hell broke loose.

--------------------

Students began screaming and running for cover as a familiar mammoth pig barreled into the school grounds, a girl in a sweater and tartan skirt on his back holding on for dear life as no less than fourteen massive freaks of nature pushed and prodded Katsunishiki from either side. Each one resembled a giant hairless tiger with a squashed, nonexistent nose and no tail, three-toed forepaws at the ends of muscular legs, and a mouth full of slavering fangs. The girl atop the pig cringed as several of the nightmare beasts tried to claw and snap at her, but they in turn were beaten back by the umbrella-wielding young man in a beige long-sleeved shirt standing protectively over her. The pig, in turn, was angrily shoving two of the more aggressive animals out of the way with his snout and forelegs.

“Think you can just pop outta nowhere and try to make lunch out of us?” Ryoga growled, smashing another attacker across the face with his umbrella and breaking several teeth. “Well, think again! I’m not letting you take away my last chance at happiness!” Quickly he slung the umbrella over his back and procured two fistfuls of bandannas, which he started spinning rapidly. “PREPARE TO DIE!” A quick hop and he was airborne; a second later, the air exploded with bandanna shrapnel embedding itself in the black beasts’ flesh.

“What the hell is he fighting?” Ukyo stammered as she yanked her back-up spatula off her back. “Looks like a whole pack of those dog-things from Ghostbusters out there!”

“You might not be too far off, Ukyo,” Akane replied, cracking her knuckles. Those things feel worse than they look, Ranma. And I’ll bet you anything they’re what gave me that funny feeling.

Ranma gave her a nod and started to run. I think you’re right, ‘kane. Dunno what the hell those things are, but they sure as hell feel demonic to me. An’ I’m not about to let ol’ bacon breath handle those things solo! Akane nodded to him in return, having already begun to run when he had. Ukyo stared at the two of them for a moment, then gritted her teeth and plunged into the fray as well.

“AKARI! Tell Katsunishiki to get outta here and keep you safe! I can handle these bastards myself!” Ryoga shouted, swinging his umbrella in a wide arc; he clipped several of the monsters before winding up and bringing his weapon down on another’s head with a sickening crunch. Akari tried to protest, but the growls and snaps of the beasts froze her vocal cords. Katsunishiki, for his part, reared up on his hind legs and charged out of the pack like a raging bull, stunning two more of the dogs in the process; his hide bore a series of cuts and shallow gouges from his attackers, but the sumo pig seemed none the worse for wear.

“Let’s see how you like it when your opponent bites back,” Ryoga sneered as he flipped over one beast and grabbed it around the ribcage. He twisted in midair, continuing his rotation and pulling the black dog with him, up off the ground until its fiendish face impacted with the ground. Ryoga gave his quarry a quick twist and broke its spine before dropping down to face several more sets of red eyes. “BAKUSAI TENKETSU!” he bellowed, jamming his fingers into the dirt and blowing a fusillade of jagged rocks into the faces of his nearest opponents. They staggered back a few paces, snorted, then recovered and plunged right back into the fight.

“Hey, you might try saving some of this for us, ol’ buddy!” Ryoga froze for an instant, recovered in time to deflect two claw attacks and a bite and jumped back into the air, executing a piledriver attack via umbrella upon his descent.

“Ranma?” he shouted incredulously. “What’re you doing here?”

“This IS my school,” Ranma hollered back as he roundhouse-kicked three canines in the canines, leaving several mouths full of broken teeth. “Question is, what’re YOU doing here and where’d you pick up these freaks?” Another hound tried to swipe at him with both paws, but Ranma ducked in and slammed a Jinrai Tekken strike into the hound’s abdomen; a thunderous report echoed as the beast exploded in white light.

“I was TRYING to find a shop so that Akari and I could… HEY! That’s none of your business, Ranma!” Ryoga fired back as he dueled with two more beasts, gaining a fair amount of nicks and shallow cuts in the process. “And I didn’t ‘pick up’ these freaks, they just popped outta nowhere and started whaling on us!”

“For no reason?” the pig-tailed teen fired back as he drove his foot into the side of another freak. His eyes narrowed; he could see the ones whose teeth he had just broken, and he didn’t like the fact that their wounds were mending rapidly. “You sure you didn’t do something to tick them off?”

“HELL NO!” Ryoga spat, grabbing another hound by the foreleg and hurling him into several others. “I don’t just wander into people or things I don’t know and piss them off, unlike some people I know!”

“Ryoga, I’ll ask you to take that back later,” Akane shouted as she darted into the mass of black animals, “but right now, could you just SHUT UP and concentrate on these… these… whatever these things are!” A quick flick of the wrist and Akane was holding a bokken, which she promptly used to cave in the skull of the nearest canine fiend. More came charging at her, but she leaped up and executed a split kick, knocking two beasts away at once before dropping to the ground and blazing between the creatures with blinding speed.

Ryoga wanted to ask Akane what she meant, or where she’d suddenly gotten so fast, but his attention was quickly diverted to the black hounds bearing down on all sides. His razor bandannas flew in all directions again, but seemed to do little damage; growling angrily, he wheeled around on one heel in time to see another demon rear up and try to claw him with both forelimbs. With a mighty roar, he ducked in under the attack, grabbed the hound and locked in a bear hug that squeezed it so hard, there was a series of loud pops and cracks as its rib cage imploded and the beast disintegrated into white powder. Ranma, for his part, had become a whirling dervish, busting open the heads of two more hounds with two rapid-fire Jinrai Tekken strikes in a row before double-teaming a third with Akane.

Ready to try out that technique, Acchan? he thought with a grin.

Always ready! was her affirmative answer. I just hope it works… she added silently to herself before pulling her hands back and pumping her ki into her arms. “KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!”

Ryoga stared, his brain freezing up as he suddenly heard both Akane and Ranma cry out the attack’s name. Time stood still for a moment as he saw her hands burst into a frenzy- not entirely accurate, but still pummeling the flesh of her latest opponent with nearly the same speed and power that Ranma’s own Amaguriken was dealing to the opposite side of the same beast. In seconds, the creature was pulverized and exploded in a shower of white light between them.

“What the… how did… when did Akane learn to do THAT?” he stammered. Suddenly he became aware of a prickly sensation on the back of his neck. He turned around just in time to see another black hound leap at him…

And promptly fly backwards after being batted away by Ukyo’s battle spatula. “Hey, you can act surprised after the fight, sugar,” she snapped, whipping around and flinging a handful of throwing spatulas into the face of another canine. “Less staring, more fighting! Got it?” Ryoga shook himself out of his amazement, nodded, and ducked back into the fight- which suddenly grew more intense as five more canines bounded over the hole in the school wall to join the rest of the pack. Ranma began to kick into overdrive, but still barely managed to keep up. Not only were the canines strong, they were fast.

Most of the schoolyard was clear by now; students were shouting for Miss Hinako, then groaning in desperation as they remembered she was at a seminar in Tokyo proper on rehabilitation of delinquent behavior that day. Akari, for her part, huddled underneath a tree not far from the chaos, biting her lip as she peered around Katsunishiki. Oh, please be alright, Ryoga… don’t get hurt…

A sudden voice pierced the minds of Akane and Ranma, almost slowing their paces. Both of you! Beating a Hell Hound to death barehanded takes far too long; you’ll need these!

The two of them glanced up in time to see Shingen catapulting himself over the school wall at breakneck speed. He flipped once in midair, then thrust his arms outward, flinging two objects in Akane and Ranma’s direction. The two sprang out of the pack long enough to grab what they instantly recognized as the wakizashi they had carried the previous day. Shingen continued to fall forward, planting his feet on the ground with a heavy thud and pulling into a crouch.

“I had a gut feeling there was something going down here,” he snarled, swinging his naginata off of his back. “And now I find it’s a pack of goddamned Hell Hounds, no less.” He flipped the polearm into a ready position and glared at the suddenly startled pack of canines. “Let’s take ‘em out! Hard and fast!”

A second later, Ranma had unsheathed the Sagara blade and whipped it into a loose stance. Akane did likewise, albeit a tad slower; she was still unaccustomed to using a real blade in battle and her nervousness showed for a moment. But only for a moment.

The next second, all hell had broken loose again, and this time it was the hounds who had to give ground. Shingen sprang forward and speared the nearest beast in the forehead, then ripped the blade out and swung in a wide arc, gashing as many of the hounds as he could. Ranma once again became a human buzzsaw, cutting through several of his opponents at a speed even Kuno might have respected. Akane followed suit, warily at first, then faster and more confidently, alternating swings of her own blade with a series of hard punches that jarred the hounds’ senses long enough for her to move in for the kill. Ryoga balked for a second before launching himself back in, umbrella at the ready, while Ukyo skirted the perimeter and continued to strike at the outermost hounds with the cutting edge of her spatula- stealing a furtive glance in Shingen’s direction every once in a while.

It wasn’t long before the hounds began to back down and seek out an avenue of escape- but were unable to find one. Shingen’s eyes hardened and he began smashing his double-edged blade into the remaining dogs with a ferocity the others had not seen. One he speared through the side, another he turned into an impromptu shish kabob by thrusting the naginata down its throat; as for the final hound, it had its head yanked back by the ears and was dispatched by a Jinrai Tekken punch so powerful it sounded like a cannon had fired in the schoolyard.

A moment passed.

Shingen slumped to his knees, breathing out a relieved sigh. Ranma slid the Sagara blade back into its sheath, and Akane did the same with the Saito blade. Ukyo shook her head and leaned against the handle of her spatula, murmuring, “Another fun day at Furinkan High…”

“Not exactly the P.E. workout I was expecting,” Akane groaned, fingering two sections on her blouse and skirt that had gotten clawed by the hounds.

“Me neither,” Ranma replied. “That was totally out of left field.” He looked up and gave Akane a grin. Still… weird as that was, you gotta admit, that was kind of fun.

Akane looked up and returned the grin with one of her own, albeit more subdued. I suppose it was a bit, even if those things did freak me out at first. She looked down and sighed. Guess I should be glad it was only my dress that got clawed.

Ryoga blinked a few times and scratched his head. “Uh… what the hell just happened?”

--------------------

Mousse flipped the kickstand down and stepped into the Neko Hanten slowly. He took a deep breath and winced, putting his hand to his side. “I’m back from the delivery,” he said in a weary voice. A wave of nausea was beginning to build up in the pit of his stomach. What’s going on? I felt fine just a short while ago, he thought as a spot on his side began to throb. Don’t tell me I’m getting sick. I can’t be sick, I’ve been in top shape all day today and yesterday, too… He took another breath and slowly walked into the kitchen.

“Mousse, what take you so long?” Shampoo asked in an annoyed tone. “Lunch rush all over now; you take so long getting back, Shampoo had to serve and cook at same time! Great-grandmother still not back yet, why you take too, too long to get back from last delivery?” She spun around to face him, hands on hips, and it wasn’t hard to see the irritation etched into her brow.

“I… I’m sorry, Shampoo… I guess I lost track of the time on that l-last delivery…”

Shampoo blinked, the irritation leaving her face. Mousse had turned pale and his eyes seemed slightly dull; she noticed his hand on his right side and the remainder of her anger evaporated.

“Mousse… what is matter? You not look very good; you getting sick?”

“I’ll be okay, Shampoo,” he replied with a wince. “I think I just… it was p-probably just something I ate, that’s all.” He leaned against the kitchen door for a moment, then stepped out into the dining area. “I’m sorry I made you wait; here, I’ll clean up the dishes,” he added as he wobbled out to one of the tables.

Shampoo bit her lip. “Mousse… come back here, stupid Mousse!” she said, exiting the kitchen herself. “You not very good liar; you in no shape to clean tables! You no can stand straight, even!” She walked briskly over to him and grabbed his hand. “Why you no say something if you sick? Come, you going to lie down and…”

A sudden gasp stopped her in mid-sentence. Mousse pulled away from her, doubling over in the middle of the vacant dining room. A stifled cry of pain escaped his throat as the throb in his side seemed to intensify. He clenched his teeth and pressed his hand against his stomach, but that only seemed to make it worse.

“Mousse… what wrong with you? What is happening?”

He could barely hear her words; there was a ringing in his ears that threatened to deafen him. The throb grew stronger, and his eyes widened as a sudden warm dampness oozed over his fingers. He took in a gulp of air and pulled his hand away from his side, bringing it up to his face. It was covered in blood.

“What the… how did this… what’s happening to me?” he gasped.

You have served your purpose. You have hidden me well… and now I take my leave of you.

The words echoed back and forth in his mind, coupled with a deep, hideous laugh that widened his eyes in fear. The cord holding the hematite warding pendant around his neck snapped, letting it clatter to the floor. His breathing grew rapid as he pressed his hand back against his side, trying to stop the flow of blood as he dropped to his knees. He began to shake his head from side to side as the throbbing grew stronger, more painful. It felt like the wound in his side was growing hotter… he could almost see a purplish-white light at the edge of his field of vision. Glancing down, Mousse stared as the same light seemed to seep through his fingers, through the narrow cuts on his abdomen. The light began to grow brighter still, the pain sharper and hotter…

His head whipped backwards and he cried out as pain exploded from his stomach. The light blazed up and seemed to fill the room as a dull whine rattled the tables and chairs. For a brief instant, his pupils fixated on a figure looming up in front of him… a dark figure with an ibis-like head and broad, black wings… and in the next instant the figure turned and sprang away from him as lightning shot through his gut and he fell back.

In his haze of agony, he could just make out another sound. The sound of Shampoo screaming.

To Be Continued.

--------------------

Author’s Note 10/20/05: Well, another long chapter completed. And another evil cliffhanger… heh heh. There was a lot of stuff I wanted to put in here; hopefully it stands up to the quality of my previous chapters. I can’t thank you all enough for your support in this project of mine. And now, a few words.

I will admit, Ryoga hasn’t made that many appearances to date, comparatively speaking anyway. But the truth is, there was a lot of R/A stuff I had to deal with first- after all, they are the stars of the show. The Lost Boy will be making a few more appearances, rest assured.

In regards to Cologne’s assisting Nodoka, I always felt that if those two could set aside the whole Ranma fiancée dilemma, they’d probably see eye to eye on a few things. Both put a lot of stock in honor, especially the way of the warrior. Remember, up until Nodoka learned about the curses she would often say that she was a ‘warrior’s wife’. So, given the events of late, it doesn’t seem that unreasonable that Nodoka would request some assistance in disciplining her fat slob of a husband. And we all know Cologne isn’t too fond of Genma, either…

The Sleep of a Thousand Memories is really another version of the Ebenezer Scrooge treatment- make someone see all the rotten things he did in the past, remove his personal reality filter and make him see the true him. A bit harsh, to be sure, but his sense of reality was so skewed and self-centered it had to be done. I believe the Scottish poet Robert Burns once said, “Would that God had the gift to gie us, to see ourselves as others see us”; I hope I am not misquoting him. In essence, it was the one thing that I felt Genma really needed to see, hopefully something that might put him on the path of redemption. Though whether he will listen to his dream is yet to be seen…

To everybody, another big thank you. Wow. 300-plus reviews on fanfiction.net; that’s a personal best. I never expected to garner this much attention. Please, keep those reviews coming; it’s what I live for. ^_^ Until next time.

-Neon Ronin