Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows are Stirring ❯ Ryoga no Benmi ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter Thirteen: Ryoga's Apology and Ranma's Mistake

Over the next while, it took a lot to calm the Tendo household down. When Akane came home, there was a great celebration that ended abruptly with her cursing Ranma's name and storming upstairs. The force of her door slamming shut even woke the drunk Happosai up, which was not supposed to be possible.

Nodoka explained to the others how Ranma had left her at the edge of the forest with an injured ankle, and that neither of them had any idea where he was at the moment. Akane couldn't care less, either. When Nodoka went to the kitchen to help Kasumi prepare supper, both Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome broke down again.

The next day was a general gloomy one. No one in the Tendo Dojo wanted to speak very much, and Akane hadn't even come out of her room yet. Around supper time, Kasumi knocked on her door gently.

"Go away!" Akane cried through the shut door. Kasumi opened it anyway to find Akane sitting on her bed, facing away from the door.

"Sister, I'm worried about you," Kasumi said softly. "Is everything alright?"

"Ye... yeah. Just fine," Akane stammered. She turned around, but kept her left hand covered carefully. She was wearing the ring again, just thinking of Ranma. Hoping that he would get home at any minute. Even if she had to pretend to hate him, just seeing him would make things so much better.

"Akane," Kasumi said quietly. "I don't think everything is alright. You are even backing down on the challenge that you issued."

"What challenge?" Akane asked in surprise.

"The one where you said that you would cook for a week," Kasumi replied, startled that Akane would forget such a thing.

"Right," she muttered. "Sorry."

"What happened in the past month, Akane?" Kasumi asked as she was about to stand. She had seen a glimpse of what she thought was a ring on her youngest sister's hand, but when she tried to look again, it was gone. Either she had imagined it, or Akane had palmed it carefully.

"Not much. Ranma trained, and I tried to cook. Don't know how well I did, though. It's not like he ate it all the time," she explained. Just at supper, when I actually cooked it, she thought to herself. The rest of the time, we just ate what was provided...

"Then what took you almost two weeks longer than expected?"

"Oh, we went a little further than I think he had planned. And then I had to go and get myself injured," she motioned to her ankle that was bound in the bandages that Dr. Tofu had given her. "Ranma refused to carry me for the return trip, so it took a lot longer to get back than it did to set out."

"Why would he refuse to help, Akane? That doesn't sound like him... he is always helping you." Kasumi did not like where things were headed.

"Yeah, but he just sat back and said that the return trip would do me good."

When there was a crash and a lot of loud noise downstairs suddenly, Kasumi stood up quickly. "Oh my, whatever could that be?"

Akane was out the door to her room before Kasumi had even taken one step. Ranma was home! As she leapt down the stairs, she stopped herself just before throwing herself into his arms. To recover, she slapped him. Hard.

Ranma took a step back in shock, but then recognition set in. "What in the hell are ya so upset about, tomboy?" he demanded. "Ya're always sayin that ya're a martial artist too, right? So when I try'n treat ya like one, ya just complain!"

"Baka! You didn't have to leave me at the edge of the forest! What the hell took you so long to get back, anyway?"she demanded. Ranma wasn't sure if this last question was an act, or if the anger was real.

"Ran into a few people before packin stuff in. Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo, and..." he stopped when he saw the look in her eye. Besides, he didn't have to say anything else.

"Me." Ryoga stepped out from behind the entranceway slowly, his head bowed down. Akane turned back to Ranma quickly, demanding an explanation as to what was going on.

"I told Ryoga that you had a word or two for him," Ranma explained with a shrug. "But before that, are ya stickin to that blasted plan of yours, `kane?" he asked.

"Which one?" she returned.

"About you cookin here for a week?"

"Yup."

"Alright then," Ranma said, hiking his pack up a bit more. "Mr. Tendo," he called, looking passed Akane to the older gentleman. "Thanks for lettin me stay here for so long. I might be back later. Hard to say."

"And just where do ya think you're goin, boy?" Genma demanded, blocking his path as he turned.

"To mom's house for a while," he explained. "Don't want to be around when everyone else has to eat `kane's cooking. She still needs a lot of work." His eyes caught Akane's briefly, and they spoke volumes to one another without a word spoken. He was actually quite surprised when she didn't hit him anyway, though.

"Would you like a..." Kasumi started, bringing out a tray of food. She stopped because Ranma was already gone, leaving an unconscious panda in his wake, and a very solemn Ryoga, who hadn't moved a muscle since stepping out in front of Akane.

"Could you all leave us alone for a moment, please?" Akane asked, looking to the others. The force that her voice held did not make it a request, but a very strong order. Disobeying would not have been a good idea. The entrance was cleared immediately. She then looked back to Ryoga.

"Umm..." Ryoga started, but stopped again. He had no excuse for Ranma. How could he possibly excuse himself to Akane for what he had done.

She punched him in the jaw before he could say anything else. He staggered back, but didn't look too injured. Physically, at least. "You got something to say to me, pig boy?" Akane asked coldly.

Ryoga shook his head, touching his jaw with a hand gingerly, testing it out. "Nothing I can say, Akane. Nothing strong enough, anyway."

"I'd settle for an explanation, at least," she added, her voice not wavering at all.

Ryoga looked startled at the request, but took a deep breath. It was not going to be easy. "You were the first person who was nice to me, Akane. Really nice. I thought it was love. But at the time, I was a pig. P-Chan was what you called me. When I was human, you seemed to be nice to me, too. But I knew it was not the same. Most of the time, as P-Chan, I would imagine that you already knew, but you loved me anyway. That was really important, Akane. Really important."

"Important enough to you for you to take advantage of me? Of my kindness?" she demanded. She decked him in the jaw again, but he shook it off. He had taken a lot worse over the years.

"It was wrong, alright? I know that! But that's all I got. No better explanation. No better story. Just the way it is. Or rather, was."

"You are damned right. There is no way you will ever be staying here as P-Chan ever again," Akane fumed, kicking him in the chest, causing him to fall backwards into the brick gate. "P-Chan is dead to me now."

"I know that," Ryoga stammered. The kick had actually hurt. Ranma must have trained her well... either that, or her anger was more intense than ever before. "If I tried, then not only you, but Ranma would be after me, too. I wouldn't make it five steps."

"You have spoken to Ranma, have you?" Akane asked, her eyes narrowing as the lost boy stood up again. Ryoga nodded slowly. "And what did he have to say?"

Ryoga sighed. "He said that he could not forgive me for trying to kill you - though it was an accident. That doesn't explain it. But then he said that he knew that I could not forgive him for knocking me into the Cursed Spring of Drowned Pig - though it, too, was an accident. He then offered to let bygones be bygones."

"That all?"

"No. He also told me that you knew, and that he would not stop you from doing whatever you wanted to do to me. I told him that I deserved it, and he agreed."

"So, he forgave you in the end, is that it?" Akane asked.

"I don't think he would have if he didn't still feel guilty about the Jusenkyo thing."

"No, if he didn't, then I am sure you would not be breathing still," Akane said with a forced smile, and Ryoga nodded, fully aware that, had Ranma wanted to, he would have destroyed him. She then took a deep breath. "Does Akari know about your condition?" she asked.

"Y... yes," Ryoga stammered, not sure why she was asking such a strange question.

Akane sighed, and muttered a curse under her breath. "Then I will forgive you as Ranma did," she said slowly. Before Ryoga could question this, she held up a hand. "Though I am not doing this for you, Ryoga, but for Akari. I like her."

"Thank you, Akane. I will make it up to you."

"I doubt you ever could."

"Umm, Akane?" Ryoga called before she turned away. "For what it's worth, I am sorry. To start making it up to you, I would like to try and help you and Ranma. He told me that he is trying to break things off with the other fiancées so he doesn't hurt them. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Akane nodded curtly. As she turned, she heard him start to walk in the opposite direction. Where he was going, she didn't really care. She doubted he knew anyway. All she knew was that he would turn up again. Perhaps by then, she could forgive him entirely. She knew Ranma did. She smiled. He really did have a big heart. A really big heart , she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs. Before anyone could ask any questions of her, she was upstairs again with the door slammed shut behind her, turning the latch to the lock she had installed at the same time.

"About time ya got here." Ranma-chan's pack was stuffed into the closet so it couldn't be seen easily, and she was sitting cross legged on the bed, waiting patiently - Akane had to do a double take when she saw that - for Akane to return. "He still walking about?"

Akane nodded. Before Ranma-chan could do anything, she had thrown herself at the smaller girl and was crying into her shoulder. Ranma-chan just held her as close as she could, rubbing her back the whole time. After a long time had passed, Akane sniffling and pulled back to look at Ranma-chan. "I hope I did the right thing."

"Tell me what you did," Ranma-chan suggested.

"The same thing you did, eventually. Forgave him."

Ranma-chan nodded. "That must have been difficult," she said.

"It was. I got a good hit or two in first, though it didn't help much. But if you could forgive him for what he did to us, and to me, then I knew that I would have to, too." Akane looked away from Ranma-chan, who put her hand on the taller girl's back again.

"I hope you didn't just forgive him for my sake," she said slowly.

"No," Akane said after a moment. "No. I forgave him for my sake too. He said he would help us if he could. Help us get rid of the others without hurting them. We really need a friend like him right now."

Ranma-chan nodded. "I know."

"Ran-chan... can we just go to sleep now? I know it's early, but I just want this day to end," Akane said softly.

"Sure, Acchan. Anything for you," Ranma-chan replied. She pulled back the covers to the bed and let Akane get in first. She snuggled in moments later, and felt Akane's warm hands around her. "Sleep well, Acchan."

"You too, Ran-chan," Akane whispered, and then closed her eyes.

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

Day hadn't broken yet when a loud, incessant buzzing noise caught Ranma-chan's ears. She moaned quietly and opened her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. As she breathed deeply, all she could smell was Akane's raven hair, and she smiled to herself. She knew she was where she belonged.

" 'kane," she whispered, shaking the other girl slightly to wake her. She reached over to shut the alarm off, and then kissed Akane on the forehead. "Wake up, sleepy head."

Akane moaned and lashed out with a hand to shut off the already silent alarm. When her head struck her desk instead, she sat up quickly. Understanding spread across her face slowly as she looked at Ranma-chan smiling to her. "Morning, Ran-chan," she said softly.

"Good thing you set that alarm for so early," she replied. "I've got to get out of here before anyone else gets up," she said. "I've got to get home before mom wakes up..."

"Do you have to go?" Akane asked, catching the other girl's arm as she picked up her pack. Ranma-chan looked back to her slowly.

"Ya know I'd rather stay here with ya, but that really isn't gonna work too well. Not if we are gonna get this ta work out," Ranma-chan explained. She stood on the window still and sighed. Wish I was a guy right now. I'd kiss her before takin off...

"Hey!" Akane cried as Ranma-chan shot out the window. She rushed to try and catch her, but by the time she was at the window, Ranma-chan was already long gone. She sighed as she knew that Ranma was still faster than she was. She was not his equal... not yet. And she knew it would be a long time before she was.

"Hey what?" a voice called from the door as it opened. Akane whirled around to see Nabiki standing in the doorway. She could have sworn she had locked the door... "Who are you calling to, sis?"

"N... no one, Nabiki," Akane stuttered. "I just realized that I slept in longer than I wanted to. I've got ta get out for my morning run!" she said, scanning the room quickly as though looking for her gi. In fact, she was looking for any sign that Ranma had spent the night with her. She noticed her bra was on the ground, and thankfully, her ring was still attached to the strap, which was underneath the rest.

"Looking for this?" she asked, holding up the yellow gi in one hand disdainfully. "Surprised you didn't bring this with you, actually, when you went."

"We weren't going to train me, Nabiki. This was Ranma's trip."

"Right. And I'm the Emperor of Japan." Nabiki rolled her eyes. "You do realize, don't you, Akane, that I remember what I saw before you two left. He was in here last night too, wasn't he?" she asked.

If Nabiki finds out the truth, then everything is ruined... "No. I had hoped for it to be a good time for us to get close, but..." She looked away from her sister quickly. She knew Nabiki could read lies through anyone's eyes, especially her own blood relations. "I tried to cook for him. He wouldn't even eat the first meal I made. Things sort of went downhill from there."

"So that wasn't all an act, Akane?" Nabiki asked in a hushed voice. Akane looked back, startled at the compassion in her sister's voice. Akane forced herself to shake her head. "That damn fool..."

"I know that look Nabiki. What are you planning?" Akane asked quickly.

"Just a little something to get back at Ranma. No one hurts my sister and gets away with it," she said with an evil grin and a dark glint in her eyes.

"Nabiki, let me handle it, ok?" Akane pleaded. "I have every other time, right?" she asked. She then looked Nabiki straight in the eye. "And I will deal with things this time, too." That part wasn't a lie. She would deal with the other fiancées. She had to. Even if she wasn't talking about the same thing, she knew she wasn't lying.

Nabiki slowly nodded. I knew she cared about him... she's lying through her teeth . "Fine, sis. What about Ryoga?" she asked as she turned.

"What about him?" Akane was surprised by how cold her own voice sounded suddenly.

"He's lying in the entranceway of the Dojo. Looks like he got trampled by something big." Akane turned quickly, but Nabiki was already gone.

Ryoga left last night. What could have happened to him since then?

She pulled on her gi quickly and ran to the Dojo. Though she was still very angry at the boy, she knew deep down that Ranma needed him as a friend. And... she hated to admit it, but so did she. Even though he had taken advantage of her countless times.

When she arrived, she found him lying as Nabiki described, face down with his pack thrown ahead of him. His heavy bamboo umbrella that he always carried - now she knew why - was snapped in half, as though broken over someone's knee, or by someone who was extremely angry.

She rolled him over, and saw a few strange marks on him that she thought she might have recognized. One was the flattening of his face, probably caused by Ukyo's spatula. Another was the bruises on his arms that looked to be caused by Shampoo's bonbori. He also had cuts all over his body that were caused by a sharp ribbon.

"Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi, working together to defeat you?" Akane wondered aloud. "But why?" she asked, standing up. Ryoga coughed suddenly, and opened his eyes slowly. When he saw Akane, he tried to sit up, but failed. "What happened, Ryoga?" Akane asked with as steady a voice as she could muster.

"They... attacked me while I was down. Picked up a damn rose..." he managed through gritted teeth. "One of Kodachi's, I guess... When I came to, they had done this to me... and left a warning that if I ever harmed Ranma again, then I wouldn't be waking up..."

"Oh Ryoga..." Akane said into her hands. That the three of them would team up to defeat a common enemy was terrifying. She then gasped as she realized who was the most logical common enemy of the three of them.

"Akane..." Ryoga said softly, causing her to look down again. "This is no more than I deserve..." he whispered. "Though it would have been more fitting if it had come from... your hand, and not theirs."

"Shut up, Ryoga," Akane said, grabbing one of his hands and hauling him to his feet in one fluent motion. "Come on," she ordered, putting one of his arms around her shoulders and dragging him into the house to lie down.

Once inside, she called for Kasumi, who came at once with towels and the first-aid kit. After binding all of Ryoga's wounds, she left him in the guest room bed that Ranma had left empty, and left the room. Akane entered moments later.

"Akane... I'm sorry," Ryoga stuttered quietly as she entered.

"Would you shut up about that?" Akane demanded after she shut the door. "I said I forgave you already, didn't I? Don't make me change my mind!"

"They won't come for you," Ryoga said after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"How do you know?" Akane asked, relieved that she didn't have to ask him about it.

"They don't want to upset Ranma..."

"Then why would they attack you?" Akane asked.

"It's different with me," he explained. "I'm just a friend. A sparring partner to the great Ranma Saotome," he chuckled, and then coughed violently. Once his coughing had subsided, he went on. "You are his fiancée. And pretty clearly in their minds his first choice. That means if they attacked you, then he would hate them all."

"But he already does," Akane interrupted.

"No he doesn't," Ryoga said, forcing himself to go on. "And you know it. He would rather make Ukyo and Shampoo into his friends than hurt them."

"And he'd rather Kodachi ate a poisonous frog and died," Akane said with a grin.

"Somethin like that, yeah," Ryoga laughed as he forced himself into a sitting position. He then looked around the room. "Should you be in here alone with me, and the door closed?" he asked. "Won't Ranma be pissed?"

"I doubt it," Akane dismissed his concern with a flick of her hand. "He trusts me. And I trust him. Course, he'll have to pretend to be upset. Or he could really be, I honestly don't know. But he'll get over it. You are one of the few people who know about us, so he'll know that I'm just talkin to you about that."

There was a quiet knock on the door, and then it slid open, revealing a tall, angry looking Ranma. "What the hell is goin on in here?!" he demanded.

"What do you think you're doin here?" Akane cried in return. Ryoga cringed backwards, afraid and more than a little upset that he had caused the two to fight so soon after returning.

"I thought I was helpin! Guess I'll just leave the two of ya alone, then, shall I?" He slammed the door behind him before either could reply, and both heard the main door slam shut as well.

Ryoga looked to Akane to apologize, but she was by the window before he could say anything, opening it wide. Less than a minute passed before Ranma landed in the room after jumping in. He was as silent as a mouse when he landed, though, and stood quietly.

"Hey Ryoga. What the hell happened ta ya this time?" he asked with a grin at the expression on the other boy's face.

"But... what... how..." Ryoga stopped and shook his head.

"Gotta keep up appearances, ya know," Ranma explained in a hushed voice.

"So that was just an act?" Ryoga asked quietly.

Akane moved next to Ranma and wrapped an arm around him. She then kissed him on the cheek. "What do you think?"

Ryoga looked away and blushed. It hurt to see her kissing him, but he was so glad that she was happy, and that she didn't hate him entirely, that he didn't mind. He was glad that she ended up with someone who would look after her, though. "I think I would rather you two didn't do that in front of me," he said after a few minutes of silence.

"I think you had better tell Ranma just what you told me," Akane replied with a smile up to Ranma, ignoring Ryoga's request. It was so good to see Ranma again as a guy. She loved him in both forms, but she definitely preferred his male form.

Ryoga explained hurriedly to Ranma what he had told Akane. When he was done, Ranma was looking out the window, a grim expression on his face. "I didn't think they'd resort to that..." he said quietly.

"I wish I had!" Ryoga replied, standing. He could feel his strength returning quickly, and he knew his injuries were not as bad as ones he had received before. Ranma had done him more harm before, even.

"I'll bet. Look, I've gotta talk to them. Make sure they don't do anything..." Akane's touch on his arm cut him off as he looked to her.

"They won't come after me, Ran-chan," Akane said softly. Ryoga looked away embarrassed at the serenity in her eyes as she looked at Ranma. "They wouldn't dare, cause they think it would upset you."

"Ya damn right it'd upset me. It upsets me that they attacked Ryoga!" he said through clenched teeth. He looked down to Akane and smiled. "I'm glad they aren't comin for ya, though, Acchan."

"And I'm glad you two are finally gettin along properly," Ryoga interrupted the close exchange between the two before he felt any more out of place. "Ranma, you had better take damn good care of her."

"Remember my threat from a couple of nights ago?" Ranma asked, looking to Ryoga. Ryoga nodded slowly. "Good. So don't worry yourself."

Ryoga sighed. He knew he shouldn't goad Ranma. He could tell that he was a bit embarrassed by the close contact that the two were having then, even if it was only in front of Ryoga. He shook his head. Hope he gets over that after the honeymoon...

"Be careful, Akane. Just in case," Ryoga suggested.

"Ranma has been training me, Ryoga," Akane said in reply. "I can handle them, no problem." She grinned, and took up her adopted fighting stance, which was a mirror image of Ranma's. "They aren't gettin me!"

"Don't underestimate them, Akane," Ranma said quietly.

"Don't you trust your teaching, master?" she asked in reply.

"I trust my teaching. I just don't think I taught you enough, yet. I'm sure you could easily take on Ucchan now, but Shampoo... If you want... I can keep teaching you," he suggested.

"Would you?" Akane asked, her heart aglow again suddenly. An excuse to spend time alone with Ranma! Just what she wanted! Her heart felt like it was doing flips, though, when he called Ukyo Ucchan.

"How are ya gonna keep that a secret?" Ryoga asked. As soon as he did, he suddenly wished that he hadn't by the looks he was getting from both Ranma and Akane. He sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just stick around the Dojo for awhile," Ranma suggested. "Ya know, take it easy here, and don't wander down the street. Wouldn't want ya gettin lost."

"How's that gonna help anything?" Ryoga asked.

"We're gonna pretend that you are trainin `kane in Martial Arts Gymnastics again," Ranma explained easily. Ryoga smiled and shook his head. It was a perfect excuse. She really needed the training. She was hopeless with the sport.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Akane demanded.

"It means ya need the work in it," Ranma replied. "And everyone knows it."

Akane looked from Ranma to Ryoga and back again. Although she normally would have been upset by Ranma's statement, she was getting used to his complete lack of tact whenever he spoke of training. "Is he actually going to be training me in it?" she asked either of them. Ryoga looked to Ranma, but saw no indication of how he should answer, so he stayed silent.

"Do ya wanna learn it?" Ranma asked simply.

Akane thought about it for a moment before answering. "Well, I'd only learn it so I could take on Kodachi, but in all honesty, I'd rather just punch her in the face and be done with it anyway."

"Sorry Ryoga," Ranma shrugged.

"Hey, no problem. But if you need a human punching bag sometime, Akane..." he suggested, gesturing to himself. "I can take more than most."

"Not more than me," Ranma replied easily.

"Yeah, but I don't think Akane wants to hit you as hard as she can any more than you want to hit her that hard," Ryoga pointed out when he saw the look on Akane's face. "And I doubt she'd have the same complaints about hittin me!"

"You sure you'd be okay with that, Ryoga?" Akane asked in surprise. He was right, she didn't have any problem clobbering him. Then again, she had no problem sending Ranma into orbit when he pissed her off either...

He nodded. "It'll do me good anyway. Get me back into shape so I can keep taking a beating. I don't know why, but I have a funny feeling that I'm gonna need it sometime." He shook his head. "I just know being involved in one of Ranma's secrets in gonna land me in hot water sooner or later."

There was a knock on the door suddenly. Akane and Ryoga both looked to Ranma in horror, but he was already on his way out the window. He blew a kiss to Akane, and was gone by the time the door opened.

"I thought I heard voices," Kasumi said with a smile. "Good to see you are up, Ryoga. I have drawn a warm bath for you, if you would like..." she offered. Ryoga bowed his thanks to her, and followed her out of the room. Akane looked back to the window, hoping that Ranma would return. She was more than a little disappointed when he didn't.

On the other side of town, Ranma knocked and opened the door to his mother's house, letting himself in. After she had told him what his father had said about Ryoga being injured at Akane's house, he had just run off. She was waiting for him on the couch when he returned.

"Ranma I have something I would like to discuss with you, if you wouldn't mind," she said calmly as he walked passed the room to return to his own. Ranma stopped and entered the room instead, sitting across from her in a small chair.

"What's up, mom?" he asked casually.

"Well, I am glad to see that you have become a fine young man, Ranma. I spoke some with Akane when she returned, and I should tell you before you start trying to lie to me that I already know what you two are planning," she said quickly. Ranma nodded, but said nothing. "I thought I should let you know that I approve, and wish you two the best. She also has my permission to visit at late night if she so wishes. You may also leave at night to visit her, if you think that would be best. I will leave that up to you two. I should tell you, though, that I would be more apt to ignore strange noises coming from your room than her father..."

"Mother, just what are you suggesting?" Ranma demanded, reddening quickly.

"It doesn't matter, dear," Nodoka said with a dismissive smile. "But I have something else to discuss with you. Something about your curse."

Ranma gulped. He knew she had come to terms with his... oddity, but he also knew that she hated it. "What about it?"

"It has come to my attention recently that, though you have become a fine young man, your female side could use... a bit of, well, trimming up," she explained.

"Oh no, mom. I don't think so!" Ranma said, standing quickly when he realized what she was suggesting. "I ain't gonna..." He stopped when he saw tears in her eyes.

"Ranma, I never had a daughter. I barely had a son, not with you leaving with your father eleven years ago to train you. I was really hoping that you could... give me a chance as a mother to train you... as my daughter."

Ranma sighed as he saw how dejected she looked, but he didn't want to back down. "I don't want any trainin as a bride, mom. And I know how ta cook!"

"Oh, I know dear. I know. What I meant was training as a proper lady. How to walk, how to talk, how to behave around men, and how to behave around other women," she explained. She had such a hopeful look in her eyes, Ranma could feel his dissolve melting. "Could you give me time to teach you?" she asked. "Until you are married?"

Ranma sighed. He had so wanted to get to know his mother better before he and Akane tied the knot, but this was not exactly what he had in mind. After a minute or two of rather tense silence, he nodded slowly. "But mom, if I start to feel uncomfortable with things... like ya're tryin ta teach me something that only a girl would need to know..."

She nodded, a smile on her face again. "I know. I hope I know where to draw the line, though if I push it a little, please don't get too upset with me, okay, Ranma?" she asked. Ranma reluctantly nodded, and she smiled again. "Would you mind..."

He sighed and stood up to go into the kitchen for some water. When she returned, her mother had pushed the chair and couch out of the way, leaving only room on the floor to sit. She sat down across from her mother, who frowned. "Would you mind if I call you Ranma-chan while you are my daughter?" she asked. Ranma-chan nodded slowly, looking less than impressed. "Good. Ranma-chan, I don't want you sitting like that. It isn't lady like. Look at my legs," she instructed. When the young girl did, she saw that her mother was sitting on her feet, with her legs kept together. It looked like a traditional tea ceremony sitting position, not one to be used everyday. "I want you to sit just like this as a girl, ok?"

Ranma stood up from her cross-legged position and knelt to the ground instead. "How's this, mom?" she asked.

The day just went from bad to worse from then on.

By the time it was afternoon, Ranma was very glad to be leaving his mother's house. They had gone over posture while sitting, the proper way to drink from a tea cup, from a normal cup, from a wine glass... They had also gone over how to eat daintily, how to address a stranger... the list just went on and on. Ranma didn't know how much more of it he could take, and he had only done it for one morning thus far. He had to get things in order for the wedding soon, and for more than just the obvious reason now.

"Hey, Ran-chan!" Ukyo called out to him as he ran passed her restaurant. He slowed down, and then turned in, deciding that a quick bite to eat might just be for the best.

"Hey, Ucchan!" he replied with a smile and a wave as he sat down at the counter. "How are things here?" he asked. He looked around briefly. "Not as busy as I remember them..."

"I guess people were just comin in for the pretty new waitress," she explained with a grin.

"Don't start with me on that one..." Ranma groaned. "Besides, they've already got a cute chef, right?" He then rubbed his stomach. "Hey Ucchan... do you think you could?" he asked, pointing to the grill.

She blushed as she flipped an okonomoyaki onto a plate and slid it to him. "Got one ready just for you already, Ran-chan," she said with a smile. "Glad to have you back with us again. We were gettin a little worried after you were gone for a few weeks extra..."

Ranma ate quickly, and when he was finished, she put another okonomoyaki on his plate before he could say anything. "Well, we got a bit tied up in things," he explained with a shrug. "Stuff neither of us expected."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Ukyo said darkly. "Just what happened between you and Akane, anyway?" she asked, leaning in to listen to him in case he wanted to speak softly.

"That stupid tomboy cooked for me, that's what happened," he said harshly, though he remembered a few of the meals very fondly. It was true though, some of the meals were still downright awful. "We went a bit further than I thought we would, and then she had to hurt her ankle, which didn't help anything. By the time we made it back, I told her to go on ahead without me," he explained. "Didn't wanna be babysittin her any more than I already had," he added. He hated saying it that way, because in fact she had looked after him quite a bit too, especially after Ryoga...

"Ryoga said that he thought the two of you were gettin alone just fine when he attacked you," she said darkly.

"Have you ever seen me abandon anyone when there is a fight goin on, Ucchan?" he asked her simply. She had to admit that she had not. He was always protecting others. "That was pretty low of you, by the way," Ranma said just as darkly.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"Attacking Ryoga like that. The three of ya teaming up against him. And ya had to do it after Kodachi knocked him out first..." Ranma shook his head. "I thought you guys were good Martial Artists, and then I find out about somethin like that?"

Ukyo hung her head. "You have to understand Ran-chan, that I thought he had killed you. That's what he told me, anyway."

"This is Ryoga we're talkin bout, right?" Ranma reminded her. "Ya really think I'd fall to something like him?" Ukyo shook her head. "Good. I thought ya'll thought more of me than that. Besides, he and I are pals. Pals don't kill each other, they just beat each other up all the time."

"Pals?" she asked him.

"Yeah, pals. Like you and I," he said quickly. "Get along fine, ya know. `Cept, of course, he's more violent than you are," he added.

"Just... pals?" Ukyo stammered.

"Ucchan..." Ranma said softly, leaning forward. "I've told ya before, haven't I? We're best buds. Don't worry about it!" He stood, clapped her on the shoulder and half bowed to her. "Thanks for the grub, Ucchan," he said as he turned. Konatsu stood from his scrubbing to watch the two.

"Ran-chan," Ukyo called. Ranma turned back. "Doyouloveher?" she asked quickly.

"This isn't somethin we should discuss here, Ucchan," he replied slowly. "Come by the Tendo Dojo later. We'll talk then, kay?" Without waiting for her answer, he walked out of the restaurant and starting jogging again before looking at his watch.

He leapt up onto a roof and started an all out run towards the Tendo Dojo. He was supposed to be training Akane by now, and he was running late. Dropping down before the entrance, he ran in and stopped when he saw Akane in the middle of a rather complex kata, wearing her yellow gi.

He watched as she twisted and twirled with the kata, and he could see the power in each of her actions. She truly was one with the movement and the flow. He smiled. It was a big change from before. She wasn't thinking about it as much. She was just doing it.

When his foot touched the wood floor, she stopped in an instant and turned towards him. "Where have you been, Ranma?" she demanded.

He shut the door behind him quickly. "Sorry, Acchan, but I was talkin to Ucchan," he explained.

"Oh, that's a great way to calm me down!" Akane cried, pulling out her mallet to strike him. He backed up quickly, and the massive ki energy struck the wood floor instead of him.

"She's comin over later. I'm hopin I can take care of her now. She is a friend, and a friend only, Akane," he explained before she could take another swing at him. "And I want her to stay that way."

The hammer disappeared as Akane looked to him slowly. "You mean, after today, there may be one less to deal with?" she asked quietly.

"Yup. That's what I'm hopin, anyway. Though she might just try'n kill me instead..." He stopped when Akane flung her arms around him.

"That's one more step towards us being together forever, Ran-chan!" she cried as she held him tight. He held her in return, and then separated them with great effort. He would have rather held her for longer.

"Let's do a bit of work on our kata, shall we?" he asked. Akane nodded, and took her position beside Ranma, his mirror image. Both were well trained with left and right, and were truly ambidextrous, so it didn't really matter who was on which side. They took turns, for the most part, though through the kata they switched sides anyway to repeat, so it didn't really make a difference.

"Setsuai no Kata," Akane muttered to herself as they began. Ranma smiled, but said nothing as they turned to stand back to back. With a cry, Ranma leapt into the air and Akane kicked where he had been standing, and ended in a high block position as Ranma landed and stayed down in a low block. With a cry from Akane, both attacked high three times; once with a fist, once with an open palm, and once with a stabbing motion. Turning, they blocked mid attacks for each other, and then had switched sides again, attacking imaginary opponents with a mix of punches, kicks, and throws.

In an instant, the kata became more lively, and the two sped up, though no words were spoken between them. As they turned around to attack to the sides of the other, Ranma found himself blushing at how close they were to each other. One of them must have taken a step too many or too few to end up closer than they should be. He didn't object, but it was making it difficult to continue.

The next moment, both flipped backwards and vaulted off their hands to attack an opponent with both feet in the chest. Landing, they roundhouse kicked the space they had just been standing, and then were back to back again, this time with no space between them. This was the stage of complete defense, and both executed blocks in every position from every other position.

With a mighty cry, both sent eruptions of ki energy out from outstretched hands, which they cut off before it could strike the walls. Standing once more back to back, Ranma could sense Akane's heavy breathing. They turned towards each other and made several small motions with their hands, mixing ki energy in the open space between them, willing it into a shield to surround them both.

In an instant, it was all over. They both took a step back and bowed to the other, and then they were in each other's arms. "That was wonderful, Ran-chan," Akane breathed into his ear. "One of the best we've done yet. Though I think I took one too many steps partway through..."

"I wasn't sure who had done that," Ranma admitted as he set her down. Just as he set her down, he heard a side door open and saw Ryoga step in quickly.

"Ukyo's coming this way!" Ryoga said quietly. "Ranma, get movin!" he cried, tossing Akane a ribbon and hoop while holding onto a ball and set of batons himself. Ranma nodded to Akane and ran passed Ryoga. He had time to notice that she had missed both the ribbon and the hoop, and was running after the hoop by the time he reached the door.

"Thanks man," he said quietly as Ryoga passed him to start `training' Akane.

"No prob."

Ranma sat down next to the koi pond, breathing heavily. Though he enjoyed their kata immensely, he wished they had had more time to practice. He had a few things he wanted to go over with Akane today. One of them was aura training... He closed his eyes and found himself thinking of holding and kissing Akane. He quickly opened them again and looked around.

"Hey Ucchan," he said softly as she came into view from around the house.

She nodded to him without saying a word and sat down next to him. After a few minutes of absolute silence, she looked to him. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this chat one bit?" she asked him.

Ranma looked deep into Ukyo's eyes and sighed. "Because ya're afraid of what I'm gonna say, that's why," he replied. He looked to the koi pond, and then went on after a few more minutes. "And I'm sorry about that, Ucchan."

"Ranma," she said slowly. When he looked back to her, there were tears in her eyes. "I don't think you should call me that anymore..." she whispered.

"Sorry Ucc... Ukyo," he said just as quietly.

"Just tell me this, Ranma, and I'll be satisfied. Do you love her?" she asked. When he nodded, she shook her head. "I want to hear you say it, Ranma."

He looked to her, and felt his own heart break at how sad she looked. He gulped. "Ukyo... I do love her," he forced himself to say the words he meant. He did love her, but he didn't want to hurt Ukyo. Not like this. "I'm sorry."

She looked away from him. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Ranma," she replied. "You have found your love. I've just lost mine, that's all."

"Oh, that's nothing to be sorry about," Ranma said sadly, feeling more guilty than he had expected. "Ukyo?"

"What, Ranma?" she asked, her voice thick through her tears.

"I want to repay you for your dowry," he said slowly. "My dad might have stolen it, but I don't think it was right. I want to repay you. I've got to uphold my honour, and restore yours. Just tell me how I can do that..."

She looked back to him and broke down into sobs. Ranma pulled her to him and let her cry on his shoulder. "Ranma, you really do have a big heart, you know that?" she asked him when she finally pulled away. He smiled weakly back at her. "I've got my restaurant. And I just know that you must have had something to do with having my lease paid off a while ago..." she trailed off.

Ranma gulped again. No one knew about that, not Akane, not even Nabiki, who was supposed to have found out everything about all of his fiancées. He slowly nodded. "I did it a long time ago. Took awhile to get enough money, though."

"How'd you do it?" she asked him, forcing a small smile.

Ranma shook his head. He remembered all the pictures of his girl form that Nabiki had sold... most of them to Kuno. He also remembered signing them as "Pig-Tailed Girl." She had cut him in on the profits, but he had made her promise not to make any more. It had given him the money he needed to pay off Ukyo's store. "You'd rather not know. Trust me."

"Nothing illegal, I hope..." Ukyo said quietly.

Ranma looked to her in surprise. "Think a little more of me than that, Ukyo," he replied. He sighed when she expression fell into misery again. "Sorry. No, I didn't do nuthin illegal. I just helped Nabiki a long time ago, when ya first came to town and I found out the full story. I guess ya've known for a while now about how I was the one, huh?"

Ukyo smiled a true smile this time. "Yeah. I knew it had to be you. But I thought it was because you really did care for me. You called me cute back then, ya know, right?"

Ranma bowed his head. "Yeah. I was tryin to make you not hate me, though." He looked up quickly and shook his head. "Not that I don't think you are cute... but, well, it's just..."

"Don't even try, Ranma." Ukyo stood slowly. "Is Akane around?" she asked.

"I think so. Why?" he asked.

"I just wanted to congratulate her, that's all," Ukyo said softly. "She won, ever after everything that happened. I must admit, I suspected after hearing about the whole Saffron thing..." Ranma sat down again quickly, his knees giving out beneath him. Ukyo looked to him, startled. "What's wrong, Ranma?" she asked.

Ranma didn't look up, or answer right away. When he finally answered, Ukyo thought that she had never heard him sound so depressed or empty. "I... That's not something I ever talked about since... since it..." he trailed off, and she sat down again. He looked over to her, and she could have sworn she was looking into a dead man's eyes. "He took something from me, Ukyo," he finally said. "He forced me to kill. And now, every time I fight, I'm afraid that I'm going to do it again."

"Ranma..." Ukyo said softly, not sure what else she could say. "Have you spoken to Akane about this?" she asked.

Ranma nodded. "Sort of. And I've fought other things since then, too," he explained. "But I still feel something in me that wasn't there before. Let me try something," he said. He reached out and touched the koi pond. Ukyo shivered as she felt a strange energy pulsing from Ranma, and she gasped when the water turned to ice.

"How... did you do that?" Ukyo asked.

"It's somethin I think I've been able to do ever since then. I can freeze anything solid, Ukyo. If I lose control of my energy, then I could kill anything around me in an instant." He gulped. Although he had never actually tried since the incident, he somehow knew that he could. But having done it suddenly, his nerves became even worse. "And I don't want to risk doing that."

Ukyo stared at him, and then another thought from deep within her surfaced, a thought which she wished never to have had. "You mean... like... what you might do... on a honeymoon?" she asked quietly. Ranma's nod was barely noticeable. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ranma." He looked to her. "This is your power. This is power like no other. But you are still you, Ranma. You will always have control over your own energy."

Ranma nodded slowly, but he didn't look convinced.

"Now, if it is possible, I'd like to speak with Akane," she said, standing up again. Ranma forced a smile and stood up next to her. When they entered the Dojo, they found a small black pig standing on the ball, and Akane laughing at whatever it was he was trying to do.

She looked over as soon as the two entered. "Hi, Akane," Ukyo said quietly. "Got a minute?" she asked. Akane looked to Ranma expectantly, and he nodded to her slowly. Akane then smiled.

"Sure Ukyo. No problem. I've leave Ryoga to you, Ranma," Akane said with a grin as she and Ukyo walked out of the Dojo, already talking in low voices. Ranma just shook his head and pulled the kettle of hot water out of the corner where it was staying warm and poured it on the pig. He then threw Ryoga's clothes, which were on the ground at his feet, to him.

"You are pathetic," he said, shaking his head again.

"Hey, just trying to make her laugh. She seemed awfully worried about you and Ukyo, so I thought to myself, `Ryoga, try to take her mind off things.' And I answered..." Ryoga explained.

"Never mind, bacon breath," Ranma cut him off. Ryoga just glared at him.

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

Nabiki turned away from the tea room after she heard Ranma's words about Akane, confirming all her suspicions. He did love her sister. And she was sure that he had told Akane as much. She knew she had been lying earlier. No one lied to Nabiki and got away with it. It would take something big. Bigger than she usually did, and that would take careful planning.

Rubbing her hands together as she started thinking about it all, she shut the door to her room to map out her plans.

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

Akane followed Ukyo out into the yard, and then sat down next to her by the koi pond. She was sure it was where she and Ranma had been sitting just moments before, but she didn't want to say anything. Ukyo looked tense enough as it was.

"I guess you know now, right?" Akane asked after a moment of silence.

Ukyo looked to her and nodded. There was a small, forced smile on her face, though. "Yeah. Congrats, Akane. You've got a good man in Ranma," she said, nodding to her.

"I know."

"And don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna go runnin to Shampoo or Kodachi or nuthin," Ukyo went on as though Akane hadn't said anything. "I'll just pretend that I don't know anything until you guys make your announcement public. I can still be a friend... if you'd let me..."

Akane looked to the okonomoyaki chef in surprise. "Of course, Ukyo. Why wouldn't that be alright?" she asked.

"Well, I thought that maybe you'd think it best if I didn't stick around. I mean, there is some history between Ranma and I, right?" she explained.

"Yeah, but nothing like that..."

"I know, I know. But there were feelings. Even if they were only one sided..." Ukyo trailed off. "But I'm glad you're okay with me stickin around."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Ukyo." Akane thought that that was all the chef had wanted to talk about, and was surprised when the serious look in Ukyo's eyes didn't go away. "What's wrong, Ukyo?"

"Maybe nothing. But then again, maybe everything. It's Ranma," she explained.

"What about him?"

"Well, when we were talking, I told him that I thought he had decided back during the whole Saffron battle, when you almost died..." she trailed off, looking to Akane like she might have said too much about it. Akane gulped. It still pained her to think about it, but Ranma's words from then still were with her.

"And?"

"He went really still and sat back down," Ukyo continued. "When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that he is afraid. Desperately afraid, Akane," Ukyo said with some urgency in her voice.

"Ranma said that?" Akane asked, surprised. Ranma never admitted to being afraid of anything, so something must have really been wrong.

"He did. He then showed me why. Have a look," Ukyo motioned to the koi pond, which was still frozen, and only just starting to slowly melt.

"What happened?" Akane asked. She hadn't even noticed, a clear sign as to how worried she had been about their conversation.

"Ranma leaned forward and touched the water. I could feel a cold aura coming from him, and suddenly it was frozen solid. He said that he is afraid of what could happen if he was to lose control," Ukyo explained.

Akane sighed and leaned back. His aura had always felt so warm when it surrounded her. She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks, and she forced herself to think about something else. "Well, then we've nothing to really worry about, have we?" she asked. "Ranma never loses control, not of himself, anyway. Just his life in general. But he is always in control of his own power, right?"

Ukyo sighed and sat forward. Akane followed suit to try and read the other girl's thoughts from her expression. It did not look good. "He hasn't, yet. But he is desperately afraid anyway."

"Of what?"

"Of what might happen to you, Akane," Ukyo said quietly. It hurt to say it, but she couldn't just let it drop. Akane had to know. "He doesn't know if he'll be able to stay in control of his energy, his power, his being when you two are... uh... intimate."

Akane just stared at Ukyo as her implications slowly sunk in. "He... said that?" she asked. That would explain a lot. He was too afraid to make any advances towards her, because he was too afraid of what might happen to them if he did.

"More or less, yeah," Ukyo replied. "I had to twist his arm to get him to admit it, though. I've always been able to do that with him, though. Even when we were little." Akane sighed. Why hadn't Ranma told her? Ukyo looked to her quickly. "He probably doesn't want you to worry. Or he could be afraid that you would leave him for your own safety if you knew..."

"I would never leave Ranma," Akane said quickly. She meant it, too.

Ukyo nodded. "I know."

"Well, he should too!" Akane said fiercely. "I've told him a few times. He always seems depressed when he's a girl, cause he thinks I don't like him as much that way. But Ranma is Ranma..."

"I know, sugar. I know. I thought about the same thing... but I don't care about that stupid curse, either."

Akane nodded. She understood what Ukyo was saying. If she was too afraid to stay with Ranma, Ukyo would still be around. "I'm not leaving him, Ukyo." Ukyo's nod was enough to say that she would back off, and stay that way. "But this is something we've got to talk about. And soon."

"Good luck, Akane," Ukyo said, standing. "Look, I've gotta get home. I'm opening the store bright and early tomorrow, and I'm gonna need sleep tonight. This evening has worn me out enough." She took one last, long look in Ranma's direction, even though she couldn't see him through the Dojo walls, and left. Akane just stared at the koi pond as the ice slowly melted back into water.

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

"What'd you suppose their talkin bout?" Ranma asked Ryoga as the two sat down by the door to the Dojo.

"What else?" Ryoga replied. "You."

Ranma groaned. "Great."

"Yeah, Ukyo's probably trying to get Akane to give you up. Doubt that'll happen, though. I can tell... she really does care for you, Ranma. You're one lucky dude, ya know that?" Ryoga said after a while.

"Yeah, I know."

"What's eatin ya, man?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nuthin much."

"Bull."

Ranma sighed and leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "Remember... before the wedding that got wrecked?" Ranma asked. Ryoga nodded slowly. It wasn't hard for the lost boy to figure out why Ranma wasn't naming the event, or mentioning details. "Well... I thought that somethin happened back then that I don't understand. And I guess I just proved it."

Ranma leaned forward and Ryoga shivered as he felt a cold aura fill the Dojo slowly. Ranma breathed out, and ice formed in the air before him. Just as quickly as the cold air had come, the warm air returned, and the ice melted in an instant. "What the hell was that?"

"Me, Ryoga."

"You never said you could do that!"

"I think I've been able to ever since, though I never tried. I struck myself with that ice weapon... I think I just unsealed it now when I tried to show Ukyo. Think about it, though, Ryoga. I can freeze anything. Just by using a little bit of power, I can freeze a river. Think about what I could do to another living person..."

"But you wouldn't Ranma. I know you well enough. You didn't want to kill then, but you really had no choice. If you didn't, he would have kept coming after you until it was too late to save Akane. You did what you had to do. Besides, he wasn't really a person, was he? More of a god..."

"I know that, ya moron!" Ranma cried, standing up and punching the wall. "That doesn't change the fact that I feel like I'm suddenly losin control. I knew I shouldn't `ave dun nuthing, but now I feel like if it gets much worse, then I'm just gonna explode or somethin, and everything and everyone around me will be gone for good."

Ryoga stood and faced Ranma for a moment. He then reared back and slugged him hard in the face. To Ryoga's surprise, Ranma just crumpled to the ground. He hadn't thought he had hit him that hard. Come to think of it, usually even his hardest hit barely made Ranma flinch...

"Sorry, bud, but I've gotta get you to someone who might be able to help." Ryoga picked up the unconscious Ranma and left the Dojo through a side door. He knew Akane would worry, but it wasn't something he could deal with just then. He had to find Dr. Tofu. Or maybe Cologne. Or better still... both.

As Ryoga ran through the streets, he stopped before a large tree. Looking around, he found himself in the middle of the forest. He shook his head and kept walking. He would find the place eventually. "Curse you, Ranma Saotome," he muttered to the limp figure he had over his shoulder. "Curse you."

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

When Akane opened the door to the Dojo to talk to Ranma, she was surprised to find that he was gone. She was equally surprised to see that Ryoga was also missing, and didn't even have his pack with him - it was still in the corner of the Dojo.

"I wonder if he told Ryoga about this... maybe Ryoga's takin him to Dr. Tofu right now!" Akane muttered, and took off towards the clinic. Though the lights were off and night had fallen, she didn't care. She had to find Ranma. She had to talk to him.

"Dr. Tofu!" she cried, pounding on the door to the clinic with both fists. "Dr. Tofu! Please! It's Akane... it's important! I have to talk to you!"

A light turned on in the upper part of the clinic, and Akane heard movement as the doctor moved around. It wasn't long before he opened the door, wearing a robe and looking quite sleepy. "What is it, Akane? What couldn't wait?"

"You haven't seen Ranma, have you?" she asked him hurriedly.

"No..." Dr. Tofu replied groggily. "Why?"

"Well..." Akane then told him what Ukyo had told her. When she was done, the doctor was much more awake, and had invited her in to sit down.

"And he thinks he is losing control of himself? Isn't that kind of sudden, especially for Ranma?"

"I thought the same thing, but if he unsealed it back then by mistake... I'm worried," Akane admitted. "If I can find him, do you think you could do anything to help?" she asked.

"Maybe..." Dr. Tofu scratched his head. "There are a few pressure points I could use that would block any unnatural abilities... That would leave his normal powers in tact, and shut down anything like what he gained from that battle. I think I'll need to speak to Cologne, though. She knows a lot about these things too. Let me gather my things, and we can head over there right now."

"Oh, thank you Doctor!" Akane cried, hugging him quickly before he went to get dressed. Once he was upstairs, Akane started pacing. "If Ryoga didn't bring Ranma here... oh no!" she thought out loud. "If Ryoga was taking him... there isn't a chance he's anywhere near here!"

"Let's go, Akane," Dr. Tofu said as he came back downstairs. Together, they ran down the streets towards the Cat Cafe. There was a light on in the back room, but no movement could be seen. As they ran, Dr. Tofu looked over to Akane. "You've gotten better," he commented. She was easily outpacing him, and it was not easy for him to keep up with her anymore.

"I've got a great teacher," she replied. Dr. Tofu smiled. It wasn't hard to tell who she was talking about. They stopped in front of the Cat Cafe and Akane pounded on the door. Mousse answered within seconds.

He looked at the two of them, confused for a moment. "What are you two doing here?" he demanded. He looked back to the back room, but no one came out. "Looking for someone?"

"Well, yes and no," Akane blurted out. "We've got to talk to Cologne, and we don't know where Ranma is," she explained hurriedly.

"So you do care after all," Mousse said with a grin.

"It's not like that, Mousse! Ryoga's got him somewhere, and he needs help from Dr. Tofu and Cologne. There is something wrong with him!" she explained. "Look, I don't have time to argue. Is she here right now, or not?"

Crack. Crack.

Dr. Tofu and Akane both rubbed their heads as Cologne came around from behind them. "Didn't expect to see either of you here at this hour. Looking for someone?" she asked, looking from Dr. Tofu to Akane and back again.

"Uh... you, actually, Cologne," Dr. Tofu answered. "I wanted to talk to you about pressure points. In particular, pressure points to nullify unnatural abilities."

"This is about son-in-law, isn't it?" she asked, perceptive as always. When the two nodded, she turned to Mousse. "You go to Shampoo. She isn't to come out here, understand?" she asked. Mousse nodded and returned to the back room. Cologne then turned back to the others. "What happened?"

"I'll handle it, Akane," Dr. Tofu said kindly before she could start to explain. "It'll be easier for you." He could tell how hard it was for her to explain to him, let alone some old ghoul she didn't trust. "Ever since the unpleasantries surrounding the last trip to China, Ranma has had a very powerful, deadly ability. The very ability he used to kill Saffron. And he just unlocked this power by mistake."

"The power of ice?" Cologne asked in amazement.

"As I understand it, yes. I guess he can freeze anything with ease. But he thinks he is losing control, and is afraid that he will end up freezing everything and everyone he holds dear."

"That is a problem. So you wanted to ask me about pressure points..." Cologne looked to Akane. "Akane, I suggest you go and find Ranma immediately. Bring him here when you have found him. The good doctor and I have to discuss a few things, but we will be ready when you get back."

"Thank you," Akane managed before taking off out the door.

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