Chapter 2

Chapter 1

 

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. Ranma and Sailor Moon are properties of their creators. Author's notes will follow at the end of the chapter, and just to clarify, Ranma will be referred to by whatever gender pronoun is appropriate for the form he/she is in. I've read a lot of fics that continually use 'he' when Ranma is a girl, which, I think, only confuses most readers. I understand that it's done to heighten the feeling of gender confusion, but it can get difficult to read. And yes, I said weekly postings, I just already had these both ready. Next chapter will come out next weekend.

 

    The following Wednesday morning Tofu was sitting in his office when the door opened to admit a pretty young red-head in a candy-striper's uniform.

    "Hello miss, can I help you?"

    The red-head giggled, "Tofu-sensei, I'm hurt. Don't you recognize me?"

    The words, and the very attitude were totally foreign, but the voice, was 100 percent… "Ranma?"

    "Hiya doc!" The red-head chirped.

    "My, you look very…." He paused, looking for the right word… "Convincing." Perhaps cute, or even beautiful would have been a better word, but Tofu was well aware that there was a young man underneath the female exterior. But he had to admit, it was only because he knew the person in front of him. Gone was the trademark pigtail, instead, the girl in front of him wore her hair back in a loose ponytail, a pair of discreet glasses perched on her nose gave her the air of a slightly shy and studious young woman.

    "Thank, Doc. I figured… I mean… I thought that your patient would be more comfortable being examined by another... umm… a girl rather than a guy."

    "Another?"

    Ranma blushed, (Making Tofu mentally stumble) "Don't read too far into this, Doctor. It's just to keep up appearances."

    'Yeah, right. I really can't wait to hear this story.' Tofu thought, but only responded with, "Of course Ranma." He cast the thoughts aside, and nodded to the door to the examination rooms. "She will be here shortly, and I have a patient waiting for me. Do you want to look over her records before you come in."

    "Umm… yes please. I borrowed some of Kasumi's" Ranma winced, but was relieved the doctor's glasses did not fog over at the woman's name "medical books to look over before I came in, just to get an idea of what to say to sound like I knew what I was doing."

    "That's… surprising, I must admit."

    "I might not show it, Doc" Ranma said in a somewhat cold tone, "But I'm not an idiot."

    Tofu winced, "I didn't mean that, Ranma. I'm sorry it came out like that."

    She sighed, "I know. I didn't mean to snap. I'm sorry." Without another word, she took the offered folder and sat down in a nearby chair and began to look over the records, trying to make sense of the medical terminology and comparing the doctor's notes with her own experience with ki. Tofu watched her a moment, then went to the exam rooms to tend to his patients.

    A while later, Ranma lost track of time, the doctor returned. "Ranma… Our patient is here." Ranma nodded, and put the file aside, then accompanied the doctor to an examination room. As soon as the door opened, Ranma was practically blown away by the feeling of…. pure power, coming from the woman and young girl in the room, power that dwarfed even Saffron. She unconsciously moved into a battle stance, much to Tofu's shock.

    The older of the two in the room, the one with long dark green hair, turned an amber-eyed gaze to Ranma, and smiled slightly, but sadly. "It's all right, Miss. We mean no harm to you at all, and promise that we are not here to fight." She turned to Tofu, "And doctor… any doubts I had regarding your young assistant have just been answered." The woman stood, the girl with her following suit, and both bowed to Ranma. "My name is Meiou Setsuna, and this is Tomoe Hotaru, my ward."

    Ranma bowed back, somewhat weakly, relaxing her stance a bit. "Saotome Ranma… Sorry about this."

    "Of course, Saotome-san, think nothing of it."

    After the introductions, the four talked about Hotaru's condition briefly, Ranma forming initial impressions based on just surface observations, until the time came to do a more thorough examination.

    "Hotaru-chan, it would be best if I can examine you in just your… umm… undergarments." Ranma said, blushing heavily, to Tofu and Setsuna's amusement (though both were amused for different reasons). Hotaru, far too used to medical examinations, just agreed, and stepped behind a screen to remove her outer clothes, leaving her just in her bra and panties. Ranma fought down her embarrassment as much as possible, and brought her ki up to her eyes, trying to get a reading of the girl. As she watched the girl's ki moving around her body, what she saw shocked her, though she managed to keep the emotion off of her face.

    About 10 minutes later, Ranma told the girl that she could dress, and asked to speak to the doctor a moment to get confirmation on something. The two went to Tofu's office, where Ranma slumped into a chair.

    "Ranma?"    

    "Doc… there's something really wrong with that girl's ki."

    "What do you mean?"    

    "It's like… umm… You know what ki is, right? I mean in general?"

    "Of course, it's basically the energy the body uses to power it, and heal itself."

    "Yeah. Usually when you use ki, it gets replen… umm… replenished. Like filling up a bucket after you've emptied it, or more like a well in the rain... Yeah! That's a good way to think of it. Everyone's got a set amount of ki, like in a well. Some people can draw more up, like using a bigger bucket. But if you use too much, you have to wait for it to fill back up."

    "I'm with you so far."

    "Ok. So… You can get more ki from eating, or resting. Or just from being outside and in nature, from the earth itself. That's why you always feel more rested spending time outside."

    "Ranma… what are you getting at?"

    "Hotaru… she can't refill her ki. Its like, something is blocking it from being refilled."

    "What?"

    "I'm not saying this right." Ranma said, a frown marring her features. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment, making Tofu again start at just how much like a girl Ranma was acting. Slowly, she began to speak again, trying to verbalize the concept. "Ok, so a well can fill back up when it rains, like from groundwater and stuff, right?"

    "Yes…"

    "Her ki's more like a pool, or something. The normal taps that people have to pull ki from around them or to get ki from eating and resting… aren't there."

    "So, if the ki gets used up…" Tofu began, trailing off in horror.

    "Then it won't fill it back up naturally, and I don't know if it can be filled any other way. If it runs out, WHEN it runs out… she dies."

    "How long?" Tofu asked, a growing sense of dread filling him. He never liked dealing with terminal patients, and knew that Ranma was not one to exaggerate. If she said it was trouble, then it was trouble.

    Ranma sighed, looking frustrated. "I don't know, Doc. She doesn't look very active, and I don't think she does the Art or anything… Months, maybe. A couple years at most? I'd have to check her again after a couple days and see how much it changes."

    Tofu nodded, knowing that Ranma was doing the best she could. "Alright. I'm going to go talk to her and set up a followup for a week from now, and we'll work on getting you back out here. In the meantime, do you need to get back soon?"

    "No. I've already told the school I was not coming in today, so there's not point in me going back."

    "Alright. I'll be awhile longer, but I think we need to talk. Can you meet me back here at 3:30?"

    "Yes, Doc." Ranma said, still distracted.

    "Do you need money for lunch?"

    "No thanks. I've got enough."

    "All right. I'll see you in a few hours. If you tell the cafeteria you're with my practice they'll give you a better discount on your lunch"

    "Yeah, ok" Ranma said, heading out the door, her mind obviously miles away.

    As Tofu watched her walk away, he reflected a moment on just how powerful the young man… woman for the moment, was. The kind of examination that Ranma did on the girl was well beyond anything he was capable of. He just hated that the Ranma's first exposure to that particular skill was on this particular patient. He shook his head, putting back on what he called his 'doctor face' and then steeled himself for what was bound to be an unpleasant conversation.

    Setsuna and Hotaru took the news that there may be something wrong with Hotaru's life energy fairly well, though Tofu did not mention Ranma's somewhat chilling prognosis, as there was little that could be stated with any certainty yet. They agreed to come in again the following week, and allow Ranma to examine Hotaru again. Tofu finished up his patient roster for the day, and then went back into his office to wait for Ranma.

    When she didn't show at 3:30, he began to worry. At 3:50, he decided to go looking for her. He walked to the main reception desk and asked one of the doctors nearby if they had seen her.

    "Oh, that cute little redhead? Yeah, she was in the children's wing last I saw." The doctor responded. "Is she your new assistant?"

    "She's helping me out on a case, yes"

    "Well if you don't want to keep her to yourself, tell her we'd love her to work for us. She's been helping out all over the hospital today."

    Tofu nodded, a brow raised, and headed towards the children's area. He found Ranma seated next to a little girl being treated for cancer, several other children gathered around her as she read to them from a book. All the children were engrossed, especially when Ranma gave the different characters funny voices. Tofu let her finish the little storybook, and then cleared his throat. Ranma looked up quickly, then over at the clock looking sheepish.

    "Sorry, sensei. I lost track of time." She hugged the little girl in the bed, then addressed the others. "Sorry kids, I need to go for now."
    "Aww!!! But we like how you tell stories!" One little boy responded. Another one, slightly older, asked, "Please come back sometime, I want you to be my girlfriend!"

    If Tofu had been shocked by Ranma's behavior before, her response practically floored him, "That's very sweet of you, Jiro-chan, but I think you'd be better off finding a girl your own age when you get a little older. I bet they'll all want to be your girlfriends, since you're so cute!"

    The boy blushed and ducked his head, making Ranma giggle. She stood, ruffled his hair and said her goodbyes, making her way back to a very bemused Tofu.

    "Making boyfriends, Ranma-kun?" He asked as they walked back to the office. Ranma snickered and responded "Aw, let the kids dream. Besides, I know I'm irressistable!" She posed a moment, in an exaggerated way, making Tofu laugh. The two got back to his office, and she sat down across from him at his desk.

    "I hear you've been helping out around the hospital today, Ranma."

    "Yeah, I hope its ok. I got kinda bored, and I saw that they needed a hand with some things."

    "What all did you do?" Tofu asked, bemused.

"Well, I left your office, and I was sitting down on a bench in the hall when a whole bunch of people started running to a room. One them called out for me to come with them, that someone was 'coding' or something. I think they thought I worked here. But I went with them, and this guy was on the floor of his room, thrashing around and stuff. They were trying to help him but he wouldn't stay still so I hit one of his paralysis points, then got them bandages and stuff when they asked for it." She smiled, "It was kinda nice, knowing I was being helpful. They got him cleaned up and I reversed the paralysis on him. A couple of the nurses asked me who I was and I told them I was helping you for the day. So they showed me around and I helped out when I could. Then they needed me to keep an eye on this kids while they had to rush one of the little ones to surgery, so I started telling them stories. All the nurses were really nice, and they asked me if I was gonna be coming back, so I told them yes." She paused, and looked over abit nervous, "Is that ok??

"Its fine, Ranma. In fact, I wanted to make you an offer. You did very well with the kids in there, and with Hotaru this morning, and one of the doctors I spoke to when I was looking for you spoke very highly of your help today. Would you like to take a position as my apprentice in a more permanent way?"

    "Umm…" Ranma thought for a moment, unconsciously playing with a loose strand of hair next to her ear. "I think I'd like to, Doc. But what about school and stuff?"

    "I think we can work something out letting you attend a juku after work here in Juuban, and have you go to Furinkan on days you aren't working. I believe they allow students to do that, especially to pursue apprenticeships."

    "Yeah, I think Ukyo mentioned something like that. And I doubt pineapple-head Kuno would object to me leaving campus during the week."

    "Alright, Ranma, we'll start the paperwork to get you hear on a more permanent basis. But I have a few conditions."    

    Ranma got abit suspicious. "Like what?"

    "First, I don't want you to bring anyone from Nerima with you, or even tell them where specifically you are working. Especially your girls."

    Her expression darkened. "They're not my girls, doc. But I see your point. What else?"    

    "Over the weekend, do you think you could arrange a way to live in this area, or find somewhere to stay?"

    "Yeah, my momma has a place in Juuban. I bet she'd love to have me stay with her."

    "What about your curse? There's a lot of hot water used in the hospital."

    Ranma thought a moment. "I used waterproof soap when I came here today, and I've got a couple boxes of it. It should do for now"

    "Alright. Lastly…. Talk to me, Ranma. There is something very serious going on with you, and I don't think its at all healthy, and you're acting quite differently than you did yesterday"

    She blew out a breath, and settled back. "Alright, Doc. I owe that much to you if I'm going to be working with you." She began to tell him about all the things he had missed out on since he'd left Nerima. She talked about the battles with enemies and friends alike, about the ki attack training, and about the kidnappings and fights. She teared up when she started talking about Jusendo and the failed wedding 6 months before, then sniffled abit and finished. "Doc…. If you had asked me a year ago if I was in love with Akane, or any of the others, I probably would have denied it, but not really meant it. But now…" she trailed off and got a distant look on her face. "Nothing's changed. It's the same fight, every day. I'm just a prize to them anymore. Even Nabiki and Kasumi can see it. I don't know what to do."

    "And the way you're acting now…?" Tofu prodded gently.

    Ranma sniffled, then smiled sadly. "A couple months ago, my mother pulled me aside and asked me how complete my change was when I got wet. She wanted to know if I had a per… umm…" she blushed deeply, "A period, and how my body responded. We figured out that it was almost a total change, and then she started asking about how I felt about things. I though at first she was gonna start waving that stupid katana around, but she told me that she wanted me happy, and that I seemed to be fighting the curse too much. So she had me spend the day as a girl, doing things with her like a daughter would. We went to her house in Juuban and spend the day together. She said that they way I talk is ok for a boy, but when I'm a girl, and dressing like one, I need to speak better." She smirked abit, "It ain't perfect yet, but I think I'm getting better at it. We've done it a few times since then, and its kinda nice to be able to let go. When I'm a girl, things seem more peaceful. I don't want to stay this way all the time, especially since when I get married I'd rather be the husband and father, but… it's a nice change for me."

    Tofu nodded. "I've always maintained that you needed to accept that you were a girl sometimes, and I'm glad to see you doing so. Then when you work here with me and stay in the area, why don't you do so as a girl?"

    "I think I will, doc. My momma would love it, I'm sure." She smiled fondly, remembering her last outing as her mother's daughter, getting dinner together.

    The two sat and got some paperwork finished to start the process of Ranma getting a work permit, then Tofu asked for Ranma to call her mother so he could talk to her about it. Tofu listened to the one-sided conversation for a moment, then took the receiver from Ranma's proffered hand.

    "Hello Saotome-san"

    "Doctor Tofu, how are you?"

    "I'm doing quite well, actually. Your…. Umm…" Tofu stumbled over the words for a moment, till Ranma whispered "Daughter's fine, I'm a girl right now, Doc" He nodded, then addressed the phone again. "Your daughter spent the day at my office in the hospital, helping me and some of the others with some patients, and she seemed quite good at it. I wanted to ask your permission to offer her an apprenticeship with me."

    Nodoka was silent a moment, then responded, "I think that is a fine idea, Doctor, but I'd like to speak to you further about it. Why don't you and Ranma come over here when you are finished, and we'll have dinner and chat. Tell Ranma she is welcome to spend the night if she would like."

    "Thank you for the invitation, I'd love to join you for dinner. We'll be leaving the hospital shortly."

    "Of course, Doctor. May I speak to my daughter again a moment."

    Tofu handed Ranma the phone, and heard her stammer out something about it 'not being like that'. Between the blush and the rapid head shaking, Tofu had a feeling he didn't want to know. Ranma, now almost as red in the face as her hair, hung up the phone as soon as 'good bye' had left her mouth, and turned to the doctor.
    "I think my mother enjoys teasing me."

    Tofu laughed. "All mothers do, Ranma-kun. Its just what they do."

    Ranma shot him a sour looked, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm learning that. Well I need to call the Tendos and let them know I'm not coming home tonight." Tofu nodded, and Ranma picked up the phone again and dialed.

    "Tendo Dojo." Came a lazy sort of drawl over the phone.

    "Hey Nabiki, its Ranma." Ranma mentally steeled herself, and Tofu could almost see the change just in posture. The sunny tomboy he had been dealing with most of the day was gone, replaced by a somewhat world weary boy in girl's form.

    "Ranma-kun. How's my favorite martial artist doing today?"

    Ranma rolled his eyes, "I'm still not telling you where I am." He smirked. "How was Hokkaido?"

    "You've gotten good at losing me, Ranma, I must admit I'm impressed. Though you had better hope for your sake that there wasn't another girl with you today, or I might make you sorry."

    "Gonna take some pictures of it and spead 'em around, Nabiki?"    

    "Why Ranma, I'm hurt that you think I have some hidden agenda, I'm just looking out for you"

    "You ALWAYS got an angle, Nabiki."

    The girl paused, "I suppose I do. What do you need, Saotome?"

    "I'm gonna spend the night with my momma at her place. I jus' wanted you ta let Kasumi know I wouldn't be home for dinner tonight so not ta wait for me."

    "I'll tell her. When will you be back?" The girl asked in a not-so-innocent voice.

    "Tommorrow sometime. Don't tell anyone I'm here, ok?"

    "3000 yen."

    Ranma practically growled at the phone, her tone becoming cold. "I'm done paying you off, Nabiki."

    "Then I guess I'll just have to sell your location. A girl's got to make a living somehow."

    "You send those idiots to my mother's house and I swear to every Kami above I'll take it out of your hide." Ranma responded, her tone deadly serious.

    Nabiki swallowed. The problem with blackmail was it only worked if your victim cared about it, and it seemed that Ranma was done caring. This wasn't a level Nabiki was ready to take the game to. "R… Ranma?"

    "I mean it, Nabiki. Your loose lips destroyed my mother's house once, and ruined my wedding. Your SISTER'S wedding, dammit. I've had enough. You keep those damn floozies and my idiot rivals away from here."

    A very quiet voice responded with, "Its gotten really bad, hasn't it, Ranma-kun?"

    "Yes it has, Nabiki." Ranma replied, her voice tight with anger.

    "If anyone finds you, I swear on my mother's grave I didn't tell them." Nabiki paused a moment, realizing that something had changed, and the worries that she and Kasumi had quietly discussed may not have been that far in the future. "But… Ranma, do you need someone to talk to? No charge, I promise!"    

    He heard only sincerity in her voice, which gave him pause. "Why are you offering?"

    She was silent for a long moment. In her room she stared at his picture, wondering why things had gotten so out of control, and forced herself to own up to some things. "When you two first showed up, I was upset that we'd have to spend more money to keep you both fed and housed. Then… it turned into a game, almost. You've got to admit, some parts of your life almost seem like something from a movie or anime. But… I didn't realize how bad it really was getting. You'd pay me like always, like everyone does. You'd laugh when the girls would do silly things, and you'd still try to be friends with Ryoga, and now you're insulting people that you've never said a cross word to, and threatening me, which you've never done." She wasn't crying, which Ranma was grateful for, but she could tell the girl had been hit in the head by reality all of a sudden. "I don't know how fast I can change old habits Ranma. But I AM sorry its gone on this long."

    Ranma wasn't familiar with the term olive branch, but she extended one anyway. "You know where my mother's house is, and I'll let you and Kasumi know when I'll be staying there. Come find me there sometime. I'll be spending more time with her thanks to a job I might be getting. We'll talk it out."

    "Alright. Any messages you want me to give?"

    "Tell Kasumi thanks for putting up with me, and that I'm sorry I'm missing dinner."

    "… Anything else."

    Ranma knew what she was fishing for, but couldn't bring herself to care. "No." And he hung up.

 

    Across town, in Nerima, Nabiki stared at the disconnected phone in her hand for a long time. The wind had just changed, and to be honest, she no longer had any idea how things were going to go. She sighed and replaced the handset in its cradle, and turned to her older sister. "Kasumi, Ranma won't be coming home tonight. He's at his mother's house."

    "He's got one of those sluts with him, doesn't he!" Came the voice of her younger sister from the stairway "Where is it at? I'm gonna go pound some sense into that pervert!"

    'I wonder if Akane fell into the category of floozy or rival' Nabiki wondered to herself. "Sorry, Akane. That information is not for sale."

    "The hell its not! You'd sell your own family out for 10 yen, why should I think this is different. How much?"

    Nabiki blinked. "Excuse me?"

    "You heard me. I bet you spread your legs if someone offers you the money. My pervert fiancée is probably sleeping with one of his girls and I want to know where he is. I've got a large mallet with his name on it!"

    "AKANE!" Kasumi yelled, which shut everyone up. Kasumi never raised her voice. "How DARE you accuse your sister of that!"

    "She…. You know she would!"

    Nabiki had never been hurt by words before, until now. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes at the accusation. Sure she'd been alittle unscrupulous… alright, a lot unscrupulous, but she'd never done that. And her own sister thinks…

    "I know no such thing, Tendo Akane. I suggest you not make such accusations again." Kasumi was livid. She had put up with a great deal in her home, but accusing Nabiki of being a harlot was more than enough for her.

    "Whatever!" The girl responded, and stormed up the stairs. Their father, and Ranma's father, had been watching the exchange silently, and then slipped out of the house, headed for sake and some quiet, no doubt. Nabiki sat down hard in a chair at the table, her eyes blank.

    "Are you all right, little sister?"

    "When…. When did things get this bad?"

    "Its been building up for awhile, I think. I try to not let it phase me, but that was over the line." Kasumi stroked her little sisters hair, "And what about you? What changed your tune so quickly?"

    "Ranma did. Remember when we talked about when he'd finally had enough?" Kasumi nodded, "I think that time is now. He's not taking it anymore. And I'm not going to push him. I think the game needs to change, or we're all going to lose."

    "This has been going on since the Saotomes arrived, Nabiki. To be honest, I'm surprised its gone on this long." The two were silent for a long time, each lost in her own thoughts, until Nabiki remembered a message she was supposed to pass along.

    "Ranma told me to thank you for putting up with him, and to let you know to not hold dinner." She glanced at the door., and came to a decision. "I'm going to go see him tonight"

    Kasumi smiled abit. "Tell him I said hello. Here, let me give you something to take to him." She bundled up a few cookies in a bag and gave them to Nabiki, then paused. "Nabiki…." She began slowly, in a quiet voice, "Family honor says he has to marry a Tendo."

    "I know, elder sister."

    "It doesn't say it has to be Akane."

    "What are you saying? Do YOU want him?" 'Do I?" She wondered to herself.

    Kasumi sighed. "One of us has to marry him. Maybe it would make things easier on him if we just said that it could be any one of us again. If nothing else, maybe it will bring him and Akane together by taking some of the stress away."

    "I'll talk to him about it tonight."

    "Alright. You need to go if you're going to catch a train. I'll call Auntie Nodoka and let her know you're coming.

 

When Nabik arrived at Saotome Nodoka's house in Juuban, she was surprised at the size of the home. It was, by her estimation, a good 6 rooms, and even had a dojo off to one side. Again, she wondered at not only the money that Nodoka seemed to have gotten out of nowhere, but also at why Ranma and Genma were not asked to come home. Opening the gate, she was greeted by a smiling Doctor Tofu, and Nabiki quickly realized what sort of job Ranma would be getting. She bowed in return, and slipped off her shoes in the entryway. Entering the dining room, Nabiki was brought up short as she found Ranma setting the table, in a dress, apron, and ponytail. And thanks to the lines on the dress, she was also certain that there was a bra under there. "Ranma?"

    "Hello Nabiki. Please, both of you sit down, Mom and I are just finishing dinner."

    "Thank you, Ranma." Tofu said, speaking up over the stuttering Nabiki. "You look very nice."

    "Thank you, Tofu-sensei. Nabiki, I promise I'll explain."

    The girl could just nod mutely.

    The dinner was excellent, though the conversation was dominated by Nodoka and Tofu as they discussed the logistics of Ranma attending school and working for Doctor Tofu. Nabiki was startled to learn that he would be doing so, and as a girl no less. She started to fidget abit as questions piled up in her mind.

    "Girls," Nodoka said as they finished eating, "Why don't you both go upstairs to talk. Nabiki, if you'd like to stay the night, Ranma can show you where to sleep. If not, she will escort you home."

    "I… I think I'd rather stay, Auntie. I can catch an early train for school tomorrow."

    "Very well. Ranma, I expect you to do me the courtesy of changing into a boy if you and Nabiki fool around." She ignored the simultaneous faceplant on the table, "While I don't mind you exploring your girl side, I do prefer to get grandchildren first." Seemingly oblivious to the warding gestures her daughter and Nabiki were presenting, and the shocked look on Tofu's face, she began to clear the table, humming a little tune that undoubtedly revolved around grandchildren as she did so.

    "Momma…. You're embarrassing me. Again." Ranma muttered weakly. "Come on, Nabiki. I'll show you the guest room."

    Tofu watched the two mortified girls leave the room, and turned to a now smirking Nodoka Saotome.

    "Oh don't give me that look, Doctor. I know full well that those two will not do anything. But the thought needed to be planted in their mind."

    "What do you mean?"

    She offered him a cup of tea, then escorted him to the living room. "Kasumi called me earlier. Apparently the dynamics of my son's relationships are changing rather strongly, and she felt that the Tendo/Saotome agreement would be better served if all three sisters were considered, rather than focusing solely on Akane. Ranma has always been abit uncomfortable around Nabiki, but if she is to be considered as a potential fiancée, then the ice needed to be broken."

    Tofu blinked a moment at that, fighting down the initial urge to protest Kasumi's involvement in that statement. He had left suddenly, with no explanation, and left no way to be contacted. He wasn't entirely sure he would even want to get involved with the Tendo girl, as even still he had problems not seeing her as the 10 year old girl with a crush he had first met. 'Or the 14 year old who tried to seduce me' he thought wryly, then cleared his mind of such things, acutely aware that his glasses were about to start fogging over "Actually, that was related to what I wanted to talk to you about. Are you aware of the extent of Ranma's… current issues?"

    "I know my son is having a hard time of things, yes."

    "Nodoka…. I don't think you are quite aware of just how hard things have been on your son. He shared a great deal with me today, that I think you need to be made aware of. Let me tell you about the neko-ken"

    A few districts away, a certain panda sneezed and was overcome by a feeling of extreme dread.

 

    Upstairs, a blushing Ranma led Nabiki to the guestroom, where Nabiki gestured for Ranma to sit down next to her.

    "Ranma-kun… I owe you an apology. More than that, really, I owe you a debt of honor. I'm sorry for the way I've treated you."

    "Nabiki.. I understand some of it. You're the only one keeping your family afloat, financially, and as long as you don't let it get out of hand I don't mind the betting pools or pictures too much. But you put several people in danger."

    "I know, Ranma, I know. Again, I am very sorry. And I'm supposed to ask you something."

    "Okay…"

    "Kasumi and I were talking earlier, and we know things have been difficult with your engagement to Akane. We know you're working hard at it, but neither of us are sure if it would work with the pressure you're both under. I'd…. we'd…. like to offer to open the engagement back up, to include all three of us as potential fiancées, rather than just one of us."

    "You can't be serious"

    "I am completely serious, Ranma."

    "So you just want a chance to rent me out again?"

    Nabiki winced, and cursed the tears starting to form. This had been an emotional day for her. But she knew that Ranma didn't handle crying girls well, and the air needed to be cleared between them. "Sorry doesn't even start to cut it. Ranma-kun… When my mother died, we were all still little girls. Kasumi was just 11. I was 8 and Akane was 6. My father…" she smiled slightly, "He used to be such a great man. And he loved my mother very much. When she died, he started drinking. Things weren't like they are now, though. Kasumi wasn't old enough to be the woman of the house, and we started loosing students." She looked at him seriously for a long moment. "I want your word that nothing I say goes farther than the two of us."

    Ranma was wondering why Nabiki was telling her this story, but suspected that there was a really good reason. And she wasn't the type to use things like this against people, "I swear, Nabiki. Word of a martial artist."

    She nodded, then continued. "We used to have a woman named Mika that came over to watch us girls and keep up the house. She was an older lady, whose husband had passed on a few years before. She was also very traditional." Nabiki sighed, "She wanted Kasumi to take over the house, but oneechan didn't want to at first. So she started spending a long time away from home, and getting into trouble. I don't know what happened, but one day when she was 14 she… changed. She locked herself in her room for a week, and when she came out, suddenly she was exactly like Mika wanted her to be." Nabiki paused, "Akane was a tomboy, just like she is now. And she didn't listen to Mika at all. The first time Mika slapped her, my father just turned and walked away." She sighed, "I found out some time later that Mika was dating a much younger man, who was married. I followed her and took her picture on the dates. Then I told her that if she hurt Akane again, I'd release the pictures. It worked. Mika stopped hitting Akane, and just ignored her. I felt powerful… like I had done something special. And Akane, just stopped growing up. Mika died, leaving Kasumi to run the house, me to run the money, and Akane with no idea of how to deal with growing up." The tears were coming now, but she didn't give into them. "Our family has been through a great deal, Ranma, and we refused to change things. If we just stayed the people we had always been, then we had a constant, something to hold on to, in a world that kept on throwing things at us. But I realized, and so did Kasumi, that if things didn't change now, that we may lose you for good. And neither of us want that. So please, consider this for us"

    Ranma stared at her a long moment, putting pieces of a puzzle together in her mind. "I got two problems with it, then, that I need to let you know. First, I don't know if I want to pick up two more official fiancées, and two… I don't want to put either you or Kasumi in danger. Shampoo and Ukyo are getting more wreckless. Its only a matter of time before they hurt someone., and you two are not trained enough to even hold them off"

    "You know they just want to be with you, Ranma. They both love you in their own way. So does Akane, really."

    "And Kodachi?" Ranma smirked.

    "I choose not to respond to an obviously stupid question." Nabiki said, smiling to take the sting away.

    "And you and Kasumi?"

    Nabiki didn't answer a moment, she just looked out the window. "Ranma-kun… You're a great person. I'd be lying if I said I didn't see what attracts all those girls to you. Do I love you? Does Kasumi love you? Those are harder questions. Do I see either of us having a future with you? Things would have to change, but… it wouldn't be a horrible prospect."

    "Gee thanks."

    Nabiki grinned at him. "Alright, since you're obviously fishing for a compliment. You're a very cute guy. Hell, you're an adorable girl, and whoever you end up with would be stupid not to explore that side of things" She blushed, as did Ranma, "And you've got a sharp mind under that pigtail of yours."

    Ranma's blush died and she lowered her head. "You're all very attractive girls. I've always thought so. But… you've all got…. Umm… issues."

    "You're not getting away with not explaining that one, Saotome."

    She sighed. "This stays between us, right?"

    "I'm done charging you, Ranma. I owe you too much. You say it's a secret, it goes with me to my grave."

    She smiled at that, "Then maybe your issues aren't so bad anymore. You're beautiful, all you Tendo girls are, But you don't open up easily, and always seem to have an angle. Akane got a huge temper, and a mean right hook, but she's got a beautiful smile. Shampoo… god, she's like something out of a dream… or a hentai magazine," she admitted with a blush "And she's got this spirit that just makes you want to be happy around her. But she's a nut, and her village laws would have me treated like dirt if I came back as a guy. Not to mention the drugs and bombs. Ukyo…. Ucchan is an old friend, and she's very cute, but, she's got her own temper problems, and wants me as just an accessory to her perfect little restaurant life."

    "And Kasumi?"

    Ranma smiled fondly, "Kasumi's an angel, and I wish I could tell her that without getting the words mixed up. But she's a long way outta my league. She's more like a big sister, or even like another mom to me. I love her so much, but not like that."

    Nabiki stared at him, suddenly realizing where a lot of Ranma's problems came from. "Its not just honor to you is it?"

    "Not really. I'm so mad at all of them right now, and sometimes I want to just throw them all out on the street, honor be damned, but… then Akane'll smile at me, or Shampoo will just hug me, not the glomp she usually pulls, or Ucchan will just sit and talk with me, and let me tell her what's going on without judging me or trying to reel me in." She leveled a somewhat smoky gaze at Nabiki, "or some other beautiful girl will change the game on me."

    Nabiki shivered lightly. She wasn't interested in girls, not like that, but something in Ranma's gaze almost made her wish for a kiss just then. But she knew that may not be in the cards for awhile. "You've got it bad, Saotome. And here I was ready to offer you help to get rid of them."

    Ranma snorted. "I've had that figured out for awhile now. Cologne helped me with it, honestly. After Saffron, the Amazons are far too eager to get in my good graces to just get me drugged and married. Once I started becoming more comfortable with my curse, she and I had a talk. She told me she'd be willing to adopt me as a daughter in the eyes of her tribe, making me a full warrior, and as the child of an elder I could be called on for help for the tribe, but didn't have to move to China. She offered to do the ceremony right then, but called me on my hesitating. I asked what would happen if I chose Shampoo and she said that if she adopted me that it wouldn't happen. So we talked about things for a while. Between her and mom, I've gotten more comfortable with things, but the choices have gotten harder. Ucchan would be easier. I'd just get mom to adopt her into our clan, and tell her dad where to stick it."

    "I'm confused. Listening to you talk, it sounds like you'd marry any of them, but when we talked on the phone, you sounded ready to kill them."

    "I'm tired, Nabiki. Tired of the fights, tired of the hassle, tired of worrying about getting hit if I wanted to spend time getting to know these girls. And to be honest, I'm angry that I can't just spend time with one of you without the others getting jealous, and when they get jealous, people get hurt. I know I'm gonna to get malleted at the very least for you being here, and if Shampoo and Ukyo get wind of it, it'll get worse. I don't dare do anything else, cause that would feel like making a choice. And forgive me for sounding like Kuno-baka for a minute, but… I'd like to date all of you for alittle while, just to see how things go. And not feel bad if I wanted to hug one of you, or kiss you."

    "Or fool around?" Nabiki asked with a salacious, (and half-serious, she had to admit to herself) grin.

    Ranma took the bait, and fluttered her eyelashes "Oh but Nabiki-chan, if you get pregnant, what would Kasumi say?"

    Nabiki faceplanted as Ranma laughed. "Seriously, though, kissing is as far as it would get unless we were seriously dating, and even then… I'd rather be married before I get that far."

    "Why?" 'Please don't let me have sounded as disappointed as I feel like I just sounded'

    "Because that's a permanent step. You can only have a first time once, and I'd rather it be with the girl I can spend my life with."

    "You're a hopeless romantic, Saotome"

    "Quite, Tendo, Quite."

    They both giggled.

    "Alright, Nabiki. Its getting late and we both have an early train to school in the morning. You better get to bed."

    "Ok, fine. There had better be coffee when I get up."

    "I'll have some ready for you."

    "Ranma…."

    "Yes Nabiki?"

    "Can… umm… dammit…" Nabiki blushed heavily and stammered out, "canihaveagoodnightkiss?"

    Ranma blinked. "Come again?"

    "Oh… just…" Nabiki took a deep breath, and then grabbed Ranma by her shirt and pulled her into a deep searing kiss. When she released Ranma, they both were red and blushing, but grinning. "Wow.. that was… umm.."

    "Yeah…" Ranma froze, "You kissed me while I'm a girl."

    "You're a girl half the time, Ranma. It shouldn't matter."

    "It does to Akane." She grumbled, and Nabiki felt a stab of jealousy

    "Well it shouldn't. And here's a clue. When a girl kisses you, don't bring up your other girls to her right afterwards. Now get to bed." Nabiki was trying and failing to hide the grin on her face as Ranma left the room in a daze. She grabbed her pillow and squealed into it, then started giggling, kicking her feet in the air. For the first time since her mother passed, she felt alive. She had no idea if she would end up with Ranma, but had a feeling that the chase was going to be fun.

    Her giddiness lasted until the door to her room slid open, revealing a stern-faced Nodoka Saotome.

    "Nabiki, we need to talk."

 

    The two women talked well into the night about Nabiki's feelings for Ranma, and his situation in general. Nabiki kept her promise to not reveal any information that Ranma had told her, which impressed Nodoka. They formalized the agreement to open the Tendo engagement up to all three of the girls, which Nodoka said she would bring up with the fathers, and to Akane. She admitted to be surprised at the kiss, but was glad that her son seemed to be opening up some. They also agreed that it was time that Ranma have a chance to actually date his fiancées, and that they would all need to talk together about rules. Nodoka, as keeper of the clan's honor, would need to officially denounce any further engagements made by Genma as misplaced charity, or just plain old stupid decisions, meaning that only the official ones between the Tendos and the Kounji's would be recognized, and Shampoo's as well. Nabiki went to sleep mentally exhausted, but pleased about how things would be going in the future. Sure, she suddenly found herself in competition for Ranma with four other girls, but honestly she thought it would be fun. And she was ready to live alittle, and maybe get involved in some of the things going on around her, rather than just sitting on the sidelines and taking bets. 'Time for all of us to grow up' she thought to herself, and turned over to get to sleep.

 

Author's notes: Again, any feedback you would like to provide would be greatly appreciated. A few notes about characterization: First, I have read a great deal of fanfiction for both Sailor Moon, and Ranma, and have seen every episode of SM, though fewer of Ranma. Many of the people in here could be considered out of character, but keep in mind that this is first of all fanfiction and therefore not canon, and secondly, this insanity has been carried on for a great deal of time, and that will change anyone. No ships have been decided yet, and by the end of this story nothing will be decided either. Ranma will be dating all five of his now official fiancées (Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, Shampoo, and Ukyo) and there may be abit of femmeslash later in the story, hence the M rating.

 

Next Time: Ranma starts working, the engagements are finalized, and we find out what's happening with Hotaru.

 

To the reviewer who asked if I could get this done in 5 chapters, the answer is... umm… maybe. J