Cologne hummed softly to herself as she stirred a pot of
ramen.  Business was slow  today.  She didn't mind.  It was a
nice break from the usual frantic pace in the restaurant.  She
smiled pleasantly as she heard the sounds of excessive violence
coming down through the ceiling.  No doubt great-grand-daughter
was upstairs teaching Mousse a lesson again.  Shampoo's skills as
a warrior increased every day.  She would make a fine leader of
the Amazon tribe.

     A sudden premonition interrupted her happy meditations.  She
hadn't lived to be 300 years old by ignoring such feelings. 
There was something in the air.  She pogoed to the door and went
out into the alley.   Hmm.  Yes, she sensed the shifts.  

     She thought about the people she knew here in Japan.  There
were a surprising number of powerful young martial artists in the
area.  They all held their own circles of enemies and allies. The
balance of power was a delicate thing here in Nerima.  She had
often tried to disrupt it before, but the time had not been
right.  The focus of that balance seemed to be her own future
son-in-law, Ranma Saotome.  

     As the wind blew,  she felt its influence.  Things were
about to change forever in Nerima.  
-----------------------------

Waking Up

A work of fanfiction by Michelle Thatcher
Based on Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/ 2

Legal Jargon:  All of Takahashi Rumiko's characters belong to
her.  I have absolutely no legal right to be using them in my own
stories.

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

Author's notes:

This story came to be as a result of some random observations
about the characters. Each and every one of them without
exception has what would be considered a "tragic flaw".  If this
were Shakespeare, they'd all have been dead a long time ago. They 
are each competent and powerful in all but one aspect of their
personality.  In that one aspect (which is different in each
character) they are not just a little slow, but in fact grossly
immature.  But life changes, and those who will not change with
it often suffer because of it.  Not everyone in this story will
go through radical changes, but things will indeed never be the
same.

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

One month later:


     Ranma scowled at his opponent.  She was the toughest foe he
had ever encountered.  So skilled.  So determined.  Well, it
didn't matter.  He had faced all kinds of challenges from all
kinds of rivals.  This was no different.  His brow set.  "6,000
yen.  No more."

     "7,500.  Really Ranma, that's the lowest I can go.  I've put
a lot of time and effort into this already."

     Ranma snorted.  "Hmph.  I'll bet you have."

     "Why Ranma, whatever do you mean?"

     "Whaddo I mean?"  He gave Nabiki what he hoped was a mocking
glance.  She was so much better at that sort of thing than he
was, though.  He wasn't sure how it would turn out.  Oh well. 
"I'll bet you just conned somebody to get it in the first place." 
He leaned back against the frame of her bed from where he sat on
the floor and crossed his arms over his chest, looking pleased
with himself for that deduction, until he noticed how hurt Nabiki
looked.  As if he'd physically hit her almost.

     "Hey!"  she said unhappily.  "That's not  fair.  I had to
pull in a lot of favors to get this for you, and this is how you
thank me?"  She pouted slightly, looking like she was really
having trouble controlling her emotions.  Her bottom lip began to
tremble.

     _Uh-oh._  He began to sweat.  "Aw, don't cry Nabiki.  I
didn't mean nothin' by that.  Not really."  He reached into his
pocket.  "I'll give you 7,000 yen.  It's all I got."  He held out
the money.  "C'mon.  Take it."

     Suddenly brightening, she agreed.  "Okay.  It's a deal."

     Ranma's shoulders slouched forward and he let out a huge
sigh.  As he relaxed, the battle tension drained from his jaw and
shoulders.  It had been a long time since he'd had to focus this
hard on anything.  He looked at Nabiki and grinned.  "How was
that?"  He asked anxiously.  "Was that better?"  He put the money
back into his pocket.

     Nabiki laughed happily.  "Yes Ranma-kun, that was a bit
better.  You didn't let me intimidate you this time.  But,"  She
tried to look stern through her obvious pleasure at his
improvement.  "it could have been better.  You shouldn't have
fallen for the cute little pout.  Never make it personal, Ranma. 
If you hadn't insulted me, I wouldn't have had a chance to play
hurt and vulnerable.  You're sucker for a girl who cries a
little."

     He looked down.  "Geeze, I thought I'd really upset you for
a minute there."

     She shook her head.  "I'm a business woman, Ranma.  I
wouldn't get far if I let little barbs like that get to me."  She
looked at him squarely.  "Don't try to make people angry.  It may
work in the martial arts, but it won't work in the business
world.  Business people are hardened and cynical, and most of
them aren't ashamed to admit that they'd sell their own mothers
for a profit, so you can't really get to them with insults."  She
relaxed and smiled again.  "It *is* good that you're trying to
compare this to a  battle.  It does require discipline and
practice and strategy.  There are differences, though.  It's good
to stay alert, but you mustn't look so tense.  Your neck and
shoulders look just like they do when you're sparring.  If people
see that you're nervous, they'll start looking for buttons to
push, ways to upset you.  The danger here isn't physical, so
there's no need to get into a battle stance."

     Getting up, Ranma bowed to Nabiki.  "Thanks again for
helping me with this... Sensei."  He smiled affectionately at the
woman who was quickly becoming a good friend.  Who would have
thought he'd ever be getting along this well with *Nabiki* of all
people?

     She shook her head at his impertinence and rose to open her
door.  "Anytime.  You'd better get outside.  Isn't Akane
expecting your help with the yard work this afternoon?"

     "Oh man!  I forgot!"  He said horrified.  "She's gonna kill
me."  Heading through the door, he touched Nabiki's arm in a
familiar way.  "Same time tomorrow?"  and he smiled.

     "Same time tomorrow."  She replied as an electric shock ran
up her arm from where his hand had been.  She ignored it.  As he
ran down the stairs at his typical breakneck speed, she smiled to
herself.  Why had it taken her so long to notice how really cute
he was?  She sighed.  It had been too long since she'd  had a
real friend, someone that she opened up to and had fun with. 
Much, much too long.

***

     It had started a few months after the Saotomes' arrival with
an uneasy truce.  It had been a while since Nabiki had sold any
candid shots of Ranma-chan to Kuno-sempai, and he'd stopped being
so paranoid that she was hiding around every corner, camera in
hand.  They'd managed to be pleasant to one another at meals and
to speak civilly even when no one else was around.  

     After that, it had turned into mutual respect.  It hadn't
taken Nabiki long to realize that he wasn't stupid.  He actually
had a good share of raw intelligence, he just lacked social
skills, probably because of his isolated upbringing.  Besides
which, he was very honest (to the point of putting himself into
physical danger when it came to his dealings with Akane).  He was
also painfully honorable about every little thing, a fact which
she admired in him more and more as she really got to know Genma. 
How Ranma had turned out to be such a kind and decent person
with Uncle Saotome as his only role model was a mystery to her. 
There was much more to him than she had realized at first.  He
deserved her support.

     As time passed, he had noticed the change in her attitude. 
It had been very subtle.  She was still sarcastic, and he still
occasionally felt the sharp edge of her humor, but more and more,
her wit had come to his defense against Akane, against his
father, against the world.  He may not have been good with
people, but it hadn't taken him long to see that things were
changing between himself and his fiance's second older sister.
     
     That had been the extent of it until a few weeks ago.

     Nabiki had had a bad day.  She had bad days often enough,
days when making book had gone bad, days when she'd lost leverage
or blackmail material or credibility of one sort or another, she
had learned that such days were a part of life.  Days like that
she could shrug off.  She could cut her losses and move on.  This
particular day was not one of those.  

     She'd never tried to fool herself.  She knew that deep
inside her there were oceans of pain and hurt.  There were parts
of her soul that had become dark and cruel because of the way
that she had chosen to deal with first her pain and then her
loneliness.  Years ago that same pain that had made Kasumi
withdraw into her own little world, and had made Akane so very
angry had made Nabiki shut off her feelings all together.  To
have feelings made you weak.  To show feelings made you
vulnerable.  To be strong was to feel nothing.  She'd learned how
to build walls around the hurt.  Those walls had kept her safe,
but they had come at a price.  They had held in the love and the
joy as well, and they had kept her all alone in the middle of a
loving family.  She knew how to play sympathetic, or wounded, or
caring.  She was really quite an actress.  At least that's how
she thought of it on her better days.  On days like this one she
knew that what she really was was a fake, the shell of a
beautiful girl filled with the black, foul-smelling sludge of
years of letting her feelings eat her from the inside, years of
self hatred and lack of trust.

     Sometimes the pain would beat at the walls until they
couldn't hold it inside any more, and it would overwhelm her
again, just like it had ten years ago.  Sadness and black
depression would fill her.  Those times were becoming more and
more frequent lately, and it scared her.  That particular day it
scared her enough that she left school, needing some time alone
to think.  

     For a calming influence, she'd drawn a bath for herself. 
She'd been soaking in the water, her mind in turmoil, tears
occasionally running from her eyes for about an hour when the
door had opened and a naked Ranma-chan had come in with a towel
draped over her shoulders.  She took two steps forward then
realized that the tub was occupied.  That had caused her to step
back with a loud "Gaahh" and trip over her own feet.  She fell to
the floor with a crash swearing and apologizing over and over
again.  "Nabiki!  Nabiki, I'm sorry!  Please don't kill me!"

     Any other day, Nabiki would have laughed, and then started
talking about an instalment plan that would keep Akane from
finding out about this.  Today she just wasn't in the mood.  She
moved forward in the water until the edge of the tub covered her
body from view, "It's okay Ranma-kun.  No harm done."

     The intruder, who had been scrambling to cover her own
exposure had suddenly frozen in place, losing her grip on the
towel which she had almost succeeded in draping in a concealing
way.  It flopped to the ground.  "Really?!"   Noticing the towel,
she  pulled it up over her chest again.  This was not the time to
show a lack of "feminine modesty."  "You're not going to yell and
throw things at me?"

     Nabiki almost smiled at that.  "No."

     "You're not gonna to come after me with a boken?"

     "No."

     "Are you gonna tell Akane?"

     "No."  She studied her houseguest for a moment.  "You don't
look so good.  What happened?"

     Ranma rolled her eyes.  "Ryoga happened."  She pointed down
at herself.  "I couldn't stay at school like this."  

     Any other day, she would have said "Why not?  It's not as if
the entire school doesn't already know."  Today she just said
"No, I guess not."

     Despite her usual lack of observational powers, Ranma
noticed something in her voice.  She leaned closer and looked her
in the eye.  "You don't look so good yourself, Nabiki.  Are you
alright?"

     Sighing, Nabiki crossed her arms on the edge of the tub and
rested her chin on them.  "I'm alright.  I just didn't feel like
staying at school after lunch."

     Ranma cocked her head sideways, studying Nabiki's face
again.  "That's not like you."  That's when she noticed the red
in her eyes.  "Hey,  you've been crying, haven't you?"

     Her first impulse was to yell and tell Ranma that it wasn't
any of her business, but as she opened her mouth, something got
through to her.  Ranma really looked worried.  Ranma!  The same
Ranma that she'd used and lied to for almost a year.  The same
Ranma that she had *sold* to Shampoo and Ukyou and even *Kodachi*
last Christmas.  That very Ranma was looking at her now with the
expression of concern and caring that she usually saved for Akane
in her worst scrapes.  Looking at *her*.  Something in Nabiki's
heart shifted.  She gulped once, and burst into tears again.  

     This did nothing to put Ranma's mind at ease.  She began
waving her arms around frantically.  "Oh Nabiki, don't cry! 
Please don't cry!"  She lurched forward and put one hand on
Nabiki's arm.  "Everything'll be okay, just please stop crying!"

     She really had no idea how to deal with females in distress. 
The terror in her expression brought Nabiki back to herself.  She
couldn't help giving a small wet giggle.  "Sorry Ranma.  Things
just get to me sometimes."  She sighed and wiped her eyes with
the back of her hand.  Her body slipped further into the water as
she let herself relax slightly.

     She expected more confusion from her uninvited bath guest,
but instead Ranma leaned back and looked down at the tile. 
"Yeah."  She whispered.  "I know what you mean."  

     Startled, Nabiki looked at her sister's fianc‚.  She looked
really depressed.  The toughest mega jock martial artist in the
universe was sitting on her bathroom floor looking ready to cry.  

     Nabiki considered Ranma's life.  In a rare moment of
empathy, she thought about what it must be like to leave your
mother behind at the age of six, to go all over the Orient trying
to perfect ancient martial arts techniques, to be at the mercy of
a father who loved you, but who lacked self control and sometimes
put his own comfort before your future.  She wondered what it was
like to try to make friends knowing that eventually you would
leave them as you had left everyone else.  On top of which heaven
knew that Akane and father hadn't made things any easier for him. 
She'd given him quite a few headaches herself.  What would all of
that do to a person?  If Nabiki understood people the way she
thought she did, that sort of a life would make it hard to reach
out to others.  It would make it easy to hide your real feelings
behind a wall.  It could make a person just like... just like...
*her*.  She thought about this.  Ranma had a hard time admitting
his feelings, just like Nabiki.  Ranma had focused all of his
emotion and energy into one outlet, just like Nabiki.  Ranma
really did care about people, but he thought that showing that
care would make him vulnerable, just like Nabiki.  She found
herself wondering if Ranma had as hard a time keeping the walls
intact as she sometimes did.  Looking at her now, she suspected
that she did.  

     "You do know, don't you?"

     Ranma nodded silently, then stood and turned towards the
door.  "Let me know when you're through."  She took a step
forward.

     "Ranma?"

     She stopped, but didn't turn around.  "Yes?"

     "You're right, you know.  Everything *will* be okay."  She
wasn't sure why she'd said that, but it seemed to make Ranma feel
better.  The tension drained from her shoulders even though her
voice was gruff.

     "Thanks."  She grunted, then left.  

     She'd stayed in the tub another fifteen or twenty minutes
thinking about the encounter and had come to a decision.  Ranma
was alone.  He was hurting badly, and he needed a friend.  She
decided that she would do anything she could to help him feel
welcome and loved in the Tendo home.  

       She told herself half heartedly that she was doing it
because if Ranma continued to be unhappy he would leave and that
would be bad for the dojo.  His reputation had generated quite a
bit of business already, and it was bound to increase even more
when he started teaching there.  In her heart, though she knew
that she had other reasons.  In one week, he had stopped asking
her what she wanted from him every time she was nice to him.  In
two weeks he had started to actually smile when he saw her in the
hall or the lunchroom at school.  It was still very new, but it
had already had a profound effect on both of them.  

     She wasn't able to admit it to herself at the time, but now
she realized that she needed their friendship as badly as he did. 
She liked the person that she was becoming around him.  She just
felt better inside now, and she liked it. Now on days when she
felt the darkness getting stronger, she could find a peaceful
center.  She knew that she wasn't really a fake.  That helped a
lot.   It was still hard to show her feelings, but it was a
start, and when she let herself really think about it, she was
proud that she had taken it.

     All this reflecting was making Nabiki hungry.  "Hope Akane
lets him live.  I wonder if there are any rice cakes left from
dinner last night?"


***

     Akane was raking the grass.  Her father usually did all the
yard work by himself.  It was one of his favorite things, but he
hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, and she had
volunteered to do it this afternoon.  

     "Ranma you *Jerk*!"  She said, banging the rake down on the
last word then drawing it to her as she repeated the phrase. 
"Ranma, you *Jerk*!"  another downstroke, pull, and lift, then
another, each punctuated by the same three words.  It had become
a mantra by now.  It helped her to work in a rhythm and, more
importantly, it helped her keep her anger hot.  Where was he
anyway?  A touch of worry came into her mind unbidden, but it
only made her angrier.  

     "RANMA YOU *JERK*!!"  With a loud crack, the abused rake
gave up its struggle to hold its shape, and the wooden handle
splintered in a hundred directions on her last exclamation.  That
did it.  All of Akane's remaining control evaporated and she
screamed with rage.  Fists clenched, body trembling she turned
towards the house just in time to see the jerk in question coming
out from the porch.  "LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!"  she screamed,
shaking the stub handle of the rake at him as if she would have
liked to drive it through his heart.  

     Freezing, Ranma stared at her, a "who me?" look in his eyes. 
"What's wrong Akane?"  _Is she *this* mad just 'cause I'm late?_

     "WHAT'S WRONG?!?  YOU WERE *SUPPOSED* TO BE HERE AN HOUR
AGO!!!"

     _Oh boy._  "Yeah I know.  I had some business with Nabiki."

     As Akane passed from the blind fury stage into the equally
dangerous smoldering anger stage, she began to walk slowly
towards him. "Nabiki?" she asked in her most skeptical voice. 
"Business?  Are you sure you weren't just goofing off with
Shampoo or Ukyou again?"

     _Now that's not fair._  He thought.  _When have I *ever*
'goofed off' with Shampoo?_  "Couldn't."  he said in a casual
voice.  "Ukyou's visiting her folks, and Shampoo's workin'." 
Seeing the fire in her eyes intensify, part of Ranma's mind asked
_Why do you say things to make her angry? You know it's just
going to get you pounded._  Still, it really annoyed him when she
acted this way.  He had to get even, didn't he?

     "Oh!  I see!"  

     "Yeah.  I wanted to stop by Ucchan's on the way home, but
then I remembered that she's in Kyoto.  It's too bad too.  She
promised to cook something special for me the next time I came
by, and with her bein' such a good cook and all, I thought..." 
Ranma's eyes widened as she reached him.  This was going to hurt.

***

     Dripping and cold, Ranma sat on the porch.  She tried to
sigh through the piece of wooden rake handle wedged vertically in
her mouth, but it came out as a gurgle.  _Tomboy_.  She thought,
knowing that saying it out loud would just get the roof of her
mouth all scraped up.

***
     _That Jerk_.  

     Lying on her bed, her face pressed into the pillow, Akane
wept quietly.  He made her so angry.  She yelled, letting out
some of the frustration.

     "I HATE YOU!"  

     She frowned.  _No, that's not right._   She bit her lip. 
She didn't hate Ranma exactly.  It was more frustration than
hate.  He could be such a jerk sometimes.  On the other hand,
there were times when he acted like he really cared for her.  He
was sure handsome when he looked at her with _that_ expression on
his face, the one he wore when things had been quiet and no one
else was around.  He sort of smiled softly, his eyes sparkling. 
_Hey, you're mad at him.  Remember?_

     "I WISH YOU'D JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"  

     That one really wasn't right.  She shook her head.  She
tried to think for a moment about a life without Ranma.  A sense
of emptiness hit her.  Hard.  No Ranma?  She almost started
sobbing.  She admitted to herself that even though they had some
problems (_Okay, we have *a lot* of problems._) she really did
like him.  He had become very...  important to her.  But
sometimes...

     "YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!"  

     She frowned again.  That wasn't right either.  Sure he was
insensitive at times, but he never did anything *really* mean to
her.  He just always said things to make her angry.  _No.  That's
not it either._  He said things.  How she reacted to them was her
decision.  

     That hit her hard.  If that were true then most of their
fights had been her fault.

     "NO WAY!"  She yelled.  "OF COURSE IT'S HIS FAULT!"  _Jerk
jerk jerk._  But the edge was wearing off of her anger.  A
desperate sadness was taking its place.  The tears were coming
uncontrollably now.  

     So many strange feelings.  She was too upset to sort them
out now.  She'd worry about all that stuff later.  She shut off
her light and tried to sleep.  

***

     Mousse was angry, and cold, and feathered.  He was also
hurt.  He'd had a run in with a very large tomcat, and even
though he'd come out of the fight the victor, he'd taken some
damage too.  His head was beginning to feel light, probably from
loss of blood.  

     _Wonderful._  he thought bitterly.  _I'm going to faint.  
I'd better get out of the street if I don't want to end up as
dinner for someone.  Or something._  He shuddered.

     _Shampoo, why do you do things like this?_  

     The thought of the woman he loved did little to make him
feel better.  This might have been because his last memory of her
involved a bucket of cold water, an alley, and a pile of garbage.

     He spotted a sturdy looking cardboard box half a block down
the street.  It was probably the best he could do.  As he started
waddling towards it, though, he realized that he wasn't going to
make it.  _This is it then._  he thought.  _Goodbye Shampoo._ 
She'd gotten what she wanted in the end.  He would never bother
her again.  

     It was a strange experience, this giving yourself up to
death.  Suddenly all of his memories and thoughts seemed to put
themselves into perspective.  He asked himself why he loved
Shampoo so much.  Just as he lost consciousness, he realized that
he really couldn't think of an answer.  

     He didn't hear a girl gasp behind him.  "Mousse?"

***

     _This has got to be the most boring thing I've ever seen._
Ranma thought as he sat beside Akane watching television.  His
attention strayed out the window.  He began thinking about
school, and training, and girls.  Why did his life have to be so
complicated?  He knew that a lot of guys would willingly trade
places with him.  There were worse things than having three
beautiful fiancees he supposed, but each of them was so
incredibly demanding in their own way.  Even Ukyou made it clear
that she wanted so much from him.  

     He sighed.  The sound made Akane turn to him, a question in
her eyes.  He smiled weakly, and she turned back to her cartoon.  

     The telephone rang as Ranma returned to his thoughts.  He
barely registered Kasumi's announcement that it was for his
father.  He did notice, however, when his father started babbling
and jumping from one foot to the other.  "Next Tuesday?  Uh, YES,
OF COURSE.  Hehe, we'd be happy to see you then.  "Oh, yes, I'm
sure he'll be THRILLED to finally meet her!  Hehehe.  Alright,
goodbye."

     Ranma looked at his father.  "What was that all about Pop?"

     Panic filled Genma's eyes as he looked at his son.  "Oh
nothing.  Just never mind about that."

     His eyes narrowing, he asked again.  "Who was that on the
phone?"  

     Mr. Saotome was about to deny everything when he noticed the
hard look in Ranma's eyes.  He sighed.  No point in prolonging
the agony.  "Come with me, my boy.  I have to talk to you."

***

     "MY WHAT?"

     "She's your fiancee.  It was eight years ago.  Her father
and I arranged it."

     Ranma fumed.  At least the old fool had the good grace to
look embarrassed.  His voice turned deadly cold.  "I oughta..." 
His whole body shook and his fists clenched.  "If you weren't my
old man, I'd kill you right now.  Whadja sell me for this time? 
No wait.  I don't wanna know.  Just tell me, is she the last
one?"

     Genma's cheeks reddened.  "What do you mean by that?"  

     "Well, let's see."  He began counting on his fingers.  "This
makes FIVE marriages that you've arranged for me *that I know
about*.  How.  Many.  More?"

     Sweating, Genma began doing calculations in his head.  "Uh,
four more.  No five.  Um actually..."

     He was cut off by Ranma's scream of rage.  "WHAT WERE YOU
*THINKING*?!?  That they'd all just *forget*?  That I could just
marry *all* of them?"  His teeth ground together.  He couldn't
remember being this angry or hurt.  He wanted to hurt back.  "You
disgust me."  He said, his voice like ice.  Then he turned and
left.  He didn't wait to see his father's reaction.  He didn't
have the heart.  He wanted to be alone, to sort things out.

     Preoccupied, he bumped into Akane on his way out.  "Sorry."
he said distantly.

     Akane growled.  "Honestly Ranma!  You shouldn't yell like
that.  The whole house heard you.  What was that all about
anyway?"

     If Akane wasn't already beginning to fall into the familiar
blinding anger, she might have noticed the pain and despair in
Ranma's voice.  "Not now Akane."  He brushed past her gently and
headed for the door.

     "Hey!" she yelled.  "Don't turn your back on me!  Ranma!"

     He was too upset to even hear her.  In seconds he was out
the door and running down the street.  Akane screamed in
frustration.  He could be so rude sometimes.  She'd get even with
him when he got home.

***

     "Was that Ranma?"  Ukyou asked herself as she rounded the
corner on her way to her restaurant.  She'd seen a young man run
by.  He'd looked angry.  She might have followed, but she had her
own worries at the moment.

     She frowned at the closed sign as she  unlocked the door. 
She had planned to open as soon as she got back from her trip,
and knew that everything inside was in order, but it looked like
business would have to wait until morning.  Something else
required her attention right now.  Looking at the unconscious
duck in the curl of her arm, she clicked her tongue in sympathy. 
"Don't worry Mousse."  she whispered.  "We'll get you fixed up."

     It was a good thing that she'd found out about Mousse's
curse a few weeks before when he and Ranma had had that little 
discussion/ fight/ swim at school.  If she hadn't, he'd be in
even worse trouble now.  Of course, this would be no picnic.  

     As she walked through the dark dining room she wondered what
had happened to put him in such a poor state of affairs.  On
second thought, she could probably guess.   "Another fight with
Shampoo I'll bet."  she conjectured into the silence.  

     She reached the kitchen by feel and then turned the lights
on.  The  kettle was never far from the stove.  She'd learned to
keep it handy.  When it was filled and heating, she went upstairs
and put her guest down softly on a cot in the spare room.  She
began to gather the things that he would need; clothes, bandages,
iodine, until she heard the kettle whistling downstairs.

     "This'll probably sting Sugar." she said kindly "Can't be
helped though.  I don't know a thing about first aid for ducks."

***

     _How does Akane stay so angry all the time?_ Ranma wondered
idly as he sat beneath the dock trying to decide what to do about
this new addition to his collection of fiancees.  His own anger
had left him hours ago, leaving only a weary blank feeling.  _How
could Pop do this?_  He asked himself for the hundredth time. 
_Doesn't he care about what it's doing to me?_

     He hugged his knees a little tighter trying to stay warm as
the last rays of the sun began to fade.  One thing was for sure,
he couldn't let this go on any longer.  He didn't want to spend
the rest of his life running from potential brides (or potential
fathers-in-law).  He didn't want to hurt the fiancees he already
had, but didn't know how to deal with them.  

     Why did Akane have to make things so difficult all the time. 
Couldn't she see that he was trying.  There was a lot about her
that still confused him.  Sometimes he didn't think she liked him
very much, but other times she seemed to be encouraging him in an
adorably clumsy tomboy way.  He smiled.  He wasn't any better at
that sort of thing than she was.  She was also very cute.  When
she smiled, it made him believe that a life with her might be
possible.  He admitted to himself that he really liked Nabiki,
but he wasn't sure how she felt about him.  _Whoa!_ he thought. 
_Did I say Nabiki?  I meant Akane._

     He thought about her face.  It was beautiful and he wouldn't
mind looking at it for the rest of his life.  He thought about
the times he'd watched her work out in the dojo, the way she
focused so intently on anything that she did.  He thought about
the afternoons that he'd spent talking to her in her room, and
learning diplomacy.   _No wait.  That was Nabiki._  He thought
about Akane's cute nose, about her kindness, about the way she'd
get irritated when his other fiance's were around.  He thought
about the way she stayed so calm and focused when she closed a
business deal and how...  _This is getting out of hand._ 

     He sat in the dark and thought, only moving after hours of
introspection.

     "Well, I gotta do somethin'"  He said to the darkness. 
"C'mon Saotome, time to be a man."

***

     Near the Tendo Dojo the mysterious cliche' man watched from
the concealing cliche' shadows.  He was waiting for something. 
He was waiting for someone.  Someone who had made him a laughing
stock.  Someone who had made his life miserable.  He would soon
have his revenge.  He chuckled maniacally to himself as his cloak
blew in the wind.

***

     Nabiki lay on her bed and fiddled lazily with her abacus. 
Numbers had a calming effect on her.  No matter how confusing and
muddled life got, numbers always behaved the same.  You could
line them up and add and subtract them.  You could shift them
into formulas, or put them in columns, and they always obeyed
you.  If only people were like that.  

     *CRASH*  _She's *still* at it?  Doesn't she know that books
and walls and furniture are expensive to replace?_  

     A new sound caught her attention.  Someone was coming up the
stairs.  At that speed it could only be one person.  _Stay away
from Akane tonight Ranma-kun._  She thought to him.

     She heard him knock on her door.  "Akane?" he asked.  Nabiki
frowned.  Apparently he'd forgotten to turn on his powers of
telepathy this morning.  _Please don't kill him Akane._  Maybe
hers were working better.  She doubted it.  

     Cringing in sympathy, she listened to the ensuing
destruction.  It lasted for nearly three minutes.  _Wow._ she
thought.  _It must be important if he hasn't bailed out by now._ 
She couldn't hear Ranma at all.  Akane seemed to be doing a lot
of yelling, though Nabiki couldn't make out what she was saying.  

     Suddenly Akane's door opened and closed very quickly.  A few
steps in the hall, and then Nabiki's own door opened and closed
as Ranma came in and put his back against it.  He put a finger to
his lips silencing her greeting.  Akane came out of her room. 
"Come back here!" she screamed.  "I'm not finished!"  They
listened as she ran past Nabiki's door and down the stairs. 
"RANMA!"

     Nabiki barely held in  a giggle.  He really was smarter than
anyone gave him credit for.  When she thought that her sister was
a safe distance away, she let out the laugh she was still
stifling.  Ranma slumped forward relieved, but there was pain in
his eyes.

     "What did you do this time?"

     He looked up at her.  "Nuthin'."

     "What's she so mad about?"

     He sighed.  "What's she ever mad about?  I get so sick of it
sometimes.  Everything that goes wrong around here is my fault. 
Ever notice that?"

     "Yeah, she doesn't give you a lot of credit, does she?"

     His eyes turned to the floor.  "Well, it doesn't matter
anymore."

     _Huh?_  "What do you mean Ranma?"

     "I mean, it's over.  Akane and I have officially broken up." 


     "WHAT?"  For the first time ever, Ranma Saotome had actually
managed to *stun* her.  He and Akane fought, but she'd always
believed that it was just in fun, and that they'd eventually end
up together.  From the look on his face, however, on this point,
he was not going to be moved.  It wasn't just his usual juvenile
denial of feelings for an "uncute tomboy".  This was a matter of
pride.  "Okay Ranma.  Start from the beginning."

     Ranma explained the conversation with his father.  He looked
really hurt.  The anger rose in Nabiki as she listened.  She
surprised herself when her fist slammed into the mattress.  "How
could he *do* such a thing?" she demanded.

     This surprised Ranma as well.  He looked at her strangely. 
There was something in his eyes that she'd never seen before. 
Then he was thinking, but Nabiki wanted to hear the rest of the
story.  "Well?  What happened next?"

     His eyes seemed to pierce hers.  "Then," he said quietly, "I
realized that it was time I made a decision."  He took two steps
forward, then kneeled next to her bed.  "I need to face my
responsibilities.  I need to choose a wife before I get any more
chosen for me."  He looked at the wall for a few seconds with the
same gaze that he'd used on her a moment ago.  For some reason it
didn't have the same effect on the wall, however.  "I decided to
talk to Akane.  We fight, but I do care about her.  I can admit
it now.  Now that I know how she really feels."  

     He trembled, his eyes closing.

     "What exactly did you ask her?" Nabiki prompted.

     He looked at her again.  There was some sadness there, but
it was second to something else, something she couldn't put her
finger on, something that made her heart beat a little faster. 
"I didn't get a chance to ask her anything.  As soon as I got in
the door she started yelling and throwing things at me."

     "And what did she say?"

     "Le's'see." and he counted off on his fingers.  "I hate you. 
I wish you'd just leave me alone.  You're such a jerk."  His
hands dropped onto the bed. 

     "Ranma-kun, Akane does *not* hate you."

     He gave her half a smile.  "I know that, but I *do* make her
unhappy.  She may not *hate* me, but now I realize that any
marriage between us would just make us both miserable.  I don't
want to spend the rest of my life married to someone who'll never
listen to my side when something weird happens.  It's hard enough
just being *engaged* to her.  And I don't think that Akane wants
to marry a man that she'll always be suspicious about.  She's
real jealous, and whether I deserve it or not, I'll never have
Akane's trust.  What makes a marriage work if not trust?"  He
sighed again; a long sigh filled with regret and pain.  Hearing
it Nabiki's heart was pierced with empathy.  She knew how much it
hurt when no one saw the real you.

     Leaning forward, Ranma took Nabiki's hands in his. Shocked,
Nabiki jumped.  The now familiar electric charge ran up her arms. 
"Ranma, what...?"

     He interrupted her.  "No more talkin' about Akane."  He
fixed that stare on her again, and she found that she couldn't
breath.  "I'm not real good at this stuff, so I need you to
listen carefully and don't interrupt.  Okay?"

     Her stunned silence seemed as good as an answer to him. 
"Nabiki, I know that we're young, and I know that I'm not rich or
brilliant, but I think that you and me could be pretty happy
together."  Uncertain of his words, he bravely charged on.  "You
understand me.  No one has ever even tried to understand me
before, but you know me better than my dad even.  I know what
people say about you too, but none of it's true.  You're kind,
and intelligent, and for the past little while, you're the only
thing that's made my life bearable.  Nabiki, I want us to get
married.  Please say yes.  I need you Nabiki."

     For the first time that she could remember, Nabiki was at a
loss for words.  She did manage to make a small sound somewhere
between a hiccup and a whine.  Ranma smiled and kissed her hand,
then waited for her to collect herself.

     Her mind was going in a million direction.  This was
absolutely, positively the last thing that she'd have expected. 
The thought had never so much as crossed her mind.  She looked at
him, sitting there being sincere.  He *was* very handsome.  On
that thought, he really had a lot going for him.  Sure he was
dirt poor and he needed some house training before she could take
him out in public, but he was bright, and he was sincere, and
*he* now knew *her* better than anyone else in the world.  She
smiled as she let her heart open up to the possibilities.  

     Then she sobered.  "What about Ukyou?" she asked, needing to
know a few things before she let that train of thought go any
further.  

     Ranma looked down at their hands again and shook his head. 
"Ucchan is a good friend.  I'll always care about her, but",  his
eyes met hers again.  "I don't feel the same... attraction...
towards her... that I feel... towards... you."  He began to blush
at the beginning of that sentence, and by the end he was beet
red.  His voice, though, remained steady.  "I know you've noticed
it too.  You couldn't help but notice it.  At first I didn't
realize what it was, but now I know.  I..."  His tongue got stuck
in his mouth.  He breathed in and out, then tried again.  "I
think I love you, Nabiki.  No, I know it.  I love you.  Marry
me."

     She fought the tears.  She had to be rational about this. 
It was possible that the two of them could form a strong romantic
bond given time.  "Ranma, you're my best friend.  My only friend. 
If you want to be my fianc‚ instead of Akane's, then that's
alright with me.  I'd really like that."

     Ranma shook his head.  "You don't understand." he said. " I
need to get married.  Now.  Before next Tuesday."

     Nabiki's mouth opened and closed several times.  It was
impossible.  She wasn't even out of high school yet.  College was
still a year away.  She had so many plans.  Could Ranma fit into
them?  

     "What if I say no?" she asked in a small frightened voice.

     His gaze didn't waver. "Then I guess I'd have to ask Ukyou." 
His brow wrinkled in concentration.  "It's the only way Nabiki. 
I gotta get married.  I'd like it to be to you."

     She was about to do the only logical thing.  She was about
to say that it was out of the question, but when she opened her
mouth, nothing came out.  She began to think again.  This was
Ranma in front of her.  This was the man that she cared about
more and more every day.  This was the one person who had helped
her to fight against the darkness in her soul.  If she were to
open her heart to him in the way that he was asking, what might
happen?  

     There were a million things that could go wrong, but she
admitted to herself that when she thought about being with him it
made her happy.  She weighed that against the possibility of
losing him to Ukyou.  She frowned.  That idea filled her with a
sadness and jealousy that she'd never thought herself capable of. 
Her eyes widened  as she realized that she'd felt the exact same
jealousy towards Akane for months now.  _But that means that
I..._  She swallowed hard.  _That I'm in love with Ranma.  That I
have been for a while now._  Her eyes closed as she realized that
it was true, and she let the emotion fill her heart.  It felt
very good.  

     When she opened her eyes and looked at his face again she
had no way of knowing that the expression of love that she saw
there was echoed in her own eyes.  Her voice cracked as she said
"Alright Ranma."

     The relief in his grin warmed her heart.  Her legs slid over
the side of the bed as she sat up.  She pulled him up to sit next
to her. 

     Shyly, he reached across the distance between them.  As
Nabiki leaned into the circle of his arms her face angled up
towards his.  They kissed gently for a moment, enjoying the
afterglow of the revelation between them.  

     They were still kissing when Akane walked in.  

     "Nabiki, has Ranma been back since..."  Akane's jaw dropped. 
She stood there unable to move or speak.

     As Nabiki pulled away from Ranma's kiss, an annoyed
expression crossed her face for a heart beat, but she quickly
schooled her features and gave her sister a neutral stare.  "I'm
kind of busy right now, Akane.  Could you come back later?"

     Somewhere between shocked and hurt, the usual anger slipped
through Akane's mental grasp.  The silence stretched out for a
moment more, then she numbly stepped back into the hall closing
the door behind her.

     Ranma stared at the space she had occupied.  "She's gonna
kill me."  he said calmly.

     Nabiki stood.  "I'll go talk to her.  You can break the news
to dad and uncle."

***

     It had been hours since she'd brought him here, and worry
was beginning to creep into Ukyou's mind.  She looked down at the
handsome Chinese boy she was watching over.  He should be awake
by now.  If he wasn't conscious soon, she would have to find a
way to get him to a doctor.  

     "C'mon Mousse."  she whispered.  "Wake up." and she touched
his cheek softly.

     His hand came up to cover hers, and he groaned, the pain
filling his senses.  "What happened?" he asked, his voice shaky.  

     "You tell me."

     Mousse looked up at the shapeless blob before him.  He
couldn't tell who she was, but she had a beautiful voice... and a
gentle touch.  He tried to smile, wishing he could see a face. 
"Please," he said "my glasses?"

     "I'm sorry.  I didn't see them when I found you."  He looked
disappointed, so she added, "If you have a spare set somewhere, I
could go and get them."

     "That would be nice if it's not too much trouble." he said. 
"They're at the Nekohanten.  Do you know where that is?"

     Ukyou frowned.  Was he delirious?  "Of course I know where
it is."

     "I don't suppose you could get them without anyone seeing
you?"

     "Why?"

     Ukyou watched as he lay there deep in thought.  He realized
that he wasn't sure himself why he didn't want the others to know
where he was.  There was a strange cold feeling in his chest as
he thought about seeing Shampoo again.  He wasn't ready for that. 
In fact, at the moment, he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to see
her again.  This surprised him a little.  Could his feelings for
her have changed so much in such a short time?  

     "I don't want them to worry about me." he finally answered,
guessing that she wouldn't be fooled so easily.  

     "If you say so."  She tossed her hair behind her.  It was a
stunning sight, and it was unfortunate that there was no one
there who could appreciate it properly.  "Anyway, I'm not sure if
I can do it.  If it were just Shampoo, maybe.  I can handle her
most of the time, but Cologne?  Even *I* can't sneak past *that*
harridan."

     Mousse frowned.  Not only was this a valid point, but it was
also obvious from the way she spoke that she believed that he
knew who she was. He'd probably remember given time, but for now,
he was still confused and a bit light headed. Well, he couldn't
ask her to endanger herself just so that he could see a little
better until he could bring himself to face Shampoo again. 
"We'll worry about it later." he said.  "No hurry."

***


     "Listen up!"  Ranma said by way of introduction.  He set the
bucket of water he'd brought (just in case)  down next to him and
looked squarely at the two men sitting at the shogi board.  "I
got something important to say, and I don't wanna be
interrupted."

     "What is it son?"  his father asked, relieved that he'd come
home.  When he had left the house earlier, he'd looked angry
enough to do something drastic.  Come to think of it, he wasn't
sure that he liked the determined expression that he wore now any
better. 

     After folding his arms across his chest and glaring at his
father for a moment, he spoke.  The direct approach seemed best. 
"Akane and I had another fight."  He grimaced as a violent Akane
flashback hit him.  No one should have to put up with that sort
of treatment.  "I been thinkin' about a lot of stuff.  If things
go on like this, sooner or later, the two of us are gonna kill
each other, and probably wreck half the city in the process. 
I've decided to end our engagement."

     Before he could continue, his father stood and began
shouting about family honor and his responsibilities.  Calmly,
and with one fluid motion, his foot connected with the bucket and 
sent it flying.  He felt a guilty twinge of pleasure as it had
its desired effect.  That had felt good.  His father "Growlf"ed
as he changed.  "I SAID DON'T INTERRUPT!"  The panda glared at
him, but sat back down.  Uncle Tendo looked like he was going to
cry.

     He almost said something about the effect of multiple
marriage arrangements on the family honor, but decided that his
father had suffered enough ... for now.  He cleared his throat,
then continued.  "Just because Akane and I ain't gettin' along
don't mean that family honor can't be satisfied."  Both of them
looked up, confused.  

     Taking a deep breath, he continued.  "I've spoken to Nabiki,
and she's agreed to marry me.  I know it ain't exactly what you
wanted, but it'll satisfy 'family honor' and you won't have to
worry 'bout Akane murdering me before we can give you that heir
you seem to want so badly.  That's condition number one."  He
gulped, still a little nervous about following through on the
next part.  "This is condition number two.  We get married right
away.  Before fiancee' number eighty-seven shows up next
Tuesday."  He stood proudly, his arms still folded, and the two
fathers thought for a moment that he might be glowing a soft
blue.  "That's my offer.  Take it, or leave it."

     They looked at him in shock for a moment, then Uncle Tendo
stood and slowly walked over to him.   Ranma braced for an
attack.

     Then Mister Tendo lunged at him.  

***

     Nabiki pushed the door to her sister's room open silently. 
When it was open just a crack she peeked in.  She couldn't see
Akane, and since no projectile weapons came flying at her head,
she widened the opening, then stepped inside.  

     Akane was sitting upright on her bed, her body rolled into a
tight ball.  She rocked back and forth silently staring straight
ahead.  She didn't seem to notice when Nabiki came in and sat in
the chair at the desk.  Nabiki waited.

     Ten minutes later, she decided to take the initiative. 
"Akane?"

     No response.

     "Akane, talk to me."

     Akane's only answer was in the increased tempo of her
rocking. She was fighting bravely against the shock that
threatened to take up permanent residence in her mind, but it
seemed to be winning.  She shuddered slightly.

     Nabiki bit her bottom lip for a moment.  She'd suspected
that Akane would take this hard, and had hoped to break it to her
a little more gently.  She loved her, and didn't want to hurt
her, but what had she expected would happen if she kept up that
sort of behavior towards Ranma anyway?  A hint of anger bit
through Nabiki's concern.  Akane could be such a baby sometimes. 
"You're going to have to talk to me sooner or later, you know."

     Irritation at her older sister worked its way through the
fog in Akane's mind.  It sent a homing signal to the anger that
had gotten lost earlier.  

     Nabiki's observational powers watched fascinated as her
sister's face came back to life.  It took about 30 seconds for it
to go from pale and blank to red and enraged.  She braced herself
for impact.

     "HOW COULD YOU?"  Akane screamed.  "I knew you were cold and
unfeeling, but I didn't realize you were so... so... MEAN!" 
Nabiki cringed, but didn't respond.  "I thought you had SOME
decency!"  Akane's face darkened a few shades.  "And Ranma..." 
Her fists clenched.  "THAT PERVERT!"  

     Nabiki knew that she had to calm her sister down enough to
tell her what had happened, but she hadn't figured out how yet. 
Akane was certain to be hurt and angry, and probably violent. 
She'd never attacked a non-combatant before, but in the state she
was in now, who knew what could happen?  She reflected for a
moment.  Her training in business was all about staying detached
and calm.  She'd never gotten into a situation that those skills
couldn't get her out of.  Until now.  She froze for a moment as
she realized that she had no idea what to do. 

     Akane just stood there fuming.  She looked around for
something to take out her anger on, but her room was still a
disaster from that earlier incident.  Surrounded by the reminders
of that fight, she gulped.  _I did all of this?_  An image of
Ranma came into her mind.  He was waving his arms and telling her
_Just listen for a sec.  Okay Akane?_  That was what he'd been
saying when he'd come.  Over and over he'd asked.  He hadn't
insulted her or  yelled back at her, just asked her to listen.  

     And she hadn't.

     Was that what had caused all of this?  She ran through a
hypothetical sequence of events in her mind.  An upset Ranma
leaving her room, Nabiki hiding him... for a price, Nabiki using
the situation to get to Ranma.  If he were as upset as he'd
seemed, he would have been an easy mark for Nabiki to manipulate. 
She'd somehow tricked him into kissing her.  Why though? 
Blackmail obviously.  She must have been planning to threaten to
tell everyone about the kiss if he didn't pay her, or help her
with something.  And poor stupid Ranma had fallen into her trap. 
He hadn't had a chance against this devious unfeeling woman.  She
was going to pay for what she'd done.

     While Akane was jumping to conclusions, Nabiki was
struggling with uncertainties.  _This is certainly a day of
firsts._ part of her mind observed ironically.  Something that
felt suspiciously like a sob was trying to get out.  _Control it
girl.  This is important._  She had to be honest and direct with
Akane.  That was the only way.  "I'm sorry Akane." she said,
trying to sound firm.  "Neither of us planned this, it just
happened.  We didn't want to hurt you."  

     "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO RANMA?"  Akane demanded, not
hearing what her sister was saying.

     "What...?"

     "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"  She yelled, then ran out the
door. She ran down the stairs yelling the name of her supposed
fianc‚.  She'd find him and they'd straighten this whole thing
out.  He was probably scared that she'd be mad.  Poor Ranma. 
They really needed to sit down and have a talk about their
relationship.  She didn't want anything like today to ever happen
again.  

As she rounded the corner and walked into the living room, she
was greeted by the sight of a dancing panda and Ranma struggling
to escape the tight hold of her weeping father.  Something was
going on.

"Oh isn't it wonderful Akane?!" Mr. Tendo asked, noticing his
youngest daughter's presence if not the expression on her face.  

She scowled.  "Isn't what wonderful?"  

"That Ranma-kun and Nabiki are getting married next week."

Most of the people in the Tendo home (including Akane) had done
something out of character in the last few hours.  This trend
continued as Akane's eyes closed, and she fell limply to the
ground.

***

     "Ukyou," Ranma said in a serious voice, "I never wanted to
hurt you."  He gave a short ionic laugh.  "I never wanted to hurt
anybody, but what can I do?  I wish that I could take care of you
and Shampoo and the others.  I wish that my father was more
responsible and honorable, but I can't, and he ain't.  I've
thought about it a lot, and I hope that I've made the right
decision, but I couldn't see a way out without somebody's
feelings bein' hurt."  

      He took a moment to collect his thoughts, reaching back and
rubbing the back of his head slowly.  "It hurts me to have to do
this, but I'm askin' you to break off our engagement.  I'm going
to be working and save some money, and I'm gonna pay you'n your
family back for what Pop took from you just as soon as I can, but
things just can't go on the way they've been.  Too many people
keep gettin' hurt.  Please try'n understand.  I hope we can still
be friends."  He looked up hopefully.

      Nabiki nodded thoughtfully.  "Not bad Ranma-kun.  Sincere.
Apologetic.  Just a touch of groveling.  It just might work."

      Ranma smiled shyly at his newest fianc‚.  She'd made his
life so much easier.  He was much less likely to make an idiot
out of himself lately thanks to her training and advice.  He
wasn't looking forward to the confrontations ahead of him,
especially the one that he was practicing for right now.  Nabiki
was right, though.  It was important that he talk to Ukyou
himself first thing in the morning, before she had a chance to
hear about his upcoming marriage from some one else.  Rumors flew
fast and furious at Furinkan High School, and he wanted to spare
her the embarrassment of learning about it from another class
mate.

      Nabiki looked at him and grinned.  "Enough talking." she
said, then came over and sat in his lap.  They were in her room
again, but he suddenly realized that he was in a much more
precarious position than he'd been in in any of their earlier
practice sessions.  She ran a finger down his cheek slowly.  "I
really think we should pick things up from where we were
interrupted earlier."

      He decided that maybe it wasn't such a bad position after
all.

***
      Mousse was awakened early the next morning by the sound of
someone knocking on the outside door downstairs.  He smiled as he
heard his unknown benefactress answering the door and greeting
her visitor.  It was obvious that she was glad to see him.  She
had such a melodic voice.  

      He listened to the rise and fall of the distant voices for
a couple of minutes.  He had almost fallen back to sleep when the
cheerful lilt of her voice suddenly rose in anger.  "No."  She
yelled desperately.  "You don't mean it!  You can't!"  

      She was in trouble.  He frowned.  Someone was making her
unhappy, and he intended to do something about it.  He groaned as
he tried to get out of the bed, the blood in his head pounding
loudly against his skull.  He'd do something about it in just a
few moments.  

      A sob rose from the ground floor.  _She needs you NOW._ 
Mousse gritted his teeth and pushed himself upright despite his
aching head and protesting muscles.  He stood shakily and began
to make his way to the door.  Whoever had hurt her would pay.  

      Then he heard the door open again.  The unknown male said
something softly, apologetically, and left.  She was running up
the stairs about the same time that he made it to the doorway of
his room.  Blinded by her tears, the woman collided with her
patient and both fell to the floor.  Mousse groaned.  

      Ukyou swallowed a sob.  "Sorry Mousse.  I- I didn't see you
there."

     _Kind in all circumstances._ the boy noticed through the
pain he felt all through his body.  What sort of monster could
have hurt her like this.  He tried to stand, to reassure her, but
another groan came instead of the words that would bring her
comfort.  

      She leaned over him, wiping her eyes, and lifted him to his
feet.  "Let's get you back to bed."

      As she tried to lower him onto the cot, he grabbed her
hand.  "Please," he whispered.  "Tell me what's wrong.  Tell me
what he did to you."

      He felt her stiffen.  One sniffle, then another, and
suddenly she was crying uncontrollably again.  He reached out and
embraced her.  His body protested, the pain flared back to life,
but he held on.  As her body shook and her ragged breath caught
over and over again on the lump in her throat, he held her. 
Finally she spoke in a hoarse whisper.  "Ra-Ranma doesn't love
me."

      And then he knew.  His eyes closed, and he held her closer
still.  "Don't cry Ukyou.  Don't cry."

***

     "I don't get it!"  said Yuko.  "I just don't understand. 
Why did you agree to this?  Why don't you just tell your dad to
get stuffed?  I never thought I'd see *you* accept an arranged
marriage so calmly."  She looked at Nabiki, who sat quietly at
her desk, then elbowed Masami looking for help.

     "Yeah!" said Masami.  "What's going on?  Why Ranma?"

      Nabiki allowed herself an instant to remember her own
insecurities of the night before.  She'd been up late into the
morning worrying about many things, not the least of which had
been money. It wasn't everything, but life without it could
strain even true love.  Some time around dawn, the worried scowl
she'd worn since just after Ranma had left her had slipped away,
replaced by a smile that grew with each passing moment as
solutions poured into her mind.  Suddenly she'd had a new
confidence that everything would be alright.  The warm joyful
feeling that she'd had after making her decision returned in
force, and she'd resolved never to doubt this particular decision
again.  It was time to move on and make a new life for herself
with a new business partner, a very special one.  

      Now in the face of her friends' skepticism, she felt
reluctant to tell them the whole truth, still, she didn't want
them to worry. 

       She gave a calculating predatory smile.  After all, she
had a reputation to maintain.  "Are you kidding?" she asked, as
if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  "Ranma is a
*gold mine*!"  Yuko and Masami still looked skeptical.  Some of
the solutions that the dawn had brought, she knew, would put
their minds at ease.  "His hair alone is worth a fortune.  Do you
know how much human hair sells for?  And Ranma's is gorgeous!  He
can grow enough in just a few seconds to bring in 50 or 60
thousand yen.  Not to mention the money he could make on the
tournament circuit, and the money *I* can make taking bets.  And
his looks!  With the right connections, I could easily get him a
great career as a model.  Two models in fact!"  She smirked
slightly with this last comment, but the old general contempt
with the world was gone, replaced by ironic, but genuine
tenderness for the man she was talking about.  Her henchwomen
didn't notice.  They smirked as well, as if suddenly
understanding.  It hurt Nabiki a little to cheapen her
relationship with Ranma in front of her friends, but she didn't
know how to put her very real feelings into words.  She wasn't
even sure she wanted to.  

      Lunch was in full swing when the three of them finished
this conversation.  Voices buzzed around them excitedly.  The
fabled Furinkan High rumor mill was working at full speed.  She
frowned, knowing that today she and Ranma were the grist for that
mill.  Oh well.  She thought standing on her chair to make an
announcement.  Why not give them something to talk about.  

***

      In a quiet bedroom above a busy restaurant, a tiny man with
a bandanna tied under his nose was rooting happily through a
drawer.  He was murmuring cheerfully to himself, and didn't
notice the young woman who now stood in the doorway.  "Panties,
panties, panties..."  He frowned.  "Where are the bras?"  

     "Shampoo no own bras." said an icy voice from the doorway, a
voice that caused the perverted master to turn towards it with
something approaching trepidation.  After staring for a moment at
the beautiful figure back lighted dramatically in the entrance
and the scowl on the face of said figure, he realized that he was
in a bit of danger.  Well, discretion was the better part of
valor.  

     "Ah my lovely Shampoo." he said, getting one last look at
her shapely curves, "I wish I could stay and play, but I must be
going now."  He grabbed a handful of underwear and jumped out the
window.  

      The Amazon was not pleased.  "Old pervert come back!!" she
screamed in fury before giving chase.

***

     _I could get used to this._  Ranma thought as he and Nabiki
came around the final corner on their walk home.  Her hand in his
felt wonderful and natural, and when she looked up and caught him
watching her, she blushed ever so slightly, and looked at the
ground with a surprisingly innocent smile on her face.  Any more
happiness and he'd probably explode.  

      Reaching the dojo, they noticed the banner. 
"CONGRATULATIONS RANMA AND NABIKI!"  

     "What is this?!" Ranma asked, slightly upset as he noticed
the number of people walking in and out of the house and around
the yard.  

      Nabiki smiled. He noticed that it was a very different
smile this time.  It was much less innocent for one thing. "Oh,
didn't I tell you?  Daddy arranged an engagement party for us."

***

     _They're having a party?_  Pansuto Tarou thought idly as he
crouched once more in the shadow of a nearby tree.  He was
getting quite bored standing there.  He'd been waiting for
Happosai for almost a week now, and so far he hadn't seen a trace
of him.  Maybe he'd moved out.  He pulled his cloak tighter
around himself, (not because he was cold, but because it was a
dramatic sort of thing to do, even if no one could see it) and
continued to watch.

***

     _Stupid party._  Thought Akane, as she helped Kasumi pass
out glasses of lemonade.  _Stupid Ranma, stupid Nabiki._  She
glared at an innocent guest as he asked for a refill.  _Stupid
Daddy, stupid engagement, stupid party._  

     All things considered, she was taking things rather well.

      She looked over to where Ranma stood, with that embarrassed
look on his face, the one he used to wear whenever people would
talk about him and Akane.  People were pressed tightly around him
offering congratulations, and teasing him about his upcoming
wedding.  

     Well, she didn't care.  She growled at another guest and
headed back to the kitchen for more ice.  He could marry Nabiki
and Shampoo *and* Ukyou for all she cared.  It wasn't as if she
*liked* him or anything.  It wasn't as if she was in love with
him.  It wasn't as if she'd miss the way he sometimes looked at
her, or the way he protected her even when she didn't need it, or
the jealous look that other girls would get in their eyes when
they saw her with him, or the way he sometimes told her that she
was cute when she smiled, or the little flutter that her heart
would give when he touched her hand, or-

     "Aaargh!" she screamed.  "RANMA YOU JERK!"

     "Akane?"  Kasumi asked sweetly, "Are you alright?"

     "Uh.. Yeah, I'm fine.  I just need some more ice."

     "Oh.  Alright."  Kasumi's smile was sweet and vacant as
always.  She went to the freezer and pulled out an ice cube tray. 
As she worked, Akane suffered another wave of depression.  One
silent sob almost got through.  Fiercely choking it back, she
decided to get angrier.  It had always worked before.  

      Then again, what had anger ever really gotten her. 
Nabiki's laughter drifted merrily to her ears from somewhere
outside.  _Stupid Nabiki._

      But Nabiki wasn't stupid.  Nabiki wasn't stupid at all, and
in the end, Nabiki's cleverness had gotten her what she must have
wanted all along.  Nabiki had *tricked* her and had tricked
Ranma, and now Nabiki was marrying *HER* fianc‚.  She had to have
been planning this from the beginning.  She'd won too.  _Well!_ 
Akane promised, a determined look coming over her, _Nabiki will
get hers._

***

     "Old pervert come back!" Shampoo yelled for the eighteenth
time.  Creative insults were never her strongest area. 
Persistence, on the other hand, she excelled at.  Happosai looked
over his shoulder, unable to believe that he hadn't shaken her
yet.

     "I see that I need a distraction." he thought out loud. 
"But what?"

      His brow wrinkled in concentration (not that anyone could
have told the difference) as he thought.  

     "That's it!"

      He smiled and changed directions.  "Oh Ranma?  Ranma my
boy?"

***

     "Where on earth am I now?!?"

     Ryoga looked at all the people around him.  They were all
chattering and sipping glasses of lemonade as they walked
aimlessly around in someone's yard.  And weren't those Furinkan
High School uniforms that some of them were wearing.  

     "Oh, hi Ryoga." said Ranma from the cluster of people
surrounding him.  "Glad you could make it."

     "Wha..?" he muttered, still looking around in confusion. 
What was Ranma doing here?

***

     Akari Unryu was one of very few people who were genuinely
thrilled to hear about Ranma Saotome's upcoming wedding.  She'd
run into a friend of hers who was one of Ranma's class mates on
their way to his engagement party.  She hadn't planned to come at
first, but her friend had insisted that the invitation had been
an open one.  It seemed that the bride's father was so excited to
finally be marrying off one of his three daughters, that anyone
was welcome in his home this day.  

     It would be nice to see Ranma again.  He was such a nice
boy.  She'd never be able to repay him for his help in meeting
Ryoga and getting to know him.  She hoped that Ranma and his
future wife would be very happy together.

     And maybe Ryoga would be at the party.  

***

      Ukyou shook her head as she led Mousse around another
lamppost.  She wished again that he'd just let her go to the
Nekohanten and *ask* for his glasses, but he was insistent.  It
was understandable, she supposed, considering the way that
Shampoo had treated him.  

     They'd spent most of the day talking.  Mousse understood how
much it hurt to be rejected by the one you love.  Even if Ranma's
rejection had been kinder than Shampoo's, it hadn't hurt any
less.  Mousse was a good listener.  She looked at him and smiled. 
He was handsome too.

      At first she'd wanted to hate Ranma.  The old anger and
desire for revenge had come back.  After hours of soul searching,
she had realized that she didn't really blame him.  He had been
placed in a very uncomfortable position, and none of it was his
fault.  She hoped that they could still be friends, and had
decided to stop by and talk to him personally.  

     Mousse had asked to come along.  He was still stiff and
sore, and leading him around so carefully was slowing her down
quite a bit, but the truth was that she was glad for the company. 
She wasn't sure if she could trust herself not to chicken out or
get upset again.  

     "Pardon me miss."  He said politely as his arm brushed
against a telephone pole.     

***

      Akane's day was getting worse and worse.  

     How could Ranma be taking this so calmly?  How could he
leave her like this?  She wanted to make him pay.  Her mind
whirled with schemes to hurt him, to cause him to feel pain like
she was feeling.

      Scanning the yard, she noticed Ryoga standing next to the
pond.  He looked pretty confused.  That was nothing new.  She
decided to go talk to him, the beginnings of an idea forming in
her mind.

***

     _Almost there._ thought Happosai as he jumped to clear the
wall of the Tendo yard.  He had just begun his upward arc when
something grabbed his collar.  

     "I have you now!" said a voice.

     Dangling, the old man looked up into the face of his captor. 
"Ah, Pantyhose, m'boy.  How nice to see you again."

     Tarou sneered.  He gave his prisoner a little shake, almost
making him drop something laced and silky.  "I'm quite glad to
see you too."  He said sweetly.  "Now you're going to start
suffering for the humiliation you've caused me."

     Happosai looked back at the woman who was following him. 
"Can't right now."  He said nervously.  "Perhaps later this
evening we can sit around and discuss old times."

     "Be quiet.  If you don't give me a new name right now, I'm
gonna-"

     "Hiya!  Shampoo catch you old pervert.  Now you pay!"  

     Eyeing the Amazon distastefully, Tarou shook his head.  "Get
in line, little girl.  I have business with the old man."  

     Shampoo frowned.  She wasn't going to be robbed of her prey
so easily.  "Give old pervert to Shampoo." she said menacingly.  

     Tarou glowered "Hmph.  He's busy.  Run along now."

     A low growling noise came from Shampoo's throat.  "I teach
you lesson too then." she threatened.  

     Getting into a defensive pose, The Pantyhose Boy smiled
confidently.  "Alright then." he said.  "I accept your
challenge."  

     Happosai smiled at his good fortune as he squirmed free and
ran off unnoticed.  

***

     Brush past someone else.  Smile and nod, smile and nod.  Try
to ignore Kuno as he went happily on and on about how Akane Tendo
and the pig-tailed-girl were now free to date with him.  Smile
and nod.

     All of this deviousness was new to Akane.  Ordinarily, she'd
just scream a lot and break things.  She was fighting that urge
now.  She had to keep it up. She had to make them pay.  She had
to get even.  

     Looking around again, her eye caught Ranma's as he and
Nabiki posed for those who had brought cameras.  He frowned when
he saw her. _How dare he frown at me?_   Or was that worry.  No,
of course not.  Ranma didn't care about her feelings.  He didn't
care if she lived or died.  

     Drawing herself up to her full height, she turned away from
her former fianc‚ and continued to push through the crowd towards
Ryoga.  

     By the time she reached him, he had turned around and was
looking dazedly in the direction he had come from.  He blinked at
the hole he'd made in the wall surrounding the yard.  He'd known
that sooner or later he'd get in trouble for using the Baksai
Tenketsu so much to keep from getting turned around while
traveling, but had never dreamed, even in his worst nightmares
that that trouble would come in the form of an angry Akane Tendo
coming after him for vandalizing her home.  Maybe he could get
away before she saw him.  She'd never know that he was the one
who did it.

     "Hello Ryoga!" Akane said sweetly.

     Ryoga's body jerked violently around, and he looked at Akane
in fear.  "I'm doomed." he whispered quietly to himself.  

     "It's so good to see you again.  You haven't been around for
a couple of weeks now, have you?"  The cheerfulness seemed forced
to Akane, but Ryoga didn't notice.  

     "H-h-h-hello Akane." he finally managed to stutter.  "It's
g-good to see you again as w-well."

     Akane's smile broadened until it almost hurt to look at it. 
"I've missed you Ryoga-kun."  Then her lips turned down into the
tiniest of feminine pouts.  "I hate it so when you're away."

     "Y-you do?"

     "Yes."  She moved a little closer and touched his arm with
one idly stroking finger. Her voice lilted and teased.  "A girl
always knows where she stands with you.  You'd never play games
with a woman's heart.  You're a *real* friend Ryoga.  The kind of
man a girl can really count on."  She looked down at the ground
and frowned a bit, making sure that he saw it before hiding her
mouth with a daintily curled hand.  

     Not quite sure exactly what was going on, but sure that it
was all Ranma's fault, Ryoga stared at Akane.  She sighed
delicately.  "Yes, I'm glad that you're back.  Things have been
so lonely here without someone to talk to."

***

     A lot can happen in twenty seconds.  

     In twenty seconds, a fight can be won or lost.

     In twenty seconds, a new love can be formed and an old love
can crumble to dust.

     In twenty seconds, you can pose for approximately eight
photographs.

     In twenty seconds, the starry-eyed love dreams of a young
girl can turn into the bitter disappointment of a lonely woman.

     In twenty seconds, you can make a life long friend, or an
eternal enemy.

     In twenty seconds, it is possible to completely ruin some
poor sap's life.

     In twenty seconds, new hope can be found that things will
turn out alright in the end for someone that you love and have
worried about. 

     In twenty seconds, you can lose consciousness due to massive
blood loss.

     In short, twenty seconds can change the world.

***  

     It couldn't have been called the battle of the century.  It
wasn't even the most spectacular battle to take place that month
in the Nerima District of Tokyo, but the battle between Pantyhose
Tarou and the Amazon Shampoo was a turning point not just in
their own lives, but in the lives of a few of the other locals as
well.  

     If not for this battle, for example, Ranma and Nabiki's
marriage would have been plagued by various love  potions and the
occasional murder attempt. It was lucky for them that
circumstances combined to bring the two together in a fight.

     At the moment, the dust from that fight was clearing and the
cloaked figure was looking down at his defeated rival with a
smirk on his delicate face.

     "That'll teach you." he said to the still dizzy Shampoo. 
Then he turned and ran off in the direction Happosai had gone.

     Shampoo blinked.  She stood slowly and brushed off her
clothes.  She looked down the street and noticed Tarou's
retreating shadow.  Grunting in frustration, she began to run
after him.

     "Airen!" she shouted.  "Airen!"

***

     He had to endure it.  No matter how much it embarrassed him,
no matter how deeply it made him blush, Ranma had to put up with
the attention and the good natured teasing about himself and
Nabiki.  There just wasn't a way out this time.  Besides, Nabiki
didn't seem to mind it, not the way Akane always had.  

     Akane.

     He turned and saw that she was still with Ryoga.  She was
trying hard to look like she hadn't a care in the world as she
pulled him gently toward the house.  Ryoga just looked confused. 
Still, it was good to see the two of them getting along so well. 
Maybe if Ryoga played his cards right, there was a chance for he
and Akane after all.  The thought made Ranma smile.  Even after
all that Akane had done to him, he didn't want to see her alone. 
The same thing went for Ryoga.  When this was all over, he hoped
that the four of them could be friends.

     They were heading towards the dining room.  

     Excusing himself from Nabiki (who smiled that secret smile
at him, the one that he was beginning to really love) and the
crowd of well wishers, he headed towards them.  

***

     Some people say that the beginning of romance means the end
of friendship.  There are many cases where this is absolutely not
true, and in fact, most really strong romantic relationships are
really just deep friendships with an added dimension.  It is true
in some cases, however.

***

     Akane glanced back inconspicuously, just enough to make sure
that Ranma had seen them come this way.  He was following them. 
That was even better.  She faced the house, not even trying to
hide the smirk on her face.  She knew he wouldn't be able to
stand seeing her with another man.  He was so predictable.  

     _He's jealous._ She thought smugly.  She dragged Ryoga into
the house and turned to face him.  She smiled fetchingly as she
held her free hand out to him.  He took it slowly, a glazed look
in his eyes.  Funny, she'd seen that look before.  She wondered
what it meant.

     They were alone in the dining room now.  Timing was
critical.  She had to act fast.  

     "I want to give you something." she whispered, wishing that
she'd spent more time developing 'feminine whiles'.  She hoped
that it had come out sounding seductive.  

     "What is it?" Ryoga asked entranced. 

     _Hold on!  Just a few more seconds!_ and then Ranma's form
appeared in the doorway from the porch. _Now!_

     "This." she whispered, grabbing the base of his shirt, and
pulling his face down to hers.  His arms went automatically
around her waist for balance.

     Akane had never kissed a boy before.  It wasn't at all what
she'd expected.  She wasn't sure she was doing it right either. 
Ryoga just seemed to be standing there stiffly.  Had she been
wrong when she'd thought that he was kind of attracted to her? 
Desperate for revenge on Ranma, she held on to the kiss for a few
more moments despite the slightly sick feeling in the pit of her
stomach,  the sense that something was very very wrong.  She
broke the kiss and tried to smile up at him, but her heart wasn't
in it.  Then she glanced over at Ranma, getting ready to pretend
that she was surprised to see him there.  She was gratified to
see a horrified look on his face until she realized that he
wasn't looking at her.  He was looking towards the door across
from...

     A high pitched woman's scream from that direction
interrupted that line of thought.  Slowly, Akane turned toward
the sound.

     _Oh no.  Akari._

     Akari's usual cheerful face was twisted into the embodiment
of shock, pain and betrayal.  She stared at Akane and Ryoga
unable to do anything but scream.  That one scream seemed to
stretch on forever, but inevitably, she ran out of breath, and
the screaming gave way to silence.  Two heartbeats later, she
turned and ran.

     Ranma jumped past the couple in the middle of the floor. 
Akane let go of Ryoga who had a strange parody of a smile on his
face as he fell limply to the ground, a small pool of crimson
collecting on the carpet beneath his nose.  "Akari!" Ranma
shouted, reaching the spot she'd been in, but she had already
fled.  

     Akane looked around at Ranma's back in the doorway and at
Ryoga's prone body and wondered what had happened.  This wasn't
what she'd planned at all.

***

     "Airen!  Airen!" yelled Shampoo as she ran past Ukyou and
nearly knocked Mousse over.  She didn't even slow down.

     "Hey!" shouted Ukyou, annoyed that that... that...
*Amazon*... had the gaul to be chasing after Ranchan *again*! 
And on the day of his official engagement no less.  It was
intolerable.  And the way she'd treated Mousse...  Someone should
really teach her a lesson in-

     At that moment, Ranma came out through the open gate and
looked down the street in both directions.  

     "Ra-Ranchan?"

     He looked directly at her at last, and smiled cautiously. 
"Hi Ucchan.  Mousse.  Did Akari come this way?"

     "Akari?  No.  Shampoo just ran by though.  I thought she was
chasing after you."

     Ranma shook his head.  "Haven't seen Shampoo in a couple of
days.  Akari and Ryoga had a little... misunderstanding and I was
worried about her.  You sure ya haven't seen'er?"

     "Sorry."  She sighed and tried to remember all the things
that she'd wanted to say to him.  With a great effort, she lifted
her chin and looked him in the eye.  "Ranma, we should talk."

***

     "Who is it?" said Akane as she lay on her bed pretending to
study.  The events of the last two days were going around and
around in her head.  She was torn between shock over Ranma and
Nabiki, and guilt over what had happened with Ryoga and Akari.  

     They were such a cute couple.  She hoped that they wouldn't
break up over this.

     The worst thing was that Ranma had seemed more upset about
Akari than anything else.  Didn't he care about her at all? 
She'd thought once that he did.  

     The whole thing was just a great big mess.

     For hours now, strange thoughts had been coming into her
head.  Unfamiliar painful thoughts that told her that she
shouldn't be so surprised.  That she never did anything to tell
him that she wanted him to stay, to protect her, to love her, so
why did she believe that he would know how she felt.  Strange how
quickly she'd stopped denying how much she *did* want those
things when the voices started.  Memories had flooded through
her.  Moments they'd spent together.  Violent, unhappy memories
that pointed accusing fingers at her, soft, peaceful, happy
memories that always seemed to end in disaster.  Most of all, she
thought of all the times when she could have told him, when she'd
wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn't come. 

     _Did you really need words?_ some part of her asked in a
nasty voice. _Couldn't you have *shown* him.  Couldn't you have
made him understand.  No.  You couldn't.  And now it really is
too late._

     "It's Ukyou.  Can I come in?"

     Akane's heart sank.  She'd thought for a moment that Ranma
had finally come to make up with her.  She was still waiting for
him to say that it was all just a scam, that he was paying Nabiki
to play along so that he could get her angry or jealous or
something.  What was Ukyou doing here anyway?

     "Come in."

     Akane hardly recognized the Ukyou that walked through her
door.  The cheerful but defiant career girl that she'd come to
love and hate over the last few months looked strangely tired. 
Her usual bubbliness seemed strained, but she smiled at her
former rival with a warm, empathetic expression.

     "You look like you could use a friend." she said, closing
the door behind her.

     Akane smirked.  "So do you." she said, humorlessly.

     "True."  As Ukyou got closer, Akane noticed something else. 
Ukyou didn't just look tired, she looked defeated.  Something was
tearing her apart inside.

     And then the realization struck.  In all the confusion,
she'd forgotten to consider what all of this might do to Ukyou. 
Of all the people who chased after Ranma one way or the other,
Ukyou seemed like the most genuine.  She had plenty of reasons to
hate him, and yet she loved him.  She saw ... something in him
that, for her at least, made up for all the arrogance, the
insults, the thoughtlessness.  Ukyou was the one person that had
the most to lose by loving Ranma.  She'd never made a secret of
her feelings which made this final rejection nothing short of a
public humiliation.  

     Akane's last hope that this was all just a hoax went out the
window.  Ranma had broken up with Ukyou.  He'd gone to her and
officially ended their engagement.  He'd never have done that as
part of a scheme.  He really cared about her and wouldn't have
wanted to hurt her like this just to play one of his perverted
games.  Ranma was serious about this engagement to Nabiki.  Akane
looked away from Ukyou's eyes.  She couldn't deal with any one
else's pain right now.  She could barely deal with her own.  

     Sighing, Ukyou sat on the bed.  "It's not fair, is it?"

     A sound that suspiciously resembled a whimper came from
Akane's throat.  Then again, it could have been the wind against
the window glass. 

     "I don't know what you mean."

     "Don't you?"

     Akane looked down at her text book again.  Funny, she didn't
remember the print being so blurry.  "No."

     "Akane, I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth,
but somehow, I don't believe it."  She leaned a little closer,
studying her, the tremor in her hand, the slump of her shoulder. 
"I do know that it helps to talk to someone about it.  If you
don't want me to be that someone, I understand, but I hope that
you'll find somebody."  

     Akane felt the mattress shift as Ukyou got up to leave. 
"Call me if you change your mind."

     Before she could stand, Akane's hand grabbed her wrist
tightly.  The break in momentum brought her back onto the bed,
and then Akane was hugging her tightly and sobbing.

***

     Somehow, he'd come to the ocean.  The gentle waves lapped
over the tips of his shoes.

     It had been a week since Ryoga had walked out of the Tendo
home needing some fresh air to clear his mind, and he hadn't been
able to find his way back.  

     He remembered the kiss.  Even now, the thought of it filled
his eyes with tears.  Akane *did* love him.  They'd be so very
happy together once he found her again.  That is, if she didn't
think that he'd run off because he didn't want her.  The joy
threatened to ebb a bit, but he stubbornly refueled it.  Akane
would understand.  She was the one person who would always
understand him.

     He shouted an oath to the sky.  "Akane, I *will* find you
even if it's the last thing I do!"  Then he turned and walked
back the way he had come.

***

     Ukyou watched Mousse as he cleaned the last table.  It was
the end of another long working day, and they were both ready for
a break.  

     Watching him made her smile.  Who'd've thought the kid was
such a perfectionist.  He meticulously scrubbed each tabletop as
if he were expecting the emperor himself to come in and check the
place out.  She supposed that it came from working for Cologne. 
She probably demanded nothing less.

     Speaking of the old Ghoul, it was weird how she had taken
Ranma's marriage so calmly.  No poisoning attempts or violence. 
She and Shampoo had just disappeared suddenly.  They'd closed
their restaurant and departed for China without a word to anyone. 

     It was too bad about Mousse's glasses.  Maybe she'd get him
a new pair as a bonus.  He was a good worker and she was really
glad to have his help, especially now that the Nekohanten was
closed and much of its business was now hers.  He deserved a nice
surprise, and it would probably keep him from running into things
so much while waiting tables.

     Besides, he'd always looked so darned cute in his glasses.

     Ukyou smiled slightly.  Heck.  He was cute no matter what.  

     More importantly, though, he was her friend.  He listened to
her and respected her, and that was what really mattered.  The
last week had been the hardest of her life, but he had been there
the whole time supporting and helping her in her sorrow.  Once or
twice she'd caught him looking at her (or at least in her general
direction) with a soft pleasant smile on his face, but that was
all.  The pain of love lost was still too fresh for both of them. 
Maybe someday they'd be more than friends.  For now it was
enough.  She was content.

     He'd finished the last table and was looking around trying
to find her.  She decided to help him out.

     "Hey Mousse!  You wanna go see a movie?  My treat."

     "Yes, I'd like that."  He frowned a little.  "As long as you
don't mind telling me what happens on the screen."

     Her soft laughter filled the restaurant.  His joined it soon
after.

***

     The forest of Ryoganzawa was as beautiful as she had
remembered.  The young girl looked around and tried to smile,
memories of her vacation here with her grandfather many years ago
washed over her.  The smile faded.   _I miss you Grandfather. 
I'm so sorry that I let you down_.

     She sighed, then called to her pet.  "KATSUNNISHIKI!  DON'T
GO TOO FAR!"  She heard her prize pig snort a happy reply.  He,
at least was enjoying this trip.  At nearly 2,000 kg and a height
of 2.5 meters, he was hard to miss as he charged through the
vegetation.  Watching him took away the pain... for a moment...
and then the image came into her mind again.  The man she loved,
and had hoped to marry with another woman in his arms.  Over and
over in her mind she saw his head move towards Akane's, watched
their lips meet.  She shook her head to drive out the image as
the despair washed over her again.  _Oh Ryoga, how could you do
it?  Why didn't you tell me?_  

     Akari walked deeper into the forest, wallowing in unhappy
memories.  She had dared to hope that her loneliness had come to
an end.  Now here she was, orphaned and abandoned.  Alone.

     She was brought out of her mental prison by a sound in the
distance.  Charging hooves and Katsunnishiki's squeal of
challenge.  He had found an opponent.  Akari ran towards the
sound, her brown and pink hair flowing behind her.  If he were
fighting one of the forest animals, he could get hurt.  Berating
herself for her inattention, she crashed through the underbrush
until she could see the huge black pig.  He lay on the ground,
knocked unconscious.  His opponent stood nearby.  

     Looking up, Akari saw the young man from behind.  He was
very tall, with soft brow hair tied up in a stub of a ponytail. 
He wore black trousers and a dark blue gi top with a white kanji
in a circle on it's back.  The broom that he held in one hand
like a bo was old and scarred, as if it had seen many battles
over many years.  He turned.

     A strangled sound came from Akari's throat when she saw his
profile.  Strong cheekbones and large dark eyes gave him a beauty
that was almost painful to look at.  He was the most handsome man
that she had ever seen.  Even more handsome than...

     The noise brought her to his attention.  He looked at her. 
"Who are you?  You shouldn't be here.  It's very dangero..."  The
words died on his tongue as he saw how she was looking at him. 
He swallowed hard.  "Are you alright miss?"

     "You... You defeated Katsunnishiki!"  she stuttered. 
Shocked and thrilled at the same time.  _He must be very strong. 
I wonder if he has a girlfriend._

     The youth looked surprised, then sheepish.  "Is this your
pig?"  A nod from the girl.  "I'm sorry.  I thought he was one of
the forest animals."  He mistook her expression for one of
sadness, and tried to reassure her.  "Don't worry.  He'll be fine
in a moment."  Smiling shyly, he bowed.  "My name is Shinnosuke. 
I'm sorry about your pet, but I've never seen such a large pig
before.  Are you sure he's not from around here?" 

     Akari bit her bottom lip happily.  "Quite sure."  A sudden
shyness made her look down and play with the dirt with the toe of
one shiny white leather dress shoe.  "Our family breeds pigs. 
Katsunnishiki is our best."

     Shinnosuke frowned.  "I didn't know."

     "Oh!  Don't worry.  He's trained to fight.  It's not often
that he's beaten by a human.  You must be a strong fighter."  She
looked up from her shoes and smiled fetchingly.

     "Uh... well, um."

     Her smile broadened.  He was so cute.  "My name is Akari."

     He looked at her more closely then.  "A...ka...ri?"

     "Yes."

     His head shook.  "There was a girl here.  A-ka..."  No use. 
The memory was gone.  But there had been a girl.  A very special
one.  He was sure of it.  Could this be her?  Had she come back? 
"Have you been here before?"

     "Yes.  I came here once with my grandfather."

     He shook his head again.  "There was a grandfather I think." 
The memories slipped away again.  _Whose grandfather?  Hers?_  He
smiled.  It must be her.  "And now you've come back!"

     "Yes."  Akari was puzzled, but pleased that he was warming
up.  He seemed sweet.  Perhaps he was the husband she was looking
for.  He was strong and kind, surely grandfather would have
approved.

     Walking up to her, Shinnosuke stood very close.  "Will you
cook dinner for me,  A-ka-ri?"  

     Akari looked at her pig once again.  He looked dazed, but he
would be back on his feet soon.  She shook her head at him
happily then looked deeply into the beautiful eyes before her. 
"Of course."  she whispered.  "Whenever you want."

***

     In all of Cologne's years, the beauty of the sea had never
failed to amaze her.  It was a humbling feeling to be surrounded
by ocean further than you can see in any direction, the tiny ship
rising and falling with the waves.

     The metaphor seemed apt for the situation she had found
herself in, riding the waters at the mercy of sun and storm,
helpless against the forces of change that she'd felt that day in
the kitchen.  It seemed like years ago.

     It was a shame really.  Ranma would have made a fine Amazon
husband. 

     After they'd broken him of that stubbornness and trained him
in the proper subservience befitting a man in a matriarchal
society, that is.  

     Still, Tarou had beaten Shampoo fair and square.  And in a
formal battle no less.  He was strong, and skilled.  He didn't
have Ranma's creativity in tactics, but his stamina and endurance
had allowed him to best Ranma on a few occasions.  Great-
granddaughter could have done much worse.  They'd be married as
soon as they caught up with him and convinced him that he must
abide by the law.  

     It was a good thing he'd convinced Happosai to change his
name.  It just wouldn't do to have a "Pantyhose" in the family.

***

     "Hmm... What was that?" Nabiki mumbled sleepily, stirring
against Ranma's shoulder.

     "Shh.  It was just some turbulence.  Go back to sleep."

     Nabiki nodded, not really hearing the words, but put at ease
by the sound of his voice and the feeling of her head resting
against his wonderfully solid chest and of his arm around her. 
She murmured something too soft to be understood, and then fell
back into the wonderful dream that she'd been having.

     Ranma shifted to support her weight more comfortably.  The
wedding had been surprisingly uneventful.  Then again, he
remembered looking into her eyes as she'd promised to be a good
wife.  He wasn't sure what else had been going on around him.  He
probably wouldn't have noticed if Ryoga or Kuno or *Godzilla* had
tried to cause a disturbance.  Ranma smiled down at his new bride
as the plane made its way towards Hawaii.  He hadn't really
thought much about a honeymoon, but Nabiki had insisted.  She
hadn't told him yet how they were going to pay for it, but he had
to admit that it was a very good idea.  Things could get pretty
insane in Tokyo, and while he didn't mind a little excitement now
and then, he realized that it was really no way to start a
marriage.  

     Besides, this would spare Nabiki the pain of having to meet
the girl who was coming for him while they were away.  Ranma and
his father had had a little "discussion" on the matter and after
much "persuasion" Mr. Saotome had admitted responsibility for the
situation and had agreed to take care of it by himself.  Ranma
hoped that this time, he'd keep that promise.  Of course, he
wasn't counting on it.  Still, he had behaved himself during the
wedding.  

     He frowned slightly, then decided that he wouldn't let it
worry him.  He had just gotten married to the most wonderful girl
he'd ever known, and they were going on a trip together.  Nothing
else was so important that it couldn't wait until they got back. 
For now, he would focus on that wonderful happy glow that he felt
whenever he thought about Nabiki.  

     And those other wonderful feelings he felt whenever she
touched him.  He'd probably spend some time focusing on those as
well.  

     Quite a bit of time in fact, if she was agreeable. 

     From the way she clung to him now even in her sleep, he
suspected that she wouldn't object.

     It was funny.  All these years, he'd cursed the pain, the
confusion and the chaos of his life, but now, out of that same
pain and chaos had come this... relationship, this revelation,
this marriage.  Somehow, that made it all worth it.  He couldn't
find it in himself to hate or resent the hectic way he had been
brought up, or the numerous enemies/ fiances/ curses that had
become such an integral part of his identity.  It could go on for
the rest of his life, and he wouldn't complain, as long as he had
Nabiki to help him through it.  Even if she was the only good
thing that ever happened to him, it was enough.  

     _When did I become so philosophical?_ he mused as he gave
her another soft squeeze.  He looked out the window of the
airplane and was amazed once again by how bright the stars looked
from so far above the Pacific Ocean.  He sighed, then put that
thought out of his head along with all the others.  Nothing would
spoil the peace of the next few weeks.  Closing his eyes, he went
to sleep.

     Three rows behind him, an angry looking man watched with
glaring eyes.  _Finally I've found you Ranma Saotome._ The short
blonde man gloated silently. _And now after all these years,
you'll pay for humiliating me._ He chuckled quietly to himself as
the plane sped through the night.