ShadowSoft Inc. Presents: A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic side-story "Careful Destiny" Part Three by: Todd Hill AKA Shadow Stalker Based on: Be Careful What You Wish For... written by: Richard Beaubien Inspired by the "Ranma 1/2" Manga and Anime by Rumiko Takahashi WARNING! While this story is *NOT* a lemon, it does have some adult situations in it. Read at your own discretion! LATER THAT EVENING... "Daddy! Kasumi! I'm home!" Nabiki scratched her head, puzzled at the emptiness of the house. Her father wasn't in the dojo, and Kasumi wasn't in the kitchen. Curious, she walked upstairs. Peeking her head in Akane's room, she found her younger sister still in her school clothes, asleep on her bed. Nabiki smiled to herself, knowing that Akane needed the rest after what losing Kuno and fighting those idiots from the Kendo club had put her through. `When she wakes up, I'm gonna have to thank Akane for knocking that guy out. After being out of practice for so long, the odds of her even fighting were enormous. She made me a huge bundle today.' The eager opportunist quietly closed Akane's door, then walked to her room. `I feel like taking a bath,' Nabiki thought to herself as she entered her room, stretching her arms luxuriantly. She gathered her shorts, panties, and shirt and headed off for the bathroom. Quickly covering the distance from her room to the bath, she closed the door to the dressing area behind her. Not wanting to wrinkle her uniform, Nabiki carefully shrugged herself out of the skirt and shirt, hanging them on a hook next to the door. She then took off her panties, grabbed a towel, and entered the bath. Kasumi turned from her scrubbing when she heard the door open. "Oh, hello Nabiki." "Sorry, Kasumi," Nabiki blushed, "I didn't hear any water running, so I assumed..." Kasumi smiled winningly, and patted the empty stool next to her. "That's okay, Nabiki. I needed to talk with you anyway." Nabiki kept her face expressionless, although it puzzled her as to why Kasumi would choose now to speak with her. `I wonder what's so important that we have to talk in the bathroom?' she asked herself curiously. She sat next to her sister and began scrubbing herself. "So what's on your mind, sis?" Nabiki asked in a disinterested tone. "I heard about what happened to Akane today. She was really upset when she got home. It took me a while to get the poor girl calmed down." Nabiki nodded. `Ah. I guess our little sister didn't take the loss of Kuno-chan very well.' "I saw her in her room just a moment ago. She was asleep, so I assume she's doing okay." Kasumi looked at Nabiki directly. "I'm not so sure Nabiki. Akane's very fragile right now. The slightest thing could upset her, and she doesn't need any more problems to deal with." Kasumi placed a hand on Nabiki's bare shoulder. "Now, I want to hear what happened today." Nabiki dropped her soap and rag next to her stool, then crossing her legs, turned to face Kasumi directly. "Now sis, I hope you`re not thinking that *I* had anything to do with what happened ..." Kasumi shook her head, cutting Nabiki off. "I'm not thinking that at all, Nabiki. Akane was so upset that she could only give me partial details of what happened. I want to hear it all, from you." Nabiki nodded, then launched into the details of Kuno's fight with Ranma, and the fight afterwards with the Kendo team. Kasumi sat in silence, absorbing all of the details of Nabiki's story. "And that's all I remember about today. Akane wasn't around when I left school, so I thought she'd come home. Looks like I was right." Kasumi frowned. "Then you didn't see what happened to her after school, did you?" Nabiki shook her head. "No, I had... things ... to take care of, so I didn't stick around. What happened?" Kasumi told her what she knew. "According to Akane, Ranma had asked her out on a date. But she didn't accept because she said that Ranma was dating Kinuko Amagi. At least, that's what I was able to get from her. I was hoping you'd be able to shed some more light on that." "Well, it was common knowledge around school that Kinuko had `taken pity' on one of the campus geeks and agreed to date him. If memory serves, it *was* Ranma Saotome that she was dating. But they broke up over three weeks ago. I know that because I had a pool going to see how long their relationship would last." Nabiki smirked to herself, remembering the windfall she'd garnered from that little . "As far as I know sis, he's not dating anyone right now. Little sis should be able to date Ranma if she wants to." Kasumi sighed, not yet satisfied. "Well, Nabiki, I'm still worried about our little sister. Akane's not been happy since she was engaged to Kuno. Now that she's free of him, she's going to need some time to adjust." "I wouldn't worry Kasumi. Akane's a tough girl, and if today's fight was any indication, she's still quite capable of taking care of herself. Besides, dating Ranma might not be a bad thing. He's got a cute bod." Nabiki laughed slightly. Kasumi smiled at Nabiki's comment. "You're incorrigible sis." She debated something for a moment, her face becoming serious again. "I need to tell you something Nabiki, and I want you to keep it between us for now." Nabiki nodded, always willing to take free information. She crossed her arms, resting them on her knees. She then leaned forward and rested her chin on her arms. "Go ahead, sis. I'm all ears." Kasumi adopted the same pose as Nabiki. "You know that the engagement between Akane and Kuno had been arranged." Nabiki nodded. "Well, Daddy did that to cover for a previous arrangement that had been broken a long time ago." Nabiki's eyes widened. "Kasumi, are you telling me that there was a *previous* marriage arrangement for Akane?" "Not exactly. Daddy had agreed with another family before we were born that should they have a son, and our family have a daughter, they would marry the children to carry on the Anything Goes school. The agreement was broken when you and Akane were little. You probably don't remember any part of it." "You're right," Nabiki shrugged, "None of this rings a bell. Does Akane know *anything* about this previous arrangement?" Kasumi shook her head. "No, and I want it to stay that way for now, okay?" Nabiki was a little shocked at Kasumi's intensity. "Okay, sis. I won't tell Akane about this. But I don't understand why you're telling me this. Now that Akane's free of her engagement to Kuno, she's free to look for a boyfriend, assuming there aren't any more arrangements." "No, there aren't any new arrangements that I'm aware of. But there's a *very* good reason that I'm telling you this." Kasumi paused, not sure how Nabiki would take this. "You see, Ranma's family was the one that broke the original agreement with Daddy. And when Ranma's father broke the agreement with Daddy, our family was severely dishonored. For many years Daddy searched to find another suitor for one of us so that the family name wouldn't remain tarnished." Nabiki's head shot up in shock. "What!? You mean Daddy was willing to shack one of us up with some guy just to keep his own honor!?" Kasumi showed Nabiki a hurt look. "Nabiki, calm down! Daddy was very upset after Mr. Saotome broke their agreement." Kasumi's mind reeled as she suddenly returned to that fateful day. <* Soun's hands clenched the receiver of the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. Tears were streaming down his face, and his voice was trembling. "Genma, just what the *HELL* do you mean you're calling off our agreement?!" A beautiful young woman held a trembling Kasumi to her as they watched the exchange take place. She cradled the infant Akane in her free arm as she sought to console her oldest daughter. "Mommy, why's Daddy so upset?" Kasumi asked through tear-soaked cheeks. She rubbed her reddened eyes and sniffled slightly. "Shh, Kasumi-chan. I'll explain later, okay dear?" She looked into Kasumi's little face, smiling at her. "Everything will be okay," she soothed as she caressed Kasumi's cheek. She turned back to look at her husband, a mixture of anger and concern evident on her face. "Now you listen to me Saotome! If you break off the engagement, I will NEVER speak to you again!" Soun thundered into the receiver. A tinny voice could barely be heard over the other end. The young woman leaned forward, and caught what Genma was saying. "...isten to me Tendo. I'm doing you a favor by breaking off this engagement. I can't have Ranma marry one of your daughters..." "Are you saying that there's something wrong with my children, Saotome?!" "No! I..." Soun cut him off furiously. "Listen carefully, Genma, because I'm only going to say this one more time. You will honor our agreement or you will never be welcome here again!" A long pause could be heard on the other end of the line. Then Genma finally spoke with a resigned voice. "I'm sorry Tendo, I can't... " Soun stood in front of the phone, his mouth agape in shock. He continued to hold the receiver in his hand, a dial tone droning softly from the speaker. Kasumi watched her mother place Akane in her crib, then run up to him. "Soun dear, what was that all about?" Soun looked at her like she was a stranger. "What? Oh... sorry dear. Genma called to tell me that he's broken our agreement to marry our children..." he stated in an eerie monotone. She placed a hand against his back. "Soun, what does that matter? Our daughters should be free to choose whomever they want to marry, anyway." Soun shook his head violently. "NO! We swore to marry our children so that the future of the Anything Goes school of martial arts would be assured! How could Genma even think of breaking such a solemn promise?" Soun balled his hands into fists angrily. "Fine! If he wants it that way, then we'll never speak to them again!" She held her hands up to her face in shock. "Soun, surely you can't be serious? They're our *best friends!* I've known Nodoka since we were children." Soun ignored her. "Honor demands that we shun them, and that is what we will do." She started to protest, but Soun cut her off. "I will not debate this point! They are not to see us or speak with us *ever again!*" Her eyes tearing, she turned and ran away from her husband, leaving him alone with the receiver still in his grip. *> Kasumi wept as memories of events flooded through her mind as clearly as the day they happened. She spoke with a thick voice. "I can just remember it, Nabiki. Mommy and I saw just how hurt he was. He swore that he'd never speak to Mr. Saotome ever again, and that he'd redeem the honor of the Tendo name and the school of Anything Goes, whatever the cost. For several years after that, Mommy tried hard to help him get through it, but he was desperate, and driven. He wouldn't listen to her, always saying that the school had to have a successor. And when Mommy died, Daddy dedicated his life to undoing what Mr. Saotome had done. He'd become obsessed with insuring that the Anything Goes school would continue. He'd been unsuccessful for many years trying to find someone to marry one of us, and that hurt him. He was afraid that people thought we weren't worth marrying. That hurt him deeply, although he tried to hide it. And with him always looking for a successor to the dojo, he hardly had time to be with us..." Kasumi covered her face with her hands, unable to keep her emotions in check any longer. Nabiki frowned, disliking what she'd heard. Although she had to agree with her sister. Her father had never been too prominent in her life, which meant that Kasumi had been her rock while she and Akane grew up. That made seeing Kasumi cry very hard for her to take because it was so *unlike* her to be this upset. She decided to shelve the information about the Saotomes for now, and concentrated instead on consoling her sister. She sat forward and grabbed her older sister by the shoulders. "They're the reason Akane's feeling the pain she's in right now. They're the reason we didn't have a father around all the time. We owe *all* of that to Ranma's family. They're ... they're ..." Kasumi broke off, angry and bitter over what she'd been forced to watch her father and sisters endure over the years. Not being able to withstand her sister's pain any longer, Nabiki stood up and pulled her older sister to her feet, hugging her tightly. "Kasumi, it's okay now. Akane's going to be okay, and so's Daddy." She rubbed her sister's back in a comforting manner, and Kasumi held onto Nabiki desperately, burying her head between her sister's neck and shoulder and crying heavily. Nabiki fought back the few tears that had threatened to surface. She had no good recollection of any of this, so it didn't affect her the way it did Kasumi. But she was beginning to understand why her father and Kasumi behaved as they did. "You've done so much for Akane and me, sis. We love you so much," she said as she looked down to her weeping sister, and held onto her tightly. She reached up and ran a hand across Kasumi's wet face. "If it'll make you feel better, cry all you want." Kasumi continued to cry on Nabiki, holding onto her younger sister tightly. She had been holding her pain in for so long that it shocked her at how powerfully she wept. Nabiki brought her hand back down to rub her sister's back. She admitted to herself that she had no experience in dealing with a crying person, and it galled her that she wasn't able to comfort her sister properly. As her hand continued to glide across her sister's back, she absently noted that Kasumi was covered with cold, soapy water, and was shivering. Nabiki looked at the tub, a temporary solution for Kasumi's pain coming to her. "C'mon sis, we could both use a hot soak," she said as she guided her older sister over to the tub. Nabiki sat in the tub first, then helped Kasumi in. The tub just barely accommodated both women, but she didn't want to leave her sister alone. They sat together, with Kasumi in Nabiki's lap. She wrapped one of her arms around her older sister to hold her while the other one wiped more tears from Kasumi's cheeks. Kasumi's crying finally ended as she sat cradled in Nabiki's loving embrace. A moment later she thought about how they looked, and she couldn't help but chuckle at her predicament. "What so funny, sis?" Nabiki smiled to herself, relieved that Kasumi was no longer crying. "Akane and I were in the same position less than an hour ago. She was crying in my lap much like what I'm doing with you right now." Nabiki smiled. "Well, you looked like you could use a friend right now. So get comfortable, sis." Nabiki relaxed herself, enjoying the feeling of the hot water and Kasumi's silken skin on her own. Kasumi reclined against her younger sister, enjoying the companionship and drawing comfort from Nabiki's soft presence. "Thank you Nabiki." Nabiki adjusted herself slightly in the tub so that Kasumi could submerge more of herself in the warm water. They sat together in silence for a long while, resting in the warm water. After a while, Nabiki stirred, having dozed off. She reached over and stroked Kasumi's face. "Hey, you awake sis?" Kasumi pushed her head back so that it was touching Nabiki's shoulder. "Mmm. Yes, I was just thinking is all..." Nabiki sighed softly. "Kasumi, there's no need for you to keep dwelling on this. I understand why you're upset with the Saotome's, but that's all in the past. We'll be okay as long as us Tendo sisters stick together." Nabiki brought her free hand up to sister's shoulder and gave her an affectionate squeeze. "Don't worry so much about the past, sis. Things usually have a way of working themselves out." She then slid her hand down her sister to her waist, letting it drift aimlessly across Kasumi's stomach. "It's interesting, though, that the person who saved Akane from a doomed life with Kuno would wind up being Ranma Saotome," Nabiki admitted. "Yes, ironic isn't it Nabiki?" Nabiki's look became thoughtful as she considered Kasumi's words. "I wouldn't go so far as to say ironic, sis. You're assuming that Ranma doesn't know about the arranged marriage between his family and ours. He may very well know about it. In fact, that might explain why a wimpy geek like him would turn into a hot-shit martial artist all of a sudden. Maybe he's trying to redeem himself, or his family, or something..." Kasumi's mind was still clouded with feelings of anger and regret. She didn't trust Ranma with Akane. "I guess the only way to be sure what his motives are would be if we actually sat down and talked to him about it." Nabiki smiled, and patted Kasumi on the stomach. "That's actually a good idea, sis. The only question is, how do we get Ranma alone and talk to him away from Akane?" Kasumi patted Nabiki on the arm. "If anyone could figure out a way to do that, you can Nabiki." Nabiki smirked the smirk of the victorious, and raised a hand in the air. "I gladly accept all praise of my abilities." Both ladies broke into a fit of giggles. Kasumi rubbed her fingers against herself, and noticed how rough her hands felt. She stood in the bath, holding a hand down to Nabiki. "I'm turning into a raisin, sis. We'd better dry off." Nabiki agreed with her older sister. She grabbed Kasumi's hand and stood up next to her, then slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's get dressed, sis. We don't want Daddy thinking we've left him alone." They grabbed their towels and headed into the dressing area. "Yes Nabiki. I've got to get dinner started anyway," Kasumi said as she closed the door behind her. **** Ranma trudged down the street, his home finally in sight. It had taken him a lot longer to get home than he would've expected. In his mental fog, Ranma had inadvertantly headed from Dr. Tofu's office directly to the Tendo Dojo. He caught himself just shy of the gates to Akane's home, then angrily reversed his course and headed home. That extra walking had done nothing to help him clear the confusion in his mind. A twinge of pain brought him back to the present. He wouldn't admit it to his sister, but his arms were damn tired. And as much as he loved his sister, he wanted nothing more at the moment than to set her down. He picked up his pace, hoping to get in the house before he dropped his sister on her butt. Ranko had somehow managed to doze off while riding on her brother. She was snoring softly in her brother's ear, the exhaustion of the day catching up with her and replacing her earlier tension. Her head lolled on Ranma's shoulder, and her arms were draped lazily around his neck. Ranma smiled to himself, noting that she seemed a lot like him since she could apparently fall asleep anywhere. He arrived at the house, glad that he wouldn't be straining his aching arms much longer. Figuring that he'd have an easier time getting Ranko in the house from the back door, Ranma walked around the house and entered the back yard. To his satisfaction the back door wasn't locked, and he slid it open with his foot with little effort. Carefully he stepped inside, mindful of not hitting Ranko's head on the door frame. He looked about the room and didn't see anyone. Nor could he hear anyone bustling around in the kitchen. Ranma frowned to himself. His father would be home any minute, but where was his Mom? He ascended the stairs slowly, Ranko's burden making the climb difficult. Only colliding with the wall twice, he managed to get to the top. Once at the top of the stairs, he could hear water running in the bathroom. `Mom must be in the bath,' Ranma thought dismissively. He walked to the door to his sister's room, and sliding it open, shuffled in still carrying Ranko on his back. He sat down on her bed and unwrapped her arms from around his neck. Ranko moaned slightly at being disturbed in her sleep, but otherwise did nothing. Releasing her legs, Ranma turned at the hips. He removed both bookbags that she had been carrying on her back and set them on the floor next to her bed, then gently laid her down on the bed. Standing up and away from her, he picked both of her legs up and moved them so that she was laying properly on the bed. `I don't know how, but she's still asleep,' Ranma chuckled to himself. He put his hand against her forehead, and noted with satisfaction that she felt normal. He watched her sleep, and noted that she managed to look unbearably cute, even with the bandage. `Must be in the genes,' he thought jokingly. `I'd better let her know she's home.' Ranma slid up on the side of the bed, placing one of his arms across her as he bent down. Placing his lips near her ear, he whispered to her. "Ranko-chan, wake up." Ranko's eyelashes fluttered lightly as she heard a soft voice whisper in her ear. Seeing her brother leaning beside her, she opened her eyes and smiled. "Hey bro." She turned her head a bit to figure out where she was. "Are we home already?" she asked in a weak voice. Ranma sat back up a bit to look at his sister face-to- face. "Yep. We're in your room, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered as he reached his hand up and caressed her injured cheek. "How's the cut feel, sis?" Ranko smiled at Ranma's reference to `Sleeping Beauty'. She brought her hand up and caressed Ranma's cheek in return. "I guess it's better, although it's still a little sore." Ranko dropped her hand from his face and draped it on his shoulder. "Thanks again for what you did for me today, bro. I couldn't have gotten to the doctor without your help." She pulled him onto her, wrapping her arms around his back in a sudden hug. Ranma struggled for a second, surprised at the suddenness of the gesture, but then relented and curled his arms underneath her to return the embrace. "It was my pleasure sis." Ranma held his sister to him, listening to her heartbeat as his head lay against her chest. A few moments later he pulled his arms out from under her and sat up a bit as Ranko released her hold on him, their faces very close. He looked at her lingeringly, her warm breath cascading against his face. Then acting on a sudden impulse, he bent down to kiss her on the forehead. Ranko saw it coming and intercepted him, kissing her brother fully on the lips. Ranma's cheeks colored furiously as she kissed him, but he didn't want to push her away. After about ten seconds, Ranko broke the kiss and sat back against the bed suddenly, realizing what she was doing. "Oh God! Umm... Ranma... I'm sorry! I..." Ranma covered Ranko's lips with a finger, quieting her stammered apology. "It's okay, sis. Granted, it felt weird, but after everything we've been through today you're excused." He winked at her. Ranko blew out a big sigh of relief as Ranma sat up completely. "I don't know what came over me, bro." Ranma took one of her hands in his. "It's okay, Ranko. Although it was probably my fault too. Brothers usually don't kiss their sisters under any circumstances. I'm still new at this, I guess. Having a sister, I mean. You know I love you, but it wouldn't be right for us to keep doing that." Ranma put a hand to his head, which was starting to ache. "Actually, now that I think about it, that kiss probably had a lot to do with Akane and Kinuko." She looked at her brother guiltily. "I hope you're not upset with me." Ranma shook his head. "Sis, I already told you it was cool. I could think of a lot worse people to kiss than my own sister." He chuckled softly. She squeezed his hand, grateful that he wasn't upset with her. "And by the way, I love you too bro." Ranma returned the hand squeeze. Suddenly anxious to change the subject, she brought a hand up and clapped Ranma on the arm. "Now I want you to answer the question you ducked back at Dr. Tofu's." Ranma's eyes showed a puzzled look. "I didn't duck a question, Ranko... Which question are you talking about, anyway?" Ranko shook her head slightly. "You never answered my question about what you were going to do about Akane." Ranma nodded. "Yeah, that's right. We were going to discuss it after we got home from Dr. Tofu's..." Ranko gestured to her room. "Well, we're home now." Ranma smiled to her. "Yeah. I guess that..." Their heads turned as Nodoka yelled from downstairs. "Ranma! Ranko! You kids home yet?!" Ranma grimaced. He wasn't looking forward to explaining Ranko's injuries to his parents. But as far as he was concerned, Ranko's safety was his responsibility. Ranma stood up. "I'll talk with you after I get through talking to Mom and Pop." Ranko blanched as she realized that he'd be in hot shit for her condition. She sat up and tried to get out of her bed. Ranma quickly held his hands out and stopped her from getting up. "No Ranko! Remember what Dr. Tofu said. You're to stay off that leg for the rest of the day." Ranko looked at him angrily. "Ranma, I can't let you take the rap for what happened to me. I'm responsible for this," she said, indicating her ankle. "And I'm responsible for you," he said, poking her gently in the chest. "Now I want you to stay right here and wait for me to return." Ranko looked like she was going to object again, but Ranma stared her down. "Dammit, listen to me! You're going to make things worse if you keep walking on it, so stay there!" Ranko relented, and flopped back against her pillows, angry. "Fine! Be that way!" She turned her head from him, crossing her arms against her chest. Ranma's look softened. "Now cut that out, Ranko! I'm not punishing you. I just don't want to see you get hurt any worse than you already are." Ranko turned her head to face him, her angry look dissipating. "I understand that Ranma, and I appreciate your concern. But I'm old enough to be responsible for my own actions." She held her arms out to him. "I'm not gonna take `no' for an answer. But I do have a compromise. You can help me walk downstairs, and we'll talk to her *together.* Okay bro?" Ranma sighed, then smiled at her. "You remind me of me, you know that sis?" He bent down and pulled Ranko up to a standing position, with her pivoting on her good foot. Ranko laughed at his comment. "I thought that was the other way around, bro." He snorted at the comment. `So much for Ranko getting her rest,' Ranma thought to himself as he put Ranko's arm around his neck to help her walk. `I hope Mom and Pop don't overreact when they see her,' Ranma hoped as he helped his sister out of her room. **** Nodoka prowled the downstairs again, looking for her kids. `They should've been home over an hour ago. I hope nothing's happened to Ranma.' She worried as her search continued to turn up nothing. She went out to the training hall, and only found Genma in there, working out. "Genma dear, have you seen the children?" Genma stopped his forms routine and turned to his wife. Grabbing a towel, he dried off his bald pate as he walked towards Nodoka. "What was that dear? I didn't hear you." Nodoka looked at him impatiently. "I *said*, have you seen our children?" Genma shook his head. "No, I haven't dear. I came straight here after work, so I didn't look in the house. They haven't been out here, as far as I know." "I'm worried, Genma. I've been looking for them for the past five minutes, and they're not anywhere around here. They should've been here long ago..." Nodoka began biting her nails nervously, her worry for Ranma's safety clearly eating away at her. Genma saw the look on her face and reached out, holding her to him. "I think Ranma's okay, dear. But let's go inside and wait for them." Nodoka put her arms around her husband and lay her face against his broad chest. "Yes, you're probably right, dear." Genma put an arm across Nodoka's shoulders and went inside. `Nodoka's worrying too much about the boy. If he's as good as I saw last night, he should be okay.' But Genma couldn't help but acknowledge the twinge of doubt that was eating away at his confidence in his son's abilities. Quickly the two turned and walked out of the training hall and back into the house. **** Ranma knelt down so Ranko could sit at the table. He heard her gasp as she tried to fold her bad leg behind her in a standard sitting position. She opted instead for crossing her legs, leaving her good leg underneath the damaged one. Once Ranko was seated comfortably, Ranma sat beside her. He kept one of his arms around her shoulders in a protective gesture. Their heads snapped up suddenly as the back door whipped open, and their parents stepped inside. Nodoka saw her children sitting casually at the table, and exhaled deeply in relief. "Thank goodness you two are home safe! We were so worried about you!" She dropped her arm from Genma and ran to her children, wrapping one arm around each and hugging them to her tightly. Nodoka's pleased expression changed to a puzzled one as she noted the tension in both of her children. The fact that Ranma had his arm *willingly* around his sister added greatly to her confusion as well. She assumed their tension had to do with the challenge that Ranma said he was going to make today. She eyed her son closely. `I wonder if he actually fought that Kuno boy. Ranma doesn't look like he has a scratch on him.' She ignored her son's pseudo-embrace of his sister for the moment, and concentrated instead on figuring out why they appeared so tense. "What's going on Ranma, Ranko?" She looked at each of them, still unable to figure out what was the matter. Getting nothing else from Ranma, she turned to Ranko and noticed the bandage on her face. Her eyes widened. "What happened to you, young lady?" Ranko self-consciously brought her hand up to the bandage. She watched her mother walk around to face her. Nodoka knelt down in front of Ranko and pulled her hand away from the bandage. She ran her finger around the edge of the bandage. "What caused this?" Ranma's grip on Ranko's shoulder tightened, and he spoke suddenly. "Mom, don't get upset with her. It's my fault that she got hurt." Ranko turned to protest, but was drowned out by Nodoka. "What do you mean, `it was your fault?' " She sat back to face both of her children, wondering what Ranma could've done that would've injured her like that. Genma walked over and sat down beside her, placing an arm across her shoulders. "I think you'd better explain, Ranma," he said ominously. Ranma sighed, and prepared himself for the worst. He told them about the fight with Kuno, but skipped the part about Akane. "Kuno didn't even hurt me. I defeated him, broke his bokken, then Ranko and I went to school." "How did Ranko manage to get hurt during that fight?" Nodoka pressed tersely. "She didn't. I haven't gotten to that part yet, mom. At lunch Ranko, Akane, and I were attacked by seven guys from the Kendo club in revenge for what I did to Kuno." Nodoka and Genma's eyes opened in alarm. "I took out four of them, and Akane took out one, but not before three of them had beaten up on Ranko." Ranma's look became self- recriminating. "I should've paid more attention to her. If I had, then she wouldn't have been triple-teamed like she was." Ranko felt the eyes of her parents descend on her. Genma was half smiling at Ranma's achievement, but Nodoka's face was a stark contrast to that. "Now you know why I never liked the idea of you fighting, Ranko. This could happen to you again if you keep fighting." Ranma held his hand up. "Mom, I'm not finished yet. Towards the end of the fight, Akane took out one of the guys holding Ranko back, and I took out the other. After that, Ranko finished off the guy that was beating her." "So what does that prove? She still got injured." she pressed, although she could already see that she wasn't going to win this argument. Genma stepped in to aid Ranma's case. "It proves that once she was fighting one-on-one, she was able to take out her foe, despite her injuries. She's a great martial artist, dear. She just got attacked by some kids that don't know what honor is." "And what's to prevent her from getting attacked like that again in the future, Genma?" Ranko's face was red as she watched the conversation flow between her brother and her mother. Finally she'd had enough. "Would you people *stop* talking like I wasn't here?" All heads turned to her. "Sorry sis," Ranma said sheepishly, squeezing Ranko's shoulder again. Nodoka looked at her, unable to stay angry at her little girl. She blew her anger out in a breath, as her face grew calm. "Okay, dear. I'm sorry for talking over you. I just don't like seeing you injured, Ranko." She sat next to her daughter and looked closely at the bandage. "Looks like you've already had this looked at. Whoever worked on it did a good job." Ranko smiled as she remembered the kind Dr. Tofu. "Yeah. Dr. Tofu really knew what he was doing." Nodoka showed her children a puzzled look. "Who's Dr. Tofu?" Ranma quickly spoke up to answer. "Well, he's a doctor close to the school. I felt that Ranko needed to be taken care of quickly, so I took her there. I was told that he was very good. Plus, he took Ranko's insurance card." Nodoka appeared mollified by Ranma's explanation. She looked down and saw that Ranma's hand was still on Ranko's shoulder. Eyeing it with a smile, she spoke again. "Well, you two are obviously getting along a lot better," she said with obvious satisfaction. Ranko blushed, but halted her instinct to push Ranma's hand off of her. "Well, yeah. Ranma and I came to an understanding recently." Ranma smiled and began rubbing Ranko's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "She's right. It's like I finally learned to appreciate having a sister." Ranko's blush deepened, but she couldn't help but smile inwardly. This last week with her brother had been an absolute paradise compared to the fifteen years of her life that she'd had to endure with him. Nodoka smiled warmly. "I'm glad that you two aren't brawling anymore. It's about damn time." Ranma blushed this time. He made a mental note to ask Ranko about how he treated her in the `past' when they talked later on. "Yeah. As far as I'm concerned, I'll not fight Ranko again. Except for sparring, that is." Ranko turned to him, smiling. "Hopefully that won't be too long in coming, bro." Nodoka `awwwed,' sending both children into a deep crimson blush. "Mom..." Ranko said, embarrassed. Ranma looked to his father, who'd watched the whole exchange with some amusement. Hoping to shake his embarrassment, Ranma decided to talk to his father alone. "Mom, I need to talk to Pop for a moment." He brought his hand down from Ranko's shoulder, but rubbed her back affectionately before standing up. "Let's go to the training hall, Pop." Nodoka frowned. "Is everything okay, Ranma?" Ranma looked at her, shaking his head. "Everything's okay mom, I just want to talk to Pop about some guy stuff." He smiled, hoping to forestall any further questions. Genma looked to Ranma and nodded. Without saying anything else, both men walked out of the house and headed to the training hall. Nodoka turned from watching the men leave to look at her daughter again. "Well, I wonder what *that* was all about." Ranko shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me. He probably wants to talk about Akane, is all." Nodoka sighed as she remembered what Ranma had promised to do if he'd beaten Kuno. `Which was something I didn't expect him to do,' she thought to herself. "I hope Ranma's not going ahead with his plans to marry that girl. He hardly knows her." Ranko looked up to her mother. "Mom, I've met Akane, and she's not a bad person. If you want to know the truth, I think they're a good match." Nodoka shook her head, unable to hide a smile. "You two really *are* getting along better. It's odd hearing positive things about Ranma coming from your mouth." "MOOOOM!" Ranko yelled, afraid that her blush was going to become permanent. Nodoka held her hands up in a placating gesture. "Okay, little girl. I'll stop" `I don't want her to blush to death,' she thought with some mirth. She looked over her daughter, taking in the bandage on her face, and noted how stiffly Ranko was sitting. "Honey, you look like you're awfully sore. How badly were you hurt?" Ranko looked over at her mom. "Well, I was worked over pretty badly. But it wasn't anything I couldn't handle." She struggled to catalog the injuries that she'd sustained, but her foggy mind wasn't cooperating. Her eyebrows shot up as she suddenly remembered something. "Ahh, the list! Dr. Tofu gave me a list of things to do to take care of my injuries. That'll tell you about my injuries better than I can." Nodoka shook her head, wondering how her daughter could be so casual about being hurt. `She's got the body of a girl, and she acts like a girl most of the time. But sometimes the mindset of a male martial artist keeps showing up,' she observed. She dismissed that thought, knowing that her daughter wasn't as reckless as she sometimes seemed. "Where's the list?" "It's up in my room." Her mother stood up. "Well, let's go to your room then, dear." Ranko held her hand out to her mother. "Could you help me up please? I twisted my ankle today." Nodoka looked at her sternly before taking her hand and helping Ranko to her feet. "And when were you going to tell me about that one, little girl?" Ranko looked at her calmly. "Mom, I didn't hurt it during the fight. I sprained it after school when I was walking home. I tripped, is all." Nodoka rolled her eyes, but accepted Ranko's story. She curled one of Ranko's arms around her shoulder, and slowly helped her daughter up the stairs and into her bedroom. **** The two male Saotomes entered the training hall, closing the wide doors of the building behind them. "What did you want to talk about son?" Ranma sat in the center of the training hall, gesturing for his father to do the same. Genma did so, facing his son on the mat. "I wanted to talk to you about the fight." "I thought you already did, Ranma." "Well, yeah, I did. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I would've prevented those guys from hurting Ranko if I'd not been so wrapped up in my own fights." Ranma gaze descended to the floor as he got hit with a wave of guilt. Genma smiled to Ranma. "Hey, son. You don't need to worry about that. Ranko's a martial artist, and she knows that pain's part of the package. I'm just glad that you did help her when you could. Besides knocking out four out of seven armed enemies isn't bad for someone who's only been a martial artist for a few weeks." Genma patted Ranma on the knee. "You should be proud of yourself Ranma. You defeated those four hoodlums, and also managed to take care of their captain." Ranma's head came back up abruptly. "Yeah, that's right. I guess defeating Kuno wasn't as big a deal for me as everyone thought." He pushed away sudden thoughts of Akane that had cluttered his mind, and concentrated on mending the rift between the Tendos and Saotomes. "Pop, you know that I made a deal with Mr. Tendo." Genma nodded. "Yes, you told Soun that you wanted to marry Akane, right?" "Close Pop. He and I agreed that he'd let me date Akane if I defeated Kuno. I'm going to worry about that later." "Later? How much later?" Genma asked worriedly. He didn't want anything *worse* to happen between he and Soun. "Calm down, Pop. I got Mr. Tendo's okay to go slow. I thought it'd be best for me and Akane." `He'd freak if I told him about Kinuko. Best to keep that to myself for now,' Ranma added to himself. "Anyway, that was only half of the agreement." "Oh, there's more?" Genma said with extreme interest. "Yeah Pop. I had Mr. Tendo promise that he'd call off the feud with our family and sit down and talk with you if I won the fight." Genma's eyes enlarged to the point of almost falling out of their sockets. "Ranma, you didn't?!" Ranma showed him a puzzled look. "Yeah, Pop. I did..." He stared at his stricken father. "I thought you'd *like* to hear this..." He broke off, thoroughly confused at his father's reaction to the news. Genma shook his head, as if shaking off a weight. "I am glad, boy. But it's been so long..." Ranma sighed lowly, forgetting that his father had a tendency to overreact. Especially over nothing. "Pop, it's okay. Mr. Tendo and I talked today while Ranko was being looked at by Dr. Tofu. He knows that I won the fight, and he and I thought that the best way to meet was for us to come over to his house tomorrow." "Come over to his house tomorrow?!" Genma started making gagging noises. "What are we gonna do once we're there boy, have some sort of encounter-session crap?" Ranma shot Genma an angry look. "I sacrifice my time and energy to try and bring our two families back together, and all you can do is whine?!" Genma had a downcast look on his face as he absorbed Ranma's words. "You're right, Ranma. I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. It's just... it's been so long since Tendo and I have had any good words to say to each other, that I'm a little leery of a peaceful meeting. The last time we talked was years ago, and we were both angry." "Don't sweat it, Pop. We'll have fun, I promise." "What're we going to do, Ranma?" Ranma shuffled about uncomfortably. "Well Pop. When Mr. Tendo and I talked last night, we also fought. For about twenty minutes." Genma's brow shot up in a show of respect at hearing that. "Well, we managed to trash his dojo as a result of the fight. So I offered our services to help repair the damage I helped to cause." Genma calmed. At least the boy had thought of something that would provide a distraction in case things didn't work out all that well. "Alright, Ranma. I guess that's not a bad idea. What do we have to do?" Ranma held out the list that Soun had given him. "This is a list of things that we have to bring with us when we arrive at the dojo tomorrow. Only the things not marked with an `X'." Genma nodded, then pocketed the list. "That was it Pop. I don't have anything else to tell you." Genma stood and pulled Ranma to his feet. "Why did we come out to the training hall, Ranma? We could've talked about that in the house." "Aww, I couldn't stand Mom talkin' about me like that anymore in front of Ranko. It was starting to embarrass the hell out of me. That, and I don't know how mom would take the news about tomorrow's trip to the Tendo house." Genma nodded at Ranma's wisdom. "I guess I'll tell Nodoka about that when we go back inside. To tell you the truth, I have no idea how she'll react either." They walked together back to the house. "By the way, you shouldn't be embarrassed about being protective of your sister. That's a very honorable trait, Ranma." Genma reached over and patted Ranma on the back. "And I appreciate you taking care of my little girl." Ranma smiled satisfactorily as the approached the back door of the house. Everything was going the way he'd hoped. `What could possibly go wrong tomorrow?' he asked himself light-heartedly. He cringed as he heard thunder crack in the distance. **** The two women entered Ranko's room. Ranko hobbled over to her bed as her mother closed the bedroom door behind her. Reaching down, she pulled her bookbag into her lap. Fishing her hand around inside, she came up with the bag of stuff and the list that Dr. Tofu had given Ranma. "Here's the list I was telling you about," she said as she handed the list over to Nodoka. Nodoka sat next to her daughter on the bed. "Let's see. Hmmm... Contusions, bruises, a few abrasions. The cut on your cheek, and a sprained ankle." She folded the list and placed it on the bed between she and her daughter. "Looks like you got worked over quite a bit, if that list is any indication." She began rummaging through the bag of items, and pulled out a powder packet. She picked up the list again. "According to the instructions on here, you need to soak in a bath with this powder mixed into the water." Ranko smiled, the thought of a soaking bath pleasing her greatly. "Yeah, I guess so." She stood up on her good foot and reached down to take the packet from her mother. Nodoka deftly pulled the packet out of reach, then put her arm up to keep Ranko from toppling due to overreaching. "You can't walk in there by yourself. Come on young lady, I'll help you." Nodoka stood up from the bed. Ranko put her arm around her mother and walked with her to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, Ranko started undressing. Nodoka did the same, pulling her kimono off and placing it on a hook. Ranko watched her mother take her bra off, and wondered why she was undressing. "Mom, why are you taking your stuff off?" Nodoka stepped out of her panties before answering her. "You've got a sprained ankle, and I don't want to worry about you slipping in the tub or something else like that, so I'm going to help you bathe." "Mom, didn't you *just* take a bath?" Nodoka nodded. "Yes dear, but I don't mind taking another one." Ranko shrugged, since bathing with her mother was nothing unusual, and resumed undressing. Her mother gasped when Ranko removed her bra. "Ranko! You didn't tell me you got hit *there!*" Nodoka exclaimed as she knelt down to look at Ranko's bruised breast. "Well, that cream that Dr. Tofu gave me numbed the bruise. Since I couldn't feel it, I forgot to mention it. Don't worry. The doctor told me that the bruise was superficial, and that it would heal within a week." Nodoka brought her hands up, and pushed up against the nipple, lifting the breast up to reveal the bruise much more clearly. "How tender is it?" she asked as she traced the outside ridge of the bruise with her finger. Ranko winced as Nodoka's finger occasionally made contact with the bruise. "Well, it's starting to hurt again. I guess I'll have to put some more of that cream on it after I get out of the bath. Hopefully the hot water will help it too." She looked in the mirror behind her mother, finally able to get a look at the bruise. Her eyebrows lifted as she saw how dark and big the bruise was. `Damn that Kenji! I should cut his you-know-what off for this,' she thought angrily. `He'd better be glad that this bruise isn't permanent.' Nodoka released Ranko's breast and stood up again. "That must've hurt like hell, Ranko." Ranko nodded, bringing her hand to her breast self- consciously to cover the bruise. "It did." Anger replaced Nodoka's earlier concern as she looked at the wounded breast again. "Who did this to you dear? Do you even know who it was?" Ranko nodded. "Yeah, it was that brat Kenji." "Kenji Kurosawa!?" Nodoka's eyes flashed angrily. "That little snot did this to you?" Nodoka made a move like she was going to leave the bathroom. Ranko anticipated this and grabbed her mother by the arms to keep her from running out of the bathroom and making a phone call. "Whoa whoa whoa! Mom, don't worry about it! I made sure he paid for what he did to me." She glanced down at her pants, remembering the trophy she'd put in the pockets. "Let's just take our bath, okay?" Nodoka deflated, agreeing with her daughter. She walked over to the tub and started the water running. She then walked back to Ranko and helped her remove her pants and panties. Nodoka's anger started rising again as she saw the myriad bruises on Ranko's legs. "God, what that boy did to you is inexcusable. I hope you punished him greatly for that." Nodoka rubbed one of Ranko's legs consolingly. "You're such a pretty girl. This sort of thing shouldn't be happening to you." Ranko had put her hand on her mother's head to keep from falling while her mother removed her pants and panties. "Thanks mom. I'm good looking because I take after you," she said with a smile, rubbing Nodoka's head gently. Nodoka stood up and smiled broadly, wrapping her daughter up in an affectionate hug. "That was a very nice thing to say dear. It's good to know that at my age I can still turn a few heads." She winked at Ranko, then stood beside her, keeping an arm around her daughter as they walked to the bath. After pouring the powder into the water, she helped her daughter sit down, then stepped in and reclined against the edge of the tub. The two women sat side by side in the oversized tub, their arms around each other as they closed their eyes and enjoyed being submerged in the soaking bath. **** [scene to be written in the future: Soun arrives home. Tells of repair day tomorrow. Doesn't mention Saotome name. We do find out what he told Nabiki about how the dojo was damaged.] **** Thirty minutes later the two women exited the bathroom wrapped in large towels. After dropping Ranko off in her bedroom, Nodoka went to hers and dressed in something casual. She came out a moment later with an old pair of Ranma's boxers, as well as one of his T-shirts. She stepped back into Ranko's bedroom with the clothes. "I'd rather you wear these old clothes to sleep in while you're using that ointment." Nodoka wrinkled her nose, remembering the smell from Ranko's clothes. "Your outfit, including your bra, was reeking of the stuff." Ranko was a little shocked, then nodded as she realized that she must've grown used to the smell of the stuff due to its proximity to her. She unwrapped herself from her towel and set it on the bed, then sat down on the towel itself. Grabbing the tube of ointment, she squeezed some onto her fingers. She frowned at the scent, but forced herself to continue as she began applying it to the bruises on her arms, stomach, and breast. Nodoka took the tube from her daughter and began applying more of the smelly stuff to Ranko's legs. After letting the ointment sit for five minutes, Ranko put on the shirt and boxers that her mother had brought her, then pulled on the ACE bandage for her ankle. "Whew! I'd better open a window before I pass out." Ranko stood up drunkenly. She noted absently that her ankle was feeling much better after the bath. Quickly she opened the window in her room, leaning outside of it a bit to breathe in the sweet outside air. Nodoka nodded drowsily, the smell of the ointment beginning to getting to her as well. She wiped her hands off on Ranko's towel, then propped herself up on the bed as she felt a little spacy. She welcomed the warm evening breeze as it wafted into the room through the now-open window. Ranko sat down on her bed next to where her mother was leaning. "Thanks for the bath mom. It really helped." Nodoka looked up to her daughter and smiled. "I didn't mind it at all. I'm just glad you're feeling better, dear." She looked at the clock on Ranko's desk. "Oh dear, it's past six-thirty. I'd better get downstairs. The two bottomless pits are probably climbing the walls waiting for dinner." Ranko laughed hard at the not-inaccurate description of her father and the `new' Ranma. "Okay mom, I'll be downstairs in a bit. I can make it on my own now." Nodoka patted Ranko on the knee. "Alright Ranko. Just remember what the doctor said. Take it easy on the leg for awhile." "I will mom." Nodoka stood and walked out of the room, destined for the kitchen. After the door closed Ranko flopped on the bed, tired again. She lay there, her legs hanging off the side of the bed and her arm across her eyes. Ten seconds later she was asleep. **** [to be continued...] Author's notes: Well, here I go again. ^_^ (those of you who've read "The Prince and the Lecher" will understand that remark...) I was simply minding my own business, and reading the first two sections of the story "Be Careful What you Wish For" by Richard Beaubien. After completing that, I re-read part one, and said to myself "What if *this* happened instead of *that.*" Well I shouldn't have done that, because here I am clattering away at my IBM keyboard like a man possessed. Some people may wonder about the content (boy *that* was obtuse!). Well, as of this writing: (3/4/96): Released the first alpha of part three for reader input. (3/5/96) Boy! Did I get reader input! ^_^ Several things were immediately changed after I submitted the story to the list. The majority of that was changes in grammatical content and spelling. David Bateson and Kevin Eav get kudos for helping me with the continuity on the story, and the de-lemonization of the bath between Nabiki and Kasumi (although that's always been a dream scene for me @_@ ). I'm still under the influence of this damned cold, so I can't always trust my judgment. Thanks for keeping me on track people! I added some more angst to Kasumi's speech in the bath. (probably *too* much angst). I also added my first flashback scene. Acknowledgments: I'd like to thank Richard Beaubien first and foremost for granting me the permission to write this side-story based on his. Prior to writing this thing, he's never even heard of me. I understand that he's continuing the mother- story from which this one is based. All I have to say is, "Go for it man!" ^_^ It's been a real treat writing this thing and playing around in his dimension (so to speak). It wouldn't have been possible without his work as the base. So to him, I say Domo Arigato Gozaimashita! Bert Van Vliet. You're the one who gave me the writing bug . Prior to picking up my first BubbleGum Zone printout, I was clueless as to the ways of writing fanfic. What a difference a year makes. You're a good friend, and I thank you for the support. Hail SkyKnight! ^_^ Izzy-chan for inspiring the now infamous bathroom scene in part one Wing/Nagisa for being an invaluable proofer for part one. Your contributions helped make part one what it is today. Thank you! Thank You for tolerating my unusual style of writing. I'll get better, I promise ^_^ My music library, for inspiring me in times of need: * Robotech 10th Anniversary Perfect Soundtrack Album * Char's Counterattack Soundtrack * Gundam 0083 Soundtrack * Gundam Singles History Soundtrack * Entire BubbleGum Crisis Soundtrack set * The Macross Complete Soundtrack * Macross II Soundtrack * Macross Plus Soundtrack * Vampire Princess Miyu Soundtrack * Ranma 1/2 Calendar CD `94 * Project A-ko #1 Soundtrack * Megazone Two-Three part 2 Soundtrack * Babylon 5 Soundtrack * Mortal Kombat Soundtrack * The Collected works of John Tesh and Bob James And now for my .sig! Later, Shadow Stalker (Protoculture Addict) (Moderator: The Robotech Echo) sstalker@delphi.com -or- sysop@newberry.edu <--- try this address first!