Well... as promised, here's Chapter 10, one week late.  I'm taking a break
from Return of the Sisters for a few weeks, during which I might write and
release a couple of shorter fics.  I don't know when, exactly, I plan to
release chapter 11, but if I haven't in eight weeks, start pestering me.
I had trouble with the last scene- I got the effect I wanted, but it feels
very rough and underwritten.  Any help fleshing it out would be greatly
appreciated.
If you want back chapters, e-mail me and I'll respond as soon as I can.  My
completed stories and plans for future stories are all on my web page.  I'm
begging for any type of Comments, Criticism, Flames, MST's, etc.  Enjoy...

-------------------------
Chapter 10:  Reunions

Ranma shook his head and sighed at Akane.  "You aren't going to take my
advice and try it with the fish first, are you?  You're going to go
straight for the chestnuts."

Akane snorted.  "Of course.  I want the PROPER training for this, after
all.  I want to be able to do this TONIGHT, so that I'll have the technique
when we get home tomorrow."

"Well, I understand that- I want you to be able to do that myself- but even
I had to start on those goldfish, remember?  You saw how I kept burning
myself when I went after the roasting chestnuts!"  Ranma protested.

"Well, yeah, but that's because Cologne pulled that... what was it?  'Full
body cat-tongue' thing on you."

Ranma sighed in defeat.  "Fine, Akane.  Burn your hands, if you want..."

"Oh, so you think I'm not good enough, is that it?"  Akane's rising voice
demanded.

Desaix, watching from the other end of camp, stared at the bickering couple
with a bit of amusement.  "You know, it's amazing how much those two fight.
 After all, they ARE engaged."

Dr. Tofu, sitting with him, just smiled- a little hesitantly, because there
was something a bit delicate he wanted to bring up with the young pair, but
genuinely.  "Eh... I suppose.  Actually, they've been fighting a lot less
than when I remember- usually by now, Ranma would have started calling
Akane names and Akane would be grabbing a loose piece of furniture or
something to smash over Ranma's head.  However, they have gotten a lot
closer than when I last saw them, too."

Desaix was concentrating too much on the war of words in front of him to
come up with much of an answer, other than some sort of grunt of
acknowledgment.

"Akane," Ranma was saying.  "Look, I just don't want you to get hurt.  When
are you going to stop acting so stupid and REALIZE this!"

"YOU are calling ME stupid?!  HA!  That's a laugh!"

"Akane, why-"  Ranma broke off and thought about something.  Akane was
looking at him impatiently.

"Giving up?"  She asked smugly.

Ranma shook his head.  "Not really- I was going to let you use the
chestnuts anyway, if you wanted to that badly.  I think it's a mistake, but
I don't own you- you can do whatever you please."  He drew in a breath. 
"No, Akane, what stopped me there was the sudden realization that you
haven't malleted me yet.  In fact, you haven't called up your Rubber Mallet
o' Chi since we first got to Xiquan- and that was four weeks ago."

Akane blushed.  "Well... I've been trying to control myself.  I... you know
I love you, Ranma.  I don't want to hurt you anymore."

Ranma smirked.  "And you know how I feel about you- and I don't want to
hurt YOU, period- even in as indirect a way as training you in a painful
way when there was just as good a way to train you where there was little
or no pain at all."  He paused for a second, then grinned with a twinkle in
his eye.  "I'm afraid you'll never be as good as I am, Akane, no matter how
hard you train..."

Akane, who had been calming down when he said that first part, looked up at
him with rekindled anger.  "Oh?!  And why's that?"

"Well... I don't think I'll EVER be willing to toss you into a pit of
hungry cats, wrapped in fish sausage..."  He chuckled.

Akane's anger fell in an instant, and then SHE got the twinkle in her eye. 
"Oh, I don't know.  It might be fun, you know, if were both cats at the
same time- I mean, think of all the fun and frolic we could get into?"

Ranma shuddered.  "And then who would calm us down?"  He shook his head. 
"No, I'm afraid that idea is just a bit too scary for me to consider, even
as a joke."  He looked back at Akane, still grinning but much more
seriously.  "And, Akane, you don't have to stop smacking me with that
mallet just because you love me.  I wouldn't mind a reminder of the 'old'
you every now and then- besides, like I said, I think I kinda like it."

Akane glared at Ranma in mild shock.  "What do you mean by 'like it?'"

Ranma leaned over to her, and whispered in her ear, "I'll let you know on
our honeymoon.  In the meantime, though, let's get back to training." 
[Author's Note:  I believe I've mentioned before I'm planning a lemon
transitory piece between Return of the Sisters and it's sequel.  Well, it
will cover the honeymoon (assuming it's ever written) and they DO talk
about it then.  Until then, you'll have to guess what he means by that...]

'He LIKES it?'  Akane couldn't help but wonder what kind of pervert it was
who she wanted to marry, but instead of turning her off of him as she
normally let on, it made her a little excited at the prospect.  She shook
her head.  'Gotta clear my mind of those kinds of thoughts if I want this
to work...'  She looked him in the eye.  "Okay, Ranma.  Where's the nearest
stream where we can try out the Tenshin Amiguriken?"

*	*	*	*	*

After Ranma and Akane's training session ended, the young couple started to
make their way to their shared tent.  Desaix had gone to bed an hour
beforehand, saying he wanted to rest up for the reunion tomorrow.  Ranma
was surprised that it only took Akane three or four tries before she was
able to perform a real Tenshin Amaguriken, but then he remembered how easy
it was for him to learn it when he started trying to catch fishes instead
of trying to grab flaming chestnuts.  Besides, he'd been building up her
speed for nearly two months now- he'd spent about a week trying to build up
the speed for it himself.

Ranma glanced over at Dr. Tofu, who was tending the fire.  "Say, doc, can
you douse the fire for us?  Akane's worn out after today's training
session, and so we want to go to bed a little early."

The doctor looked up and smiled nervously.  "Of course, Ranma.  But can I
talk to you two first?"

Ranma glanced over at Akane, who shrugged.  "Sure thing, doc," he said. 
The two of them sat down on the other side of the fire from Dr. Tofu. 
"What's up?"

"Ranma, Akane..." Tofu hesitated.  "I... want to talk to you two about...
your sleeping habits."  Ranma blinked and Akane blushed.  He'd had several
weeks to ask them about this, and hadn't- why was he bringing this up now? 


"Dr. Tofu!"  Akane protested.

"It's not like that!" Ranma cried in shock.  "We've been sharing the same
tent, but it's been perfectly innocent, I swear!"

Dr. Tofu raised a hand, stopping their protests.  "Relax, I know that you
could not have been doing more than kissing and hugging so far- your auras
show that you are both still virgins."  He sighed, hesitating further.  "I
have not brought this up, yet, because I realize that we're four people
with only two tents, and that we DO have to share.  However, as the only
adult... authority... here, I feel it is my job to find out about your
plans for FUTURE sleeping arrangements.  You two are getting much closer
than I remember, and I am wondering if you two will consider getting
married soon..."  His voice trailed off nervously.

Akane blinked, and looked over at Ranma.  Ranma, however, was too stunned
to say anything, so Akane fielded that question.  "Dr. Tofu, this doesn't
sound like you.  Why are you acting this way?"

The doctor looked at Akane, then at Ranma, then back at Akane, and sighed. 
"Well, you're right.  It doesn't sound like me.  I don't usually mislead
people regarding my motives."  He looked down.  "Akane, your oldest sister
and I... well, ever since I left Nerima, she and I have been keeping in
touch by mail.  Writing to her has allowed me to tell her some things I
wasn't able to tell her before.  Things like... I love her."

Akane gasped.  She'd known how he felt- in fact, it was obvious to everyone
(except, perhaps, Kasumi) how the good doctor felt about her sister, but he
had always been too unstable around the object of his desires for Akane to
believe he would ever be able to tell her how he felt.  "That's great, Dr.
Tofu," she said.  "But... what does that have to do with me and Ranma?"

"Well... in one of those letters to Kasumi, I... proposed to her.  She
accepted, but said that we could not be married until you and Ranma were
married as well- she didn't want to rob you of your dowry, Akane, which
would surely happen if her wedding was first.  And so, I ask the two of you
again:  will you consider getting married soon?"

Akane opened her mouth to say something, but then caught herself.  She
wasn't the one who would determine the wedding date- she wouldn't mind
getting married right away if Ranma would agree to it.  She turned to look
at her fiancee.

Ranma had recovered from his shock in time to hear the doctor's
explanation, but all that did was cause his face to fall slightly.  He
shook his head sadly and slowly.  "I'm sorry, doc... I want to help- and I
WILL marry Akane- but I can't do that yet.  Akane and I love each other- we
finally found that out about ourselves.  But we have yet to do many other
things engaged couples do- we haven't had a courtship, I haven't OFFICIALLY
asked her to marry me yet, and we haven't made any plans yet, other than my
asking Ryouga to be my best man if we have a western ceremony.  But beyond
that, there are still complications to any wedding which I might attend-
namely, Shampoo and the Kunous.  I suppose you could also factor in pop
into that equation, as he was largely responsible for the failure of the
FIRST attempt at a wedding."  Dr. Tofu nodded- he'd read about that in one
of Kasumi's letters.  "When Akane and I have been able to go on a few
dates, when our suitor problems are gone, and when I've been able to ask
Akane to marry me for real, THEN we'll get married."

Dr. Tofu sighed.  "Well, I suppose that those are all very good reasons to
not want to marry just yet... but you will get married before your sleeping
together becomes, uh,  something more than just sleeping in each others
arms?"

"Sure thing, doc.  Er... you ARE going to keep our sleeping habits a
secret, right?  I already asked Desaix, and he agreed to do so..."

"As long as you two don't start sleeping together nude, I suppose so," the
doctor nodded.

Ranma smirked.  "I'll marry her before that- promise."

*	*	*	*	*

The foursome arrived in front of the Tendou compound a little after noon
the next day.  As they reached the door, they could smell through the door
evidence of lunch being prepared.  Akane reached up and pulled the cord on
the clapper of the doorbell, ringing it to announce to anyone inside that
the Tendou establishment was about to have company.

"Just a minute!" a feminine voice came from inside.  Dr. Tofu, standing
behind the other three, suddenly stiffened, but had little reaction other
than that.  The months apart had allowed him to gain some control.

"That your fiancee?" Desaix elbowed Dr. Tofu in the ribs.  Everyone in
Xiquan had heard about the days when Kasumi's letters arrived- though
apparently the near-mutilations which accompanied them had diminished a bit
recently.

"Y-y-yeah..." the nervous young doctor nodded.  He was unable to do much
more than that, however- he was trying to keep from falling apart like he
normally did when the oldest Tendo sister was discussed.

Then the door slid open.  "Good afternoon!  Wh..."  Kasumi's eyes widened
and her smile grew as she saw Ranma and Akane.  "Oh, my!  Welcome home,
Ranma, Akane!"  With that, she grabbed her little sister in a big bear hug.
 

Still hugging Akane, Kasumi caught her first glance of the other two who
had been accompanying the couple.  Her eyes suddenly seemed to lose there
focus, and her grip on the poor young girl tightened considerably. 
Watching the two of them, Ranma smirked a bit, thinking that Akane was
being given the same treatment she gave him over the past couple month's
nights.  His smirk disappeared a bit as he noticed that Akane wasn't able
to breath at all- Kasumi must have been squeezing Akane even TIGHTER than
the younger girl was able to squeeze him.  He moved to try and help his
fiancee.

"Ah, Kasumi, you're crushing your sister- she can't breathe..." he began
timidly.  His words seemed to reach through the fog in Kasumi's head a
little, because her arms relaxed a bit and Akane was able to take in a
breath with what might be described as, well, not quite a gasp, more like a
reverse cough.  That sound was enough to clear most of the haze from the
older sister's head, and she released Akane promptly.

"Sorry, Akane... I guess I just got a little over-enthusiastic at your
return,"  Kasumi, still not QUITE entirely herself, apologized.

Akane, nearly gasping for breath, nodded.  "That's okay... I'll recover." 
With that, she stepped out of Kasumi's way to let her greet the other
arrivals.

After smiling at Ranma, she moved on to greet the only person who she
didn't recognize.  "Hello, you must be Mr. Desaix..."

Ranma stepped over to Akane and whispered in her ear, smirking the entire
time, "Hmm... now you know how I felt that night in the hotel room..."

Akane, understandably, was a little annoyed.  "Ranma!  I can't believe you
said that!  Do you WANT me to hit you?"  Ranma's smirk grew as he quietly
nodded.  Akane blinked, blinked again, blinked a third time, and then shook
herself out of it.  "We'll talk about this later..."

With that, the two of them turned their attention to a very interesting
conversation going on behind them.

"W... welcome back, Dr. T-tofu!"  Kasumi was saying, standing about five
feet away from the doctor but leaning in about a foot.

"H... hello, Kasumi..." Dr. Tofu replied carefully, also leaning in a foot
or two.  Panicking, he desperately tried to find something to talk about. 
"S... so, what are you doing here, of all places?"

"W...well..."  Kasumi tried to answer, panicking as well.  "I... I was
coming out to greet the people at the door..."

"Aheheh... of course... you... were."  He blinked and looked around,
recovering some of his sanity- a significant feat for him.  "Um... why are
we all just standing around outside the door?"

That shook Kasumi back to reality.  "Oh, my!  After all your travels, you
must be tired!  Come on, come inside!"  With that, Kasumi refocused and
returned to her usual domestic-caregiver self, gesturing for everyone to
head towards the doorway.

Dr. Tofu, slowly recovering his senses (aided by he and Kasumi diverting
their attention away from each other) was the first one to move, staggering
towards the doorway.  Desaix, the only one who wasn't affected by the
events going on around him, followed slowly.  Ranma and Akane started to
move towards the door, before being caught from behind by Kasumi.  They
turned, a little startled.

"What's up, Kasumi?"  Akane asked.

Kasumi looked down uncertainly.  "Um... you guys met Ryouga while you were
traveling, didn't you?"

Ranma and Akane both blushed crimson, thinking of exactly how they looked
when Ryouga had wandered into their camp.

"Uh, well, uh, yeah..."  Akane forced out.

"I thought I told that damn pig to keep his mouth shut," Ranma grumbled.

Kasumi blinked, a little distressed.  That meant that Ryouga knew he was
the father, didn't it?  And if he did, then why did Ranma tell him to be
quiet?  "Why, exactly, did you ask him to do that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"  Ranma snorted in frustration.  "Just because Akane and
I have gotten a little closer DOESN'T mean we want to get married right
away, and now that our parents know-"  

Akane flinched when Ranma said a 'little' closer.  'We've been kissing,
sleeping in each others arms, and all these other things.  Why does he act
as if our progress has been so small?'

Kasumi gasped.  "You... you've gotten closer?  Why, that's wonderful news!"

Ranma and Akane both facefaulted.  "You didn't know?" Akane asked slowly. 
"Then Ryouga didn't tell you he walked in on us?"

Kasumi bit her lower lip in concern.  "Oh, my... what, exactly, did Ryouga
walk in on you two doing?"

Ranma and Akane both blushed, but Ranma, who had finally recovered from
having blown the secret he had been meaning to keep, was able to answer
her.  "Oh, well, we were... um... just sharing our first kiss, when there
was this explosion behind us, and when we turned around, there was
Ryouga..."

"Oh, that's nice."  Kasumi smiled.  "Well, I won't tell anyone your secret
unless you want me to..."

"And why didn't you tell your own little sister that you'd finally gotten
engaged, hmm?"  Akane accused, eyes twinkling.

Kasumi's smile brightened, if possible.  "Oh, my, Akane.  I never thought
you asked."  She giggled at Akane's blank stare of amusement, but then
turned serious.  Her expression once more went into a unfamiliar frown. 
"However, you met Ryouga.  And, I assume, he told you he had gotten
engaged."  Ranma and Akane both nodded, curious about this change of topic.
 "Well... I know how good a friend you two are with him.  He's gotten
himself into some trouble..."

*	*	*	*	*

Dr. Tofu and Desaix were standing in the hallway, uncertain of what to do.

"So... where are they?"  Dr. Tofu asked.

"I don't know.  I thought they were right behind us... do you know your way
around this place?"  Desaix answered, nervously twisting the ring on his
finger.

"Well... yeah, I suppose I do.  Come on, let's go to the living room, I'm
pretty sure that most of the people around here recognize me, and so I can
introduce you while we wait for the others to catch up."  Tofu led the
other man into the living room, where they walked in on a panda playing
Shogi with a man with hair just starting to turn grey who was wearing a
black gi.

Soun, the man in the black gi, looked up and saw the two new arrivals and
raised a hand in greeting.  "Hello, Dr. Tofu!  Haven't seen you in a
while... Where have you been?  Didn't Kasumi greet you at the door?  And
who is your friend?"  Without even looking, he slapped the panda's hand,
forcing the big animal to drop a Shogi piece which would have been
illegally placed in a very annoying position.

"Okay, I think I can answer all of that," Dr. Tofu smiled.  "I've been in
China, studying new skills in herbalism and new pressure point techniques. 
Yes, K-kasumi DID greet me at the door..."  He took a breath, pleased at
his ability to say her name with only a slight stutter.  "But she hung back
to talk to the other two people who were accompanying me, Ranma and Akane. 
And, knowing that, you can probably guess that this man is Kenji Desaix,
the man that those two were sent out to find."

Soun jumped up, knocking over the shogi table 'accidentally.'  He rushed
over to meet the man, hand outstretched.  "So, you are the father of those
two delightful young girls... I'm so happy to finally meet you!"

"Yes, I am," Desaix took the proffered hand.  "And you are?"

"Soun Tendou."

Desaix flinched.  'I've been spending half my life learning to hate that
name... it'll take me a while till I get used to the fact that Soun Tendou
is NOT the one who killed my family...'  Soun looked on expectantly.  

Desaix smiled, releasing the handshake.  "Sorry about that... I've just
lived the past decade thinking of you as my families killer.  It'll take me
a while to get adjusted..."

Soun smiled back.  "Of course- my apologies.  However, now that you know
that they exist, would you like to meet your children?"  Desaix nodded. 
"Natsume!  Kurumi!  We have a visitor for you!"

Kurumi was the first person to show up, running down the stairs.  She
stopped, looking at the unknown man in front of her.

Seeing the girls red hair, Desaix unconsciously began stroking his beard. 
"K... kurumi?  Is it you?"

The girl nodded cautiously.  "Yes, that's my name... how do you know me? 
Who are you?"

Desaix laughed nervously.  "Well, I'm not surprised you don't recognize me-
you haven't seen me since you were a VERY young girl...  My name is Kenji
Desaix."

"You mean," came a voice from behind him, "You are our father?"

Desaix spun around and saw a girl with LONG black hair, carrying a
rugbeater, behind him.  The girl blinked at the beard- it's color was proof
enough to her that he was their father- then ran up and hugged the man who
that beard was attached to.

"Oof!"  Desaix cried, the wind knocked out of him by the force of the hug. 
Through the heavy sweater, he could feel the bulge of her stomach which
must have been caused by the unborn child inside of her.  "Yes, I am your
father..."

Natsume released him from the hug.  "Kurumi, go fetch our father food, a
chair, and anything else he might want.  It is our duty to make certain
that he is comfortable, and then he can tell us all about his life..."

*	*	*	*	*

"This is going a bit too fast," Ranma said, tapping his forehead with an
index finger.  "Okay, Nabiki and Kurumi both identified Ryouga as being the
father of Natsume's baby.  But, he doesn't believe them, so mom is forcing
him to live at Utchan's while they search for a way of convincing Ryouga of
this.  Meanwhile, Akari is on her way here to meet up with the man who she
thinks she is going to marry, and may be here at any time.  To top it all
off, Ucchan is bringing him here shortly so that they can all discuss what
to do about this mess.  That sum it up?"

Kasumi nodded.  "Everything except for one little thing..."

Ranma blinked.  "What'd I miss?"

"Ryouga and Ukyou are already here..." she pointed.  Ranma turned around,
seeing Ukyou and a very distraught and tired-looking Ryouga standing right
behind him.

Ryouga, for his part, was looking at Ranma and Akane very nervously.  He
was worried about Akane's reaction because he still felt some of his old
love for her, and was very concerned about her reaction to the news.  He
was even more worried of Ranma's reaction, however, after having blown up
at him for taking advantage of Akane without officially saying he'd marry
her.  If all of this was true, he'd taken advantage of someone he didn't
even know, nor have any feelings for, and he was certain Ranma would be one
of those who insisted he marry this girl.

Ranma, surprisingly, reached out and put a hand on Ryouga's shoulder
comfortingly.  "Come on, Ryouga, let's go in and see if we can sort all
this stuff out.  I'll see if I can help you out at all."  

Ryouga was stunned- was this the same Ranma who knocked him into Jusenkyo? 
But before he could respond, Ranma had already turned to Ukyou.

"Ranchan..." she began sadly.

Ranma hesitated.  He shot a glance at Akane, who was looking back at him,
and then looked at Ryouga, who was obviously very distressed.  He turned
back to Ukyou, and sighed.  "Ucchan, we need to talk about some things
later... but I think I've got more important things to do right now."

Ukyou nodded.  "I understand..."  She smiled slightly.  "If you want, bring
Akane along when you do.  I want to talk to her as much as I do you..."

Ranma relaxed a bit.  Glancing again at Akane, who nodded, he smiled at
Ukyou and said "Thanks.  But right now, I think we'd better take care of
Lost Boy's problem..."

*	*	*	*	*

Shortly after arriving everyone met up in the living room, Dr. Tofu had
gone to his old clinic to unpack and 'shake the dust off of a few things.' 
Nodoka, Kurumi, Desaix, Akane, Ranma, and Ryouga all gathered in the Dojo
to discuss the Natsume situation.  The young girl in question, however, had
simply shouted how she didn't care what they decided, and stomped out of
the room.  Ranma had been shocked, not recalling anyone ever talking that
way to his mother, whatever she said or did.  Kasumi had run after her to
try and calm her down, and Ukyou, Genma, and Soun had been kicked out by
Nodoka because 'they didn't need to involve themselves with this.'  Ukyou
had wanted to protest, because she wanted to help stand up for Ryouga as a
friend, but she just couldn't stand up to her new mother.

"Can I see this 'fidelity gem?'" Ranma asked, frowning.

Nodoka shook her head.  "Unfortunately, Kunou took it with him when he and
Nabiki went to college last week.  Which reminds me- classes at Furinken
start up again tomorrow, so I want to know what classes you are in, Kurumi,
Ryouga."

Ryouga blinked.  "Um... I haven't regularly attended school since Junior
High, several years ago.  I've been too... uh..."  He glanced at Ranma. 
"Busy."

Nodoka smiled a bit.  "Well, don't worry about that.  I'll talk to the
school and see if there is any way we can get you back to school."  

Ryouga blinked- wasn't she leading trying to ruin his life by forcing him
to marry this Natsume woman?  Why was she also trying to help him?  And why
could he not bring himself to say he didn't WANT to go back to school?

*	*	*	*	*

Eavesdropping at the door, a man turned panda sighed.  He recognized the
technique his wife was using against Ryouga- it was the same technique she
used against him, a little over a decade ago, when she took control and
forced him to sign a document saying he and his son would commit seppoku if
the boy didn't become a 'man amongst men.'  And that was the REAL reason he
always hid from her when she came before.

*	*	*	*	*

"Well, Kurumi, how about you?  How are your studies?"  Nodoka asked. 
Desaix leaned in, interested in how his daughter's education was coming.

"Er... I'm sorta like Ryouga.  You see, Natsume and I have been on the road
all our lives, trying to find... him," she pointed to Desaix, "so we never
went to school.  We did have some education- the man who was impersonating
our father, Happosai I think you said his name was, he taught us how to
read and write when we were real young, and we've read a lot since then. 
Natsume's the intelligent one, however..."

Desaix frowned.  "It doesn't seem that way to me- she's the one who let
herself get pregnant, and now she's the one who's trying to dishonor
herself and our family by refusing to marry the father of her child.  I
wouldn't call that intelligent."

Ryouga coughed.  "Um... I don't think that we've established who the father
is yet..."

Kurumi snorted.  "Of course we have.  It's just a formality that we haven't
proven it to YOUR satisfaction yet..."

Nodoka resumed control of the conversation.  "Come on, now, children. 
Let's not bicker.  That is what we are all here to discuss- and Ryouga,
Kurumi is right.  Unless you can think of a better way to find out if you
are the father or not, then I think that you should admit that you really
are the father and take responsibility for the situation."

Ranma stared at his mother, mouth agape.  He couldn't stand up to her,
directly, because she was, well, his mother- still, she seemed to taking
things too far.

"Um... mom, I have an idea."  All eyes turned to him- some fearful, some
hopeful, and some curious.  Ranma blinked nervously, looking at all the
eyes upon him, then continued.  "Dr. Tofu has returned, and so we now have
someone who we can trust to keep such things secret.  How about we ask him
to perform a paternity test?  It's not a certain answer, but it's generally
able to determine if a person is the father with better than a ninety
percent accuracy.  That would probably satisfy him, wouldn't it, Ryouga?"

Ryouga nodded enthusiastically, but Nodoka frowned.  "I suppose that is a
good idea, but how long would the results for such a test take?  If
possible, I want to get Natsume married before the evidence of the baby is
too obvious for her to hide with a heavy sweater," she said.

Ranma shrugged.  "Well, when I looked into it last, I heard you could find
out early, less accurate results within a few hours after sending it to the
lab.  Given that the Doc will need time to set his clinic back up again,
and then will need time to send whatever samples he collects to whatever
labs he might need to, I'd say it'll take longer than that, but we should
be able to find out in a couple of days.  The more accurate tests, though,
will probably take a few weeks to determine."

Nodoka smiled.  "Well, that's perfect.  Kurumi, will you call the clinic to
let the doctor know what we're asking of him, and then Ranma, why don't you
take Natsume and Ryouga over so that he can perform the tests?  Then, you
can lead him back to the Utchan, where he's staying, when you're finished."

Ranma nodded.  "Sure thing, mom.  Come on, Akane, we probably have enough
time to do a little unpacking before we go."

*	*	*	*	*

Genma was just about to head Ranma off and warn him about what his mother
was doing when he heard his son, simply by instinct, act as if he was
expecting Akane to accompany him- that he didn't even THINK that they might
be apart, if only for a couple of hours.

For once, the elation that was brought about by the belief that his family
line would, indeed, be carried on did not make him charge after Ranma,
embarrassing himself and ruining his boy's opportunity.  However, it DID
make him forget about the warning he wanted to issue...

*	*	*	*	*

[Author's Note:  I was thinking about possibly breaking it up into two
chapters here, because of the slight change of mood and the great length of
the chapter.  However, I didn't particularly want to end it here- anyone
think I should break it up when I release it to the R.A.A.C.?]

Ranma, Ryouga, and Akane entered the door to the Utchan a bit somberly. 
Ranma and Akane were quiet because they had agreed to talk to Ukyou. 
Ryouga was quiet because the finality of the paternity test had sunk in as
the needle to draw the blood sample did (which was actually the fourth
needle they used- the other three all broke on Ryouga's tough hide).  If
this test said he was the father, regardless of whether he remembered the
incident or not, he would have to say he was the father, and take things
from there.  A tear formed in his eyes as he wondered what he and Akari
would do about all of this- and how Akari would react, in the first place,
to hearing that he could have... have...

"Hello, welcome to the Utcha-" Ukyou began cheerfully as they entered the
door.  As she saw Ryouga, and the lone tear in his eye, she stopped
shocked.  She had never seen him cry before- something bad must have
happened.  Her reaction was vaguely Kasumi-like.  "Oh, my!  Ranma, bring in
the sign and lock the door behind you.  Ryouga, let me take you to your
room..."  Ranma ran out the door (not at his full speed, but quickly enough
to disappear before Ukyou could even begin another sentence).  Ukyou walked
over and lay a comforting hand on his upper arm, pulling him along. 
"What's wrong, sugar?  Why're you so upset?"  She got him talking, leading
him away before Ranma returned carrying the sign.

"Where'd she go?"  Ranma asked Akane, already knowing the answer but
wanting to say something to fill up the quiet.

"To take Ryouga to his room... and to help him through all this.  She
really is a nice person."

Ranma smiled at his fian- girlfriend.  'I love her, and WILL ask her to
marry me, but for my own sanity I can't think of her as my fiancee until I
REALLY propose to her... otherwise, I will always wonder if I married her
because I love her or because of some stupid agreement our parents made. 
Thinking of her as my girlfriend is fine, but fiancee... no.'  He nodded
his agreement to her assessment of the OTHER person in the building who he
couldn't think of as his fiancee any more, but instead as his sister. 
"Yeah, she is nice... most of the time.  The rest of the time, she was
trying to steal me from you- which is why I'm glad, now, that she's my
sister instead of my fiancee- she always seemed to be like one to me,
anyway."

"Yeah, she'll be a nice sister to have," Akane said, returning the smile
and grabbing his hand.

'Well, okay- SHE can think of us as already being engaged, if she wants...'
Ranma thought, lacing his fingers in hers.

At the noise of someone seemingly collapsing in a heap upon a futon, Ranma
and Akane suddenly realized they were in 'public' now, and displays of
affection, even amongst the most loving of couples, were frowned upon. 
Considering who it was they would be holding their hands in front of (when
she returned), they blushed and separated, realizing how embarrassing the
scene could quickly become.

They did so just in time, too, because the moment they did Ukyou returned
to the main room of her restaurant, looking downcast to begin with. 
Remembering Akane and Ranma were still there, she tried to perk up a
little, but realizing what they would likely be talking about it was VERY
hard to maintain her smile.

After a moment of silence, Ranma broke the ice with a simple question. 
"How's he doing?"

Ukyou quit trying to smile and sighed.  "Not good- he was worn out, not
having slept much in the weeks since he got here, and now he's crying
himself to sleep because he's afraid of what Akari will think of him when
she gets here."

"And how are YOU doing?" He asked, a cautious touch of concern in his
voice.

Ukyou's smile returned, even if it was a little sad.  "Not good.  I'm worn
out, not having anyone to help me run the store since he got here, and now
I sometimes want to cry myself to sleep because I'm afraid of what you'll
think of me now that you're here."

"Well, for one thing, I'm concerned about you.  I'm glad you did what you
did- dropping that stupid engagement thing, and allowing my mom to adopt
you and make you my sister- but I'm worried about it, too.  WHY did you
just give me up like that?  It doesn't seem like you..."

Ukyou turned her head to look past Ranma into the expressionless face of
Akane, her one-time rival for his affections.  "Because of her.  Because I
suddenly realized that you really cared about her- and because I realized
that if I continued on the path I had set, you would have been forced to
choose between me and her, and I knew she'd win."  He looked back at him. 
"And I foolishly allowed your mother to convince me to become your brother,
because I couldn't bring myself to let you go completely."  The sad smile
she was wearing turned into a bit of a smirk.  "I didn't even consider that
I'd be getting Genma as a father."

Akane was stunned by Ukyou's words, recovering only after she'd made that
little crack.  "Wait... you gave Ranma up because of ME?  Why did you do
that?"

"Because Ranma told me he didn't trust me to be around you unless he was
there- not after the wedding incident.  He thought I might do something to
hurt you- and when I stepped back I realized he was right.  I might have
tried to harm you... because I was growing more desperate by the day."  She
sighed.  "I'm sorry, Akane, for those times that I attacked you."  Then a
gleam appeared in her eyes.  "Of course, now that I HAVE given up on you,
Ranma, I'm not going to be satisfied unless you really do decide to marry
Akane- I'd hate to have given you up for nothing!"

"Um..." Akane blushed and glanced at Ranma, who looked back at her and
nodded.  "He already has..."

"Sort of," Ranma interrupted.  Akane and Ukyou both stared at him in
surprise.  "I've decided that you'll be the one who I will ask to marry,
Akane, but because I don't want to think about us as being fiancee's until
I DO ask- I don't want to think our parents had anything to do with us
getting married, and I would if I acknowledged their arrangement."  He
looked at Akane apologetically.  "I'm sorry about this, but if I think that
THEY pushed us into our engagement, I'd go crazy..."

Akane smiled slightly.  "That's okay, Ranma.  I don't want to think of us
as being forced to marry, either..."  Without thinking, she reached out and
grabbed his hand to give it a comforting squeeze.

Seeing how comfortable the two of them were acting towards each other,
Ukyou got a little squeamish.  She hadn't completely given Ranma up, and
seeing him act this way with another girl...

Akane seemed to notice after as second and released Ranma's hand, turning
back to Ukyou.  "Thanks for your support, anyway, Ukyou.  I hope you... you
won't tell anyone.  Ryouga, Dr. Tofu, and now Kasumi know, but Ranma and I
want to keep it a secret for a while, if possible."

Ukyou bit her tongue, wanting to say how completely impossible it was not
to notice how the two of them felt for each other now, and simply nodded.

Ranma coughed.  "Um... yeah, Ucchan.  For a while there, I was worried
you'd go ballistic on us again, but I can see I wasn't being fair to you. 
Thanks for respecting how I felt... sis."

Ukyou smiled.  'Well, it feels good to hear him call me that... I still
wish he would have accepted me as his wife, but that's okay... this way, at
least I know he feels something for me...'

*	*	*	*	*

Akane seemed a little annoyed as she and Ranma were walking down the street
away from the Utchan.

"Why, exactly, did you tell her we needed to go to the Nekohanten?  We were
getting along just fine!  We didn't need to come up with some excuse to
leave."

Ranma looked at his perturbed... girlfriend (he was still having trouble
thinking of Akane like that, but he was getting more comfortable with the
idea) and smiled.  "Don't get so upset!  At least, not if you aren't going
to pull out your mallet for it."  Akane shook her head- she still didn't
understand why he kept wanting her to hit him.  Ranma, smirking, continued,
"I wasn't trying to get away from Ucchan.  What I WAS trying to do, though,
is head Shampoo off before she hears that I'm home and tries to find me." 
He shook his head.  "YOU don't have to worry about her, now that you're an
Amazon.  Until I marry you, though, she's going to be a bit of a nuisance. 
I'm kinda hoping that maybe together we can convince her to leave us alone
for a while- at least long enough to settle Ryouga's problems."

Akane sighed.  "I suppose..."

Then Ranma frowned and became a little nervous.  "By the way, Akane..."

"Yes?"

"I'm a little worried how you'll take this..." he began.  Taking a deep
breath, he stared Akane straight in the eyes and said, "Akane, if this
comes down to a fight... I'm worried about you.  But not because I don't
think you can handle yourself- neither Shampoo or Ukyou are as good as they
were when they first got to Nerima, because they quit practicing for
themselves, and now that I've been training you I think you're more than a
match for anyone outside of myself, Ryouga, and possibly Mousse if he kept
his glasses on.  Er, not counting the Ghoul and the Troll, that is..."

She frowned.  "So... why ARE you worried about me?"

"Akane... remember the strength noodles?  Remember the battle dougi?" 
Akane nodded to both questions, not knowing where Ranma was going. 
"Well... I've noticed... you tend to get a little... power mad.  That's one
reason I've been, er, unwilling to train you before."  Akane blinked. 
"Now, I don't think you've reached the level, yet, where you would act as
you did those two times, but... those incidents... the fact that you DO act
that way makes me think you become overconfident too easily.  So, if it
does come down to a fight, don't think you're going to overwhelm her- just
try to keep yourself from getting hit, send in one or two blows.  You might
surprise yourself with how easy it is for you to hit her now, but... just
remember NOT to humiliate her!  If you do, it'll just make matters worse...
I sometimes wonder if she really would have bothered with the initial Kiss
of Death she put on me if I hadn't totally embarrassed her like I did, and
my suspicions have grown now that I read the giving of a Kiss of Death to
an outsider is an option outside of the village OR during a tournament- and
I KNOW that it infuriated you when we were sparring and I just dodged away
from you.  Do you understand?"

Akane didn't, but nodded as if she did.  "Sure thing, Ranma.  I'll be sure
to hold back..."

Ranma grimaced.  "No, don't do that, either.  Like I said, I'm worried
you'll get overconfident... protect yourself with all your skills, but
start out with some simple (yet safe) attacks and keep moving up the scale
to the more advanced ones until you seem to be just a little bit better
than her.  That way, she'll think she won't train too hard if she decides
to go after you again, and you'll still have better skills than her when
she attacks again."

Akane shrugged, not really paying attention but pretending to.  "If you say
so, Ranma..."

*	*	*	*	*

The bell of the door leading into the Nekohanten rang softly.  "Nihao!" 
came a voice from behind the counter.  "Shampoo with you in minute!"

"{Don't put yourself out on my account, great grand-daughter!  I'm just
stopping by for a snack before heading off to check on Natsume!}" a
wrinkled old crone said in Chinese from the door.

Shampoo stood up, holding a kettle, and said, "Aiyah!  Great-grandmother
get back from shopping trip early!"  She looked down.  "Mousse wait till
Shampoo get to other side of counter before change."  She walked out into
the main dining area, where Cologne was setting down some full grocery bags
she had carried in with her.  Soon, Mousse joined them both as they
unloaded the soba noodles, spices, fish sausages, and other items which
Cologne had recently purchased.

Just as they had put away the last of the groceries, the doorbell rang
again.

"Nihao!"  Shampoo cried, running from the kitchen out into the main room. 
"Welcome to the Nekohan...  R-ranma?!"  Shampoo's face lit up brighter than
it had in months.  "RANMA!  AIREN!"  She bolted to the door, ignoring the
person entering the restaurant behind her beloved, and immediately glomped
him.

Ranma looked down at the young girl holding him, smirking.  'Hmm... I
remember thinking these were crushing hugs... Now I barely notice them.' 
He looked at his companion, who was looking back at him in indecision.  "Go
ahead..." he mouthed.

Akane gritted her teeth and grimaced.  'Well, he has said it's okay...' she
thought, and reached behind her.  "RANMA NO BAKA!" the attack cry came, and
with a *WHAM* that attracted the attention of those still in the kitchen, a
Rubber Mallet o' Chi smacked Ranma out of the Chinese Amazon's grasp.

Shampoo blinked, and turned to face the other girl.  "Why Violent
Pervert-Girl still with Airen?  Shampoo thought you be sick of each other
by now!"  Shampoo blinked.  "And why Violent Girl have new mallet?"

Ranma slowly stood up and stepped over to Akane's side, gently placing a
hand on her shoulder.  "Thanks, Akane... I missed that after a while."

Shampoo, seeing the casual intimacy between the two, cried out in shock. 
'{No!  The long trip was supposed to make them sick of each other!  They
were supposed to come back at each other's throats!  But... they're acting
like they ... they...}'  She shook her head in shock.  "AIYAH!  Akane is
obstacle still!  Obstacles are for killing!"  She dashed to the wall and
grabbed an Amazon sword hanging on it which, despite the fact that it was
part of an ornamental decoration, was quite deadly.  "KYAH!"  She cried,
charging at the other girl.

A snap kick from Ranma sent the sword flying to imbed itself into another
wall.  "{STOP, SHAN PU!  Don't do this!  There are things you have to hear,
first!}"

Shampoo, knocked back into reality by the loss of her sword, was stunned
when Ranma addressed her in her native tongue.  She was even more stunned
when it was someone other than herself who answered him.

"Yes, Ranma," Cologne said, walking up behind her great-granddaughter.  "I
know a little bit about it, but let's hear about your trip through China,
and you, great-granddaughter, should probably sit and listen to this, as
well.  It just might provide a solution to a problem."

Shampoo looked at Ranma and Akane together, and then back at Cologne, and
then back at Ranma and Akane, and sat down at one of the tables.  "Okay...
Shampoo listen first, then kill Violent Pervert-girl."

Ranma drew a deep breath.  "Um... I think the events which would most
concern you would start about when we got into China.  Um... we hiked into
the Ningxai Autonomous Region, and were in the village of Xiquan when...
uh... the Xingaosuzoku Amazons attacked the village.  In order to solve our
problems with them, Akane has become an Amazon...  Oh, and in the process
we met your cousin, Shaver.  She sends her regards."  Shampoo coolly
nodded.  "I read the complete set of your laws, and know that you cannot
harm Akane at the moment just because she is an 'obstacle' now.  That law
only applies to outsiders."

Shampoo's eyes widened.  "Aiyah!  That great news!  That mean Akane not
able marry Ranma!  Unless Akane want ignore Amazon laws.  That force all
Amazons search for and kill her...  Now Akane out of way, airen can marry
Shampoo!"

Ranma grimaced.  "Uh, there's something else.  Before we even got to
China... Akane and I decided found out that we love each other.  I don't
think Akane wants to start a war with all the Amazons, but I doubt she'll
just let me go that easily."

Shampoo's eyes narrowed evilly, and started to say something.  Before she
could, however, Cologne laughed.

"If that's true, Ranma, she'll have problems.  Are you aware of the Amazon
laws concerning two Amazons fighting over the same man?"

Ranma clenched his teeth.  "Er... yes, I am."  

Akane blinked.  Ranma had not read her any passages from Zhell's book which
dealt with marriage at all, other than repeating that one section dealing
with killing the females who defeated you and marrying the males who did
the same.

Shampoo herself looked confused.  She couldn't imagine what Cologne was
referring to, especially not with regards to something which this weakling
Akane could handle.

"So, Ranma, are you willing to do what's necessary?"

Ranma nodded.  "I am, but I was kind of hoping for some time... I want to
be able to devote my attention to helping Ryouga with a problem he's having
now."

Cologne shook her head.  "I'm afraid this is a matter which must be dealt
with soon.  Regardless of the results, I'll make sure Shampoo stays out of
your hair for the next few weeks, though..."

Ranma sighed.  "That wasn't why I wanted to delay this, but okay.  Would
you promise to make sure nothing bad happens to Akane while I go get
something to help deal with this?"  As he spoke, his eyes pointed to
Shampoo.

Cologne smiled.  "Of course, Ranma.  Akane's an Amazon woman too, now...
I'm supposed to make sure our Amazons stay at as much peace with each other
as is possible with our laws."

Akane, though, was a little annoyed.  "Ranma, I can take care of myself...
I don't need Cologne to protect me!"

Ranma smirked.  "I don't think you need protection from each other, right
now... I think you need someone to keep you and Shampoo off of each others
throats before it's time.  I'll be back in a few minutes, anyway... see you
shortly!"  With calculated casualness, he pecked Akane on the cheek and
bolted out of the restaurant.

Akane looked at Shampoo, expecting to see anger.  Instead, all she saw was
confusion.

*	*	*	*	*

Ranma bolted past the surprised looks of his parents and Kasumi up into his
room.  Quickly prying up a loose floorboard, he glanced around the hole in
the floor.  Gently pushing aside the crystal box with a lock of
raven-colored hair in it, he pulled out a small box which, at one point,
had been something his father and Soun had got him to give Akane for
Christmas.  They believed it had been lost in the confusion when Happosai
had disrupted the party, but the truth was Ranma had snatched it away while
the two of them were distracted.  He knew what it was... anyone who knew
Genma and Soun would easily be able to guess that they had bought Ranma and
engagement ring to give to Akane.

Why Ranma had kept it was a mystery to him.  He knew he loved Akane, but at
the time he also thought that she'd never be happy marrying him.  He was
never going to ask her to, at any rate.

Well, now he had no choice.  'Sigh... and I wanted to be able to treat her
as just a girlfriend for a while... well, at least MY asking her will be
enough to convince me I'm not just doing this because of Pop and Mr.
Tendo.'

Checking a wall clock, he shook his head and bolted back in the direction
he had come.

Boy, were his two remaining fiancees in for a surprise.

*	*	*	*	*

Shampoo was having what some might call a crisis of conscience.

One part of her mind, the part of her mind which had been dominant until
she had been kidnapped by the people of Jusendo, was telling her to just
give Ranma up.  She loved him, and if he truly wanted Akane, she should
just let him have her.  Oh, sure, she'd fight for him with all her skill,
just to keep her Amazon honor, but if it came down to some sort of choice,
she'd let Ranma choose.  Perhaps, that part of her said, she should give
Mousse a small chance at her heart- he deserved that much after that
incident at Togenkyou with the bird man.  He wasn't much of a second
choice, but he would do anything in his power for her.

Then there was the other part of her.  The part which had only existed
since she had emerged from an egg-like cocoon to see herself in a mirror. 
The part which said that she should ignore the feeling of those she cared
about, she should ignore the feelings of those who cared about her, and she
should the principles which had governed her life until that point, and
instead should just go with her most carnal desires.  That part of her was
saying she should do whatever she could to take Ranma as her husband, in
all senses of the word.  That part of her was demanding the blood of the
annoying girl who had interfered.  And worse, that part of her was telling
her to just leave the Amazon tribe and all it's hokey rules.  The only
loyalty she owed to anyone was the loyalty she owed to herself.

The scary thing was, that second part was slowly eating away at the first
part, and the old her had no idea how to save itself.

The battle for power in Shampoo's mind temporarily ended with a truce as
Ranma re-entered the Nekohanten, carrying something in his hands.  He
seemed VERY nervous, and Shampoo decided to wait and see what happened
before doing anything.

He looked at Cologne.  "Cologne, I am doing this with you, an elder of the
Amazons, present as a witness."  He turned and walked over to Akane. 
"Akane, there is one way for us to eliminate Shampoo's claim to being my
fiancee.  However, it involves two things:  the first is that you become my
fiancee by Amazon law, and the second is that, after becoming engaged to
me, you and Shampoo fight for the right to marry me.  The winner, of
course, gets the first opportunity to claim me as their husband... so,
knowing what will happen if you accept..."  He knelt down in front of her
and pulled out a box.  Both Shampoo and Cologne wanted to say something,
but they both shut their mouths- Shampoo, because she wanted Ranma to mess
this up, and Cologne because she wanted to see what Ranma was doing,
exactly.  Ranma opened the box, and looked up into Akane's widening eyes. 
"Akane, I wish I had been allowed some time to have a normal relationship
with you before I asked this, but... will you marry me?"

"Y...yes..." Akane, in front of the audience of the three Amazons, took the
ring and placed it on her finger as she whispered her acceptance.  Shampoo
was elated- Ranma had apparently COMPLETELY messed up the rites of
Amazonian Engagements, but he had engaged himself to Akane anyway.  If this
was true, then their would, for once, be a final battle between her and the
violent girl who she was beginning to hate.

Mousse was elated, too, but for a completely different reason- for once, it
seemed to him like Ranma had given up completely on HIS Shampoo.  

Cologne, however, was distressed- how could she allow into her tribe one
who, even after having read all the laws pertaining to marriage, was unable
to perform the act which would allow him to marry the one he loved?

Ranma stood up in front of her, and the two of them embraced as they had
learned to do since that first night at the camp- encircling each other in
crushing hugs, but not touching the other's arms to allow their lover's
hands to move freely along their back.  As the seconds of their quickly
developing kiss ticked along, the fire in Shampoo's heart burned deeper. 
At the moment, both sides of her were willing to kill Akane... but the
older side of her was able to hold her off until the official duel which
she was sure would take place soon.

After about a minute, Ranma broke the kiss, and brought his hands up to cup
Akane behind the neck.  Bending over and nibbling her ear, he whispered
three words to her.

"Sorry 'bout this."

Soon, Akane had collapsed onto the floor, unable to move in the slightest
because of Ranma's application of Dr. Tofu's pressure point technique. 
Picking her up, he turned to Cologne with a grim look on his face.

"Wh... what did you just do?"  Cologne stammered.  'When did Ranma learn
pressure point techniques?'

"Cologne," he said grimly.  "Unless my interpretation of your laws is way
off, I have just defeated Akane.  I also asked her to marry me before I
did.  Unless I am mistaken, this means that she is now engaged to me both
by Amazon law and by my own culture's customs.  Am I correct?"  Cologne
nodded slowly.  "Good."  With that, he pressed the same point again, and
Akane's eyes flittered over at Ranma.

"Ranma!  You could have warned me first!"  She cried in indignation,
jumping out of his grasp.  Straightening her gi- she hadn't even changed
out of her clothes after coming back from the trip- she turned to Cologne. 
"Okay, I'm engaged to this baka, here.  Now, just how soon can I get this
duel thing over with?"

Ranma smirked when Akane had called him 'baka,' and bent over to whisper in
her ear, "You know, I miss your insults, as well as your mallets,
sometimes."

She turned to him, smiling a little but still not completely forgiving him
for that trick.  "Yeah, I miss our arguments sometimes, too.  Not often,
though."

Cologne had finally recovered from the shock of it all- she had not
expected Ranma to be so... so... devious?  She shook her head fiercely as
if to clear it, and looked at Akane with her usual composed and controlled
face.  "Well, I think we can arrange for the duel to be held in a few
minutes, if you want."  Akane nodded.  "Okay, good.  MOUSSE!  Let's get to
work- as the only non-combatant Amazons here present, we have our work cut
out for us to get this all ready..."

For once, Mousse didn't really care that the old mummy was ordering him
around...

*	*	*	*	*

"Okay," Cologne began, standing in the middle of a wide log which she and
Mousse had hung up horizontally for the duel.  "As this is a battle between
two Amazons, the following rules are in effect.  No use of sharp bladed
weapons is permitted.  Use of projectile or throwing weapons is prohibited.
 If one asks for quarter, the other will grant it.  First person knocked
out loses.  Unless the log is destroyed, if you touch the ground you are
disqualified.  There is no time limit.  Are the rules understood?"  Both
Akane and Shampoo nodded.  "Very good.  Then, begin!"

Cologne jumped off the log as the two combatants faced each other, hatred
of the other etched on their faces.  She hopped over to Ranma, and sat down
beside him.  He had, unceremoniously, been tied up in a chair, with the
labed (in Chinese) of 'First Prize' placed on him.

'At least,' he thought to himself, 'they didn't gag me!'

"So," Cologne said to him, watching as Shampoo launched a furious assault
which Akane successfully dodged and blocked.  "Which of them do you think
will win?"

"Hmm... depends.  How well did you really train Shampoo?  I mean, after
all, she's been with you most of her life... didn't you ever teach her
things like the Hiryuu Shouten Ha, the Tenshin Amaguriken, or the Bakusai
Tenketsu?"

Cologne laughed.  "Good question... BROTHER Ranma.  I assume YOU'VE taught
Akane a thing or two while you were on that trip."  Ranma didn't say
anything.  "No, I never taught Shampoo anything but the most useless of
special techniques, and I only taught her to fight effectively with those
Bonbori.  She's not capable of handling the responsibility that would come
with learning those techniques.  I fear that your student cannot, either. 
I trust you have cautioned her not to embarrass my Shampoo?"

"Uh..." Ranma wasn't sure how to take this Cologne.  He was too used to the
Cologne who would stop at nothing to make sure he married Shampoo.  "Yes, I
have."

Cologne sighed.  "Well, we'll see if she listens.  She won't, though.  You
know she'll get mad."

Ranma smirked.  "Yeah, I know.  I'm hoping to help her calm down a bit...
at the very worst, to make me the target of her aggression.  I can take the
hits she can dish out, and her most powerful technique could never be
directed at me, but someone else might not be able to."  He laughed. 
"Besides, I wouldn't know what to do with an Akane who didn't smack me
around every now and then."

Cologne frowned.  "Are you sure you want to do that?  What if she's caught
by a jealous rage at a time when she could actually injure, or perhaps even
KILL you?"

Ranma smiled slyly.  At this point, he was slightly mesmerized by Cologne's
flippant attitude, and was willing to tell her even the most private of
secrets.  "Well, I'm planning to put her aggresive behavior towards
something a bit more... pleasurable.  I won't be able to start doing that
until we're married, though..."

"You can't mean that-"  Cologne broke off as she heard Akane groan a bit
from the battle log.  "Hey, just what kind of trainer are you, anyway? 
Your student just let herself get hit by someone MUCH less skilled than
her?"

Akane, herself, was having similar thoughts of disbelief.  Only moments
before, she had been coming to grips with the reasons behind Ranma not
REALLY sparring with her until then- the difficulty it was to keep oneself
from just tearing into their opponent when said opponent is SO unskilled
compared to them.  Apparently, her attempt to control herself and not
overwhelm Shampoo as completely as she could had been taken a bit too far,
and so now here she was, barely clinging to the log, watching the deranged
purple-haired girl advance on her.

'Bah,' Akane thought to herself.  'Ranma was never able to keep himself
from getting into trouble before- why should I take his advice on how to
keep Shampoo from getting too mad at me?'

Akane stood up in a much more powerful stance than before, and growled. 
"Shampoo, I've been going easy on you before.  Now... I'm going to take
everything you ever did to keep me and Ranma apart out on your hide!"

Shampoo laughed.  "You get better, Violent Pervert-Girl, but you still no
match Shampoo!  Tomorrow, Ranma and Shampoo have nice honeymoon where we
laugh at Violent Pervert-Girl!"

Akane growled.  "Sorry, Shampoo... I've got something to tell you.  There
is a special attack Ranma helped me develop... I think only I have the
right to use it, so you'd better pay attention.  I named it after my
relationship to him..."

Ranma's eyes widened.  "No, Akane!  That'll-"

"RANMA NO KOIBITO DAKE KEN!"  Akane cried at the top of her lungs. 
[Author's note:  For those of you who missed it, I scrapped the original
attack name I had put in Chapter 5 because it translated into gibberish
instead of into what I intended.  Thanks to the Eternal Lost Lurker and
others, I decided on this attack name, which now means 'Ranma's Only Lover
Strike.'  Actually, it worked out better than my original name would have,
if I could've translated it properly...] A huge blast of chi enveloped
Shampoo, sending her flying off the tournament log and out five or six
blocks of streets.

As Shampoo lost consciousness there on the side of the road, the old part
of Shampoo decided that the newer part was too angry to fight at the
moment, and so hid itself in the deepest corners of her mind, waiting for a
last chance to break back out.  Until it did, however, the old Shampoo was
gone, and in its place was the Shampoo of the Jusendo Egg, she Shampoo who
would get whatever it wanted, despite the cost.  And right now, it wanted
revenge... but first, a nice nap.  And then, maybe it was time to ask
Cologne about the other special techniques, and if she refused, there was
always...

Ranma, having been released by Mousse, looked at the unconscious Shampoo as
Akane walked over to him, shaking his head.  "I like knowing you love me,
Akane, but I really wish you had just grappled her and tossed her off the
log... she wouldn't be as angry, then."

Akane mumbled something incoherent about problem solving, and then just
smiled and turned to Cologne.  "Well, what do the Amazon Laws say now?"

"That you are engaged.  Shampoo may challenge you at any time for Ranma's
hand, Akane, but only until you two are married- and I doubt that she will
be much of a match for you even if she trains remarkably hard between now
and then..  And I will make sure she doesn't bother you two for as long as
I can... good luck, you two."  She turned to Mousse.  "Come on, Mousse, we
have a mess to clean up."

Ranma turned to Akane.  "Come on, Akane.  We, too, have things to clean up.
 Ryouga's mess, how to or even whether to tell our parents about the
now-official engagement, and what to do when Shampoo shows up again, AND
what to do about school tomorrow... AND-"

"I get the idea, Ranma!"  Akane interrupted.  "Come on, we'll talk about it
on the way home."

*	*	*	*	*

"Ranma!  Akane!"  Dr. Tofu cried, catching them on the street as they
passed his clinic.  "I have the early results, if you want them!"

In a flash, the newly-engaged-for-real couple were inches from his face,
waiting expectantly.

"Already?" Ranma asked, surprised.  "That was quick!  Couldn't have been
more than three or four hours!"

Dr. Tofu shrugged.  "My friends at the hospital were so happy to find that
I had returned that they put my test request on the fast track, and came
out with it as early as they could."

Ranma chewed his lower lip.  "Well... what's the news?  Is he or isn't he?"

The doctor pulled out a file and glanced through it.  "Well, I'm not
supposed to tell you this- it violates my patients confidentiality- but
since Ryouga basically said he was doing this because you suggested it...
Okay, as best as I understand this, there is a 90% chance that... yes,
Ryouga is the father of the baby.  The more complete tests will probably
make it even more likely..."

"Oh, no!" Akane cried.  It wasn't fair- for once, a bad day was turning
into a REALLY  good day.  After that mess that had waited them at home,
things started to look pretty up and up.  Ranma had proposed to her, she
had beated Shampoo in a fair fight, Cologne appeared to side AGAINST her
granddaughter for once... and now she was crashed back into reality by this
news.  "What will poor Ryouga do?"

Ranma frowned.  "Thanks, doc.  We'll go tell him the news."  He guided the
distraught Akane from the clinic back towards the Utchan.  It was getting
late- close to closing time at that restaurant... just the perfect time to
talk to someone in private.  "And I'd say it's not what Ryouga will do- he
doesn't want to marry her, you know.  Doesn't even really want her to have
his baby.  But... he will.  Honor demands it.  No, I'm more concerned with
how AKARI will deal with this..."

Suddenly, there was a snort from behind them.  "Excuse me, did I hear my
name being called?"

Ranma and Akane turned, and there, riding the giant pig Katsunishiki, was
Akari.  This was definitely going to be a VERY bad day...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
               (Arrrgh!  They Mispelled my Name!)
                             desaix@sysnet.net
    http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872
                           fanfics available at 
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm