[Ranma][Fic] Consultations: Part 1 and 2 (of 3)

This has the same setting as "The way out" mini-fic, "Autumn Leaves",
"Keeping Up Appearances" and "Such things as dreams are made of."

What has gone before:
Ranma's better nature and a Chinese-Amazon artefact have combined to
return Akane's mother to life - in Ranma's body.  To say Akane has not
taken this well is rather like saying Ryoga doesn't have a very good sense
of direction ...

Consultations Part 1 [rewrite].

  "I don't know why we have to go now." Akane complained.

  "You trust Dr. Tofu don't you?  I'll come with you if you want." Kasumi
offered.

  "No! No thank you," Akane replied, making Kimiko wonder just why she was
so forceful about it.

  "I think I'll tag along," Nabiki said with some of her usual acerbity,
"someone has got to keep an eye on the young lovebirds."

  "Nabiki!" Kimiko exclaimed, "that's not something to joke about."

  "You're so cute when you're embarrassed," Akane said, grabbing Kimiko's
arm as they set off to the clinic.

  The journey was short, and quiet, giving Kimiko a chance to think about
Akane's condition.  At least she seemed content to hold hands - She hadn't
dared say anything to Akane last night after her mis-directed farewell.
She had just hoped that her daughter was just confused by sleepiness and
wouldn't remember the following day.  Breakfast had been ... painful was
the only word.  She stopped, they had arrived.

  Dr. Tofu opened the door to his latest visitors. "Ranma, Akane and
Nabiki! What brings you here?" Dr. Tofu asked.  They hadn't moved as if
they were injured.  Akane was cheerful - more so than usual, Ranma looked
very concerned about something and both Nabiki and Ranma had flinched when
he called his name ...

  Nabiki was the first to break the silence that followed.  "Dr Tofu. I'd
like you to meet Kimiko Tendo."

  Kimiko explained, as best she could, while Akane smiled beside her.

  "I see." Tofu stated, although if it had been any other family ...
"How are you coping with Ranma's loss? he asked Akane.

  "What are you talking about?  He's right here," Akane stated, looking
puzzled.

  "That's why we've come to you - Akane doesn't seem to accept what has
happened.  I don't know what to do, doctor - she wasn't like this
yesterday!" Kimiko's eyes pleaded with Dr. Tofu to be able to do
something, anything, for her daughter.

  "That's right," Akane said brightly, "we should have a general check-up
if we're going to be married soon."

  Tofu looked from one patient to the other.  "If I could see Mrs. Tendo
first."

  "Oh, I'm not 'Mrs.' yet, doctor." Akane said with a blushing smile.

  "He means me." Kimiko said, much to Akane's apparent confusion -
although she didn't object when Kimiko left her.

  Tofu put down the light he had been flashing in her eyes.  Normal pupil
response, he noted finishing his examination.  "I can't find anything
wrong with you.  I suppose I'll have to accept your story - I'll miss
Ranma.  You don't think he's inside, suppressed underneath your memories
do you?"

  Kimiko frowned sadly as she shook her head.  "That doesn't fit with the
way Cologne told me this worked," she said - indicating the broken ring
that had been responsible for Ranma's loss.  "It was a full exchange, and
the ring broke when he ... died with my body."

  "I'd like to test something, if you would." Tofu said, continuing on
Kimiko's assent. "Could you take a strike at my hand?" He asked.

  Tofu winced slightly as he absorbed the impact, but he had learned what
he wanted to know.  "You've had some martial arts training?" he asked,
rhetorically. "Ranma was a great martial artist - as he would have been
first to admit.  I expect this body is stronger, and faster than you
realise.  You should begin training again as soon as possible so that you
don't hurt anyone accidentally."

  "Why would I need to do that?  Can't I just stay out of fights?" Kimiko
queried.

  Tofu smiled, a little, and said "You'd think so, wouldn't you?  You will
also need to improve your skills.  I'm afraid Ranma had enemies, and
friends, who might not wait for your life story before attacking."

  Nabiki nearly fell over when the door opened suddenly.  She blithely
ignored the looks of disapproval she received.  "What? Girl's gotta stay
in the know." She said shamelessly.

  Dr. Tofu ushered Akane into the room. "Sit down, please, Akane." He said.
"How are you feeling?" He asked as he examined her head for signs of injury.

  "Wonderful! I'm getting married, you know.  I suppose it will take a
while to get things properly organised - I just can't wait!" Akane said.

  "Ah-hah," Tofu said noncommittally, as he continued his examination.
"When did you decide to do that?"

  "I finally told him I loved him last night - we stayed up all night
talking," Akane said cheerfully.

  "Have you noticed anything different about him recently?" Tofu asked
as he checked for signs of stress and measured her blood pressure.

  "No ... well just that he's been so well behaved - I suppose all his
insults were just frustration at not having admitted his feelings for
me. 'I Love You.' Isn't it amazing how much difference those three small
words can make?" Akane said, and smiled at Tofu.

  "Well you seem to be in good health - but I'd like to see you both again
soon.  If you stay here a moment I just want a quick word with Nabiki and
..." he trailed off - not wanting to lie with 'Ranma' or confuse with
'Kimiko'.

  "I think you should consider taking her to a specialist," Tofu said
quietly, in the far end of the main room.  "I can't find any physical
symptoms to treat - and this is too delicate for shiatsu points and
acupuncture."

  "We can't take my daughter to a shrink!" Kimiko exclaimed, then looked
guiltily through to the examination room where Akane was waiting - but she
showed no reaction.

  "Mom's right," Nabiki said, hugging her comfortingly, "how would we
persuade her to go?  Besides they'd never believe what had happened - we'd
just end up with everyone in the sanatorium."

  "What about that nice old lady?" Kimiko asked, remembering what she had
been told about her.

  Nabiki looked blank for a while then came up with a rather unlikely
match for that description. "Cologne?  You might have something there - if
she can work with Dr. Tofu at another appointment." And if she was still
in Japan, she thought to herself.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Author's Notes

   I'm a fanfic author - I make mistakes.  But I'd just like to note that
I'm deliberately using English not American spelling ^_^.

  I'm also leaving this note in the middle so you can have a chance to
take a deep breath before continuing the second part as I've tried to
lighten the tension a little at the start.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Consultations Part 2 [new]

  The restaurant was empty, the usual 'Closed - for repairs' sign was up,
but someone had crossed out 'for repairs' and written in 'indefinitely'.
Nabiki looked nervously around then composed herself and knocked on the
door.

  A short way down the street Kimiko waited, having been persuaded by
Nabiki to come for reasons that seemed logical at the time ... Beside her
stood Kasumi who had invited herself along.  Kasumi had the impression
that sometimes rather boisterous and energetic things happened around
Ranma, and she wanted to be with Kimiko to defuse the situation if they
started happening to her.

  'Hidden' further back still was Soun Tendo, in full Samurai warrior
armour.  He wasn't sure what to make of what was happening to his family,
but he was going to protect them - even if it meant sneaking like some
dishonourable ninja (forgetting for the moment that the sound and look of
his costume wasn't exactly suited for sneaking).

  Akane didn't know why everyone had left - but she wasn't going to be
kept out of things involving her husband to be.  She followed resolutely
some way behind her father.

  Back at the other end of the line, the door opened.  A man with long
black hair and glasses pushed up on his forehead stood there. "What have
you done to hurt Shampoo?!" He screamed, "Ranma - prepare to die!"

  "You're too late, Mousse," Nabiki replied.

  Hearing a female voice from his blurry target he went to lower his
glasses into place - but was interrupted by being punched through the wall
by a short tempered Chinese-Amazon elder.

  Mouse landed, his glasses firmly on his nose, and looked up to see his
enemy. Standing up he struck a dramatic pose, incidentally pushing his
glasses back up. "For making Shampoo cry, RANMA! Prepare!"

  Kimiko pushed Kasumi out of the way barely in time.  Kitchen knives of all
size and types flew at her tearing her clothing and scratching her skin as
Kimiko was left in the place Kasumi had just left.  "How dare you try to
hurt _my_ daughter!" She cried, delivering a blow to Mousse that is
recorded in no martial arts scroll - the 'Mother's Rage Attack'.

  Mousse ploughed through the paving stones after a short, flat, trajectory
and stood up shakily. "Ranma?" he asked uncertainly.

  "R-R-Ranmaaaa!!" The figure before him cried - rapidly becoming obscured
by a 12' high demonic visage that even Mousse could see.  "DO NOT CALL
BACK THE DEPARTED - LEST YOU JOIN THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE!"

  Mousse made a tactical withdrawal - ended abruptly by a mallet to the
head.

  "And _that_ is for upsetting my father," Akane said, apparently grateful
- on some level - to have someone to take out her frustrations on.

...

  Cologne passed Nabiki a cup of tea.  "I'll say this for Ranma, he
certainly knows how to make an impact," Cologne said sombrely.  "His was
the first case where a Jusenkyou cursed person had received _both_ kisses.
Now the elders will have to rule what happens when the body remains - but
the spirit departed."

  "You'll be going back to China then?" Nabiki asked, eyeing her tea
dubiously before taking a long sip.  After all, if Cologne wanted to do
something to her _she_ couldn't stop it.

  "Not right away," Cologne said with what might have been a smile. "First
I've got to decide what the elders are going to decide, and Shampoo will
have to calm down before I can discuss this with her."

  "So what are the options?" Nabiki wondered out loud - before answering
herself.  "1. It applies to the person and not the body, something that
the attitude to the Jusenkyou curse would support.  2. It applies to the
physical form, something supported by genetics and your willingness to use
personality altering drugs."

  "Not bad, youngster.  You forgot one variation - if the kiss of death
and the kiss of marriage still apply, which takes precedence now that the
person in question believes herself to be female," Cologne stated.

  Nabiki frowned at the turn the conversation had taken, surely if it was
the body that took precedence then the nature of the personality would be
irrelevant.

  "Hah!" Cologne laughed, guessing the line Nabiki's thoughts were
taking." You forget most important point.  The ruling will be that
believed to most favour the tribe, logic takes a poor second place to
that."

  "In any case, no decision yet means no action - right?" Nabiki asked.

  "Yes, you can tell her it's safe to come in." Cologne answered, "On my
honour."

  Nabiki sighed as she headed out through the door - some people were a
little too hard to keep things from.

  Meanwhile, down the end of the street, an interesting meeting had just
been taking place.

  "My pigtailed goddess!" Kuno exclaimed, handing a bunch of red roses to
the startled young woman.

  "My name is Kimiko Tendo," she stated - looking at Kasumi for guidance.

  "This is Tatewaki Kuno," Kasumi said in a stage whisper, "he's a
friendly sort, but a little bit intense*."

  [* - Translation: 'obsessive to the point of madness']

  "The pigtailed goddess has graced me with her name!  Now we must surely
date!" Kuno shouted.

  "Date?!" Kimiko said, flustered, "We can't date - I'm a married woman."

  "Nooo!" Kuno cried - the air darkening around him with the force of his
despair.  "The foul sorcerer Saotome will die for this offence.  This the
Blue Thunder of Furinkan High swears!" *Kra-kraka-THOOM* Kuno said,
accompanied by his usual 'celestial chorus line'. "But this means the fair
Akane is free from her engagement..."  Kuno wavered visibly - his
expression changing quicker than a politician's promises. "Akane!"
(Smiling to the heavens) "Kimiko." (Despairing at the injustice) "I must
have them _BOTH_!"

  Nabiki arrived just in time to see Kuno slink off, his tail between his
legs.

  "Oh, my!" Kasumi said, "You don't think I was too harsh - do you?"

  Back at the Nekohanten, again, tea was handed round to the new arrivals.
"So, what brings you all here?" Cologne asked.

  "It's my daughter, Akane." Kimiko explained - her eyes glittering with
unshed tears, "She can't accept Ranma has gone.  First she was too
cheerful about it, and now she reacts as if nothing has changed.  As if
I'm still the boy she was engaged to."

  "That's not quite right," Nabiki interrupted, "she's reacting completely
differently to 'Ranma' now than she was before.  She admits her love
without the slightest hesitation, shows no signs of losing her temper and
hasn't smashed him over the head with anything all day!"

  "What? Were things really so bad?" Kimiko asked, looking to Kasumi for
confirmation.

  "Oh - I'm sure Akane and Ranma would have settled down eventually,"
Kasumi said with a slightly sad smile.

  Cologne nodded abruptly in understanding. "And what do you want me to
do?" Cologne asked.  "I must admit to bearing some responsibility for the
way things have turned out," she said, her face unreadable behind the mass
of wrinkles.

  "We thought perhaps you could assist Dr. Tofu ..." Kasumi said.

  "Very well, it will take time to prepare.  Say one week - I will not
make any decision on Shampoo's relation to 'Ranma' before then," Cologne
said, "In the meantime - I suggest you do nothing to upset the situation.
Don't play up to her delusion, but don't try to force her to see the truth
either."

  After the others had left, Cologne spoke quietly to herself - a bad
habit she had picked up from those decades when there was nobody around
worth speaking to. "So, it comes to this - Helping Shampoo's biggest rival
to face reality, while persuading Shampoo to see what isn't there.  A
challenge, and a risky method but perhaps the only way ..."  Cologne let
out a bitter cackle as she left the room.  She hadn't actually decided yet
whether to take the final steps, she consoled herself, so her promise
hadn't exactly been a lie.

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