Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

WARNING:   While there will be no actual 'Lemon' content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence, and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.

Disclaimer:   The rights to ‘Ranma 1/2’ are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi.  The rights to ‘Gold Digger’ are owned by its creator, Fred Perry.  The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators.  This story is for entertainment purposes only and was written without expectation of monetary or material profit.

Notes:   While drawing primarily from the original ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series, some elements and characters from the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Anime series may also be utilized.  This is BOTH a 'Continuation' and an 'Alternate Universe' fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of ‘Ranma 1/2’ and ‘Gold Digger’, meaning:  the characters WILL be 'Out-of-Character' to one extent or another and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree.  This fan-fiction is also a 'Crossover', combining elements from the two aforementioned sources.  For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry's 'Gold Digger' series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon, and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.

Furthermore, it is 'presumed' that the events of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series take place over a span of less than one year, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Ranma and Akane are now going into their junior year, with Nabiki and Kuno having graduated by the end of book 2

Timeframe:   Right after Battlemage Book 2, Ranma, Nabiki, and Kasumi see something that they weren’t expecting, and something new has happened in their lives

WARNING: This is self-beta’d. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please PM me with the paragraph and fix.

BATTLE MAGE

By

Ryan Slicer

( original story concept, writing, and guidance )

Book Three: Love of a Cheetah

Forward

Almost 20 years have passed since I first started writing the story of Love of a Cheetah. Now, I’m reworking it, addressing many issues with timelines and information that I hadn’t expected to fix. I’ve seen comments on the original work and noticed some problems with my writing. This helped me shape the story the way I want it to continue, and rewriting the entire story has made me a better writer..

It will still be mostly the same story, but with corrections, additional information I hadn’t considered, and new ideas I wanted to include. This book will mainly reuse and update existing chapters or outlines, so the publishing process might be faster than usual.

So here’s the rewrite of Love of a Cheetah, Book 3. I hope you enjoy the changes made and a lot of the updates that are taking place.

Chapter Text

WARNING:   While there will be no actual 'Lemon' content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence, and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.

Disclaimer:   The rights to ‘Ranma 1/2’ are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi.  The rights to ‘Gold Digger’ are owned by its creator, Fred Perry.  The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators.  This story is for entertainment purposes only and was written without expectation of monetary or material profit.

Notes:   While drawing primarily from the original ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series, some elements and characters from the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Anime series may also be utilized.  This is BOTH a 'Continuation' and an 'Alternate Universe' fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of ‘Ranma 1/2’ and ‘Gold Digger’, meaning:  the characters WILL be 'Out-of-Character' to one extent or another and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree.  This fan-fiction is also a 'Crossover', combining elements from the two aforementioned sources.  For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry's 'Gold Digger' series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon, and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.

Furthermore, it is 'presumed' that the events of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series take place over a span of less than one year, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Ranma and Akane are now going into their junior year, with Nabiki and Kuno having graduated by the end of book 2

Timeframe:   Right after Battlemage Book 2, Ranma, Nabiki, and Kasumi see something that they weren’t expecting, and something new has happened in their lives

WARNING: This is self-beta’d. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please PM me with the paragraph and fix.

BATTLE MAGE

By

Ryan Slicer

( original story concept, writing, and guidance )

Book Three: Love of a Cheetah

Part One: Beginning

Something felt wrong. That is what Charon felt as he woke up next to his wife and child. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he took stock of his surroundings. Nothing seemed to be amiss, but his instincts told him something was happening. “Xeris.” He spoke calmly before getting out of bed. “Xeris, wake up.”

Xeris woke up at her husband's insistence. “What’s going on?” She asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She also took a look at her surroundings before she picked up her baby of two months old.

“Something is happening,” Charon said, picking up a pair of shorts and putting them on. He then tossed a shirt and a pair of shorts for Xeris as well on the bed, “And not a good something.” He reached for his spell book before they both heard the explosion that happened. “Stay here, I’m going to help out.”

“Charon!” Xeris cried out, making Charon turn his head back to her, “Come back safely.”

Charon nodded and left their home to see what was happening. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was happening as he saw a werewolf jump upon one of his neighbors, slashing and attacking their back. Charon didn’t hesitate, “Fireball!”   The spell was launched towards the assailant and knocked them off the person, but it was too late for his assaulted neighbor. Charon ran up to the person and rolled them over. He gasped at the figure, “No. Amara,” he said as he gently closed Amara’s eyes. He had to leave with Xeris quickly. He looked at the assailant and saw that it looked like a werewolf.  ‘Why would a werewolf use a dagger at all?’ He thought as he got up from examining Amara’s body. ‘This is no time to think about it. We've got to go.’  He turned and ran back towards his home and caught two more werewolves just as they were about to go into his home. “Fireball!”  He cried out once more, catching one of them off guard before they could go in. The other werewolf saw him and lashed out when Charon got closer, scratching and cutting into his arm before a close-quarter attack with a “Crescent cutter!”  was dealt to the other assailant. Charon grabbed his arm and looked down at it before he heard Xaris call out.

“Charon?”

“I’m here,” Charon answered. trying to staunch the blood flow from his arm. “Quickly, we have to get out of here.” Charon walked back into their home and started searching for a specific scroll.

“We don't have any time left,” Xeris said, her ears twitching at the sounds coming from outside.

“I just have to find the scroll we were going to use to see Ranma.” He said, grabbing the scroll as he found it. “Gotcha.” He pulled it out from his pile of scrolls sitting on the desk. He unrolled it with one hand before groaning at the fact that it wasn't finished. “Xeris, I need you to write something down on this scroll,” he asked as Xeris came into his office, where she saw the scroll he had flipped around to face her and a pen. “Hurry.”

Xeris nodded and grabbed the pen. Holding her daughter with one arm, she looked at her husband, “What do I need to write?”

“Thirty-five point seven degrees north, One hundred thirty-nine point six degrees east.” As soon as Xeris wrote down the coordinates, the sound of fighting got closer to their home. “Come on,” Charon said, pushing hard against his cut on his arm to keep from bleeding. “Let’s get out of here.”

Xeris nodded and grabbed the scroll. With no time to explain, Charon led Xeris out of their home, and they both ran towards the village entrance, hoping that the guards would be there. As they reached the gates, they saw two werewolves with weapons drawn, the two guards gutted and bleeding onto the ground. They both stopped and turned towards one of the other directions before an arrow caught Charon in the back. Two more arrows grazed Xeris’s shoulder and leg, causing her to drop to one knee and the scroll in her free hand. The baby in her arms cried out at the sudden movement to cradle her. Several more arrows streaked through the air and hit Xeris in the shoulder and back.

“Xeris!” Charon said, getting in front of her before releasing his bloody hand from his arm to grab the scroll that fell from her grip. “I’ve got no choice.” He unfurled the scroll and chanted the spell on it. Just as the spell was complete, one of the werewolves threw a dagger at Xeris and their child. He managed to step in front of the dagger, just before it reached Xeris. He wasn’t fast enough to catch the blade or knock it away as it struck. Fortunately, it didn’t hit Xeris. The blade hit him in the chest. He looked down at the handle and the burning sensation that it was causing. ‘Why does it burn?’  he thought before he collapsed in front of Xeris.

“Charon! No!” Xeris screamed. The portal was stable enough for one person to get through it. She got up and limped towards the portal as more arrows grazed her body. She tumbled through the portal just before another dagger grazed her calf, and the portal closed behind her.

Xeris lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from each of her wounds, and wondered why they were burning as well. She struggled to get up before she looked at the gates of the Tendo-ke she was standing in front of. “Ranma.”  She said in English before looking down at her daughter. “You’ll be safe here,” she said as she pushed the gate open and limped towards the front door. She collapsed just near the entrance and started banging her free hand on the door. “Ranma!” She tried to call out. Her desperate calls for Ranma got through to someone, along with her banging on the door. The door slid open, and a tall brunette looked around before seeing the Xeris lying on the ground, bleeding across the floor. “Ranma?”  Xeris said again, much quieter than before. The young woman immediately turned back towards the house and yelled out before taking her apron off and pushing it up against the largest of her wounds on her side. Her eyes began to close as she started having problems breathing. She opened them up once more and saw Ranma, giving him a gentle smile as she knew everything was now going to be alright.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma lay upon the roof of the Tendo-ke, watching the sky as it moved the clouds overhead. Thankfully, it was the beginning of summer break, and he didn’t have anything pressing to do. While he would have probably gone with Hiroshi and Daisuke to the beach, he wasn’t feeling up to it at the moment. Still, it was good for him to take a break from everyone else and not feel like he had to live up to something that he wasn’t ready for. However, he wondered if his and Akane’s parents even realized how much they were growing further apart during the last few weeks he’d been back from his journey. It’s not like Akane was purposefully making him frustrated, but she wasn’t helping her cause either.

During the last few weeks of school, he had been hanging out with Nabiki and Rynoami, since it would be their last year of school. He had just made it back in time for the finals to be given, and he completed his second year of school without even being in school for the entire year. Since he had already passed his tests for that year at the end of his freshman year, he was almost given full permission to stay with the rest of his class, despite his truancy. However, the school did want to test him again, so he didn’t get his spring break and was given a quick mid-term test to see if he needed to be held back a year. And just like he said, he passed the mid-term with a high percentage that the teachers were expecting of him, including Hinako.

Nabiki and Kasumi were also proud of him with his mid-term test, which he had promised he would take when he arrived back at the Tendo-ke. And just as he was promised, their parents left him alone about school and his grades. Though they wanted him to start thinking of his marriage to Akane, he told them that he would think about it, as they were still in school, and he didn't want to get married quite yet.

Ranma heard the knocking near the front of the house and heard Kasumi call out, “Coming!” A cold chill ran down his spine as he knew that something was wrong. Just like a new challenge or...

“Ranma! Come quick!” Kasumi yelled into the house. Ranma jumped up from his lying position and jumped off the roof, and headed towards the front of the house. “Nabiki! Call Doctor Tofu to come here! NOW!” She yelled again into the house. When he got to the front door, he was shocked at the sight before him. Xeris, in her hybrid form, was slumped down in front of the door, with blood and burn marks around her wounds, with an ashen Kasumi kneeling beside her, as she held her folded apron against Xeris’ side as a makeshift pressure bandage.

“Xeris!" he cried out, rushing to kneel beside her. "What happened?" he asked, then repeated his question, in English, when she didn't immediately respond.

While staying at her village, Ranma had learned of the lycanthropes' remarkable healing abilities, being able to fully recover from injuries that would easily kill a human being, even regrowing severed limbs, in a remarkably short period of time. Injuries given to them by their own kind, however, healed at a more normal 'human' rate, while magical injury or wounds inflicted by silver... Seeing the charred flesh of several of her still bleeding wounds, Ranma assumed that she had been attacked by someone using a magical or silver weapon. Which meant that her injuries were truly life-threatening.

"Ranma..."  Xeris breathed out, turning pain-filled eyes to him, before pressing a blanket-wrapped bundle into his arms. A bundle which Ranma quickly discovered to be a newborn baby. "We were... attacked by the werewolves..."  Xeris gasped out, grimacing in pain. "The village was destroyed..."

"Doctor Tofu's on his way, Kasumi," Nabiki said as she ran up to them, skidding to a halt and staring at the strange cat-woman on their doorstep.

Xeris turned her head to look at Nabiki, then Kasumi, before a small smile formed on her face. "They are both just as beautiful... as you said they were..."  Xeris said, causing one of Nabiki's eyebrows to arch up. As she was going to be majoring in Business, Nabiki had naturally taken her studies of the English language seriously and was quite proficient, so she had no difficulty in understanding what Xeris had said.

Ranma tried not to blush as he felt Nabiki's curious gaze swing in his direction, and he self-consciously shifted the baby in his arms to a more comfortable position. Not unexpectedly, this resulted in the baby making a few gurgling noises as it was shifted about, which in turn caused Nabiki to want a better look at what he held. This time Ranma couldn't suppress the flush that rose on his cheeks as Nabiki pressed herself against his back to peer over his shoulder at the baby, only to find wide, inquisitive, emerald-green eyes peering back up at her from beneath a halo of blond hair.

Xeris saw what was happening and smiled up at Ranma, her hand reaching up to touch his face lightly before lowering to caress the face of her child. "Please... take care of... our young one... Ranma..."  she breathed out with difficulty, blood appearing on her lips, as her arm fell to her side. Her eyes, locked onto the face of her child, dimmed as her heartbeat slowly came to a stop.

“I promise, Xeris. She’ll be well taken care of.”  Ranma said, noting that she probably didn’t hear him as he gently felt for a pulse and, finding none, just as Tofu entered the yard. Tofu ran up and looked at his patient. He ignored Kasumi’s presence as he focused on his patient, beginning with a quick check of her pulse that Ranma had just done, and he began performing CPR to see if she would respond. After a couple of minutes, Tofu looked at his patient once more before calling out the date and time of death, which Nabiki wrote down on a notepad she grabbed from where the telephone was when Tofu arrived.

“I’m sorry, Ranma.” He said quietly to the young man in front of him.

“I understand,” Ranma said, holding back tears at the loss of a friend, and possibly more that he had made in the village, “You did what you could, but these wounds are possibly magical or made from silver.”

“Silver?” Nabiki asked quietly, “Do you mean that werewolves are real?”

Ranma nodded and looked up at Nabiki, and then Kasumi and Tofu, “You need to keep this a secret. She might have escaped from her village, but this baby is quite possibly the last of her kind.” Ranma said as he held the bundle close to his chest. “I don’t want to have her enemies find us here and kill her baby too.”

“So what is she?” Kasumi asked, having pulled her hands away from the wound she tried to stop it from gushing out blood.

“A werecheetah,” Ranma said, looking down at the baby in his arms, who stopped crying and was fast asleep. “Just think of her as a cheetah that changes forms from animal to a hybrid form, like you would see in movies, and then a human form.”

“She doesn’t look anything like the movie versions of these creatures,” Nabiki mentioned, sitting down next to Ranma as he continued to hold back his tears. She rubbed his back and looked down at the bundle in his arms. “So what do you want to happen next?”

“I’m not sure.” Ranma said, looking at Tofu, “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“And hopefully not anytime soon either.” Tofu said, before gently closing Xeris’s eyes. “I’ll need to take her to the clinic and begin arrangements for her. I can help in getting all that set up for you.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Ranma said, before he looked at Kasumi and then Nabiki. “Thank you as well, Kasumi, Nabiki.”

“Nabiki, I’ll need some help. Can you get a few sheets that you will no longer need so we can wrap her body up?” Tofu asked, staying very calm and helpful to the young Saotome.

“Of course, Dr. Tofu,” Nabiki said, going back inside to grab what was needed. It didn’t take long, and both Tofu and Nabiki lifted Xeris’ body and walked out of the Tendo-ke towards Tofu’s clinic.

Kasumi got up from her kneeling position and walked back inside to wash the blood off her hands. Ranma, however, stayed where he was, sitting at the entranceway for a moment longer to process what he saw before standing up. He gently moved some of the blanket to see the baby in his arms more fully. The young baby was in her human form for the moment and was curled up against his chest. He remembered what he had to do to keep the baby from slipping out of his arms, as he had done with Asha when he was still in the village. He walked back inside and headed towards the main room just as Kasumi stepped out of the kitchen.

“Ranma. Let’s change her blanket.” She said, gesturing to the blanket that had some blood on it. “And while we’re at it, let's give her a bath.” Ranma just nodded at the suggestion and gently unwrapped the baby from the blanket, handing it over to Kasumi before walking towards the bath. “Do you need any help bathing her?” Kasumi asked

“Just as long as it’s not the big bath, just clean her up in one of the wash bins, right?” Ranma said, Kasumi nodded, gently guiding the young Saotome to the bath.

“Just ask if you need help, Ranma,” Kasumi said, looking at the young baby in his arms with a wistful look in her eyes. Ranma noticed her look before he stepped into the outer bath. Kasumi stood right behind him as she put the blanket in the empty washing machine. She grabbed two towels for both him and the baby and looked at Ranma for a moment. “Do you want me to take her and give her a bath?” She asked in a hopeful voice. Ranma gave her a small smile of appreciation as he was still processing the death of Xeris.

“If you could,” Ranma said before holding onto the baby. “Why don’t you get ready for the bath, and I’ll hand her over to you so you can take care of her.” This caused Ranma to blush as he had never seen Kasumi naked before. “I mean...”

“It’s okay, Ranma. Just step outside while I get a towel on.” Ranma did as he was told and waited outside the outer bath, waiting for Kasumi to be ready. “Okay, Ranma,” Kasumi said as she slid the inner and outer bath doors open so that she could take the baby and walk in without having to release the baby that she was going to carry.

Ranma turned around and saw that Kasumi was wrapped in one of the larger towels that was carefully covering her torso enough not to be indecent. He gently handed her the young werecheetah, making sure that Kasumi knew how to hold her before helping Kasumi undress the baby and remove the diaper. Once the baby was ready for the bath. Kasumi went inside the inner bath and began to gently wash the baby up, making sure to keep her head above the water in the small basin that she used. Once the baby was clean, she grabbed the other towel and wrapped the baby in it to dry her off. “There, there, all clean.” She cooed to the baby as she was woken from her little nap. The baby hadn’t cried the entire time she was getting the bath, and Kasumi handed the baby back to Ranma before she shut the inner door. “I’ll be washing up here in a short while,” Kasumi said behind the door. Ranma nodded to himself and walked out of the outer bath and towards the main room, where he saw Nabiki sitting at the table with a morose look on her face.

“Nabiki, everything go okay?” Ranma asked in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, Ranma,” Nabiki said just as quietly, “Just... that was the second time I had to deal with death.”

Ranma nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that this was his second time dealing with the death of someone close to him, ‘Well, Akane wasn’t dead, but still.’  Ranma thought as he was contemplating what to do next.

Nabiki got up and walked over to him, handing him a wad of yen and gently pushing him out the door. “I need you to go and get the necessities for a baby.” She said before looking down at the child wrapped in a towel. “You might want to see Mr. or Mrs. Takana; they’ve helped us plenty of times, and they might be able to help you.”

Ranma looked at the wad of yen in his hand and the baby in his arms before nodding and walking towards the marketplace.

It was the sudden giggling of a couple girls he'd walked past that caused Ranma to fully realize what he was carrying, where he was going and why, and that he didn't have the foggiest notion of what the 'necessities' for a baby were. Naturally, this caused him to stop dead in his tracks while he tried to figure out what he was going to do.

"Well, well, well, so you finally sired a child of your own, eh Saotome-san?" someone asked with obvious good humor. "Who was the lucky girl to finally catch you?"

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Ranma looked about and found Mr. Tanaka leaning over the short wall about his house, watching him with a smile. Ranma had only met the man a few times, usually when he came by the Tendo-ke to discuss some Council business with Mr. Tendo, but he'd always seemed a fairly approachable man and, if Ranma remembered correctly, the father of several children himself. Of course, he wasn't the least bit surprised that Mr. Tanaka was aware of his 'fiancée' problems, or the lengths to which said fiancées would go to get him... they were practically an urban legend in Nerima.

"Um... Not really, Tanaka-san," Ranma responded, walking over to him. "I'm not the baby's father." Then, seeing the mischievous glint in Mr. Tanaka's eyes, he quickly added with a reproachful glare, "And I'm not her mother, either."

Mr. Tanaka held his hands up, placatingly, but still smirked humorously. Leaning further over the wall, Mr. Tanaka took a closer look at the baby in Ranma's arms, noting the unusually 'spotted' blond hair and the light emerald-green eyes peering back at him. "She's going to be a real cutie when she's older. So, how'd you come to be carrying a baby around, Saotome-san? This isn't one of your father's 'training' ideas, is it?"

"No!" Ranma immediately blurted. "No, this hasn't got anything to do with Pop." While it wasn't all that widespread yet, some stories of what Genma had put Ranma through in the name of martial arts 'training' had managed to circulate the neighborhood and were frowned upon. Needless to say, anything involving Genma was viewed with suspicion by those who had met the man and heard the stories.

Haltingly, Ranma told Mr. Tanaka about his friendship with Xeris, her husband, and their recent deaths. Of course, he edited out a lot of things in his story, such as their being werecheetahs and exactly how they'd passed away, but it had been Xeris' dying wish that he raise their daughter for them. Reluctantly, as he was never one to admit a failing in anything, Ranma also admitted that he didn't have the slightest clue as to how to care for a baby.

"Well now, caring for and raising a child is a great responsibility," Mr. Tanaka said seriously. "One, I would hope that you take far more seriously than your own father has. That you can admit that you don't know what to do and need help is a very good start. And the best advice I can give you from the start is, don't even try to do everything on your own! If you need help or advice, don't hesitate to ask for it! A parent's pride in raising a child on their own, without the help of others, is no comfort at all, for parent or child, if that child gets in trouble, falls ill, or, at the very worst, dies, because the parent's pride wouldn't allow them to seek aid or advice when it was needed."

Ranma had been looking at the baby as Mr. Tanaka spoke, listening to his words and realizing just how great his new responsibility truly was. In his arms was a life, a life that would forever be affected by the decisions he would be making for her for years to come. Just as he, himself, had been, and still was, affected by his own parents' decisions.

With that final thought, about how his own life had been affected by the decisions, good or ill, of his own parents, Ranma made his very first decision as the parent of his own child.

"I would appreciate any help or advice you'd be willing to share with me, Tanaka-san."

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma walked back to the Tendo-ke with a small bag filled with diapers, some milk formula, bottles, and some wipes. The Tanaka’s had grandchildren who were still under the age of four and always kept some of the necessities about the home. Mrs. Tanaka, however, was going to setup a time for Ranma to get any additional things with a few of the mothers she knew around town. It didn’t take long to get back to the Tendo-ke with his new items for the baby and he once he was inside the main home, he called out “Nabiki, Kasumi. I’m back.”

“Welcome home, Ranma.” Kasumi said as she left the main room and walked towards the entrance way. “Did you get the things you needed?”

“The Tanakas had some spare items and helped me out with taking care of her.” Ranma said as he set the bag down before taking off his shoes. He then grabbed the bag again and headed up the stairs, Kasumi followed behind him and watched as he set the bag inside his room before turning to her, “I think I’ll need some time to myself, Kasumi.” he said, gently rocking the sleeping child in his arms.

“Of course, Ranma.” The eldest Tendo sister said, “Do you want me to take her?”

“I’d like to hold on to her for a bit.” Ranma stated, “She’s the only reminder of my friends I met on my journey.”

Kasumi nodded, frowning slightly before reaching out and giving him a gentle hug. “Take all the time you need, Ranma.”

Ranma leaned slightly into the hug, trying not to let tears fall before Kasumi released him and gently stroked the baby’s cheek as she slept. She then stepped back and let Ranma go into the room before walking down the hall toward Nabiki’s room. Ranma closed the door and sat down in the middle of the nearly empty room. Aside from his pack and the new baby bag, the room looked fairly bare. Luckily, since his father wasn’t living with the Tendo household and the parents insisted that he stay there, he had the room all to himself. However, he never fully settled in when his father was present and was used to living out of his pack. Following Kasumi’s advice, he began putting his clothes away in the empty dresser and hanging some of his nicer clothes in the closet since then. He noticed a new addition to the room for him— a baby crib in the corner, ready for the baby he held in his arms. ‘I’ll have to thank Kasumi and Nabiki   for this in the morning,’  he sighed before opening the window and stepping onto the roof.

He sat on the roof, holding the bundle close before looking up at the sky, contemplating which higher being might torment him even more the next day. He glanced back down at the bundle and saw her bright, sparkling green eyes looking up at him. Her dirty blond hair, patterned with dark spots, reached up as she gently grabbed his shirt. He smiled softly at the baby and held her closer to his chest until she started yawning and snuggled in for warmth. ‘What am I going to do?’  he wondered, just before he heard the door open and close.

--LINE BREAK--

Akane entered the Tendo-ke and began to take off her shoes. “I’m home!” she called out, noticing that her father’s shoes weren’t there. ‘He’s probably with Uncle Saotome and Auntie,’  she thought before heading upstairs. She saw Ranma’s room and was about to knock when she saw Kasumi and Nabiki walking towards her.

“I would leave Ranma alone tonight,” Nabiki said as she reached her younger sister.

“And why should I?” Akane asked.

“He’s had a rough afternoon,” Kasumi said, looking forlorn at the door, “He needs some space tonight.”

“What happened?” Akane turned and faced both her sisters fully, wondering what exactly had happened while she was out with her friends.

“That’ll be for him to decide to tell anyone about,” Nabiki responded before she walked past her sister and down the stairs. Akane looked at Kasumi, who nodded at Nabiki’s answer.

“If he’s willing to talk about it, he’ll let you know,” Kasumi replied. “Dinner will be ready in a little while.” She said quietly before heading down the stairs.

Akane looked at the door once more before heading to her room, deciding, for once, to let Ranma be for the night.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma slipped back into the room after several hours of sitting on the roof with his new daughter, ‘That’s right, she’s mine to care for, so she would be my daughter,’  he thought after a moment before he walked over to the crib and laid the near-newborn child in the crib, covering her up with a light blanket that Mrs. Tanaka gave him. She was dressed in a onesie to keep her warm, even on a lightly chilled evening. He gently stroked her cheek as she remembered the rest of his discussion with Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka. Taking care of a child, even a baby, was going to be taxing on him. ‘But I won’t do what my ol’ man did to me.’  he thought to himself. She wouldn’t have the same issues he currently has, and he wouldn’t drag her out on a training journey either. ‘Though I do hope that she would want to study the arts when she’s older.’  Ranma shook his head. He took another moment to watch the two-month-old baby and remember his friends he made at the village before frowning, ‘If I see any werewolves nearby, I will personally send them to hell,’  he thought, knowing that would make him a warrior if he killed anyone that would try to harm his daughter, ‘For now, just keeping her safe and alive is what I can do for Xeris and Charon.’  He then made his way to the closet where the futons were stored and pulled one out with the futon cover and pillow. Once it was all laid out, he shut the window and turned off the light before falling into a light sleep.

--LINE BREAK--

The next day came early, but thankfully not with a kick out the window into the koi pond, but the cry of a baby. Ranma rose from his futon and stumbled over to the crib, trying to remember what Mr. Tanaka had told him about crying babies: needing their diaper changed, wanting to be fed, or to take a nap. Ranma checked his daughter over and found that she needed her diaper changed.

He went and grabbed a diaper and wipes from the knapsack that he received from Mr. Tanaka the day before, and he followed the directions he remembered for changing a dirty diaper. Once the diaper was changed, he picked her up and started rocking her to calm her down. After a few minutes, the baby calmed down, but the damage was already done.

“What’s going on here?” Akane asked as she slid the door open, her question causing the baby to start crying again. Nabiki and Kasumi were not far behind her as Akane’s voice had carried across the hallway and woke up Kasumi and Nabiki.

“Would you keep it down, you tomboy?” Ranma said as he rocked the baby in his arms, trying to calm her down once more.

“You... You jerk!” Akane said, about ready to send Ranma into the sky like she usually did. But it was all for naught as she felt her hand was restrained, and she was gently turned around to face Kasumi, who had a look that made Akane wilt.

“No, Akane,” Kasumi said as she shook her head at her younger sister, “You might hurt the baby.”

‘BABY?!’  Akane thought before Nabiki slipped past her to get into the room to help Ranma calm the baby down again.

“Who wouldn’t be crying again, if you hadn’t frightened her after Ranma calmed her down the first time,” Nabiki said with a yawn, before she looked at Ranma. He turned towards Nabiki while still rocking the child. Akane, looking back into the room, saw the blond hair peaking out from what she could see between Nabiki and Ranma, who handed the baby over to Nabiki as she held her arms out to take the child.

“When did he get the baby?” She asked, almost calming down, but then she remembered something, ‘It can’t be...’  she thought before she pointed at him, “I knew it. That gaijin woman who came to the house before you left, she said she was pregnant. And now she is dumping his baby on our doorstep?” She called out, growling and gritting her teeth as she came to the wrong conclusion.

Ranma stared at Akane in shock as he heard her conclusion. There were times she didn’t listen to him when he was trying to explain what happened to him, and sometimes she did. But to come to this conclusion. He had no idea how that happened. “It’s not like that, Akane...”

“Then what is it? She has blond hair, and that French fiancée said she was pregnant.” This caused the other three in the room to focus on Akane, who finally got a better look at the baby, “She’s yours, isn’t she?” Akane asked, ‘Please let it not be true.’  

“She is now, she’s his daughter.” The tired Nabiki didn’t put two and two together with how Akane was asking the question before she replied to Akane’s question. “Besides, where else would he keep her? In the dojo?”

‘No. It can’t be.’  Akane thought before she began to yell, “You pervert! You were messing around behind my back!” She exclaimed, “And now that she was pregnant with your child, she dropped her off, not wanting anything to do with her. As far as I’m concerned, the engagement is off.” She said in a state of rage before storming back to her room and slamming the door shut.

Ranma watched as Akane stormed off before he could fully explain what happened, ‘Just like always, coming to the wrong conclusion.’  He thought before he turned and looked at Nabiki.

Nabiki sighed and finally woke up to what had happened after Akane’s yelling, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t mean it that way.’  Nabiki thought to herself as she looked at Ranma. “I’m sorry, Ranma.” Nabiki said quietly, “I didn’t mean...”

“It’s alright, Nabiki.” He said.

“No, it’s not, but we’ll discuss it later. Right now, you should go downstairs and prepare some of that baby formula you got yesterday.” She continued to rock the baby in her arms, which began to calm her down, “She’s going to be hungry, and if she isn’t fed soon, she'll start crying again.”

Ranma nodded, “Okay, Nabiki,” he said, and started to reach out for the baby. He was surprised when Nabiki backed away, out of his reach.

"Just go fix her breakfast, Ranma," Nabiki instructed. "I'll keep her occupied until it's ready. It'll be faster that way, and quieter."

Ranma looked at her and the baby for a moment, wondering if she was going to ask for a favor later, but nothing came of it as Nabiki continued to rock his daughter. He nodded and then grabbed the formula and a bottle and walked down the stairs towards the kitchen with Kasumi next to him.

--LINE BREAK--

With Kasumi's help, and by following the directions included on the package of baby formula to the letter, Ranma soon had the baby bottle the Tanakas had given him sterilized, filled, and warmed. Stepping back out of the kitchen with the filled bottle, he looked over at the two passed-out-drunken forms of Genma and Soun, who were sleeping it off in the doorway. Ranma found Nabiki sitting at the table, playing with the baby in the family room.

When he reached for the baby, however, Nabiki again stopped him. Then, taking the bottle of formula from him, she shook a little of it out onto her wrist and instructed him to do the same and to remember how it felt, so he could always have it at the correct temperature. When Nabiki attempted to get the baby to accept the bottle, the baby refused.

"Isn't she hungry?" Ranma asked. "It's got to have been a long time since she last ate."

"Oh, she's hungry alright," Nabiki grumped, scowling. "Unfortunately, I'd guess she's been breast-fed up till now, and that presents a bit of a problem."

"So... what are we going to do?" Ranma asked worriedly, as the baby was obviously growing more irritable.

Nabiki took a moment to think for a bit, and Ranma knew that she was mulling over the problem itself. She looked down the hall and remembered the fathers were there before she looked back at Ranma. She took a glass of cold water and proceeded to dump the water over Ranma’s head.

“What was that for?” Ranma asked as she shook her head.

“Listen, I wouldn’t normally do this, but if I had to, it would be in front of another girl,” Nabiki said, reaching up and beginning to undo the buttons of her blouse, "or my husband, once I'm married.” She said, looking at Ranma with a light glare to let him know that, while he had seen her naked before, she was putting on a show if their fathers were awake at any point in time, she wouldn’t give away their scandalous rendezvous, “And don’t you dare turn away or close your eyes.” She said, “You’ll need to pay attention.” She then glared at him, “If you even tell anyone about how I am like this...”

Ranma looked at the middle Tendo sister with wide eyes as Nabiki opened her blouse and freed one of her breasts from the confines of her night shirt. Picking up the bottle of formula, she applied some of it to her nipple before lifting the baby to have her suckle at her breast. Before the baby could do that, Ranma remembered what the baby shouldn’t do.

“Don’t!” she called out, before placing a hand over Nabiki’s breast, gently squeezing her breast while the baby looked at the obstruction of her meal.

“Saotome, what are you doing!?” Nabiki said, frustrated that he was stopping her from feeding the child.

“She’s a werecheetah. What happens when a werewolf bites another person?” Ranma stated, remembering what Cyan told him before they left for Germany.

“They become werewolves as well?” Nabiki asked, questioningly. She wasn’t getting what he was trying to say.

“Exactly. Except when you’re bitten, you become a thrawl to them, a slave to be exact.” While the baby didn’t have any teeth yet, she didn’t want to take that chance with Nabiki or anyone within the household. She pulled her hand away from Nabiki’s breast before anyone else could see.

“But this is one way to get her to eat,” Nabiki said, sighing before she tried to figure out another method to this dilemma. Nabiki held the bottle close to the baby as if to coax her to take the bottle, only to be surprised as the baby started to open her mouth and take the bottle’s nipple into her mouth. “She might have been breastfed, but she probably had a bottle as well,” Nabiki said, knowing that sometimes a nursing baby may eat more than what a mother could provide.

Ranma sighed as she averted one crisis. ‘That was close. I don’t think Nabiki would have wanted to be a slave to a baby,’  she thought. Once the baby was eating calmly, Nabiki passed the baby back to Ranma before she got up from the table.

“One word about this to anyone, and I’ll have your hide,” Nabiki stated before walking back up the stairs.

"Oh my!" Kasumi said, noting Nabiki's rather 'exposed' state of undress, before turning to face Ranma. "Did something happen?"

"Um... the baby wouldn't accept the bottle," Ranma said, her own face rather flushed with embarrassment at the motherly side of Nabiki she had never seen before. Then looked down at the contentedly nursing baby. "Well, she wouldn't accept it right off.”

 "Oh, she was breast-fed then," Kasumi said, as if that explained everything and all was right with the world once again. "I've often heard from other mothers about how difficult it can be to get their babies to accept a bottle instead of their own mother's breast."

"How come Nabiki knows so much about taking care of babies?" Ranma asked, whispering. "I would never have thought of her as... well... the motherly type."

"Oh, when we were younger, Nabiki used to do a lot of babysitting for the neighborhood," Kasumi said. "She was very popular among the new mothers, especially, who all said she was a natural around newborns and young children. I don't know why she stopped, though. She was always so happy when she was surrounded by young children."

"Have you done any babysitting, Kasumi?" Ranma asked, absorbing this new information about the 'Ice Queen of Nerima'.

"Oh my, no," Kasumi answered. "I never really had the time, what with taking care of the house, Father, and my sisters. I'm afraid that all I know about taking care of very young children I learned from reading books I borrowed from Doctor Tofu and what I've been told by the mothers I meet in the marketplace."

Ranma absorbed that information as well, but thought she detected a definite note of longing in the older girl's voice. Kasumi may not have the experience of caring for a young child, but she certainly seemed to want such an opportunity... probably with a young child, or two, of her own, most likely.

"Do you know the baby's name, Ranma?" Kasumi suddenly asked.

Ranma just stared at her mutely for a moment before dropping her gaze to the baby. With everything that had been happening, she had never even thought of what the baby's name might have been. Try as she might, she couldn't remember hearing Charon or Xeris ever discussing what their child would be called once it was born, and she hadn't even thought to ask as Xeris lay dying. "I... I left their village before she was born..." she stated truthfully.

"How about Machiko, then?" Kasumi suggested, as Nabiki rejoined them at the table, having changed her clothing to her school uniform.

"She is fortunate, because of her mother..." Nabiki responded.

"Yes. That's true," Ranma agreed, nodding her head.

"Nyoko?" Kasumi suggested this time. "Her eyes do look like little gems when they're open."

"Emerald-like, too," Ranma-chan agreed, remembering that most of the werecheetahs in the village had had different shades of green, gold, or brown in their eyes.

"So, Nyoko?" Nabiki asked, reaching over to lightly run a finger up and down the baby's arm. Noticing that she had stopped nursing on the bottle, Nabiki took it and set it aside before producing a small towel from seemingly nowhere, which she draped over Ranma-chan's shoulder.

Ranma gave the name some thought before voicing her opinion on it, while Nabiki guided her and the baby through the time-honored practice of 'burping'. "Okay, we have her adopted under Nyoko Saotome," she said, grinning as the newly dubbed 'Nyoko' let out a loud burp in seeming agreement.

Nabiki nodded as she thought of what would be needed for Ranma to have Nyoko legally adopted. "Ranma, we only have a couple more hours before school starts," she said as she got up from the table, "but I really think you should skip school today and spend the time getting to know Nyoko better."

"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea, Nabiki," Ranma-chan said, looking towards their fathers. "Not that I want to go to school or nothin'."

"So go out, and take Nyoko with you."

"Where would we go?" Ranma-chan asked, not having a clue as to what one did with a baby. Then she blanched at the positively evil smirk that Nabiki turned her way.

"Why, where every other new mother takes their babies... to the park, of course."

--LINE BREAK--

Breakfast was, surprisingly, a quiet affair that morning. The fathers were still out cold, fortunately, although Kasumi had taken the time to lay some blankets over them. And Akane... well, Akane seemed to have cooled down considerably from her initial tantrum earlier that morning. This was not to say that she wasn't sending Ranma murderous glares, but her gaze would soften considerably when it fell upon Nyoko, gaining an almost wistful look. Even so, Akane finished her meal in record time before rushing out the door to school, certain to be among the first students to arrive at Furinkan High School that day.

Kasumi and Nabiki watched their younger sister rush off to school, without even sparing a glance in Ranma's direction, and sighed. "Later, Sis," Nabiki said as she rose from the table to retrieve her schoolbag. "Ranma, try to stay in girl-form today while you're out, okay."

"Do I hav' ta?" Ranma lightly whined, not that he really cared all that much anymore, but he had to maintain appearances after all.

"Well, it's your choice really, but I should warn you that few things are more attractive to desperate single girls looking for a husband than a single father with a baby," Nabiki said, smirking humorously. "If you think you've got 'girl troubles' now..."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Nabiki," Ranma responded, shifting Nyoko into a more comfortable position in his arms as he followed Nabiki outside.

"Here," Nabiki suddenly said, turning to grab his free hand and slap something into it. Looking at it, Ranma was surprised to see that she'd handed him a fair amount of money.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"I'm lending this to you, so you can get some stuff for Nyoko, okay?" She glared at him, seemingly daring him to question her decision. "Don't worry, it's not charity. You will be paying me back later. If you don't know what to get, ask some of the neighbors who have children." And with that said, she turned and headed off to the subway station, hoping she wouldn't be groped too much on her way to Todai to see their facilities and hopefully get an application to join their business department.

Ranma watched her walk away until she rounded a corner, then slowly turned about and walked back inside the house, absently pocketing the money she'd given him in the process. It would be best to pretend that the money didn't even exist until he needed it, or his good-for-nothing father would surely attempt to take it to buy more sake or food.

Returning to the table in the living room, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Kasumi had left out the tea things for him, as she began her daily routine of household chores. Pouring himself a cup of tea, after comfortably settling Nyoko in his lap, he contemplated what he should do now. Normally, when he wasn't attending school, he'd spend the day training in the dojo, or head out to see about scamming some 'free eats' in his girl-form. A gurgling coo from his lap pretty much reminded him that those days were over and gone. It wouldn't do to set a bad example for his daughter, after all. Well, training all day in the dojo, at least, as he didn't really think it would hurt anything if he taught his daughter the fine art of scamming free eats. Needless to say, a decade of near-starvation with his father had left a lasting mark upon him where food was concerned.

Still, Ranma needed to be doing something, to be in motion. Sure, he could sit around and vegetate with the best of them, and he was more than willing to do so after a period of high activity, but... Things had been fairly quiet and laid back recently, yesterday being a notable exception, so Ranma was feeling more than a little antsy to get out and about, to do something, anything other than just sitting. And yet, he now had to consider Nyoko...

The Tanakas had been quite adamant about not leaving Nyoko alone for at least the first few years, and had fallen to the floor laughing hysterically when he'd innocently asked just how much trouble a baby could get into if left alone for a bit. Their gasping response of "You'll learn, poor boy, you'll learn," had not been all that reassuring. Still, their response to his question had been sufficient warning that he was more than a little hesitant to have Nyoko out of his sight for a while yet. But he couldn't stay with her constantly, or carry her everywhere he went; it just wasn't possible. Sure, he could pull the crib down to the dojo when he wanted to train, but then he'd have to haul it back upstairs again at night, and what about when he went out, not to mention school?

Ranma sighed as the questions whirled around inside his head. There was no question that he needed help, and he had already vowed that he would be a 'good' parent for Nyoko. It was time to ask the experts... just as Nabiki had suggested.

"Kasumi, I'll be goin' out for a bit," he announced, rising from the table and adjusting Nyoko in his arms.

Kasumi paused in her cleaning and was about to say something when she suddenly remembered a conversation she'd had with Nabiki earlier that morning. "Just a moment, Ranma-kun," she said and ducked into her kitchen. She emerged a few moments later with a small knapsack into which he could see her placing a full bottle of prepared baby formula. "Take this, Ranma-kun. Nabiki said that babies get hungry a lot and may need diaper changes at any time. She told me to tell you, where the baby goes, the knapsack goes, and to be sure it's always fully stocked with everything you might need for the baby."

"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma nodded, taking the knapsack and slinging it onto one shoulder. Nabiki hadn't steered him wrong yet on caring for Nyoko, so he wasn't going to argue. He had just turned to head for the front door when he suddenly felt cold water being poured onto the arm he wasn't using to hold Nyoko, activating his curse and returning him to being a short, buxom, redheaded girl. "Now what did ya do that for, Kasumi?"

"Nabiki wasn't joking about girls flocking to you, Ranma, if they see you as an unmarried father with a baby. Having a lot of friends is nice, but let's not overdo it, shall we?" Kasumi said with a humorous, if unusual for her, smirk on her face, as she dried Ranma's arm off before shooing her off and out the door. "And don't forget to see Doctor Tofu to make sure Nyoko is in good health."

Ranma nodded and waved as she stepped through the gate and into the street. Turning towards the marketplace once again, she headed off for the Tanaka residence, hopeful that they could help her with the many new questions she'd come up with since their last meeting. Strangely, though, she had an odd feeling of impending doom, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what might be causing it.

--LINE BREAK--

Tatewaki Kuno, the newly dubbed Thunderous Roar of Todai, as he thought of himself getting into the college, stood before the gates of Furinkan High School, awaiting his early-morning battle with the vile sorcerer, Ranma Saotome. In the depths of his very soul, he knew that today was the day that he would finally overcome the sorcerer's dark magicks and free his two loves from the foul miscreant's unholy grasp... That, or Sasuke had failed in his duties to his master and his twisted sister, Kodachi, had managed to slip something into his breakfast again.

Stoically, he stood, standing proud and ready to face any challenge the gods may choose to send against him, as he gazed down the street in the direction from whence his loves oft appeared. And in time, his patience was rewarded with the appearance of none other than his fierce tigress, Akane Tendo. Alone. Oh, how his heart sang that today may well be the very day that his spirited Pigtailed Girl or Akane Tendo would swoon in his arms, that he might shower them with his love.

"Hark," he started, noting how his love's face twisted in pain as she struggled to break the sorcerous spells the vile cur had placed upon her to keep her from her proper place at his side, "Akane Tendo, to whence has the foul sorcerer Saotome fled that you should appear before me, unescorted and alone? Is his hold upon you weakening, my love? Are his powers at last weakening before my holy might? Quickly, my love, tell me where he hides that I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Thunderous Roar of Todai, may hunt him down as the lowly dog he is, and vanquish him back to the dark pits that spawned him!"

Akane, already in an unusually foul mood that morning, was ready to vent her anger and frustrations on the first target of opportunity. Normally, this would have been Ranma himself, as he was invariably the cause, directly or otherwise, but Kasumi, without saying a word, had made it clear that she wouldn't be allowed to 'vent' on Ranma as long as the baby was anywhere about... and, of course, the he had kept the baby around him at all times. Kuno, a long-time irritant in her life, was another matter entirely. Akane's face twisted into a grimace of anger, frustration, and sadistic glee as Kuno ranted. She'd needed something, or someone, to vent on... and the Kami had provided.

"Ranma?" she sneered, her knuckles popping as her fists clenched even tighter. "Why, Ranma's at the Dojo, of course... with the 'bastard' child he's fathered with some gaijin.” And with those words, Akane exploded into action and... vented, drawing out the punishment she wanted to inflict. There would be no escape into LEO for Kuno this morning. Akane wanted to vent her frustrations, and by the Kami, she was going to vent them.

Numerous gasps were heard among the students about the gate, and several began scrabbling into their schoolbags, pulling out markers they'd gotten from Nabiki or her assistants. Cries of elation and sorrow began to sweep through the throng as memories were refreshed as to bets made. Inside the school building, several girls from the senior class had witnessed and heard what had just occurred, Akane having made no effort to keep her voice down, and after exchanging some silent looks, one of them pulled out a cellphone and began dialing.

"I... fight... on..." Kuno gasped out before a final blow from Akane sent him crashing into the wall surrounding the school and into blessed unconsciousness. Akane sighed and dusted her hands off before retrieving her schoolbag and heading onto the school grounds, her head held high and a small grin of satisfaction on her face. She wouldn't be smiling for long, however, as the events that she had set into motion that morning, with her ill-thought-out accusations, would come to haunt her for years to come.

Once everyone had entered the school grounds, Sasuke, the Kuno family ninja retainer, emerged from beneath a slab of concrete in the sidewalk. Shaking his head sadly as he walked over to his 'master', he began the laborious task of getting Kuno back to the mansion and patched up. If things went well, Sasuke should be able to deliver his master at the university just in time for the open house. It hadn't been easy for Sasuke to get his master that 'Kendo Scholarship'; if he missed the open house and didn’t sign up for any classes, that scholarship would be wasted.

--LINE BREAK--

Nabiki sat in one of the business classes for the open house and watched the teacher go over several items that interested her. Nabiki just hoped that Ranma would be okay for the day without her assistance. A small, hidden smile appeared on her face at the thought of Ranma being a father already. And Nyoko was such a cute baby, too.

It wasn’t until she felt a presence next to her that she stopped paying attention to the instructor. She looked over and saw the presence that was bothering her, Tatewake Kuno.

"Nabiki Tendo," the voice of Kuno drawled as he dropped into the seat beside her, "I've heard words from my fierce tigress that the vile cur, Saotome, has begat a child upon a gaijin woman of ill repute. Is this true?"

Nabiki lifted her head to look at him, taking note of the fresh bandages and numerous bruises he was sporting this morning. 'Looks like Akane took her time this morning,'  she thought, 'rather than just simply punting him into Lower Earth Orbit.'

"Well, yes, Ranma is a father now, but-" Nabiki stopped talking as she realized that she was addressing an empty chair. Spinning to face the classroom exit, she was just in time to see the door just beginning to close after Kuno had made his hasty exit. 'Oh shit! I've got to warn Ranma!'  she thought, desperately grabbing for her bag and heading out of the classroom to call the Dojo from a local payphone, hoping Ranma hadn't left the house yet.  'Why the hell can't any of these idiots ever get all the facts before jumping to conclusions?'

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma stepped out of yet another 'baby store' with Mrs. Tanaka and a few of her friends, all of whom were mothers in their own right or soon would be. At the moment, she was sporting an atomic blush at some of the quite frank discussions that had taken place with and around her. Not all of the women surrounding her were aware that she was really a boy cursed to be a girl often, so some of the topics that had arisen had been concerning things that they would normally never even mention in the presence of a guy... At least, she hoped they wouldn't. Mrs. Tanaka, who knew her real gender, certainly hadn't attempted to dissuade her friends from talking about anything they wanted to. But did they really have to talk about the best positions to have sex with their husbands while pregnant, or how soon they could have sex again after having their babies? And some of the discussions concerning what changes and problems they could expect during their pregnancies just made Ranma shudder in horror.

Before her, Ranma now pushed a stroller she'd just purchased, in which Nyoko was sleeping comfortably after a mid-morning feeding and diaper change. That had been a novel experience, to say the least. As before, Nyoko had initially refused the bottle, but eventually she took it. She'd feel a lot better once Nyoko stopped refusing the bottle initially. She'd been thankful that Mrs. Tanaka hadn't gone into the virtues of breast-feeding as opposed to the bottle, as some of her friends had, but chose instead to relate some of her more humorous memories of trying to feed her own children in awkward circumstances, which had elicited laughter from everyone and other such stories all around.

Suddenly, Ranma’s senses began screaming at her of an approaching danger, prompting her to stop mid-stride and startle those walking with her. But before anyone could ask why she'd suddenly stopped, a loud groan of dismay escaped the little redhead's lips as Tatewaki Kuno came charging around a corner at the end of the block, heading right for her.

"Pigtailed Girl!" Kuno cried out, rushing up to the group, stopping, and clearly looking upon Nyoko with evident disgust. "Pigtailed Girl, say it isn't so! Tell me that mine eyes deceive me, that that foul sorcerer hasn't corrupted your purity and forced you to take care of this disgusting demon-spawn!"

There's an old saying that goes, "Never underestimate the power of a Japanese housewife!" But there's another, even older, saying that is more universal and one Tatewaki Kuno was about to learn of, firsthand. This saying? "Never, ever, ever direct a disparaging remark as to the origins, goodness of behavior, or beauty, about a baby in the presence of its mother!" You're very likely to receive an extremely violent and very painful response.

Chapter Text

WARNING:  While there will be no actual 'Lemon' content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence, and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.

Disclaimer:  The rights to ‘Ranma 1/2’ are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi.  The rights to ‘Gold Digger’ are owned by its creator, Fred Perry.  The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators.  This story is for entertainment purposes only and was written without expectation of monetary or material profit.

Notes:  While drawing primarily from the original ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series, some elements and characters from the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Anime series may also be utilized.  This is BOTH a 'Continuation' and an 'Alternate Universe' fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of ‘Ranma 1/2’ and ‘Gold Digger’, meaning:  the characters WILL be 'Out-of-Character' to one extent or another and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree.  This fan-fiction is also a 'Crossover', combining elements from the two aforementioned sources.  For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry's 'Gold Digger' series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon, and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.

Furthermore, it is 'presumed' that the events of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series take place over a span of less than one year, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Ranma and Akane are now going into their junior year, with Nabiki and Kuno having graduated by the end of book 2

Timeframe:  Right after Battlemage Book 2, Ranma, Nabiki, and Kasumi see something that they weren’t expecting, and something new has happened in their lives

WARNING: This is self-beta’d. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please PM me with the paragraph and fix.

BATTLE MAGE

By

Ryan Slicer

(original story concept, writing, and guidance)

Book Three: Love of a Cheetah

Part Two: A Mother’s Joy

Tatewaki Kuno stood proudly before his love, his Pigtailed Goddess, glaring down upon the demon-spawn that continued with its feigned innocent slumber, expecting it to leap up and attack him with fangs bared at any moment for daring to expose its ruse, just like that baby in the movie "It's Alive!". So, needless to say, he was rather startled by the heavy purse that suddenly slammed into his face with considerable force. And the kicks to his shins, hard enough to draw blood, didn't help him regain his equilibrium much, either.

Of course, Kuno's pain was only just beginning as mallets, baseball bats, shinai, and other instruments of pain-inducing blunt trauma rapidly appeared in the hands of the women now surrounding him. As he was surrounded and the auras of outraged mothers washed over him, he chanced to look upon the enraged and snarling face of his love. For just a moment, he wondered if, just perhaps, he may have acted with unwise haste and uttered a few ill-chosen words. His pondering ceased, and the real pain began, with his love delivering the opening blow... a particularly crushing kick to a highly sensitive part of his anatomy, thereby demonstrating just how truly upset she was.

Ranma and the rest of the mothers stopped their attacks on the Kuno heir as they saw him fall, clutching his precious parts before being lifted by a few of the mothers. He was about to thank them in a high-squeaky voice, but they dragged him to the nearest police box and explained the situation. The police officer nodded in acknowledgement of what happened and agreed with the mother's use of force upon Tatewaki Kuno, who had been a thorn in the police force every time he harassed both Ranma and Akane. As they didn’t want to get into the fights between the different martial artists, and he hadn’t done anything bad, according to Kuno’s lawyers, but this time those same lawyers couldn’t protect him.

After the women returned to the group, Ranma frowned as he looked back towards where the women had come from, delivering the kendoist to the police officer. She wasn’t upset about beating up Kuno, but her response to him and her reactions... She never experienced such a reaction to Kuno like that. It was always cathartic to beat him up whenever he spouted his nonsense, but this... She couldn’t remember being so enraged, and attacking him in that spot was usually only a move used in life-or-death situations. Yet, it was her first instinct to strike him there. While the other women in the group had brought him down, it was her final move that drove him to his knees. All because he had threatened her bab-... After he threatened Nyoko.

Mrs. Tanaka, noticing the redhead's distracted gaze, reached over and softly began massaging Ranma’s still tense shoulders as they continued walking. "Saotome-san, is something troubling you? I'd heard that... that Kuno boy was pursuing you, and doesn't know about... your problem, but... I still can't believe he had the utter gall to say such things. And in public no less! And then to threaten your baby? They need to lock that boy up and throw away the key!"

"I'll be alright, Tanaka-san," Ranma said, taking a calming breath and relaxing into the gentle massage a moment before checking on Nyoko, who was still asleep and drooling a bit. "I just wasn't expecting to react so... violently, like that," she continued, pulling a tissue from a side-pocket of the stroller and pausing in her walk to wipe away the drool from Nyoko's chin. "I mean, Kuno's always spoutin' off some nonsense and throwin' insults around. But for some reason... I snapped!"

Mrs. Tanaka sighed, shaking her head as she watched the much smaller and younger girl tend to her baby. Kneeling beside the stroller, across from Ranma, she lowered her voice slightly and said, "Saotome-san, I don't even begin to claim any understanding of how your curse affects you. I'm certain that your male form will be a good father figure for Nyoko, but... after witnessing what just occurred, I can say with utter conviction that your female form will make a good mother, as well. You may not understand it, but in that form, at least, you have a mother's instincts, and when your baby was threatened, you reacted as any mother would to protect her child."

"But I'm not-" Ranma began.

"I know," Mrs. Tanaka interrupted. "You're not her birth mother. And from all that I've heard you say and from what I've heard from Kasumi, you're not likely to ever be someone's birth mother. Much to the disappointment of boys and men the world over," she said, with a mischievous smirk at seeing Ranma’s frown. "But that doesn't really matter, in any case. Motherhood is far more than just the physical act of giving birth. Even the lowest forms of life on the planet can give birth to offspring. No, motherhood is about protecting, nurturing, caring for, and loving unconditionally. There's more, but those are among the top of the list. You are Nyoko's mother, she is your baby, and that, as they say, is that... At least when you're a girl, anyway! And even if, or when, you marry some lucky girl, and she becomes Nyoko's mother... You will still be her mother in that form."

"Hey, you two!" one of the other women, a new mother herself pushing a double stroller containing newborn twins, called out from where the others had stopped a bit further down the sidewalk. "We can't continue this baby shower, late as it is, without the new mother along, you know! C'mon, we're going to hit the bakery for something to munch on!"

"Sweets!" Mrs. Tanaka said with a grin.

"Coming!" Ranma called back to the others, returning Mrs. Tanaka's grin with her own as she stood. "We 'mothers' have to keep up our energy, after all!"

The rest of the morning passed pleasantly enough, and while Ranma was still embarrassed over some of the topics of conversation that came up among the women, she'd long since lost most of her ability to blush. In all, however, she had to admit that she'd enjoyed the time spent among the other women, and she'd gotten all kinds of useful information on caring for and raising Nyoko, not to mention purchased nearly everything she could ever need to care for her daughter, arranging to have the larger items delivered to the Dojo later. Before returning to the Dojo herself, however, she had one more stop to make.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma made her goodbyes, thanking the group for their help, advice, and gifts, before turning and pushing the stroller into Dr. Tofu's clinic. As it was the middle of the usual lunch hour for most people, she wasn't surprised to find the clinic all but deserted, yet still expected to find Dr. Tofu within, as he hadn't placed up a sign stating that he was out.

"Yo, Doc!" she called cheerfully. "Ya busy?"

"Ranma?" Tofu responded, stepping into the doorway of his office, a steaming teacup in one hand. His eyes widened only slightly at the sight of a female Ranma standing next to a baby stroller and several shopping bags filled with baby things. Not exactly what one would expect to see anywhere near the 'Wild Horse'. "Well, hello. What brings you into my clinic today?"

Ranma reached down to pick up Nyoko out of her stroller before responding. "If you're not too busy, Doc, I was hoping to get a check-up for Nyoko here. She seems healthy enough, but I want to be sure. We're in no hurry and can wait, if you haven't eaten lunch yet."

"As a matter of fact, I'd just finished eating and was enjoying a cup of tea while doing some paperwork," Tofu responded. "If you'll give me a few moments to wash up, I'll be more than happy to give, 'Nyoko' was it, a full exam."

"Her name's Nyoko Saotome," Ranma said, tickling the baby under her chin. "Or at least, it will be once I adopt her. I... I don't know what her parents might have named her, and I didn't even think to ask while..."

"Yes," Tofu said into the ensuing silence, "understandable considering the circumstances. I've, uh... made arrangements for the funeral to be held this coming Saturday, at a nearby cemetery, but I haven't a clue as to what her religious beliefs might have been. And I need to know what should be placed on the marker."

"Her name was Xeris," Ranma spoke softly. "And her husband was named Charon. I don't know their clan name."

"Hmm... how about, 'Here lies Xeris, beloved wife of Charon and loving mother'?" Tofu suggested.

"Sounds okay," Ranma said sadly, holding Nyoko closer to herself.

"Ranma? Do you know if Nyoko may have other living relatives?" Tofu hadn't really wanted to ask the question, as he could clearly see that Ranma had grown very attached to the baby in a short time, but he had to.

"I don't think so," Ranma responded. "I was told that they were the last of their kind, and Xeris said that their village had been destroyed. Doc... you've got to keep quiet about what Nyoko is. Xeris' people had some powerful enemies, and they're supposed to be intent on completely wiping out all of her people."

"All right, Ranma," Tofu stated. "Why don't you take Nyoko into the examination room while I wash up, and then you can tell me as much as you can about Xeris and her people. The more I know, the more I can help if something happens."

"Okay, Doc."

--LINE BREAK--

Akane fumed as she sat under one of the trees in the school yard, eating her lunch with her friends, Yuka and Sayuri, and grumbling to herself. Despite having vented her frustrations on Kuno that morning and Ranma's inability to insult and annoy her due to his absence, things had only gotten worse as the day progressed. Somehow, Ranma's infidelity to her, his fiancée, had become common knowledge throughout the school, not realizing that her explosive behavior that morning caused most of that knowledge to leak out to the school. She just knew that everyone was talking about her, laughing behind her back about how she hadn't been woman enough to keep her fiancé in check... She hadn't had a moment's peace all morning with the constant whispering, and the notes that kept piling up on her desk had already gotten her sent into the hall for 'bucket duty' three times.

"Tendo-san, is it true? Does Ranma have a baby?" a fairly recent transfer student asked, the girl not having attended Furinkan High School long enough to know better than to approach Akane when she was in one of her moods.

"YES, IT'S TRUE!" Akane exploded, jumping to her feet and glaring at the now frightened girl as her battle aura swirled about her. "The pervert was sleeping around behind my back, just as I've always claimed, and he knocked up some gaijin hussy, who dumped their bastard child on him before disappearing. As far as I'm concerned, we're no longer engaged, we were NEVER engaged, and the dishonorable perverted freak can take his bastard child and GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Ukyo grinned at Akane's shouted declaration, watching as the frightened freshman ran off, and even Akane's two closest friends looked ready to bolt before turning back to Nabiki's replacement for information. “So... let’s see if I got this right. Ranma has a newborn baby, and he intends to adopt her as his own. Am I right?”

"That's the info Nabiki supplied us this morning, Kuonji-san. Apparently, Akane has yet to ask where the baby actually came from and is jumping to her usual conclusions."

Ukyo handed over the remainder of the cost for the information, a delighted smile gracing her face. By Akane's own declaration, publicly no less, she was no longer engaged to Ranma. Akane's sisters had never shown any real interest in marrying her Ranchan, Shampoo didn't have a chance as long as she continued trying to drag him back to her backward little village, seeing him as nothing more than breeding stock, and Kodachi wasn't even a consideration. Which meant... her path to Ranma was clear! And once she showed her Ranchan how good a mother she'd be to his new daughter...

Ukyo was giggling happily to herself as she quickly began cleaning up her portable grill, intending to skip the remainder of the school day and go greet 'her' future stepdaughter. Even though she conveniently forgot about the issues that she, herself, caused for Ranma over a month and a half ago.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma and Tofu sat in front of each other as Tofu began his examination of Nyoko. She smiled and giggled at each thing Tofu was checking, with her gentle reflexes, and her heartbeat. Tofu smiled at the active child and looked up at Ranma, who looked remorseful. “Ranma, there really wasn’t anything you could have done.” Tofu began, gently taking one of Nyoko’s arms and checking her range of motion, “You were gone before they were attacked.”

“I know, Doc. But, I can’t help but wonder if I stayed just a bit longer.”

“You probably would have ended up dead, just like Xeris and Charon.” Tofu bluntly said, letting the arm drop before checking her eyes and mouth, “And then where would Nyoko be?”

“Dead as well,” Ranma whispered as she fought the tears flowing down her face, “They were nice people. The whole village.” She started up, looking at Tofu, finally coming to grips with what happened, “Amara, Charon, Xeris, Omari. Even Cyan and Xerses were all so welcoming and even helpful.” Tofu listened to the young woman in front of him finally break down in tears as she held the baby closer to her, “It’s not fair!”

Nyoko looked up at her new mother from her position in Ranma’s lap and leaned back a bit before gently patting Ranma’s chest. Even though she didn’t know what was happening, she knew something was wrong with her new mother, and she nuzzled against Ranma’s chest.

Ranma looked down at his new daughter, finally getting used to the fact that she now had a baby in her arms, and someone that she had to take care of. It hadn’t sunk in until just now that she was a parent. A young parent, but a parent nonetheless.

“You’re right, Ranma.” Tofu said as he finished writing down his examination that he did for Nyoko, “But it’s like you said, they had enemies that they probably weren’t ready for, and that Xeris was lucky to get to the Tendo-ke and had found you.” Tofu got up and gently patted Ranma on the shoulder, “For now, mourn the loss of your friends, we’ll get Xeris cremated and ready for burial. Though I think we need to put up a shrine. If that’s alright with you?” Ranma nodded to Tofu’s question before looking at the chiropractor.

“Thank you, Doc.” Ranma said as she stood up and shook her head before she held up a hand, “Conjuration: Handkerchief.” Ranma said, before a handkerchief appeared in the palm of her hand. She gently dabbed away the tears and smiled up at Tofu, who looked like he’d seen a ghost. “What’s wrong?” Ranma asked.

“What did you do just now?” Tofu said, pointing to the handkerchief.

“Oh...” Ranma started before she realized she was doing conjuration magic in front of Tofu. “Sorry, Doc. Forgot to let you know, but I was taught some magic from Charon and Amara.” He smiled a sad smile at the remembrance of that. “Now I won’t be able to visit them and learn more, except what’s in the books Charon and Amara gave me.”

Tofu nodded and squeezed the teen’s shoulder before guiding the young girl and her new daughter back to the clinic’s entrance. “I'll let you know when we can cremate your friend.”  Ranma nodded at that as she put Nyoko back in the stroller.

“Thanks again, Doc.” She said, putting on her shoes before stepping out of the office. “See you around.”

“Of course, Ranma."

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma wasn't looking forward to her return to the Tendo-ke, fully expecting to face the fathers in full rant mode. She noticed a delivery van from one of the stores where she'd bought baby stuff pulling away from in front of the gate. As expected, she barely had time to put down her shopping bags and announce her return before she was jumped by the two idiots.

"Boy! What is the meaning of that?" Genma shouted while pointing at a still boxed play-pen. "And where did you get the money to buy it? I demand that you hand over all of the money you have left, for safekeeping, so you don't waste it on such garbage! We'll take the child to Social Services, as you should have done in the first place, and they can take care it!"

"Quite right, Saotome!" Soun agreed. "We have neither the funds nor the room for yet another mouth to feed. However, if you insist on keeping the child, then I must demand that you marry Akane immediately for the child's own good. It should have a mother to care for it, while you take over the schools."

Without a word, Ranma stepped toward the two and, with blinding speed, nailed each of the windbags in the solar plexus with a palm-strike, doubling them over as they struggled to get air back into their lungs. Ranma then turned to Nyoko who, surprisingly, hadn't started wailing at all the noise this time, and actually appeared to be smiling as her inquisitive gaze flitted about. Ranma lifted her out of the stroller, cooing at her and uttering 'baby-talk', before turning back to face the Dimwitted Duo.

"Listen up, and listen good," she growled, giving the two men a hard glare. "Nyoko was given into my care by her mother as she lay dying, and I swore to her that I would raise her daughter as if she were my own flesh and blood. So there will be no more talk of giving her over to someone else to raise. Is that understood?"

"Boy..." Genma began brusquely, having regained his breath a bit faster than Soun, only to be abruptly cut off as Ranma grabbed him by the lapel of his gi and yanked him down to her eye level.

"Is... that... understood?" Ranma growled, her eyes promising immense pain if the wrong answer was given.

Fearfully, Genma nodded his understanding. Despite what many believed, while Genma 'was' a fool, he wasn't a 'complete' fool. He knew when his child would not be shaken from a decision, and, after witnessing the battle at Jusendo, Genma wasn't fool enough to believe he could take down his child without some very serious consequences for himself afterwards.

"Wh-... What about... Akane?" Soun asked, beginning to finally regain his breath. "Surely you want the child to have a mother. We could call the priest and hold the wedding this very afternoon."

"There will be no wedding, Tendo-san," Ranma spoke evenly, her voice still hard. "Especially not to Akane, as she has once again ended our engagement, and I am extremely reluctant to even 'consider' being engaged to her again in the future after the things she said this morning."

"Now, Son," Soun began seeing his dreams once again on the brink of destruction, "you know she didn't mean whatever she said. You know she has a bit of a temper. I'm certain that we can work it all out."

"Not this time," Ranma responded, brushing past the two and heading for the kitchen. "This time, she lives with the consequences of her uncontrolled temper. If it was just me... maybe, in time... But I have a daughter to think of now. And I have to consider her welfare, first and foremost. And until she can control her temper, Akane's a danger to everyone around her. I'm not even certain if I should remain living here in the same house with her."

--LINE BREAK--

A woman with dark auburn hair, worn in a tight bun, and dressed in a dark-purple formal kimono decorated with blossoming orchids, made her way carefully down the street. Anyone who was even remotely familiar with Japanese history, dress, and customs would have freely admitted that she would not have looked the least bit out of place in feudal-era Japan. Even in modern Japan, her manner of dress, while unusual for day-to-day wear, wasn't entirely uncommon, although the long, slender, silk-wrapped bundle she carried in her slender hands did raise an eyebrow or two, but nothing more. After all, this was Nerima, and the unusual was fairly common here. This particular woman, however, was none other than Nodoka Saotome, wife of Genma Saotome, and she was making one of her occasional visits to the Tendo Dojo to visit with her husband and son.

She had contacted Kasumi earlier that morning to both announce her intention to visit the Tendo-ke and to ask if she could pick up anything at the marketplace for that night's dinner, when, during the course of their conversation, Kasumi let slip that Ranma was not attending school that day. Something had occurred over the weekend, and it had been thought best that Ranma not attend for a day or two, and yet he wasn't presently at the Dojo. Her curiosity piqued at what new adventure her manly son was taking part in this time, Nodoka had asked Kasumi to wait until her arrival before telling her anything, as she wanted to get all the details in the proper order.

As she entered the Tendo-ke, she noticed several shopping bags and... a baby stroller!... sitting in the entryway. Peeking into the bags, her eyes widened at their contents. Someone was having a baby! It was the only possible explanation for so much baby stuff. And since it was here... and her manly son was the only potential father of such in the household...

"GRANDBABIES!"

Nodoka's jubilant shout elicited several other sounds from further within the household. One was the sound of a stocky, slightly overweight, martial artist performing a decidedly ungraceful bellyflop into the koi pond. The next was an almost surprised voice exclaiming, "Oh my," as if having forgotten said visitor was going to arrive. And the last was the wail of a startled baby, quickly quieted, before being followed by contented gurgling.

Nodoka broke several land-speed records in her rush towards the sounds, skidding to a halt just inside the main room of the house. Sitting at the low table was her son-presently-turned-daughter, and she was gently bouncing... A BABY!... in her lap.

"My son is so MANLY!" she cried out, startling the baby into another short wail of protest at the loud noise. In the blink of an eye, Nodoka was kneeling next to Ranma, looking the baby over intently. Slowly, her smile began to fade as she noted that the baby bore no hint of Japanese ancestry. The 'dirty' blond hair caused her smile to fade even further. That she could find no trace of anything that would indicate that the baby was a product of her son's manliness caused her smile to fade completely from her face.

Ranma was, at the moment, attempting to calm Nyoko back down after all of the excitement, but she'd spent most of the morning asleep already and was grabbing at everything that caught her attention. Ranma had, however, noted her mother's collapsing jubilation out of the corner of her eye and was hopeful that it would return once she learned that she 'was' a grandmother now, even if Nyoko wasn't her granddaughter by blood. "Uh... Hi, Mom."

Nodoka barely twitched in acknowledgement of Ranma’s greeting, as Kasumi joined them at the table with a tray of tea and snacks.

"Auntie?" Kasumi spoke up, drawing the older Saotome woman's attention to her. "Isn't Nyoko the cutest little angel?" she asked with a serene expression.

"Nyoko?" Nodoka repeated, looking between Ranma and Kasumi. "Whose child is she?"

"She's mine... now," Ranma replied, her expression turning sad.

"Yours?"

"Yes, Auntie," Kasumi responded, her angelic appearance never wavering. "And Ranma's proving to be a very good father... and a good mother, too, actually," she giggled, making Ranma flush in embarrassment.

Nodoka turned to face her child, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Ranma took a deep breath, noting that the fathers had disappeared but were certain they were close by and listening. Giving her mother a warm smile and silently hoping that she would accept Nyoko as her granddaughter and lay off on her pressure for her son to get some girl in the sack, she formally stated, "Mom, allow me to introduce your new granddaughter, Nyoko Saotome."

"She's not Japanese," Nodoka flatly stated, causing both Kasumi and Ranma to frown in concern. If Nodoka refused to accept Nyoko into the Saotome family, it could cause some major difficulties.

Nyoko, meanwhile, having apparently grown bored with pulling on Ranma's yellow silk shirt, turned her attentions to the other large, colorful object nearby, which happened to be Nodoka. Gurgling and squealing in apparent interest, Nyoko waved her little arms towards Nodoka, her tiny hands opening and closing.

For all her pretense at displeasure over Nyoko's lack of Japanese origins, and despite her samurai heritage and firm belief in tradition... Nodoka was still a woman.

"Sooo CUTE!" Nodoka squealed in delight and giggled like a schoolgirl as she accepted Nyoko into her own lap, as Ranma passed her over.

As Nodoka began to get acquainted with the newest member of the Saotome family, Ranma and Kasumi exchanged glances and silent sighs of relief. Another hurdle had been successfully passed... but even more remained.

--LINE BREAK--

Ukyo vaulted over the wall surrounding the Tendo-ke, not bothering with the gate, and straightened her uniform as she made her way to the front door. Granted, the boy's school uniform wasn't going to help her in presenting an image of herself as the perfect 'mother' for Ranma's new daughter, but... Ranma knew the truth, and she hadn't wanted to take the time to stop off at her restaurant to change into one of the few more 'feminine' outfits she'd gotten since coming to Nerima. No, her choice of clothing wouldn't be an issue. How she interacted with Ranma's new daughter, on the other hand, would be.

Admittedly, she didn't really know all that much about babies, having spent the majority of her life learning how to pass herself off as 'one of the guys'. Instead of playing 'House' and using dolls as imaginary babies, the role-playing games she'd played growing up had been those that boys had commonly learned, and none of them had included babies. Still, despite appearances and the games she'd played growing up, she was a girl and therefore, by extension, a natural mother. ‘How hard could it really be?’ She thought she was fairly confident that her 'natural' maternal instincts would come to the fore and allow her to make a good showing for Ranma to see.

Ukyo paused as her hand rose to knock on the door and announce her presence to those inside, as a sudden thought struck her. Just what kind of mother would Ranma want for his daughter? Fawning, doting, and indulgent? Strict, firm, and demanding? Ranma's own mother seemed to flit from one to the other, and Ukyo had no memories of her own mother to draw any examples from. Ukyo pondered that question for a few moments more before setting it aside for later consideration. Right now, all she really needed to do was to show that, unlike Akane, she would welcome Ranma's daughter as her own.

Her thoughts and plans settled for the moment, Ukyo once more lifted her hand and rapped smartly on the door before her, a confident smile gracing her lips.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma watched her mother fussing over Nyoko, while keeping a wary eye on Genma and Soun, who'd finally slunk back into the house when it became apparent that Nodoka's ever-present katana wasn't going to be unsheathed in the immediate future. She knew for a fact that they weren't about to leave things as they were for very long... they never could. Sooner or later, one or more likely both were going to bring up the subject of marriage, uniting the schools, and getting a 'real' mother for Nyoko, hoping to gain Nodoka's support in browbeating her into accepting 'their' wisdom. As if. Ranma had already committed herself to Nyoko's well-being, come what may, and if it came down to a choice between Nyoko's future and disappointing Nodoka...

"Hey, everybody! Hi, Ranchan!"

Ranma felt her stomach drop as Ukyo came into the room, escorted in by Kasumi, who'd gone to answer the knock at the front door. She'd known that it would only be a matter of time before her fiancées began showing up, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon. Ukyo had obviously heard about Nyoko, most likely from Akane, and had skipped school to come see for herself. This was confirmed sufficiently enough when Ukyo wasted not a single moment in sitting herself down beside Nodoka and also began fussing over Nyoko, without the slightest hint of surprise at the baby's presence.

Ranma's eyes narrowed slightly, and her jaw muscles tensed, as Ukyo began attempting to coax Nodoka into letting her hold 'her' new stepdaughter. Ranma may have forgiven all of the girls for what they'd done to her mother's house and somewhat had forgiven them for the wedding fiasco, but she certainly hadn't forgotten. And there was no way in hell that she was going to allow Nyoko to become the rope in a game of 'Tug-o-War' between them in their pursuit to marry her.

Ranma began searching for a means to retrieve her daughter from her mother's lap, without overly offending her, and get her out of Ukyo's reach, when Nyoko provided the perfect opportunity by beginning to gnaw on one little fist, a sign Ranma had quickly learned to mean that she was getting hungry. A sign to be shortly followed by wailing if nourishment wasn't soon provided.

"Mom," Ranma said, rising from the table and moving to stand beside her mother, arms outstretched in obvious indication for Nyoko to be handed to her, "I think Nyoko is getting hungry and needs to be fed."

Nodoka looked up at her son-turned-daughter and frowned, before looking back down to her new granddaughter, very reluctant to part with her for any reason. Granted, Nyoko wasn't Japanese, but she was just so cute, and her startling green eyes and oddly spotted blonde hair gave her an exotic quality that was hardly unappealing. Nyoko looked perfectly content to continue lying in her 'grandmother's' lap, gnawing on her little clenched fist happily and cooing like a well-behaved baby should.

"Nonsense, dear," Nodoka finally responded in her most condescending 'Mother knows best' tone, "if Nyoko were hungry, I'd know."

Not one to pass up such an opportunity to display her own 'motherly' abilities, Ukyo quickly piped up, while reaching for Nyoko, "I can feed her if she's hungry, Saotome-san."

Neither Nodoka nor Ukyo noticed the deep frown that Ranma was now displaying at her mother's words and tone. Ranma, even in such a short period of time, had been learning a vast amount about what it meant to be a parent, especially of what it meant to be a 'mother', having spent nearly the entire morning in that role, and was quickly re-evaluating Nodoka's past performance in fulfilling that role herself. The results were proving to be far less than exemplary, to say the least. And Ukyo's repeated attempts to get a hold of Nyoko were also more than a little irritating for Nyoko's sole parent. Before either woman could even think to protest, Ranma had gently plucked her daughter from Nodoka's lap and was heading for the kitchen.

"Wha..?" Nodoka exclaimed, suddenly finding herself with an empty lap, while Ukyo just blinked in confusion. With an unusually loud sigh, Kasumi also rose from the table, retrieving the small knapsack from where Ranma had left it, before moving to join her in the kitchen.

--LINE BREAK--

Ukyo fumed to herself as she stared toward the kitchen doorway. Not only had she been unable to coax Nodoka into letting her hold the baby, but Ranma had yet to even greet her. And while she knew that Ranma could be exceedingly dense and rude at times, to just snatch the baby from his own mother's lap like that on the pretense of feeding it, when his own mother, who would be the mostly likely to know such things, had indicated that the baby wasn't likely to be hungry, was beyond the norm even for him. And even if the baby was hungry, he hadn't even acknowledged her offer to feed the baby herself. How was she supposed to demonstrate how good a mother she could be if she wasn't given the opportunity to do so?

"Ranchan, you jackass!" Ukyo growled as she jumped to her feet and moved quickly to the kitchen doorway. "Why won't you..." Ukyo froze and blinked as she saw just what was occurring inside the kitchen.

Kasumi was doing something at the stove, and she could see a container of baby formula as well as a baby bottle, but what grabbed and held Ukyo's attention was Ranma and the baby. Ranma had held Nyoko close to him, letting her calmly rest on her bosom that was exposed to the world, at least from Ukyo’s perspective. She apparently thought that Ranma was breastfeeding the baby.

A slow grin began to appear on Ukyo's face as she considered the implications that this sight revealed of her future as Ranma's wife. Ranma's curse, it seems, had some unexpected benefits, and she wouldn't have to worry about being the sole provider of milk for 'their' child when a ready substitute was only a splash of cold water away. The fact that Ranma couldn't possibly be lactating, even with a baby held to her breast, completely escaped her notice. Still, this 'did' present some rather interesting possibilities to further her aim of getting Ranma to marry her.

"Ranma-honey," Ukyo began, reaching up to begin undoing the buttons of her uniform jacket as she stepped into the kitchen, "why don't you let me do that."

Of course, the rather husky tone of Ukyo's voice and her apparently beginning to undress immediately grabbed the attention of the only two males presently in the house, who rightly interpreted her actions as a threat to their plans for the future. An instant later, and they too were bearing witness to the proceedings within the kitchen, although their reactions were decidedly less accommodating and much louder.

"WAH! RANMA'S TURNED INTO A MOTHER!" Soun wailed to the heavens, waterfalls erupting from his eyes. "NOW THE SCHOOLS WILL NEVER BE UNITED! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

BOY! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED? Genma-panda's sign read as he charged into the kitchen, knocking Ukyo aside, intending to separate the two. He could already feel his wife's katana on the back of his neck. Stop that RIGHT NOW!

CLANG!

"Father!" Kasumi snapped, lowering the now dented skillet, which she'd used to send Genma-panda crashing to the floor. "Cease that noise, this instant! You'll frighten the baby! And you," she continued, turning her glare down to a surprised Genma-panda, "don't you EVER try to attack Ranma again when he's holding Nyoko, or I'll have Akane fixing all of your meals for the next month!"

Kasumi didn't really like making that threat, but she also knew that it was about the only threat that Uncle Saotome would heed.

"That is not a very 'manly' thing to be doing, my 'Son'!"

Everyone turned to see a scowling Nodoka standing in the kitchen doorway, her ever-present silk-wrapped bundle held tightly in her hands.

Ranma's expression, already in a frown due to everyone barging into the kitchen and their various reactions, darkened further at her mother's threatening tone, stance, and disapproving expression. Just who did Nodoka think she was to judge her? To imply that she knew better on how Nyoko should be cared for? Nodoka may have given birth to her, but Ranma had no memory of her early treatment by this woman. Had Nodoka been a good and caring mother? And yet, this was the same woman who had allowed her husband to take her only child away from her, something Ranma couldn't even imagine contemplating doing with Nyoko, and on a decade-long training journey that was often little more than exercises in thievery, starvation, and torture in the name of the Art. The same woman who had had no hand in her only child's upbringing or education, and yet felt that she had every right to judge her every action and word for honor and manliness, simply because she was her birth-mother. What did Nodoka really know about honor when she all but ignored her husband's numerous dishonorable actions, passing them onto her only child to resolve, instead of forcing her husband to do so or attempting to solve them herself? What did she really know of being 'manly', when a man like Genma was her husband, and her ideal of a 'man among men' was little more than an honorable perverted womanizer that attempted to bed every female he came across?

"Do all of you mind!" Ranma said coldly, turning her back on Nodoka, much to the said elder woman's astonishment. "I'm trying to feed my baby! Kasumi, is the bottle ready?"

Before Kasumi could do more than turn to check on the bottle being heated on the stove, the Lost Boy himself, Ryouga Hibiki, stepped out of the pantry Ranma was facing, while looking back over his shoulder in complete confusion.

"Ryouga?" Ranma asked in mild surprise, having long since given up wondering how the boy emerged from various odd locations.

"Ranma?" the Lost Boy responded with his own surprise, turning about to face her and... promptly freezing solid, his eyes seeming to double in size as he took note of Ranma holding a newborn baby up to her bosom, which wasn’t exposed, but the thought of what Ranma was doing with a baby...

"Hey! You okay?" Ranma asked, noting that he'd suddenly broken out in a sweat and that a thin trail of blood had begun to seep from one nostril. "Ryouga?" she asked in genuine concern, reaching out to grasp one shoulder, only to have the Lost Boy collapse to the floor in a dead faint.

"Oh my," Kasumi stated, "I knew he reacted that way to other girls, but I thought... well, he never seemed to have that problem with you, Ranma?"

"Beats me, Kasumi," Ranma said with a shrug, although she had a strong suspicion about why Ryouga had reacted as he had. She just hoped it didn't become a problem in the future, as the last thing she needed or wanted was for Ryouga to actually start seeing her as 'girl' cursed to change into a guy. "He's probably just very tired and may be a little sick. He does look like he might have a fever or something with how he's sweating."

Kasumi nodded at the possibility before quickly retrieving the bottle of baby formula from the pot. Once she was assured that it was the correct temperature, she handed it over to Ranma before proceeding to usher the others out. Unfortunately, this was more easily said than done. Ukyo wanted to help Ranma feed Nyoko. Genma and Soun wanted to separate mother and child. And Nodoka wanted to discuss her own child's rude actions towards herself and her child's 'unmanly' behavior, and she wanted to discuss them right now!

Ranma sighed as Nyoko started nursing on her bottle and looked towards Kasumi for any help she could offer. Unfortunately, Kasumi had no further abilities to call upon as the demands continued to grow louder and more insistent, until an upset voice spoke loudly from the doorway.

"Would all of you just leave both of them alone!"

--LINE BREAK--

On the plains of Africa, in the Serengeti, the remains of a once thriving village can be seen, still smoldering from recent fires and with the bodies of the recently slain strewn about. Suddenly, the very air itself seems to rip apart, and a tall man with blonde hair and a beard stepped out from the seeming nothingness to stand alone, surveying the area about him. Dressed in an old, weather-worn leather jacket and a seemingly skin-tight black bodysuit, the figure stood motionless with his eyes closed for a considerable period of time, as if listening intently for the slightest sound.

"Too late... Again," Theodore Diggers sighed sadly, as he slowly began walking through the destruction, trying to piece together what had occurred. His magical senses were telling him that the village attackers had teleported in and back out again, but a mass illusion spell over the village, in addition to the large number of teleportation spells, was preventing him from discerning where any of the teleportation spells had originated from or led to. The identity of the village attackers was fairly obvious from the number of skeletons and the remains of other undead creatures scattered about, as well as the means of the werecheetah village's demise... sheer overwhelming numbers and silver weapons. But why would creatures from the Undead Realm attack this village? And in such large numbers? Only one answer came to his mind. "Gothwrain," he softly swore. "It appears that he was successful in wiping out the werecheetahs, just as he wanted." A soft, sad smile appeared on his face, "Except for little Britanny, that is."

With nothing further that he could do or learn, Theodore Diggers activated a teleportation scroll and headed home. He wasn't looking forward to giving his wife, Julia, the sad news that their adopted daughter was now the last of her kind, the last of the Werecheetahs.

Chapter Text

WARNING:  While there will be no actual 'Lemon' content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence, and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.

Disclaimer:  The rights to ‘Ranma 1/2’ are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi.  The rights to ‘Gold Digger’ are owned by its creator, Fred Perry.  The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators.  This story is for entertainment purposes only and was written without expectation of monetary or material profit.

Notes:  While drawing primarily from the original ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series, some elements and characters from the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Anime series may also be utilized.  This is BOTH a 'Continuation' and an 'Alternate Universe' fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of ‘Ranma 1/2’ and ‘Gold Digger’, meaning:  the characters WILL be 'Out-of-Character' to one extent or another and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree.  This fan-fiction is also a 'Crossover', combining elements from the two aforementioned sources.  For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry's 'Gold Digger' series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon, and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.

Furthermore, it is 'presumed' that the events of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series take place over a span of less than one year, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Ranma and Akane are now going into their junior year, with Nabiki and Kuno having graduated by the end of book 2

Timeframe:  Right after Battlemage Book 2, Ranma, Nabiki, and Kasumi see something that they weren’t expecting, and something new has happened in their lives

WARNING: This is self-beta’d. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please PM me with the paragraph and ifix.

BATTLE MAGE

By

Ryan Slicer

(original story concept, writing, and guidance)

Book Three: Love of a Cheetah

Part Three: Amazons and Messes

Nabiki hurried home as quickly as she could from Todai, all the way back to Nerima. When she got off the phone with her sister earlier that morning, she knew something was going to happen. Kasumi had told her that Nodoka was coming over after she said Ranma was out and about. Thankfully, she explained to Ryonami last night what happened and that Ranma would probably not be at school, so she prepared for the worst. ‘I just wish I hadn’t left home to go to Todai today,’ she thought as she entered the house, only noticing the boxes and items sitting near the entranceway as she kicked off her shoes. She then stood at the entrance to the kitchen, her arms crossed beneath her breasts as she glared as best as she could, catching her breath.

"Would all of you just leave both of them alone!" She yelled, getting the attention of everyone in the room. This caused the commotion to stop, and only the sounds of Nyoko nursing from the bottle and trying to be content with all the noise that was made. She walked into the room before standing in front of the two fathers, who were acting as if they had done nothing wrong. “You two, I expected that you would do something to interfere with Ranma taking care of Nyoko, considering that she isn’t related to him by blood.” She took a step forward towards them, and they stepped back until they were against the wall. “But to attack Ranma while she’s holding Nyoko, who would have thought that the ‘Masters’ of Anything-Goes would endanger the life of an innocent to further their own goals of marrying off Akane to Ranma!”

“Now, Nabiki,” Nodoka started as she turned to face the middle Tendo sister, “You should be more respectful of your eld-” The woman stopped, flinching slightly as the smoldering glare faced her now. The look reminded her of her own mother’s often-disapproving glare when she was younger, but she stood straight as she waited for Soun Tendo’s daughter to get her words in.

“You, I expected better from you.” Nabiki started on her rant, “I thought you would have been happy that you have a grandchild, even one that wasn’t Japanese.” She walked over to the woman, who held her ground and looked at the child, “But no, you had to bring up his manliness  while he’s trying to care for HIS daughter.” Nabiki said, “Even in his female form, he’s trying his best to take care of her, and you’re worried about his manliness, when he’s already proven to you that he is manly enough as he is already.”

“He’s still a child himself; he doesn’t know how to take care of a baby,” Nodoka argued, standing straighter than she currently was. ‘How dare she question her on how she should be taking care of his son,’ Nodoka thought, frustration coming out of her next words. “And as his MOTHER,” She stressed, “I’ll be able to care for the baby more than he can.”

“Then how is he to learn to take care of one?” Nabiki stated, continuing to glare at the older woman, “If he’s trying his best to take care of Nyoko, then why are you trying to take her away from him?” She pointed at Ranma and Nyoko, “He seems to be doing JUST fine without any assistance, except for Kasumi and me teaching him how to handle such things.”

“And what do you know about taking care of babies?” Nodoka asked, her thoughts on the younger woman seemed to indicate that she didn’t know anything about taking care of a child, even one as young as Nyoko.

“I’ve learned by babysitting a few babies and toddlers when I started high school,” Nabiki said, continuing to glare at the older woman. “Not that it’s any of your business what I’ve done to learn how to take care of children.”

While Nodoka and Nabiki continued their spat between the two of them, Ukyo took a moment to think about what she should do. ‘Should I stay and try to help Ranma-honey, or do I try to escape this discussion?’ She thought to herself, ‘I think I’ll try to leave while they’re preoccupied. I can always try again to win over Ranma-honey and act like a mother should with his new daughter.’ She looked at the two women and started to sneak away from the ‘discussion’. She had almost made it to the kitchen door when a strong grip grabbed her battle-spatula. She looked over her shoulder and saw the hand grasping the handle of her weapon of choice. Then, she looked up at the arm attached to the hand and saw Nabiki glaring at the okonomiyaki chef. She shivered at the glare and wondered how Nabiki could glare at anyone with such a frosty look. ‘Uh oh.’

Nabiki was partially listening to Nodoka and her insistent argument that she should be taking care of Nyoko, along with the fathers, who were starting to agree with the older woman and were trying to figure out how to get Nabiki to let them wed Ranma and Akane so the child could have proper parents. Still, Nabiki focused some of her attention on Ranma’s other fiancée, “Where do you think you’re going, Kuonji?” Nabiki’s voice carried over the arguments of the fathers and Nodoka to the chef’s ears. “We have important matters to discuss.” This caused Ukyo to nod quickly at the unspoken request to stay right where she was.

Ranma and Kasumi watched the arguments continue between Nabiki and their parents. It seemed like the parents continued to shout over Nabiki as she expertly shot down any argument that the parents kept thinking of, trying to assert their dominance within the discussion between the four of them. However, as the arguments grew louder and louder, Nyoko started to get upset and stopped drinking as much. Ranma, wanting to help Nabiki out, was reluctant to leave the kitchen, but she knew that Nyoko would need to get away from all this negativity. She wasn’t sure which had a higher priority at the moment.

Kasumi, on the other hand, gave a gentle smile as she watched Nabiki continue to counter the arguments that the parents would need to be right, expecting the younger woman to bow to their whims. It did, however, give Kasumi pride in her sister’s ability to keep calm during such discussions. She looked over at Ranma and saw the troubled expression on her face, and decided that it would be best to guide the new ‘mother’ and her child out of the kitchen and up to someplace quieter. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gently urged the redhead to out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards her room. As they moved away from the arguments, the sounds got quieter and quieter as they neared Kasumi’s room. Once there, she shut the door and guided Ranma to the bed, where she sat next to him. “Ranma, you need to relax. Nabiki is more than capable of dealing with our parents.” She smiled and then looked at the baby within Ranma’s arms before hesitantly asking, “When Nyoko is finished eating... can I hold her?” Her eyes looked into Ranma’s eyes, “Just for a little while?”

Ranma looked over the eldest Tendo sister. She noted that Kasumi, like Nabiki, had her best interests in mind while Ranma was learning and being guided by the two of them to be a better parent. While Kasumi didn’t get that baby experience, she had been taking care of her sisters for the longest time. Ranma knew he could trust her, like he did with Nabiki. “Sure, Kasumi,” Ranma started as she noticed that Nyoko stopped feeding from the bottle and was looking sleepy. “Just let me burp her and she’ll fall right to sleep.” Ranma gently took the bottle away and set it on the bed, placing the small towel she had over her shoulder. Her eyes caught Kasumi as the older young woman paid close attention to her every move as she lifted Nyoko and laid her down gently over her shoulder before rubbing and patting her back. It didn’t take long before Nyoko let out a loud burp, which caused both of them to giggle slightly. She then brought her off her shoulder, took the towel, and wiped her face clean. Handing her new daughter over to the auburn-haired girl, Ranma noticed that Kasumi looked complete with a baby in her arms, and even more beautiful than she had thought previously.

Kasumi held Nyoko in her arms and watched as Ranma’s new daughter yawned before snuggling up against the young woman. She smiled before giving a wistful sigh as she imagined Nyoko was her own child. She looked up from watching the bundle of joy when she noticed one thing... Ranma wasn’t there. Fear and panic were beginning to show in Kasumi’s eyes before she heard her bedroom door open, and watched as Ranma brought in a Nihon ikuji playpen that Ranma had bought earlier that day. Try as she might, it took a few minutes for the redhead to set up the playpen before she finally had it completed. “You’d think they’d make these easier to assemble, but no, let’s make it harder to work with,” Ranma complained before the last connection was completed. The redhead looked up from putting the playpen together over to the oldest Tendo sister, who looked reluctant to put Nyoko down for her nap. But the look in Ranma’s eyes told a different story.

“Kasumi?” The redhead asked, shaking Kasumi out of her thoughts, “I think Nabiki could use your help with everyone downstairs.” Ranma started, “She’s good, but you’ve always had a calming influence around others, and you could make what she’s doing even more effective.” Ranma finished, knowing that Nabiki was trying her hardest to get the parents, and possibly Ukyo, to leave Ranma alone to take care of Nyoko in relative peace.

Kasumi nodded, reluctantly, but rose from her bed to walk over to the crib and gently set Nyoko down within it. "Thank you, Ranma," she said with a wistful smile, before turning to place a soft kiss on Ranma’s cheek. "If you ever need a place to put Nyoko so that she can sleep undisturbed or for any reason, you can always use my room." With that said, Kasumi made her way out of the room, already turning her attention to the Wa of her home, which had been seriously disturbed by their parents.

Ranma-chan watched her leave, the fingers of one hand rising to softly touch the cheek Kasumi had kissed, before she looked down upon her sleeping daughter, a soft smile appearing on her lips. "I guess Nabiki was right about you and 'single' guys," she softly whispered, followed by a soft giggle at her own joke, before she dragged the chair from Kasumi's vanity over beside the crib and sat in it. She reached behind her back and pulled out a worn book that she’d been reading off and on as she looked at the practiced moves for some of the more offensive spells, like a beam, bolt, or even a bomb attack. While similar to what she would normally use in her Ki attacks, she noticed more movements than her usual cupping her hands together and shouting out the attack while focusing his Ki into a ball and letting it fly out in front of him. One of these offensive spells was like that, but he needed to use Ether and not Ki. ‘Well, a lot more movements than just my usual moves,’ Ranma chuckled softly before she continued to practice the physical hand movements she could try while watching Nyoko. Her aura shifted from her normal blue tint to a shining white as she pulled in the Ether from her surroundings and her own aura.

--LINE BREAK--

Ku Lon stood silently on the counter in the Nekohaten as she waited patiently for the last customer to leave, as the lunch rush finally came to an end. She knew that Son-in-law had returned some time ago from his sudden training trip, but with managing the restaurant lately, and being tired at the end of the day, they hadn’t had the energy to check in with the Tendos and Saotomes at the Tendo-Ke. However, what kept her from rushing over there was the fact that the council of elders back in the village had strictly forbidden her and Xian Pu from trying to collect Ranma for the village. While it wasn’t as strict as she imagined, they were just told not to pursue him last year, right after the Saffron incident. The latest news from the elders was that they could check in on him, now that he returned, and see where he stands with them. Ku Lon knew the Xian Pu was itching to go see Son-in-law, but Ku Lon was fearful that he might turn on them after they heard what happened to the okonomiyaki chef on his first day back.

The other reason why she wanted to at least check in on him was that she kept sensing magic coming from the Tendo-ke. And she knew damn well that none of the individuals in the Tendo-ke knew magic as far as she was concerned. It only happened during the weekends and sometimes in the evenings. ‘This could only mean one thing, Ranma learned something different than his usual Ki attacks and skills.’ She thought, ‘And Happi hasn’t been there in a long while.’ She continued her thoughts as she remembered that Happosai did dabble in magical items, like the Nanban mirror, and other artifacts he stole from the Amazon tribe. But learning it? ‘Happosai wouldn’t have the patience to learn magic from anyone.’ Ku Lon thought about what she would need to do to find out what was going on.

Sending Xian Pu to check in on Ranma wasn’t going to go well. ‘She might as well be as stubborn as a bull and use the opportunity to get closer to the boy instead of finding out what she was sent to do.’ Ku Lon’s mind went back to the initial days after Ranma had left Nerima, where she was forcefully trying to get information from anyone who had seen Ranma last. ‘Not that helped us in the least.’ Ku Lon sighed, ‘And Mu Tsu would just attack anyone on site that may look like Ranma.’ She looked over at Mu Tsu in the kitchen, scrubbing dishes from the rush before he would start cleaning up the kitchen to get ready for the dinner patrons. She shook her head and looked back at Xian Pu before she realized that she would need to do this investigation herself. ‘Maybe I’ll bring Xian Pu along and show her how to identify a mage.’ She tapped her staff on the counter to get her great-granddaughter’s attention, “Xian Pu, I need to speak with you.”

The young woman looked up from cleaning off a table before walking towards her great-grandmother. She stood in front of Ku Lon for a moment before bowing her head, “Yes, Great-grandmother?”

“We’ll be going over to the Tendo’s to see Son-in-law.” She said, looking at her great-granddaughter. “I want you to be on your best behavior.” This caused Xian Pu to nod at her request.

“We going to see Airen?” Xian Pu asked, “Airen has been gone long time.”

“Yes, he has been, but we’ve been busy here at the restaurant, so we haven’t had time to go.” The elder said, she turned around and looked at Mu Tsu. “Mu Tsu!”

“What is it, Old Ghoul?” Mu Tsu said as he walked over to her, only to get smacked on the head by Ku Lon’s, knocking him to the ground.

“I may allow Son-in-law to get away with being so disrespectful, on occasion, but I will not have you following in his footsteps!” She yelled at him before facing him as he got up, “His childhood under the tutelage of his pathetic father grants him some leeway in that regard, but YOU have no such excuse!" She sighed as she reminded him multiple times of this. “We’ll be closing the restaurant for the rest of the day. I want you to use this opportunity to give it a thorough cleaning. Is that understood? The Health Inspectors are overdue for their usual visitation, so I fully expect to find this restaurant spotless upon our return from visiting Son-in-law."

“But Xian Pu is my beloved, not that demon’s!” the near-sighted Amazon snarled back. "I won't allow ANYONE to take her from me!”

Ku Lon had had enough of his disrespect for the day and used her staff to hit him hard in the chest, which knocked him over to the other side of the restaurant. While that would have caused any normal human to be taken to the hospital for several injuries, Mu Tsu just stood up from the attack and began to brush it off. "You will do as you are told! It is not, and never has been, your place to DICTATE whom Xian Pu may or may not associate with, or how! Nor of where she chooses to go, or where she chooses to live! Come along, Xian Pu," Ku Lon exclaimed and hopped out the exit, Xian Pu following.

"Great-grandmother, why do you feel it necessary to come with me?" the purple-haired Amazon asked in her native language, once they were a good distance down the street.

"Just a feeling, Child," the older woman responded in kind. “I sensed something that I haven't felt in a long time, originating at the Tendo Dojo, and I'm hoping that I won't have to call upon an old friend to visit."

"Who is this 'old friend'?" Xian Pu asked curiously a short time later.

"Julia Brigand, "Ku Lon answered as they arrived before the gates to the Tendo-ke. Turning to her heir, she added," Well, Julia Brigand 'Diggers'. It is her husband whose services I may actually require.”

"Her husband? What skills could a lowly male possess that you, an Amazon Elder, would need?" Xian Pu asked. She thought the question quite reasonable, considering that she'd been raised on the belief that women were naturally superior to men, with an Amazon 'Elder' being the most superior, in all respects. Of course, her own 'Airen' was a bit of an exception to that rule of thumb, which, of course, made him all the more attractive to her.

Ku Lon lightly smacked her heir over the head with her staff, just hard enough to get her point across, before stating, "You would do well to remember, Child, that 'skill' cares not for gender. Your own husband being a prime example. Julia's husband is a highly skilled warrior in his own right, although in a different manner than ourselves. And yet, one to be respected, even by an Elder of the Amazons."

Xian Pu rubbed the top of her head as she looked to her great-grandmother. "What kind of warrior is this husband of Julia Brigand Diggers?"

"A Mage."

--LINE BREAK--

Nabiki was pissed. At least, that's how she felt on the inside; her outer facade, on the other hand, remained seemingly impassive and devoid of expression. It was her 'business face' and it was one that revealed nothing... other than the fact that Nabiki was at her most dangerous when she wore it. Sitting across from her at the low table in the main room of the Tendo-ke were Genma and Nodoka Saotome, as well as her own father, Soun Tendo. In one corner of the room, Ukyo silently sat, having 'decided' to stick around and wait for her Ranchan to come back downstairs. That Nabiki wanted to 'talk' with her, after she'd dealt with the parents... well, that may have had something to do with her remaining presence, but Ukyo would be damned if she'd ever admit that the mercenary Tendo intimidated her.

Not the least bit surprised, considering the cowardly natures of the two males presently in the room, Nodoka fired off the opening salvo. "Nabiki, you must understand our reasoning. Ranma doesn't know how to care for a baby or raise a child. As his mother, he respects my greater knowledge and wisdom in this matter and knows that I would raise any children he may have properly."

“Ranma does not respect you, Mrs. Saotome; he fears you.” Nabiki stated bluntly to the older woman, “There’s a fine line between the two. And the last thing any child should feel towards its own mother is fear.” She took a calming breath before she continued her rant towards the woman in front of her, “And before you go off about fear being unmanly, if an individual is without fear, then they can't possibly be courageous; and by your own definition of manliness, if Ranma isn't courageous, then he can't be manly.” Nabiki stressed the specifics of what she was trying to pass along to the older woman, “Courage is the controlling of one's own fears, not their absence. The only ones truly without fear are the dead and buried. And it's not seppuku, which you seem so fond of threatening him with, that he fears. It's disappointing you, his own mother.” She shook her head at that and focused on Nodoka, continuing to speak before the auburn-haired woman could start up again. “Fortunately, in my opinion, that fear is waning as you continue to show not the slightest respect nor concern for his own wishes, harping on about honor, tradition, and manliness, while utterly ignoring your own husband's failings in those areas. And worst of all, forcing him to deal with the problems your husband created, when the only ones in any position to actually resolve those problems are you and your husband, not Ranma!"

"Nabiki, please," Soun started, as Nodoka sputtered in outrage at being called to task for her failings towards her own child. "We know what's best for Ranma and your sister. We're only trying to give... them..." Soun's voice stuttered to a stop as his daughter turned an all-too-familiar glare upon him. 'So like her mother,' he thought as he shivered in remembrance. Many had been the times his late wife had sent such a glare in his direction when he'd done something incredibly stupid or selfish, often followed by a severe beating, cold meals, and a cold, hard bed in the dojo for several days thereafter, at least.

Genma finally started to grow a backbone with his wife there, after Nabiki had thoroughly insinuated that his wife couldn’t take care of a baby, "Soun's right, girl! And I'm appalled at the disrespect you've shown my wife and I, not to mention your own father! As parents, we know best what is in the best interest of our children!" Genma stated firmly, hoping to score points with his slowly calming wife and avoid sharp objects in the immediate future.

Nabiki glared at the older man, ignoring both his wife and his friend, which chilled the older man to his bones. “Then by your own argument, Ranma, as Nyoko’s parent, would know what is best for his daughter, not you.” She calmly spoke in clipped tones, “Still, for the sake of argument, let's look at your track record to date... The Neko-ken, a technique forbidden because it all but guaranteed the death or insanity of the victim forced to undergo it. Multiple engagements for marriage, when Ranma can only honorably marry one. Jusenkyo." Each one that she mentioned caused the older man to flinch.

She shifted her focus back to Nodoka, who looked like she had something to say before she got the same treatment from Nabiki, "The seppuku contract, which requires Ranma to be a man among men, but fails to stipulate what that entails, and for which the requirements appear to vary depending upon what you want Ranma to do. The insistence that Ranma act manly, at all times, even when Ranma's in girl-form, unless it's in your best interests for Ranma to behave as a proper young lady."

Nabiki then focused her glare upon her father once more, "Cousteau's bordello and an offer of new talent instead of payment for services received.” Nabiki was on a roll as she looked at both fathers, “And let’s not forget what happened after you returned from China. How was it in Ranma’s best interest to be attacked and forced to be dressed in wedding clothes, and all but dragged before a priest to marry a girl who was coerced into agreeing to a marriage that would have utterly destroyed the honor of all involved?”

"No, Saotome-san," Nabiki stated, "I don’t think you, your wife, or my own father, as parents, know what is in the best interest of your children! And as for respect, that is earned and goes both ways! I extended the same amount of respect to you and your wife that I grant to anyone else that I encounter for the first time on a day-to-day basis, upon our first meeting. Whether that respect grew or diminished was entirely dependent upon your own actions and words. So, if I seem 'disrespectful' towards you... consider it fairly earned on your part!"

Nodoka returned the glare that she received from the young woman in front of her, “Young lady... and I use that term in its loosest sense," Nodoka growled through her teeth, while sitting rigidly erect. "We are older and wiser than you, a mere child, and demand the respect that is our due as your elders!”

"Older, yes," Nabiki stated matter-of-factly. "Wiser? I haven't seen any evidence of it. And while I may be younger, I have already learned one essential fact of life... older does not, in any way, shape, or form, mean wiser!"

"An excellent point indeed, Child," a wizened voice spoke up as Ku Lon hopped into the room from the veranda, Xian Pu following. "A point, in fact, I would have done well to remember during my earliest encounters with Son-in-law. I was such a fool in my handling of the situation, so full of my own so-called wisdom that I never bothered to question whether or not I was actually handling things most beneficially. And, as a result of my earlier foolishness, Xian Pu has yet to claim her husband."

"Great-grandmother?" Xian Pu asked, shocked that an Amazon Elder would admit to any weakness, let alone before Outsiders.

Ku Lon cackled with mirth at her great-granddaughter's shocked expression. "Are you so surprised, Child, that I would acknowledge not being perfect or as wise as I often try to appear? Perfection is an unattainable goal, yet one worth striving for, and wisdom is where you find it."

"The first step towards true wisdom..." Nabiki began.

"...is first acknowledging how little you know," Ku Lon finished. "The second step is understanding that knowledge and experience are not the same thing, nor do they always come together, and neither is fully dependent upon the passage of time. Why... some of the wisest words I'd ever heard spoken were uttered from the lips of a four-year-old child."

"Really, Great-grandmother?" Xian Pu asked. "What were these words and who spoke them?"

"You spoke them, Child!" Ku Lon cackled. "Right after getting into your great-aunt's spice garden and making a mess of it. You just stood there, your face all red, your cheeks and lips swollen; sweat pouring off you as your great-aunt wound down from scolding you for making such a mess of her garden. And when she asked if you had learned your lesson and what that lesson had been, you stated, and I quote: Don't eat the little green-and-red peppers, they're HOT!"

As Xian Pu flushed bright red in embarrassment, Ku Lon continued to cackle, and snickers made their way about the other occupants of the room, easing the previous tensions somewhat.

"Oh my goodness," Kasumi said, entering the room from the kitchen, a serving tray containing a teapot and cups in her hands, and her own face flushed with humor. "That reminds me of the time Akane got into Mother's garden and ate some cayenne peppers. She couldn't taste anything else for a month afterwards."

Nabiki arched an eyebrow at that little tidbit of information. ‘That could explain why she can’t cook anything, or taste anything she makes.’ Nabiki thought as she looked at Ku Lon and Xian Pu, wondering exactly what her purpose was.

"Thank you, Child!" Ku Lon politely accepted a cup of fine Wu Long tea from Kasumi and took a sip. "Now then, I believe you were all discussing something to do with 'respect', before I so rudely interrupted, and for which I apologize. Respect for whom and why, if I may ask?"

"Actually, we were discussing the so-called 'adults' behavior towards Ranma and his most recent problem," Nabiki said rather stiffly, her anger returning in an instant.

"A family matter, in fact," Nodoka added, glaring at Nabiki. "Which really does not concern anyone other than the Saotome family!"

"As Ranma and your husband have been residing in our home for the past two years, even if Ranma wasn’t here almost all of last year, and by all indications will continue to do so," Nabiki returned. "And considering that Ranma is considered a member of my own family in all but fact, I feel fully justified in looking out for his best interests as his own parents seem incapable of doing so."

Kasumi looked around the room and felt the Wa of the home diminish even more. Even with her calming attitude, she extended it to everyone as she served the tea. It was getting harder and harder to keep calm, especially when Nabiki was talking about how the Saotome’s were trying to take little Nyoko away from him already. ‘Oh, how I wish this were not happening now.’ She thought once the rest of the tea was poured for everyone. She sat calmly next to Nabiki, who was sitting next to Ku Lon, with Xian Pu standing alert behind the elder.

“Where Airen?” Xian Pu asked, wondering if Ranma should be in on this discussion as well. She hadn’t seen him for almost a year herself and knew that if he had a problem, she would want to help him, even if it was just as a friend, as she promised to be.

Kasumi's expression became troubled as she considered the advisability of revealing Ranma's location or not. Nyoko was, without question, a beautiful baby, but she wasn't entirely human either, based on what Kasumi had seen of Xeris, and she didn't know how the Amazons would react to her.

Ku Lon's eyes focused on the eldest Tendo sister, noting her troubled expression, and correctly surmised that she was trying to decide on how to answer her great-granddaughter. Truthfully, Ku Lon could locate the boy herself, simply by seeking out his chi, but why waste the energy when another source was available? "From your expression, Child, I can see that you know where Son-in-law is," she stated. Both Nabiki and Kasumi looked to the Elder, then each other, before slowly nodding in agreement to the statement. "Then is there some reason you are reluctant to tell my great-granddaughter his location?"

Kasumi looked to Nabiki, who, after a moment's consideration, shrugged her shoulders and said, "If she really wants to find him, she can. And they're going to find out sooner or later, anyway."

"He's upstairs in my room," Kasumi said with a sigh, "with Nyoko."

This caused Xian Pu’s hair to rise slightly as if she were in her feline form, almost as if she were protecting her friend. “Nyoko?” She asked, looking a bit puzzled, before her eyes narrowed and hair raised even further. “Who Nyoko? Is obstacle?”

Nabiki and Kasumi looked at the young woman after she spoke before their voices rose up, “No!” They said to the Amazon girl.

“Nyoko is not an obstacle!” Nabiki stated, getting up and placing herself in the hallway towards the stairs, spreading her arm across the way to block Xian Pu from getting past her. She knew that if Xian Pu wanted, she wouldn’t be able to stop her, but just the fact that she was becoming very protective of Ranma in the last month, and even before his worldly journey, caused Ku Lon to raise an eyebrow at that. “Don’t you dare think of harming her!” She yelled at the purple-haired woman.

“Who is this ‘Nyoko’, Tendo-san?” Ku Lon asked the eldest sister, noting that she might not get an answer from the middle sister. She saw Kasumi straighten up her posture, as if to project her calming manner to the entire room, before she answered the three-hundred-year-old woman in front of her.

“Nyoko is Ranma’s daughter,” Kasumi stated without any fear or shame in her answer. She continued to stare at the older woman, whose eyes had widened at the answer, shock appearing before her face as she looked to Xian Pu, who also had that same look across her face.

‘Ranma’s daughter?’ Ku Lon thought to herself before she focused on her great-granddaughter. The look in her eyes changed from surprise to anguish, anger, and then pain. Before she could stop her, Xian Pu leapt forward towards the stairs, pushing Nabiki aside in her haste, who landed against the wall. Ku Lon decided that she needed to do something, so she followed her great-granddaughter past the two Tendo sisters and up the stairs to Kasumi’s room. “Xian Pu! Stand down!” She said in her native tongue.

At the end of the hall, Kasumi’s bedroom door was wide open with Xian Pu standing in the doorway. Xian Pu’s entire body was trembling, either from sorrow or anger, Ku Lon chose not to enquire at the moment as she stopped next to the purple-haired young woman. Ku Lon took a peek inside and saw what was causing Xian Pu to stay near the doorway.

Ranma moved near the window, cooing and rocking the crying baby in her arms, attempting to calm it down. It took a moment before Xian Pu’s body slumped against the doorframe that she was at, which caused Ranma to look up from the child and at the two Amazons.

Ku Lon watched as Ranma turned her body towards them, trying to protect the young one in her arms. Ku Lon knew that Ranma was doing her best in the situation that she was in, and she didn’t want to provoke her any further than what she was seeing. Ranma moved closer to the window while trying to keep the child calm as she could.

“It’s okay, Nyoko. Daddy’s right here. I’m not going to let them hurt you.” Ranma whispered to her daughter, but just loud enough for Ku Lon to hear her words.

A moment later, the rest of the household arrived at the scene, crowding the hallway behind the Amazons, with Nabiki and Kasumi trying to wedge their way into the room. Xian Pu stepped aside, knowing that the older sisters might be able to calm her beloved and friend down so they could understand what was happening. Once the sisters had passed through the doorway, Ku Lon tried to step closer, only to see that Ranma move closer to the window. The elder stopped moving, waiting for either Nabiki or Kasumi to stop the redhead from jumping out the window to escape this chaos.

Kasumi had stopped as well, with Nabiki reaching Ranma and Nyoko first. With a gentle touch of her hand on the smaller girl’s arm, Nabiki stared at Ranma, trying to get his attention to focus on her so she could talk him down from what was a fight-or-flight moment for the redhead. “It’s alright, Ranma. They’re not here to hurt her.” Nabiki whispered, trying to soothe her friend to relax. Nabiki instinctively turned her body towards the gathering as if to also shield the child from anyone who would do it harm.

“Tell me, Child,” Ku Lon looked at the eldest sister, gaining her attention as she spoke quietly so as not to disturb the scene in front of her, “Is that newborn of Ranma’s blood?”

Kasumi turned and faced the older woman before answering the question, “If you are asking if Ranma is the birth-mother or the sire of Nyoko... no, on both counts.” She said, sitting down on her bed, since she was closer to the two, she could hear Nabiki consoling the new mother as she tried to get Ranma not to jump out the window. Those whispers and touches caused Kasumi a bit of jealousy at their trust in each other, as if they had been like that for the last several years instead of just the few months they started going out and spending time together before Ranma left on his journey. ‘It shows how much Ranma has started trusting Nabiki.’ The oldest sister thought.

“So you no give birth to Airen’s baby?” Xian Pu asked Kasumi before she looked at Nabiki. “She no give birth either?”

“Good heavens, Child.” Ku Lon said, sighing in exasperation. “None of Son-in-law’s other women, which we know of, could have given birth to that baby, or we would have seen the progress months ago!” She couldn’t believe that her own flesh and blood could be that stupid.

“Great-grandmother consider what know of Airen’s life,” Xian Pu fired back with an almost patronizing glade, “and then tell Xian Pu that it no entirely possible!” Xian Pu had heard something of a foreigner who had met Ranma and who was pregnant with a child. ‘It could be that a foreigner gave birth to Ranma’s child.’ Conveniently, she ignored what Kasumi had said about Ranma not being the sire of the child.

Ku Lon opened her mouth to do exactly that, but then stopped, mouth still open as memories of all the seemingly impossible things that occurred around her Son-in-law came to the fore. Her mouth closed with an audible snap. "Good point, Great-granddaughter," Ku Lon admitted, before turning a scrutinizing eye upon the two sisters and then Ranma-chan. "However, neither of their auras is that of a woman who has undergone childbirth. Nor does Son-in-law possess such an aura."

Ku Lon's comments elicited a snort from Ranma, who shifted the baby in her arms slightly to a more comfortable position and finally allowed Ku Lon a clear view of the baby's features, especially the baby's oddly spotted blonde hair. She almost gasped in amazement and awe as a bit of ancient Amazon lore was suddenly recalled. If she was correct in her suspicions as to the baby's heritage, her Son-in-law was holding the stuff of legends in her arms. "Son-in-law..." she asked slowly, hoping and yet daring not to, "is that baby... a were-creature?"

Kasumi and Nabiki looked concernedly towards Ranma as she held the baby even closer to herself and stepped back against Nabiki, trying to move even closer to the window. All the consoling the middle sister had done had been undone with that single question from Ku Lon. Ranma was ready to bolt.

“You can’t have her, Ol’ Ghoul,” Ranma stated, growling at the Amazon elder, which caused a surprised and worried look to cross the faces of everyone else in the room, knowing that the growl was closer to a growl of a cat. And if Ranma was tapping into the Neko-ken, she was moving closer to being a cat, which might cause problems if she did go into her cat mode, as they dubbed it. "I don't care what your laws say, you can't have her, and I won't let you harm her!"

“Please, Son-in-law, just answer my question.” Ku Lon said in a calm and soothing tone, as she could manage, she didn’t want him to bolt while trying to figure out if the baby was a stuff of legends. From the way Ranma reacted, she might be on the right path. “Is that baby a were-creature?” She asked again before trying to placate the young woman with her child. “We’re not so barbaric as to take a child from its mother.” This, however, was the wrong thing to say, and not towards the two women protecting the child from harm.

"MY SON IS NO ONE'S MOTHER!" Genma shouted into the room, causing Nyoko to wail at the sudden and loud noise. All eyes focused on the only male Saotome in the room, who took a quick step or two back into the hall, as the majority of the gazes upon him were anything but friendly. "He's not," Genma said in a much lower volume. "In fact, if he's so worried about raising the little brat properly, he should marry Akane this very minute, so it'll have a REAL mother!"

"You're absolutely right, Saotome. And no one else will marry EXCEPT those two!" Soun stated it as if it were an indisputable fact, ordained by Kami-sama himself. That did not settle all the parties in question, and the two other fiancées present were about to display just how much that was considered bullshit to them, violently if necessary. Ukyo, who was behind Soun, pulled her battle-spatula from it’s harness on her back, while Xian Pu tried to bring forth her bonbori, but that was stopped as Ku Lon noticed the aura coming off the redhead on the other side of the room. She quickly pushed Xian Pu away from the doorway just as Ranma began to stalk the two ‘martial artists’.

“That’s IT!” Ranma snarled. This time, there was no mistaking the feline quality of her voice or the rumbling growl that filled the room as she passed Nyoko to Nabiki, who was surprised at the quick motion that handed her the baby. Nabiki watched as Ranma stalked forward towards the two men. The two slowly backed away as Ku Lon noticed the flickering of claws at the edge of the redhead’s fingertips before her aura was exposed to the elements, switching between red and blue before settling on a light purple aura. ‘It’s like she’s almost at the point of turning into a cat, but with the calm and precise control, but her aura shouldn’t be shifting like that. Not unless...’ Ku Lon paused her thoughts before Ranma once again took center stage as she passed the older woman and out the doorway.

"This has gone on long enough!" Ranma growled, jumping the fathers and brutally hammering and kicking at the two, driving them back down the hallway to kick them both down the stairs. "I'm SICK of everyone trying to control MY LIFE, and I'll be DAMNED if I'll allow any of you to try and interfere in my DAUGHTER'S! I ain't marryin' ANYONE! Not today, not tomorrow, maybe never! And if you even THINK of trying to take my baby awa-" Ranma's eyes suddenly rolled back in their sockets, and she collapsed to the floor, allowing the two cowering men to see Ku Lon standing over the now unconscious Ranma-chan, her staff still raised from utilizing a shiatsu pressure point to render the furious redhead unconscious.

"We were not going to get anywhere while she was like that," the Amazon Elder stated, as the two elder Tendo sisters rushed forward to examine Ranma’s unconscious form. "Do not worry yourselves; she will regain consciousness in only a few minutes. Now tell me, is that child a were-creature?"

Nabiki glanced down at Nyoko, unconsciously tightening her grip, and then looked back up at Ku Lon. There was no profit in keeping Nyoko's heritage from the Amazon Elder, but there may be some if... "So what if she is? What then?"

Ku Lon stepped slowly closer to the middle sister and gently pulled aside the blanket to see the baby more fully. "And what did her mother look like? What animal did she most resemble?"

Kasumi, having repositioned Ranma onto her back with her head resting in her lap, decided to answer that question, "She looked like a cheetah."

The Amazon Elder nodded knowingly, as if Kasumi's statement was merely acknowledging what she'd already surmised, before stepping back and bowing deeply towards Nabiki and Nyoko. When Xian Pu didn't immediately follow suit, Ku Lon's staff flashed up to strike her abdomen and bend her over in a similarly deep bow, struggling to regain her breath. "We apologize for any inconvenience, Tendo-san. Please, inform Son-in-... Ranma, that I would like to speak with her later, at her convenience, once she has settled in taking care of one of the Great Races.” Ku Lon then stood up and jumped to the top of her cane, “Come, Xian Pu, there is much to discuss and things we must do." With that, she hopped down the stairs and out of the Tendo-ke. Xian Pu hesitated a moment, looking pensively towards Ranma-chan, then Nyoko, and finally Nabiki, before turning about and rushing after her great-grandmother.

Ukyo stood in the hallway, unsure of what to say as she watched the two sisters care for HER Ranchan. Maybe she could still win Ranma over by helping care for the baby until she recovered and could see what a good mother she'd make. She started to walk toward the two sisters, her mouth opening to offer help, but she was halted by a glare from Nabiki. That glare made it clear she needed to leave the Tendo-ke now, or there would be trouble that could take years to fix, if ever. With a sigh, Ukyo left them to care for her fiancé and future stepdaughter, hoping for better luck the next day.

The Saotome matriarch was frustrated, angry, and she didn't really know what to do. She wanted to tell her son that he wasn't behaving in a manly fashion and that it would only be proper to turn over the care of his daughter to her, a real woman, and his own mother. And she also wanted to bring that insolent and disrespectful child, Nabiki, to heel for her malicious and unwarranted behavior towards her earlier. Whether her son respected her or feared her was irrelevant; in any case, so long as he obeyed her and followed her wishes. It would be easier for everyone if he respected her and obeyed her without question, but she was his mother; she knew what was best for her son and her grandchild, and that was all there was to it. Nodoka watched as Kasumi lifted her son-turned-daughter from the floor and carried her back to her own room, Nabiki following behind, carrying the baby, and came to a decision. Yes, she would reprimand Nabiki later, seeing as Soun obviously wasn't man enough to keep his daughters in line. Right now, however, she wished to speak with her son and so headed for the kitchen to produce the first requirement to do so.

Nabiki watched as the matriarch of the Saotome family left the four of them in the hallway to fend for themselves, clearly with a goal in mind, as her stride was swift and purposeful. 'Whatever she's planning can't be good,' she thought, following Kasumi into her bedroom and observing her arrange the redhead comfortably on the bed. Feeling Nyoko begin to squirm in her arms, Nabiki took a quick peek inside her diaper and grimaced. Yep, time for a diaper change. Potty training wouldn't come soon enough, in her opinion. Dealing with dirty diapers was the one part of babies that Nabiki absolutely hated. But then, who didn't? Spotting the knapsack next to the 'Pack-N-Play' crib, Nabiki let out a sigh and completed the task as quickly, efficiently, and gently as she could. After finishing, Nabiki carried Nyoko over to Kasumi's bed and laid her down beside Ranma-chan before sitting on the bed herself.

"I think things have changed between Ranma and everyone else," Nabiki said softly, beginning to gently tickle Nyoko's tummy. "And not all for the better. Although I am curious as to what Cologne wants to talk to Ranma about."

Kasumi nodded at that, knowing that things were changing and that the Wa of her home was deteriorating quickly, causing the young woman to feel frustrated with her inability to help Ranma and Nabiki during their time of need. She sat upon her bed, opposite Nabiki, and gently ran her fingers through the redhead’s hair. She gazed at Ranma and found it hard to think that this young woman, ‘No, young man,’ Kasumi thought, as she knew that it wasn’t all her fault. ‘Just another one of his adventures, coming home to roost before the storm hits.’ “What do you think Ranma should do, Nabiki?” She asked her younger sister. “What can we do?”

“I don’t know, Kasumi. I honestly don’t know,” Nabiki replied sadly, “There are too many variables to come up with any quick and simple answer.” She sighed before she looked at her sister. “I just know that something else will happen, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad.”

--LINE BREAK--

Across an ocean and on the other side of a continent away from Nerima, Japan, on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, a telephone began to ring. After a few minutes of annoying ringing, a feminine hand plucked the receiver from its cradle and lifted it to the crook of a redhead's neck, before the hand returned to holding the bottle upon which an eight-month-old baby contentedly suckled.

"Hello. Diggers' residence," Julia Brigand Diggers spoke.

"Julia?" queried a wizened voice in response from the other end of the line.

"This is she."

"Julia, it's Ku Lon," the Amazon Elder identified herself. Then, after an obvious pause, "I need to speak to your husband."

"Of course, Elder Ku Lon. Might I ask what for?" Julia questioned. The last time she had heard from the Amazon Elder had been when she'd been asked to take part in a ritual.

"It's regarding something I've come across here in Japan."

"Alright, just a moment." Julia set the phone down on the counter before moving to the hallway adjacent to the kitchen. "Theo! Ku Lon's on the phone with something important!" She returned to the phone and placed the receiver back to her ear as she rocked little Britanny in her arms, as she finished eating. Once she heard Theo pick up the phone in his den, she replaced the receiver in its cradle.

"How are you, Elder Ku Lon?" Theodore Diggers asked, sitting back in his desk chair comfortably.

"I'm doing well for my age, Dr. Diggers," Ku Lon responded with a half-hearted sigh. "I need your advice on a pupil of mine. I believe he's developing abilities similar to what you Aura Mages manifest."

"Is that so?" Theo asked, not really expecting an answer, as he leaned over to retrieve one of his earlier books on magic from the bookshelf. "What have you noticed so far?"

"Only feelings of aura-based magic coming from his place of residence and an odd shifting of colors in his battle aura," Ku Lon answered, sounding as if she were losing her finest pupil in the Art of War to another Art that she could not teach. "Could you come here, to Japan, that's where I'm residing at the moment?"

"Certainly, Elder, I would be honored to meet this pupil of yours if they were good enough to catch your interest in teaching them. Now they appear to have some ability with magic? I'm not just honored to meet them, I'm eager," Theo said with a smile, picking up a pen and a sheet of paper. "Just give me your address and I can be there in a few days, if that's alright? We added a new family member to our home a couple of months ago, and I'd like to bring my family with me."

"Oh? And who is this 'new' family member, might I ask? Did your daughter, Gina, discover a magic lamp and wish for a younger sibling?" the Amazon chuckled. "Or did Julia 'work' it out of you the old-fashioned way?"

"Actually... I saved her from a massacre in Germany," Theo stated quietly, "between the werewolves and werecheetahs." Ku Lon's chuckling abruptly ceased, and nothing could be heard from her end of the line for several moments, almost as if the phone line had been severed. "Elder?"

"Which one is she?"

"A werecheetah. She's the last of her kind."

"I think you may want to get over here as quickly as possible, Theodore. I might have some good news to go along with introducing you to your new pupil.”

Chapter Text

WARNING:  While there will be no actual 'Lemon' content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence, and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.

Disclaimer:  The rights to ‘Ranma 1/2’ are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi.  The rights to ‘Gold Digger’ are owned by its creator, Fred Perry.  The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators.  This story is for entertainment purposes only and was written without expectation of monetary or material profit.

Notes:  While drawing primarily from the original ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series, some elements and characters from the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Anime series may also be utilized.  This is BOTH a 'Continuation' and an 'Alternate Universe' fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of ‘Ranma 1/2’ and ‘Gold Digger’, meaning:  the characters WILL be 'Out-of-Character' to one extent or another, and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree.  This fan-fiction is also a 'Crossover', combining elements from the two aforementioned sources.  For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry's 'Gold Digger' series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon, and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.

Furthermore, it is 'presumed' that the events of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series take place over a span of less than one year, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Ranma and Akane are now going into their junior year, with Nabiki and Kuno having graduated by the end of book 2

Timeframe:  Right after Battlemage Book 2, Ranma, Nabiki, and Kasumi see something that they weren’t expecting, and something new has happened in their lives

WARNING: This is self-beta’d. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please PM me with the paragraph and fix.

BATTLE MAGE

By

Ryan Slicer

(original story concept, writing, and guidance)

Book Three: Love of a Cheetah

Part Four: Discussions and Past

Ranma awoke to the soft sounds of a gurgling baby, along with the cooing of two people. She looked around slightly as she lay in the comfortable bed. She noticed the two Tendo sisters near the foot of the bed playing with Nyoko as if they had done it multiple times. Ranma smiled gently before she started to close her eyes and slip back into the arms of Morpheus. ‘This is nice,’ she thought before she distinctly remembered what had just happened mere minutes ago. She bolted up into a sitting position before scanning the room for either the Amazons or the fathers.

This caused both of the Tendo sisters to look at the young woman, who became active and alert, and was once again in fight-or-flight mode. Nabiki reached out and touched Ranma’s leg, “It’s alright, Ranma.” She said, gently running her fingers up and down her leg and foot, hoping she would be alright, “The Amazons returned to the Nekohanten, and our stupid fathers decided they had had enough for one day and went out. No doubt bemoaning and whining about another failed attempt to unite the schools, while trying to think of ways to keep your other fiancées from taking advantage of the new situation.”

“I hope that Ukyo doesn’t come by again. I still have to have some words with her.” Nabiki stated, making sure that Nyoko didn't bite her finger as the young werecheetah grasped her finger in her tiny hand. She looked at Ranma and saw her frown at that.

“I wasn’t expecting her to start acting like that,” Ranma said as she pulled her legs underneath her and scooted closer to the trio. “I mean, she started acting like what I wanted was for her to act like a mother.” Ranma’s fists clenched together as they rested on her thighs, “And the way she was walking towards me...” Ranma shuddered, “I don’t know what she was thinking.”

“She was thinking that she would have won and that she would be able to sweep you off your feet.” Nabiki growled at that, “From what I gathered in the kitchen, she was on her way to ‘take care’ of Nyoko’s hunger. Not understanding what to do exactly.”

“Oh my, and she was determined.” Kasumi said, “She was trying to take Nyoko away from Mrs. Saotome.” Kasumi recounted the scene before they went to the kitchen to feed Nyoko. “It was like she was pushing herself to act like a doting mother to her newborn child.”

Nabiki looked at her older sister, then to Ranma, who nodded as well to validate what Kasumi said. “That low-brow bitch.” Nabiki said quietly to herself, “I’ll figure out a way that she’ll be so busy with her restaurant and inspections she’ll never be able to set foot in our house again.”

Kasumi leaned over and hugged the pseudo-girl, knowing that with everything that had happened within the last twenty-four hours, she might have felt that she needed to take on the world by herself. She pulled away slightly before soothingly stroking Ranma’s arm. She watched the young woman next to her as her free fingers ran along Nyoko’s arm as well, wondering if she could be this child’s stepmother; even if she wasn’t married to Ranma, she could be a wonderful aunt to her. ‘I wonder what Nabiki’s thinking about with Ranma and Nyoko. I know I told her to pursue him as a good friend, but I know that she’s been wanting more since he left.’ She thought as she saw Nabiki calmly caressing Ranma’s cheek and neck, who leaned into such a touch that she could have sworn she heard purring from Ranma. ‘No, that can’t be right.’ Kasumi looked a bit shocked, but quickly hid it so as not to worry the two in front of her. ‘But, this is a side of Nabiki that I haven’t seen since Mother died. I just hope that they still want me in their lives.’ With her thoughts finished, she felt Nyoko gently grasping her finger that was still absently stroking the child’s arm with a gurgle and a little bit of giggling. She smiled down at the baby resting on her bed and started cooing to her, while Nabiki tried to provide a bit of comfort to the redhead.

Nabiki sat closer to Ranma, letting her fingers trace the redhead’s cheek and neck, feeling that rumbling along her neck as if she was purring, ‘Must have been something to do with his cure for the Neko-Ken.’ She thought it was cute, finding the purring especially endearing, especially in Ranma's female form. Still, she knew that something was going to happen, especially since Nodoka was still at the house. But Nabiki knew that Ranma would try to be a better parent than the one who raised her. Nabiki gently caressed Ranma’s shoulder and arm as she felt the young woman calm down enough to relax. She gave the redhead a soft smile. “We’ll be alright.” Nabiki said, “We’ll get through this like everything else. And we’ll make sure the fiancées don’t try to come between you and Nyoko.” She looked over at Kasumi and received a nod as confirmation that even Kasumi would help her out. Just then, a knock came upon Kasumi’s open bedroom door that brought all three young women’s attention to the person standing in the doorway.

Nodoka Saotome stood there, steaming kettle in hand, as she stared back at them, her face stern. The fact that she didn't seem to have her ever-present silk-wrapped katana in hand was cause for only a minor lessening of the room's tension. "I've come to speak with my son," Nodoka stated, stressing the last and holding the kettle out. "Alone, if you two don't mind. Regarding matters dealing strictly with the Saotome family."

Ranma looked at the two sisters first, wondering if they knew what her mother wanted to talk about. Kasumi gave her a shrug at the unspoken question, while Nabiki leaned over and whispered into her ear, "She probably wants to talk about Nyoko and how she is to be raised. And by whom." Nabiki paused, then added, "She may also advise that you have no further contact with me, seeing as I dared to question her own qualifications as a mother... Let alone a good one."

Ranma sat back a bit as she looked at her friend, wondering if what Nabiki said was true. She trusted her friend and part-time lover as she saw things differently than she did. She began to wonder if her mother really had her best interest in mind, but then she realized that Nodoka may not have been a good mother if she had just abandoned him to Genma. She sighed and slid off the bed, gently picked up Nyoko, and adjusted her into a comfortable position.

Nodoka took notice that her child was intending to bring the baby with her, noting how she moved with the utmost care not to jostle the baby too much. Had she herself looked that caring for her child's comfort and welfare when she'd held Ranma in her own arms oh so long ago? Not willing to allow him out of her sight for the longest time, until her husband took him on that ill-fated training journey. "Leave the child, Son," Nodoka stated, her tone stern, while suppressing the emotions that had arisen. "Our... talk... will not take long, but we can do without any distractions it may cause.”

Ranma looked at her mother, slightly offended that she'd referred to Nyoko so... impersonally, as if she were an inanimate object rather than a living person. Still, did she want Nyoko to be in the same room where a possible confrontation was about to occur? No, she did not want Nyoko present in such a potentially hostile environment, especially if things progressed as they had previously. Looking back at the two sisters, she walked over to them and smiled when, without any prompting, Nabiki reached up to gently accept Nyoko into her own arms. "Take care of her for me. Both of you?"

"Of course, Ranma," Kasumi said gently, her tone soothing. "You need not even ask."

Ranma nodded and, in an incredibly bold and impulsive moment for her, quickly leaned over to place a quick kiss on both sisters' cheeks, before turning about and striding over to her own mother. Taking the offered kettle, she poured just enough of its contents over her head to trigger the change back into his male form. Nodoka, without a word, handed him a small towel and quickly turned about, striding imperiously towards the guest room he shared with his father.

Ranma watched her walk away with a forlorn expression, somehow sensing that his mother had already made some decisions that would affect Nyoko and himself. And, as usual, had not even considered acquiring any input from those whose decisions would affect the most. Releasing a sigh, he quickly altered his expression before looking back at the three on Kasumi's bed. "Be good for daddy," he instructed calmly, before breaking out into a grin and adding as a parting shot before ducking out of sight, "Oh, and you behave yourself, too, Nyoko."

"Wha-..." Nabiki started, once she caught on to just what Ranma had said, while Kasumi tried to smother her snickers at Nabiki's disgruntled expression. "That boy's getting entirely too cheeky with his comments."

"Oh, I don't know," Kasumi giggled, "I can think of a time or two when you deserved a good spanking."

"Speaking from experience, Sis?" Nabiki asked with a knowing expression. "I've read some of those cheesy 'bodice ripper' novels of yours, too. Just how often have you fantasized about 'Daddy' Ranma, or should that be 'Master', taking you over his knee and spanking your bare bottom for being such a 'naughty' girl?"

Kasumi refused to answer that question, verbally, or meet her now smirking sister's gaze... but her intense blush spoke volumes.

--LINE BREAK--

Ryouga's eyes opened slowly to behold the ceiling of the Tendo's kitchen. Staring at the ceiling, he tried to reason out just how he'd come to be lying on the floor looking at the ceiling in the first place. Obviously, he'd lost consciousness, somehow, but he couldn't immediately recall how. Let's see, he'd been in Kyoto... well, he'd been pretty sure it was Kyoto... he'd stepped around the corner of a building or something and everything had suddenly gotten dark, like during one of those solar eclipse things only much darker... hearing voices in the darkness, he'd cautiously moved towards them, only to realize that he'd somehow gotten into an extremely small room... feeling something before him, he pushed a bit and a door opened letting in light, which momentarily blinded him... he'd stepped out of the small room, while holding onto the door and, as his vision adjusted to the light, found himself looking into a pantry. How had he ended up in someone's pantry? Looking it over, he also couldn't determine how he could have possibly fit in such a small space to begin with.

He then heard Ranma’s voice, calling his name behind him, and he turned around, only to see a baby nestled against her bosom. What caused him to faint was the fact that Ranma looked like a caring mother, and while Ranma wasn’t nursing, he wondered if the baby was actually Ranma’s. At least, if Ranma gave birth in his female form. Still, that caring and doting side caused him to wonder if Ranma had given birth to the child gnawing on her fist. That brought images to his mind of what might have happened to Ranma to make that happen.

Ryouga then sat up quickly, grabbed his nose, and squeezed. While he knew Ranma was a guy, that still didn’t mean that his female form wasn’t just a crude change in gender; it came with the same functions that any woman had, with the possibility of becoming pregnant. ‘I mean, he did tell me that he had issues like any other woman would have during one of our truces.’ He thought, sitting cross-legged on the floor, ‘Still... Was that his own baby? Even if it wasn’t one he gave birth to.’ Ryouga knew for a fact that it would be a cold day in hell if Ranma were to become pregnant. And Ryouga knew how cold hell was, having been to Hell himself. Ryouga then got up, looked around, knowing at least he was somewhere familiar, but now he needed answers to these questions he had, and only Ranma or Nabiki could answer them. He just didn’t want to move and get lost again. Then, inspiration struck.

“Ranma Saotome! This is all your fault!” he yelled out. It wasn’t true in the least, but he would get someone to find him and guide him to the other martial artist. Then he’d be able to get some answers to his questions.

Right after he'd yelled, he heard the front door open and slam shut, followed by stomping footsteps. A moment later, Akane Tendo came storming into view from down the hall. Now, in the past, Akane's obvious state of displeasure would have given Ryouga yet another reason to be upset with Ranma, whether he'd actually done anything to the youngest Tendo or not, and spurred on another attack upon the Saotome heir. However, things were anything but normal at the moment, and as much as he'd like to visit with Akane, he really needed to find Ranma. There was also the fact that Ranma hadn’t been at the dojo in a year, so there wasn’t much he could say that it was all Ranma’s fault, which caused him to think about things from a different angle. ‘Maybe Ranma wasn’t at fault for most of my issues.’ Ryouga thought before he turned to leave so that he intended to let the youngest Tendo sister calm down. She caught sight of him and rushed forward to grab his arm.

"Ryouga! How nice of you to drop in," Akane said with a smile and immediately began leading him by the arm over to the low table in the center of the room, practically dragging him along in her wake when he didn't immediately move to follow. "What brings you by?"

"Um... Actually, I came looking for Ranma..." Ryouga knew he must have said the wrong thing, as Akane's left eye began to twitch warningly that he was treading on thin ice.

"What could you possibly want to see that pervert for, anyway? I thought you hated him?" Akane pushed as her brows furrowed angrily.

"Well, I... uh... need to ask him a favor." The Lost Boy started to sweat under the scrutinizing gaze of the dark-haired girl. "I was supposed to meet my mother at home and... well, Ranma remembers where I live and I was hoping that he could..."

Akane, however, was no longer listening as Ryouga continued to talk. 'Grrr... How dare that pervert try to make Ryouga beg to lead him home to visit his mother. I'll show that pervert that not even that baby will save him from being punished as he deserves,' Akane fumed. It had been a long, frustrating day for Akane, with everyone harassing her for information about the pervert and his bastard child, especially the girls who wanted to know if he was free to date with them now that Akane had loudly proclaimed their engagement null and void. Of course, he wasn't free to do so! Not as long as she was around to keep the pervert from despoiling and dishonoring other girls and getting them pregnant with his bastard children.

"I'm sure that pervert won't help you, Ryouga," Akane said, breaking into Ryouga's monologue about how his mother loved to bake cookies and other sweets for himself and Ranma back when they were attending junior high together. “The coward keeps that baby within arm's reach to protect himself from being properly punished, using it as a shield." She complained to the young man in front of her about what happened this morning.

"Huh... What? You mean that baby's his?" Ryouga asked, watching her and hoping he could get even more information on the baby without having to pay Nabiki's outrageous prices.

"Of course it's his! Less than a week after the wedding fiasco, this gaijin came strutting in here, claiming she was pregnant and that Ranma was the father. I'll never forget the way she was dressed like one of those cheap streetwalkers you see in all the movies that take place in France, practically falling out of her clothes and all but throwing herself at the pervert's feet." She said, growling at the fact that she remembered some of what they said in the dojo. However, she wasn’t able to clearly hear what went on in the dojo. But she did hear that the woman said she was pregnant and that he was the father of her child, all but asking him to marry him right then and there.

Akane continued to fume over her memories of those events. Obviously, that gaijin had discovered just how much trouble the perverted idiot could be and dumped him like a bad habit once the baby had been born and her reputation was no longer in jeopardy. Probably a quickie divorce, and she even saddled the idiot with their kid. Which only aggravated things in Nerima, especially for Akane, if that morning's events had been any indication.

The Lost Boy sat at the table, watching a softly growling Akane carefully, knowing that if he was going to get the chance to talk to Ranma about what was going on, he'd need to do so away from the others, especially Akane. Heck, he actually hoped that Nabiki would make an appearance as she could at least arrange a meeting with Ranma so they could talk and spar for a while... for a price, of course, but it was still better than being around an upset Akane. ‘I need to speak to Ranma or Nabiki, fast,’ he thought before Akane could get worse.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma slid the door shut behind him and then moved to sit opposite his mother in the center of the guest room that he and his father had been using for the last couple of years. He believed that he could handle this discussion with his mother just as Nabiki had taught him a little after the failed wedding. He did, however, take note that his mother's ever-present katana was once in evidence, lying on the floor beside her within easy reach.

"Ranma, the way you were behaving earlier did not meet with my idea of manliness. I did not raise you to suckle a child at your own breast," Nodoka started, pausing to take in a deep breath and gather her wandering thoughts away from the middle Tendo daughter, not realizing that Ranma was only holding the babe against his chest at the time. "Nor did I raise you to not listen to your mother."

'It would have helped if you had raised me at all, Mom.' Ranma decided that he couldn't let her push her idea of manliness upon him while he was raising Nyoko. "Mom, I really don't think-"

"Son, it's not polite to interrupt someone who's talking," Nodoka interrupted admonishingly. "Now, where was I... Ah, yes." She quickly got herself back on track; the baby was the next item on the list to discuss with her son. "That was very rude to take the baby away from me, as I knew she wasn't hungry. Are you trying to force that food onto the baby? You should have let me handle it," the Saotome matriarch stated, frowning at her son.

"Mom, please. She was getting hungry and-" Ranma tried to explain once more that he would be taking care of Nyoko himself, before Nodoka once again interrupted him.

"Honestly, Son. How could you let that disrespectful child believe that you fear me when you've done everything that I've asked. It's disgraceful that she's so independent and opinionated. She should be more like her sister, Kasumi." Nodoka clasped her hands together and looked upwards, her eyes glistening, "Kasumi would give me lots of grandbabies if you married her. Or took her as a mistress, after you've married Akane."

Growing impatient at his mother's complete disregard for his own input in their discussion, Ranma once again tried to make her understand his own thoughts and ideas concerning the topic of discussion. "Mom, I am not marrying Akane."

"Of course you are, dear. Now, I think that until you do marry Akane, and decide which of your other fiancées to take as your mistresses, I should adopt the baby into the Saotome Clan as your sister..." Nodoka smiled at the thought. Oh, Nyoko would make such a wonderful daughter, and she could finally teach a daughter how to be a proper Japanese lady.

"No," Ranma growled lowly, his patience at an end.

"What was that?" Nodoka asked, her son's tone of voice snapping her out of her dreams of the future with her new daughter. Actually looking at her son now, she noticed that he was trembling slightly and surrounded by a dim glow... his battle aura.

"I said 'no'," Ranma growled out louder, feeling that he needed to protect his child from this woman. "You will not adopt her as your daughter. You will not take her from me. And you will not force me into marrying that irrational and overly violent tomboy! I will raise my daughter as I swore on my honor to do, as Nyoko's birth mother intended! And not you, nor anyone else, will do that for me!"

Ranma rose to his feet, glaring down at the woman who claimed to be a mother, his mother, while struggling to keep his anger in check. Finally, as the seconds passed, he was able to rein in his anger, calming himself, as he came to a decision that had been forced upon him. Turning away from Nodoka, he strode over to where his backpack, still fully packed from his recent trip, was propped against the wall alongside his father's. He was about to lift his pack onto his back when a stray thought crossed his mind as his gaze lingered on his father's backpack. Settling his own pack back against the wall, Ranma opened up his father's backpack and quickly began going through its contents. There, at the very bottom of the pack and beneath a poorly made false bottom, he found his father's stash of martial arts scrolls and manuals. Not wanting to waste any time sorting through them, Ranma simply transferred every last scroll and manual to his own backpack and lifted it onto his back before turning about and striding to the door of the room.

Ranma paused in the doorway, after sliding the door open, and spoke to the woman he had, until now, addressed as 'Mother', but did not look back at her. "Just so you'll know, I never feared you or that damned seppuku pledge. I feared disappointing you, the woman I thought was my mother. Now... I don't care anymore whether you're disappointed or not, as you've clearly shown that you couldn't care less for me as a person and only intend to use me to attain the things you want. Only your own wants and desires matter to you, with even Honor being nothing more than a tool to attain those goals and its interpretation held captive to your whims." Then, without hesitation, Ranma stepped out into the hallway and slid the door shut behind him.

For long minutes, Nodoka looked after her departed son, her own body trembling in anger now. How dare he say those things to her! She was his mother! She only wished for what was in his best interest and to free him of the burdens of raising a child at such a young age. And he defied her! What did it matter if, in some small way, she benefited from her plans for her child's future? She wanted her grandchildren brought up properly, and she was going to make certain that it happened just as she'd planned. Obviously, Genma had erred in raising their son on his own, making him too susceptible to the manipulations of the middle Tendo daughter.

Nodoka's hand instinctively grasped the silk-wrapped bundle beside her, squeezing it comfortingly, as she contemplated the likely reasons for her son's defiance of her will. She had not missed the fact that her child had seemed to be much friendlier to Nabiki the last few times she'd seen them together, almost intimately so. Nodoka's eyes narrowed as she considered the possibilities that thought raised. Nabiki was a modern girl, through and through, hardly what anyone could even slightly consider to be ladylike. It wasn't beyond reason to assume that she was manipulating Ranma through the use of her body and sexual favors. Nodoka had no problems with her son bedding the girl, although Nabiki's obviously loose morals rendered her completely unsuitable as a prospective wife, unlike Akane who was properly withholding her favors until she was properly married, and if she hadn't used her wiles to coerce Ranma into defying his own mother... well, Nabiki wasn't even suitable for the position of mistress any longer.

There was actually little Nodoka could do to punish Nabiki for her transgressions, although she fully intended to make her displeasure known to Nabiki's father and demand that he keep that demonic little bitch away from her child. And despite her son's earlier words, she knew for a fact that he did care for the youngest Tendo daughter, at least. Perhaps it was time to have a serious talk with her prospective daughter-in-law about her future and the means by which it can be brought about. The Saotome women had always ruled their families with an iron will and absolute control of their husbands, but... occasionally, a softer approach was called for. Nodoka had admired Akane's ability to keep her son in line, but it was time to change her tactics if she was to regain her influence over Ranma from her elder sister. And while it was preferred that the bride go to her wedding bed unsullied... it wasn't essential. Besides, Ranma and Akane were already all but married in fact, so there would be no loss of honor if Akane should bed her future husband before they actually married.

Yes, that would do nicely. Nodoka would work on Akane, get her past her naiveté, and teach her the means by which she can reassert her dominance over her wayward child. One way or another, her son would obey her wishes, even if indirectly.

"You may have sunk your claws into my son, Nabiki Tendo," she softly growled. "But you haven't won yet; this battle is just beginning."

--LINE BREAK--

Nabiki sat on the edge of her elder sister's bed, watching Nyoko yawning sleepily as Kasumi gently stroked her hair. It had already been a long day, with the fathers all but physically attacking Ranma and Nyoko, Ukyo attempting to insinuate herself into the mix and gain Ranma's favor, Nodoka trying to enforce her ideas of manliness and gain control of Nyoko's upbringing, and there had also been the yelling match that she'd walked into upon her arrival home. To make matters worse, the day wasn't even nearly over. She shared one of her few genuine smiles with her elder sister when Kasumi had her fingers grabbed by Nyoko as she moved her hand to stroke the child's arm.

"Do you think Ranma will be alright?" Kasumi quietly asked, concerned that Ranma would take Nyoko and leave without any warning or means of remaining in contact.

Nabiki pondered that question, thinking of how Nodoka had wanted to speak with Ranma alone. In his male form, no less. 'She must still think of Ranma as two people, her 'manly' son and the 'shameful' curse,' she thought. "I have no doubt that Mrs. Saotome is attempting to reassert her control over Ranma, gain control of Nyoko, and cast me in as poor a light as possible," she finally responded. "She'll probably even forbid him from having anything to do with me."

"Why would she want to keep Ranma away from you?" Kasumi asked, knowing that the two had become quite... intimate before his training journey. During the months Ranma was gone from their house, she had managed to pry a fair amount of information about the 'Wild Horse' out of her younger sibling, not least of which was that he more than lived up to his namesake, in all respects. Those details alone had been more than enough to garner her interest in a possible 'ride' herself, and Ranma's rapidly developing sense of maturity only made him all that much more attractive to her.

"Possibly because we're much alike in some respects," Nabiki responded with a shrug, climbing carefully off the bed so as not to disturb the nearly asleep Nyoko more than necessary. Moving over beside the Nihon Ikuji playpen, she idly traced the edges, only now taking notice that the material was adorned with pictures of animals commonly associated with Africa. "We both need to feel in control of our environments, most especially the people we associate with. The differences lie in the amount of control, which for Saotome-san is total, and to what extent we'll compromise, which for her is none. The major difference between us is that she sees other people as merely 'tools' to accomplish her own ends and not as 'people' with their own hopes and dreams."

"But, Nabiki," Kasumi hesitantly began, "haven't you been accused of being the same?"

"Almost daily," Nabiki responded with a smirk. "Although it's occurring less often as I move away from my former business dealings at Furinkan. Unlike Mrs. Saotome, however, I never insisted on having 'total' control of others, merely enough to accomplish the task I needed performed. Nor did I ignore their own hopes and dreams simply to advance my own. With me, it's always been a matter of 'give and take', or 'fair trade' if you prefer. Granted, I'll take as much as I can get, and if you're not clever enough to do the same, well... That's the business world. But I've never taken 'everything' a person had, or asked more of them than they could reasonably do or wouldn't do on their own under different circumstances."

Kasumi thought about that for a moment before deciding to move on to a different topic. "Do you think Ranma will raise Nyoko properly?" Kasumi asked, softly stroking the baby's hair.

"'Properly', Sis?" Nabiki grunted. "By whose definition? What can be considered 'proper' varies with both time and location, as well as person. I think what you're really asking is: will Ranma do a better job at raising Nyoko than his parents did with him? Or... Daddy did with us? Only time will provide that answer. But he already knows, from first-hand experience, what NOT to do in raising her."

"That's certainly true," Kasumi sighed, before looking up from Nyoko as her bedroom door opened to allow Ranma to quietly enter.

"Well?" Nabiki quietly asked, as Ranma removed his backpack and leaned it against the wall, before moving over to the portable crib and beginning to dismantle it.

"Nyoko and I can't stay here," Ranma stated simply, continuing to work.

"But, where will you go?" Kasumi asked, frowning worriedly.

"I don't know," Ranma replied, pausing in his task as Nabiki knelt down beside him and began massaging his tense shoulder muscles. "I just know I can't stay here, or Mom-... the Saotome house."

Nabiki winced at that. She'd expected Nodoka to push Ranma hard to accept her own decisions and viewpoints as to how things should be, but she hadn't expected his mother to push so hard that Ranma would decide to break away from his own family and strike out on his own. She also suspected that with Ranma gone, Nodoka would turn her anger towards herself, likely through her father. "The talk went that well, huh?" she softly asked.

"Yeah, right," Ranma all but spat. "She talked, and I was supposed to listen and obey. That's her idea of a talk! She didn't even want to hear anything I had to say about things. And what she said boiled down to: I was going to marry Akane, take Kasumi and the other girls as my 'mistresses', and she’d raise Nyoko as my sister! Oh, and she doesn't like you very much, Nabs."

"The sentiments are becoming mutual," Nabiki sighed, moving to help him pack up the crib. Then she recalled Ku Lon's parting message. "By the way, Cologne wanted to talk to you."

Ranma grunted. "Yeah, I'll bet. She probably guessed how things were likely to turn sour here and is going to use it to get me and Nyoko into her tribe." Ranma sighed wearily. "I like Shampoo, and only a completely blind idiot wouldn't be able to see how beautiful she is. But I can't trust her, and I refuse to be treated as a second-class citizen in her village. So there's no way I'm going along with that ol' ghoul's plans."

"I don't think she'll try to take Nyoko by force, Ranma," Nabiki said. "She'd have to kill you in that case, or risk bringing your wrath down upon her village. No, Nyoko's changed things as far as the Amazon's go. I'm guessing that since you're now the parent or 'guardian' of one of the 'Great Races', different Amazon Laws have come into play and she's having to adjust her plans."

"'Great Races'?" Ranma asked, securing the crib to his pack, before shouldering it.

"That's how she referred to Nyoko," Kasumi stated, carefully picking up Nyoko and rising from her bed to walk over to them. "She was most respectful in her tone and actions. She even bowed to Nyoko and Nabiki when asking you to come see her."

"Heh, yeah. She even had Shampoo do the same," Nabiki chuckled, before turning serious once more. "In any case, you won't learn what she's up to by avoiding her, and we may learn something useful in the process."

"Fine. We'll go see the Ol' Ghoul," Ranma sighed, already trying to plan for what he'd do after said meeting. Staying at the Nekohanten, even for the night, wasn't something he was willing to risk just yet. Ukyo's wasn't a possibility, not after what she pulled just an hour ago. Shaking his head wearily, he held out his arms and Kasumi carefully passed Nyoko to him, with only a small bit of reluctance. He smiled softly down at Nyoko as she roused a bit, looked around, and snuggled more comfortably in his arms before going right back to sleep.

Nabiki grabbed up the small knapsack of Nyoko's things and the three of them silently stepped out of Kasumi's bedroom and into the hallway. Ranma hesitated only slightly as he passed the closed door to his former sleeping quarters, before releasing a silent sigh of remorse and moving on.

As the trio neared the bottom of the staircase, Akane stepped out to block their path, glaring up at Ranma. "Just where do you think you're going, Pervert?" she demanded, before noticing that Nabiki also had a small knapsack in hand. "And what have you done to my sister? How much did you say you'd pay her to take care of your little bastard? Or did you threaten her if she didn't help you with your worthless brat?" she growled, assuming a stance and preparing to rescue her sister.

"Akane!" Kasumi snapped, making her presence known and jarring Akane out of her imminent attack. "Don't you dare say such things about Nyoko! She isn't a bastard child, nor is she worthless, and you have no idea of how she came to be in Ranma's care!"

"Sure, I do! He was seeing that foreign whore the whole time he was stringing all of his 'fiancées' along, and when he knocked her up with that brat, she came looking for him and convinced him to marry her," Akane spat venomously. "Only after the brat was born, she probably found out how much of a pervert and liar he really is, so she divorced him and kicked his ass out, forcing him to return here. Then she probably decided that it was genetic and rid herself of the brat as well."

Ranma could only stare at Akane in disbelief. How she could have twisted the facts in such a way, he had no idea. The fact remained, however, that he was no longer even willing to try to convince her of the truth. She never listened anyway. Shaking his head sadly, Ranma gently rocked Nyoko, who'd been disturbed by the noise, and headed for the door.

Nabiki quickly stepped in front of her younger sister when Akane made to stop Ranma from leaving, and glared at her with the icy calm that had earned her the nickname of the 'Ice Queen'. "You're really a piece of work, Akane. Not only have you twisted the few facts you managed to acquire into something completely ludicrous, but you also managed to make them fit into your own little dream-world where Ranma's a lying, womanizing pervert and with yourself as the noble defender of all that is just and right. You and Kuno-baby truly deserve each other."

"He is a lying, womanizing pervert!" Akane snarled and jabbed a finger in Nyoko's direction. "And the proof is right THERE! The Kami alone know how many other poor girls he's dishonored and gotten pregnant with his bastard offspring!"

SLAP

Akane's head had snapped to the side at the force of the blow to her cheek, and, due to the unexpectedness of the blow, it took her a moment to reorient herself to turn and discover just who had struck her. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she found Kasumi standing there, scowling at her, and rubbing her now sore hand. "K-Kasumi?"

"I think we've all heard quite enough out of you, baby sister," Kasumi stated sternly. "If you had even bothered to ask any of us, instead of jumping to the wrong conclusions and making the facts fit those conclusions, we could have easily informed you of the truth and that Ranma is not related by blood to Nyoko. She is the legitimate daughter of a couple Ranma knew, now deceased, and whom Ranma intends to legally adopt. Nyoko's mother, as her dying wish, asked Ranma to raise Nyoko for them, and he accepted that responsibility."

"But... that foreigner... after the wedding... she said she was pregnant... Ranma left with her..." Akane desperately stammered in her defense.

"That's the danger of eavesdropping, Akane," Nabiki stated coldly, as she and Kasumi donned their street shoes. "Especially when done from a distance and through a wall or something. You only hear part of what's going on. Yes, Cousteau-san was pregnant, but Ranma was neither the father nor the man she intended to marry. She'd come here to make certain that Ranma would not seek her out for marriage, as arranged by his father. She was going to marry the man who had gotten her pregnant. And Ranma did not leave with her, as you would have known if you hadn't run off that night. He left on his training journey several hours after Cousteau-san had already gone."

"Where are you going, Kasumi?" Akane asked as her eldest sister moved to follow after Ranma.

"I find that I am in need of a relaxing walk," Kasumi responded, without looking back. "You can prepare your own dinner this evening, as I think I'll eat out tonight."

"Same here," Nabiki agreed. "Really, Akane, I can't believe you at times. I told you that you were wrong in your conclusions about where Ranma had run off to after Cousteau-san's visit, as well as what Ranma had told me before he left. But did you listen to what I said? No."

"He lied to you," Akane accused. "And he's lied to Kasumi, turning you both against me. Why are you defending him?"

"I was there when Xeris, that's Nyoko's birth-mother, by the way, not Cousteau-san, died on our very doorstep after giving over her newborn daughter for Ranma to raise as his own," Nabiki stated coldly. "As for why I'm defending him... What should I do when someone I consider to be a friend is falsely accused and repeatedly insulted for things he hasn't done?"

"And since when was Ranma a 'friend' of yours, Nabiki?" Akane sneered.

"Unlike you, Akane, I don't reward being rescued by becoming jealous and envious of the skills of my rescuer," Nabiki stated. "Ranma rescued me from a bad situation and, no, I'm not going to tell you about it. Afterward, I decided to find out just what made the 'Wild Horse of Nerima' tick and, in the process, found that I rather liked the person I was learning about. There's no doubt that he has a lot of rough edges, but there's far more beneath the surface that you've never bothered to even try and discover, Akane," Nabiki finished mysteriously.

"Oh, so you're wanting to be engaged to the perverted idiot again, is that it?" Akane asked, disregarding everything Nabiki had just said. "Fine. He's all yours. Just don't come crawling back to me offering to sell the engagement. I'm not interested."

Nabiki just shook her head at Akane's utter stupidity; she and Soun were so much alike. Neither of the two had any control, at all, over their emotions, and both lived in their own little worlds. Kasumi, also, often gave the impression of living in her own little world, but Nabiki knew from personal experience and careful observation that Kasumi was more aware of the world around her than she ever let on.

Ryouga, who had for once remained in the background listening in the hopes of gaining some useful information, finally stepped into view. He now knew where the baby had come from, if not exactly the reason why Ranma had been trying to care for said infant. And he also now understood why Akane had been in such a pissed-off mood. It was, yet again, another example of Akane jumping to the wrong conclusions and running with them, ignoring anything that might suggest that her conclusions were in error.

"Hello, Ryouga," Nabiki said, taking note of his appearance. "I sincerely hope you're not here to issue Ranma a challenge of some kind. Now is not a good time, and I would be extremely upset if you tried to force the issue."

"No, no," Ryouga vehemently shook his head in denial, cringing slightly under Nabiki's warning glare. "I, uh... I just needed Ranma's help getting home. My mother's going to be home soon, and I haven't seen her in the longest time and... well, he knows where the house is..."

"I can walk you home, Ryouga," Akane said, grabbing onto his arm. "I'm sure we can find it together. I remember most of the way there, and I'm sure I'll remember more once we're in your neighborhood."

"Thanks, Akane, but... maybe another time," Ryouga said, shocking her by removing his arm from her grasp. "Ranma knows the way to my house, and I also really need to talk to him about some other things along the way there." Ryouga looked over to Nabiki, hoping for a little charitable help in getting away from Akane without upsetting her further. To his immense relief, Nabiki's glare softened, and she took his hand to lead him out to where the others were waiting.

"Oh my. Ryouga, are you feeling better?" Kasumi asked, standing close beside Ranma as he cradled the baby in his arms.

“Yeah, Kasumi, much better,” he responded, frowning slightly. He noticed Kasumi was standing unusually close to Ranma, even with the excuse of looking at the baby; she looked like she was almost pressing herself against him. ‘When was the last time I saw them all together? This isn’t normal,’ he thought to himself. Though it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen them all year. But being so close to Ranma like that made him wonder what was going on between the oldest Tendo sister and Ranma. Even Nabiki was close to him as she defended Ranma. ‘What happened between the three of them?’ his thoughts continued to plague him as he wondered if the other fiancées knew about how close he was getting to the two Tendo sisters. ‘They’re probably jumping for joy that Akane isn’t going to be another fiancée. But having Nabiki be one?’ he shuddered at the discussion Ranma had with him after that fiasco of Nabiki selling him to his fiancées and to the sports clubs. ‘But now?’ He was just about to answer that question before someone punched him in the arm sufficiently hard to gain his attention back. “What?” he growled out.

"I said, we have to stop by the Nekohanten for a while before I can take you home," Ranma repeated, turning about and beginning to walk off. "The Ol' Ghoul wanted to talk to me about Nyoko." Ranma had begun to worry as he'd noted Ryouga's temper rising, as Nabiki informed him of Ryouga's request for assistance to get home. Ryouga, nearly all of his rivals, and such, in fact, often attacked him without warning or apparent concern for innocent bystanders. That would have to change, if for no other reason than to ensure that Nyoko was never caught in the crossfire by accident. Ground rules for challenges and such would have to be laid out, explained to the concerned parties in question, and severe penalties established for violators. Ranma wasn't about to accept any excuse or supposed justification for an attack if it placed his daughter in jeopardy.

"Uh... sure," Ryouga nodded, wondering why Ranma's expression had turned so serious and... wrathful. "Mom's probably not even home yet. I just need to be there when she does show up. So there's no real rush."

"That's good, Ryouga," Kasumi said, taking his arm and leading him after Ranma and Nabiki. "So, tell me about your travels recently. Have you seen anything interesting?"

Behind the departing teens, standing in the doorway to the Tendo home, Akane angrily fumed as she watched them all walking away, wondering how Ranma had managed to seemingly turn even Ryouga against her, just as he'd done with her sisters.

--LINE BREAK--

Ku Lon shook her head wearily as she watched her great-granddaughter mope about the cafe as if she had nothing left to live for. With the new addition to the Saotome family, even though the child wasn't a part of the Saotome bloodline, per se, she now possessed an even greater reason to ensure that the Saotome boy became a part of her family. A live 'werecheetah' and her son-in-law had one. Even among the Amazons, who prided themselves on their long history and detailed records of that history, true lycanthropes were considered as little more than exaggerated myths and legends, if not outright fabrications on the part of the ones who recorded the events wherein they supposedly played a role. But Ku Lon's family had kept their own records, recorded by the matriarch of the time, and any deceit or exaggeration was strictly prohibited. If the one recording the event in those books was not privy to certain information, then that fact was noted; the writer was NOT to attempt to fabricate information she did not possess. Those histories were not recorded for the aggrandizement of the writer, nor for entertainment purposes, but for the needed transfer of crucial information from one matriarch to the next. And those very histories had stated, implicitly, that lycanthropes Ku Lon shook her head wearily as she watched her great-granddaughter moping about the cafe as if she had nothing left to live for. With the new addition to the Saotome family, even though the child wasn't a part of the Saotome bloodline, per se, she now possessed an even greater reason to ensure that the Saotome boy became a part of her family. A live 'werecheetah' and her son-in-law had one. Even among the Amazons, who prided themselves on their long history and detailed records of that history, true lycanthropes were considered as little more than exaggerated myths and legends, if not outright fabrications of the part of the ones who recorded the events wherein they supposedly played a role. But Ku Lon's family had kept their own records, recorded by the matriarch of the time, and any deceit or exaggeration was strictly prohibited. If the one recording the event in those books was not privy to certain information then that fact was noted, the writer was NOT to attempt to fabricate information she did not possess. Those histories were not recorded for the aggrandizement of the writer, nor for entertainment purposes, but for the needed transfer of crucial information from one matriarch to the next. And those very histories had stated, implicitly, that lycanthropes DID exist and went on to explain much more in regards to them.^[a][b][c]

Hearing yet another woeful sigh escape her great-granddaughter's lips, Ku Lon decided that it was time to inform Xian Pu of the new situation. "Xian Pu, quit moping about and come over here."

"Yes, Great-grandmother," Xian Pu responded half-heartedly, listlessly walking over to lean against the counter upon which Ku Lon was perched, none of her usual bubbly cheerfulness in evidence. Since leaving the Tendo-ke, Xian Pu had dwelled upon the blatant distrust her Airen had displayed toward her and Ku Lon, not even wanting them in the same room as his new daughter. "What is it that you wish to talk about, Great-grandmother?" she asked in their native dialect.

"You are to continue your pursuit of Ranma as your husband, after I've explained to him what his role is to be when caring for one of the Great Races," Ku Lon instructed, responding in kind.

"But, Great-grandmother, you saw how he reacted when you tried to go near the baby," Xian Pu responded. "He does not trust us to not bring harm to his child. He even trusts that mercenary Tendo girl, more than us... More than he trusts me..." Xian Pu trailed off sorrowfully.

"I know, child," Ku Lon agreed, releasing her own sorrowful sigh. "And sadly, I cannot blame Son-in-Law for that mistrust. I must apologize, Great-granddaughter. I've made far too many mistakes in our pursuit of your husband, given you less than wise advice and encouraged your pursuit in ways that did more harm than good. But, not all is lost, as of yet. You still have a chance to gain your husband's trust, even after all that has happened. If... you still wish to pursue him as your husband, that is? If not, I have been authorized by the Council to negotiate with him as a potential ally of the tribe."

Xian Pu jerked upright at that comment as if slapped. "What! But you couldn't have informed them yet of..." Xian Pu paused, gathering her thoughts back into some semblance of order. "What has happened, Great-grandmother, for them to give you such authorization?"

"Saffron," Ku Lon simply stated, before explaining further. "After Saffron was defeated, the Council of Elders came to the decision that Ranma was far too powerful to risk antagonizing further. It was agreed that you could continue your pursuit of him as your husband, but... no attempt was to be made to 'force' him to marry you or return to the village if you were successful. To that end, the 'Kiss of Death' and the 'Kiss of Marriage' no longer apply to Ranma. Not just in regards to you, but for all Amazons."

"Why was I not told of this sooner?" Xian Pu asked, truly upset with her elder. Without the protection afforded her by the Kiss of Marriage and her pursuit of Ranma as her husband, she was once again subject to potential marriage to another not of her choosing. Most especially... "Does Mu Tsu know of this?"

"No, he does not. Nor do I have any intention of informing him. It is a matter of Council business and need only be discussed among those directly involved," Ku Lon stated, smirking. "I chose this time to inform you of their decision, because I intend to inform Ranma of his new status in our eyes when I see him next. All this truly means, child, is that you are no longer under any pressure to marry Ranma as soon as possible, and that you may now take all the time you need to earn his trust and love. Don't waste this chance, Xian Pu. Follow your heart and treat him as you would want to be treated, and you may yet gain him as your husband. At the very least, you could gain a lifelong friend and ally in times of need."

"And what of the other girls pursuing him? What of Nabiki Tendo? I am not so blind as to not see that she has already gained much of his trust and seeks even more," Xian Pu stated.

"Nor has it escaped my notice, child, that you have more than a passing interest in your own gender," Ku Lon pointed out sagely, causing Xian Pu to balk and flush. "It is nothing to be ashamed of, child, and quite advantageous considering your choice of prospective mate. But, have you considered the possibility that Tendo-san may actually share your own tastes? If she does have intentions of acquiring Ranma for herself, do you think she would only have an interest for one part of the whole? Or, that she could not find you of equal interest?"

Before Xian Pu could respond to her great-grandmother's thinly veiled comments, which weren't nearly as off the mark as some would believe, they were interrupted by the door chime signaling the arrival of patrons. Stepping through the entranceway came Ranma, the two elder Tendo sisters and the Hibiki boy. Xian Pu sighed longingly as she once again witnessed the trust her Airen had for the middle Tendo daughter as he passed his daughter into her arms, leaving himself free to deal with any perceived threats that might arise from the Amazons.

"Ol' Ghoul," Ranma began by way of greeting, watching her and Xian Pu warily. "I was told you wanted to talk."

"Of course, of course," Ku Lon responded, gesturing to the group towards a convenient table. "About several things in fact." She knew that today's talk wouldn't be very long, and that the real meat of their discussion would take place once Theodore Diggers arrived, but that wouldn't be until the next day at the earliest. Despite her cordial demeanor, Ku Lon knew full well that this was one discussion that she dared not mess up, or she risked losing Ranma as a student altogether. While it was true that acquiring him into her family would be a major coup due to his new 'werecheetah' daughter, Ranma himself stood to become yet another figure out of myth and legend... a Battlemage, an individual as skilled with the Magical Arts as they were in the Martial Arts. She was more than willing to share her student with the powerful Aura Mage, but she had no intentions of losing him altogether to another Art. It would be a crime of epic proportions and one that generations of future Amazons would be unlikely to ever forgive.

"So? What did you want to talk about?" Ranma asked, pulling out a chair from the table for Nabiki to sit upon, as Ryouga did the same for Kasumi, copying Ranma's surprising display of etiquette, before they took their own seats at the table. Again, Ryouga copied Ranma's actions, noting that he had shifted his chair about so that the table itself would not hinder him if he needed to move quickly.

"In just a moment, Son-in-... Ranma. First, though, Xian Pu!" The purple-haired Amazon stepped forward. "Bring everyone a bowl of our House Special and our best tea."

"Yes, Great-grandmother," Xian Pu responded, as she looked longingly towards Nabiki holding the baby, her eyes moistening as she noted the distrustful look her Airen was giving her in return.

"Now, while we wait for the refreshments, could you tell me how you came to be that child's guardian?" Ku Lon asked, pulling out her pipe, but making no move to light it because of the baby's proximity.

Ranma did so, leaving out a great deal, but getting the major points across.

"I see," Ku Lon stated once Ranma had finished. "Well then, the tale that I am about to weave for you is a legend that has been passed down through generations of Amazons, describing the Great Races that held the amazing power to take on the aspects of powerful beasts..."

"You mean like the Musk, correct?" Nabiki questioned, having heard of the fight between Herb and Ranma, and of how Herb, as well as his lackeys, Lime and Mint, had displayed more than a few animal-like traits in both their appearance and behavior.

Ku Lon chuckled and shook her head. "Please, child, the Musk Dynasty is a mere shadow of what the Great Races were like, seeking to emulate them by mixing their bloodlines with those of lesser creatures through the magic of Jusenkyo. No, the Great Races were far more than that. In fact, you're likely to be quite familiar with at least one of those races, seeing as they've become quite popular in the entertainment media in recent years, although little credence is given to their ever actually existing... werewolves."

"Lycanthropes," Ranma stated, surprising the Elder with his knowledge of the word.

"Correct. Although we Amazons choose to refer to them as the 'Great Races', of which there were at least five. Even to most Amazons the knowledge of the Great Races' existence has dwindled to little more than barely remembered myths and legends, as they were always highly selective to whom they revealed themselves." Ku Lon paused in her tale as Xian Pu rejoined them, distributing the bowls of ramen and tea, before carefully taking her own seat beside Ranma. She sighed forlornly as Ranma scooted his chair a bit closer to Nabiki, taking Nyoko from her so she could eat unhindered.

"Each of the Great Races had a unique gift, specific to their type," Ku Lon continued, once everyone had begun to enjoy the meal. "Werecheetahs were known for their exceptional speed, werewolves for their great strength, wererats for their uncanny stealth, weretigers for their tracking abilities and werejaguars for their exceptional hearing. While little else is remembered of their other abilities, we do know that they could change into other forms at will: a human-form, an animal-form of their type, and a mixture of the two."

Kasumi looked up from her bowl of ramen and tilted her head to the side in thought. "So, when Xeris came to our home... that was her mixed form?"

Ranma nodded as he shifted Nyoko into a better position so he could hold her and still eat, carefully. "Yes, that was her 'hybrid' form. Xeris told me once that it was the form they found most comfortable."

Ku Lon turned her gaze upon the Saotome youth and wondered just how much he really knew about Lycanthropes. He must have known the child's mother very well for her to have sought him out as she was dying. 'To think that the boy had lived among an entire village of Lycanthropes and wasn't bitten, even accidentally, is amazing,' she thought.

Xian Pu saw that Ranma was having a little difficulty trying to eat while holding the baby and tried to be helpful. "Ranma want Xian Pu to hold baby while Ranma eat, yes?" she asked, cursing herself for never bothering to improve her grasp of the Japanese language, only to receive suspicious looks from the Tendo sisters, as Ranma shifted his seat even closer to Nabiki.

"Um... Thanks just the same, Shampoo, but I'll be fine," Ranma responded, eliciting a sad frown from Xian Pu as she nodded in understanding.

"How much do you actually know about Nyoko's people, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, already knowing most of the answer. In the months since his return, she'd gathered from Ranma's roundabout way of explaining his trip that he'd actually spent most of his journey in the village of Nyoko's parents and had truly considered them good friends.

"Enough to know that Cologne's been accurate about their abilities, so far," Ranma replied, before turning back to Ku Lon. "What else do you know?"

"We know that they raise their offspring to use these forms to their advantage," Ku Lon stated. Then took a risk and stated a half-truth as fact, hoping to improve her chances of acquiring both Ranma and Nyoko into the tribe, by adding, "And that they were raised to be skilled warriors."

Ranma nodded thoughtfully as he recalled his talks with Xeris and Charon about their people and the way they lived. He knew that they had only recently called a halt to a long war with the werewolves and were hoping for a lasting peace to come about. However, their group had been led by an individual who, while also hoping for a lasting peace, planned for the possibility of betrayal. So while the majority of the werecheetahs had gone to the peace talks in Germany, he had convinced a small group to remain behind and try to eke out an existence through the prolonged drought they'd been suffering under at their remote village. It wasn't until a month before Ranma departed from their village that the drought had ended, and their wells once again began to supply enough water for more than the hundred or so that had remained in the village. He did acknowledge that they were powerful fighters, but aside from their natural abilities, any acquired combative skills had been due to a matter of choice rather than any requirement. Still, if the Amazons had had any actual contact with lycanthropes in the past, it had most likely been with those that had been trained as warriors, as they were often the type most interested in travel and exploration. "I see," he eventually said. "And this is all that you know of them?"

"That and that we were to be most respectful of any that we should encounter, as they would make terrible enemies," Ku Lon replied.

"So... your 'laws' don't cover them?" Nabiki asked, scrambling to make sense of their earlier behavior in light of this.

"No more than anyone else," Ku Lon admitted. "As with most others, the majority of Amazons believe lycanthropes to be nothing more than myth and legend, stories to entertain children with."

"Then why have you stopped calling Ranma 'Son-in-Law'?" Kasumi asked before Nabiki could. "We assumed that Nyoko's heritage had something to do with that."

Ku Lon released a weary sigh and cast a sympathetic look towards her heir before responding. "Due to Ranma's defeat of Saffron... the Amazon Council of Elders has decided to void the Outsider Laws where he is concerned," she painfully admitted. "I would have informed you sooner, but you up and disappeared on that 'training trip' of yours. As you never consummated your marriage to my great-granddaughter... your marriage never happened. Nor can any other Amazon ever gain you as their spouse through the Outsider Laws, or force you into returning to our village against your will."

Ranma just sat there in disbelief for a moment, not quite certain of just how to take the news that Xian Pu was no longer his Amazon 'wife'. Looking over to see her reaction, he winced at seeing her bowed head, her long, lustrous hair concealing her face and even as he watched, he noted a teardrop fall.

"So what now?" Nabiki asked, still suspicious. "Are you intending to return to China?"

"Are you kidding?" Ku Lon cackled. "And give up all the excitement you children cause around here? Hardly. No, Xian Pu may no longer claim Ranma as her husband under Amazon Law, but that doesn't mean we're just going to pack up and go home. Besides, nothing says that she can't regain him as her husband in the future, only that she can no longer use the means that she's attempted in the past, which I might point out are those used on 'wayward' husbands... not potential ones."

"So, in other words, nothing's changed," Nabiki stated matter-of-factly. "She's still going to be after Ranma."

"If she wishes to do so, yes," Ku Lon acknowledged. "But without the pressures and restrictions our laws placed upon her previous actions. She can pursue him for marriage just like any other woman who’s after Ranma.” Ku Lon grinned before speaking once more, “Just like you have been doing with him since before he left, Nabiki Tendo.”

"Say what?" Ranma gasped.

"I have not been pursuing Ranma for marriage!" Nabiki stated vehemently. "We're just friends, that's all!" She huffed and leaned back against her chair before looking over at Ranma.

"I never said that 'you' were pursuing him for 'marriage', child," Ku Lon chuckled. "Only that Xian Pu could do so, but by first becoming his friend, which you've just claimed success at achieving. You see, other than our laws concerning defeat by outsiders, even we Amazons know that friendship can often grow into love. And if not, then Xian Pu would still have a friend, as would Ranma. And you as well, if you'd like another friend, Tendo-san."

Nabiki snorted derisively, but made no other comment, as she didn't really have anything against Shampoo.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Ranma asked. "If not, I told Ryouga that I'd take him home to see his mother."

"As a matter of fact there is," Ku Lon answered. "You see, I arrived at the Dojo for an entirely different purpose, not having been made aware that you'd started your own little family, but then was sidetracked upon that discovery."

"So why did you come over there?"

"Well, I was rather curious as to when you began practicing magic, and from whom you were learning it?"

As Ryouga’s eyes widened at that fact. He hadn't sensed anything from Ranma that was different then what he usually had been. But he also wasn’t an expert on anything magical, as attested to by several magical artifacts that were found by various tenants of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. “Magic? You're not using it to bespell Nabiki and Kasumi, are you?” Ryouga growled, “What about Akane? Have you put any spells on...”

WHACK CRASH

"Quiet, boy! You're upsetting the baby!" Ku Lon ordered harshly, lowering her staff from sending the Lost Boy crashing into the wall, as Nyoko, awakened by the noise, wailed loudly before beginning to gnaw upon her fist.

Ranma almost began to growl at Ryouga, before taking notice that Nyoko was indicating that she was hungry again. He was beginning to think that was all she was going to do, sleep and eat. Oh yes, and soil her diapers, can't forget that. Kami, he'd never be able to forget that.

Nabiki, also noticing Nyoko's signal, held her arms out to Ranma. "Ranma, why don't you continue your discussion with Cologne and I'll take care of feeding Nyoko for you?"

"How much?" Ranma responded before he could catch himself and felt like a complete heel as he saw Nabiki wince.

"Let's just say you'll owe me one," Nabiki responded after a moment, then surprised them all by turning to address Xian Pu, "Would you care to give me a hand, Shampoo? We could also have a little... chat, with just us girls."

"Nabs?" Ranma asked warily.

"It'll be okay, Ranma. If they were going to do anything at all, they'd have done it by now.” Nabiki said as she walked over towards the kitchen with Kasumi and Xian Pu. “Besides, I need to have a talk with Shampoo.”

"Okay, if you're sure..."

"I am," she said, turning back to face the others and indicating for Kasumi to join her and Xian Pu as they proceeded towards the kitchen area for some extra privacy. Nabiki paused, however, and turned back to address Ku Lon. "Elder... where's Mousse?"

"Locked up in his cage in his room," Ku Lon responded. "Mr. Part-Time was making a nuisance of himself, as usual, upon our return from the Dojo. Fear not, you will not be disturbed while tending to the child."

From where he was sitting, Ranma could easily see into the kitchen, and he kept a careful eye on the girls as Kasumi quickly prepared Nyoko's meal and Nabiki talked with Xian Pu. "One more stupid outburst like that one, Ryouga," Ranma warned, his voice low and serious, "and you can find your own damn way home!”

"Besides, boy, there's a large gap between 'practicing' magic and actually casting spells," Ku Lon added. She did notice that Ranma was partially paying attention to the discussion, “So what have you been practicing?” She asked the young man in front of her.

“Not that it's any of your business,” Ranma started, “But since we're sharing information, it's Aura magic.”

“That's what I thought,” Ku Lon responded "So who introduced you to that type of magic and how far have you progressed?"

"Nyoko's father, Charon," he responded. "He was a mage and thought that I might have a talent for magic. He also made me realize that I could either continue on as I have been, letting magic and those who use it influence my life to their own ends, or... I could learn magic myself and have at least some control over its influence. I might even be able to bring the Jusenkyo curse under control, eventually, if not get rid of it entirely. Charon even gave me some books to study, covering the basics of most types of magic. You probably sensed me experimenting a little with some of the things I've been learning."

"That I did," Ku Lon nodded. "If I'd known of your newfound interest, I would have offered to instruct you in Amazon Alchemy, as I've begun to do with Xian Pu. What you are apparently studying now, however, is a form of magic that I, sadly, am unable to perform or instruct you in. Any form of magic is inherently dangerous without proper instruction, Ranma. Not only to the one studying it, but also to those around him. So saying, I have taken the liberty of contacting an acquaintance of mine, a mage himself, that is highly skilled in the type of magic I sensed you playing around with. If he cannot instruct you, himself, then he can likely direct you to someone who can. With any luck at all, he should arrive here in the next day or so."

"I appreciate the help, Ol... Elder, but I'm not sure if I'll even still be in Tokyo by the time he arrives. I'm sure not going back to the Dojo, not with the tomboy as angry as she is," Ranma explained, rising to his feet as the girls returned to the table, Xian Pu smiling radiantly as she fed Nyoko from her bottle. He did notice that Xian Pu never took her eyes off Nyoko.

"So, you are no longer residing at the Dojo? Nor with your mother, I take it?" Ku Lon questioned, not greatly surprised by the news. "We have plenty of space here. And I'm certain that Xian Pu would be delighted to care for Nyoko while you're attending school."

"Airen no even need ask. Nyoko beautiful baby. It be Xian Pu's honor and pleasure to care for."

"I'm certain that Ranma will keep the offer in mind, Elder," Nabiki spoke up before Ranma said something stupid. The Amazons had been very accommodating, but Nabiki had no doubts that Ku Lon's plans to acquire Ranma, and now Nyoko as well, into her tribe remained intact. Only the methods of doing so had altered. "But we really must be going. We need to get Ryouga home to see his mother and I'll be helping Ranma in finding a new place to stay."

"Of course, child. The door is always open if ever you need a place to stay, Ranma," Ku Lon said, as the group rose to leave. Xian Pu was obviously reluctant to release Nyoko, but finally did so, transferring her gently into Kasumi's arms. As soon as the group had exited the cafe, Ku Lon turned to her great-granddaughter and hissed quietly, "I want you to follow them and find out where Son-in-Law is staying, so that we can keep an eye on him and the baby."

"Great-grandmother, I'm not certain that is such a good idea-" Xian Pu began, only to be interrupted.

"This is no time to argue, child. Something happened to Son-in-Law while he was gone, which set him onto the path of studying the mystical arts. And I'll be damned if I let him slip through my fingers because we are incapable of instructing him. Your husband is already the greatest martial artist of his generation and stands to become even greater with his study of the mystical arts, but I will not take the risk of his forsaking one for the other," Ku Lon stated seriously as she looked toward the door. She could not delay overmuch on reporting these new events to the Council and once her report arrived and was understood... Ranma may not have been subject to the Outsider Laws any longer, but that was no protection from acquiring him into the tribe through other means. The only reason Xian Pu had yet to receive competition for her Airen from other Amazon Warriors was because Ku Lon had managed to extract a six-month extension on Xian Pu's right to pursue him by other means without interference from others not already involved. Once that extension came to an end, though, and if Ranma was still available... "You are running out of time, child. In a little over two months, if Ranma is not married, other warriors from the village will be free to pursue him as a husband. He may no longer be held to the Outsider Laws, but there are other ways of acquiring a husband. Unfortunately, I fear that the two elder Tendo sisters may already have his heart and he may be unwilling to leave them. If you are to have any chance at all, you must keep track of where he is staying and, at the very least, become friends with the two elder sisters.”

Xian Pu had begun talking to Nabiki when they entered the kitchen. As they went and got Nyoko’s food ready, Nabiki had gone on to explain that she was not seeking Xian Pu's Airen as her own husband, but that they had become friends and that she intended to look out for his best interests and those of Nyoko, as a friend. Xian Pu knew that her Airen had never truly trusted her, especially after the 'Kiss of Death' fiasco and all that she'd done since coming to Nerima, and her actions at the failed wedding certainly hadn't helped any. But if Nabiki, with all that she had done to Ranma, could regain enough of his trust to be considered a friend. Could Xian Pu not be able to do the same? Of course, her chances to do so would be even less if she didn't know where he was staying.

"I will go, Great-grandmother, but I will make no real effort to conceal my presence from Ranma or the others. Being caught spying upon them would be a poor start to gaining their trust... as friends," Xian Pu finally stated.

--LINE BREAK--

A short train ride and a walk of several blocks brought the small group to the gate of the Hibiki residence. It appeared to be remarkably well-maintained, despite the Hibikis' frequent and prolonged absences, but Ryouga helpfully explained that his family had paid a few of the neighbors to keep the place up for them. Stepping through the gate, they were met by an exuberant Shirokuro, Ryouga's guide dog, who set about greeting her master home.

"Hey, Ryouga?" Ranma asked, looking about the small yard. "What happened to Shirokuro's pups?"

"They were found good homes and adopted," Ryouga explained, frowning slightly as Shirokuro moved over to greet Ranma as if he too were a long-absent Hibiki family member. This brought to mind the time Ranma pretended to be his little sister, Yoiko... Ryouga was beginning to work up a head of steam when a nearby lawn sprinkler, set on a timer, suddenly started up and promptly activated his and Ranma's Jusenkyo curses. Surprisingly, neither of the Tendo sisters commented on the little black piglet that squirmed its way out of the clothes that had fallen atop it. Nabiki had known about Ryouga's curse, of course, but apparently so had Kasumi. Ryouga, or P-Chan as he was commonly known at the moment, let out a surprised "Bukui" as he was suddenly hoisted up by Ranma, who, after gathering up his discarded clothing, proceeded to lead the Tendo sisters into the Hibiki home, Shirokuro prancing along at her side.

"You know, Ryouga, this place isn't nearly as bad as I remember..." Ranma started, looking about the interior of the house, before she was promptly bitten by said individual, followed by squeals and snorts of outrage as the black pig was flung into the living room. "Ow! What the hell was that for, Pork Butt! I ain't 'xactly got fond memories of the last time I was here, y'know!” Ranma growled out. Everyone’s attention was turned to Nyoko’s sudden squeals of joy as she and Shirokuro had just made acquaintances with each other. Nyoko, held in Kasumi's arms, continued to squeal in delight as she extended her arms towards the equally curious canine.

Ranma held her breath as Kasumi knelt and allowed the two to become better acquainted, only releasing said breath when it became apparent that Shirokuro was apparently well accustomed to the pawing and pulling of her ears by young children.

Feeling a nip at her heel, Ranma jerked back, turning about to look down at Ryouga, who began snorting and squealing, and swinging his head towards the back of the house. "Okay, okay, I get the message," Ranma responded, reaching down to pick up the porcine troublemaker and heading for the bathing room. "We'll get you changed back, sheesh. We can even hang around for a while and hopefully meet your mother."

She set Ryouga down on the floor of the bathroom as Ranma started the bath and made sure it wasn't too hot for Ryouga. Adjusting the temperature to what she thought would be proper. She picked up the black pig and dropped him into the tub, watching in fascination as the pig changed into the young man who was his rival. It was different when she changed from male to female, but changing from an animal to a human? She never focused on such a change until just now. The change still happened quickly, but the magic managed to make it appear seamless from a small form of mass to a larger form. She stared a little longer than was appropriate before she blushed and looked away.

"Clean yourself up, Ryouga," she said as she quickly made for the exit. "Just call for Shirokuro when you're done."

Ryouga watched her leave, puzzled about what had caused her to flush in apparent embarrassment like that before pushing the thought aside. Grinning softly to himself, he sat down to enjoy a good long soak in his own furo for once... and he didn't have to share it with anyone. Least of all that jerk Ranma.

--LINE BREAK--

Ranma stood just outside the furo, hands behind her back, before leaning against the door. She sighed as her thoughts went wild with what she saw, and what was the difference between her and Ryouga? Her face turned a brighter shade of red just as she shook her head. Nabiki turned down the hall and spotted Ranma looking flushed in the face.

“What thoughts are on your mind?” Nabiki asked, her curiosity getting the best of her at the flushed face of her friend. “Having interesting thoughts about Ryouga.”

Ranma looked at Nabiki with wide eyes as she shook her head, “It's not like that!” Ranma squeaked as she looked at her friend, “I... It was just...” Ranma stammered as she tried to explain what her thoughts were.

Nabiki looked at Ranma with a quizzical expression on her face. Her expression changed to one of concern as she saw Ranma struggling to find the words for what was on her mind. “Are you okay?”

Ranma shook her head as she looked down for a moment, ‘What do I tell her?’ She thought as she kept her head down, only to feel fingers underneath her chin; then she raised her head to look at the middle Tendo sister. The concerned look in her eyes showed Ranma that she could tell her what was on her mind. “I’m not sure... I mean, I’m a guy for crying out loud!” Ranma said, finally getting the thought off her mind.

“What was it that you were thinking?” Nabiki asked.

“I was focusing on the change that Ryouga has when he changes from the lil pork butt to his human form...” Ranma stated, looking directly into Nabiki’s eyes. “I got a lot more than I was bargaining for, and I couldn’t believe what my body was feeling.” She shivered as Nabiki dropped her fingers from underneath the redhead’s chin. “It’s like I couldn’t control myself.”

“You’ve never had that problem before with Ryouga, have you?”

“No. I've never really focused on him as a girl. Usually, it's always when we share a mutual bath.” Ranma shivered slightly, “So I've always been male when that's happened.”

“So, you just happen to see him while you're a girl, and something stirred inside you?” This caused the redhead to nod slightly. Nabiki leaned forward and brought the young woman into a hug, “But you still like girls, right?”

“Of course I do!” Ranma stated, “I just... don’t know why I reacted like that.”

“Well, it is natural for girls to have some sort of reaction to a male body.” Nabiki started, “I think that your body and your mind are in conflict.” She stated as she held Ranma in her arms. “You may be 100% a guy, but your bodies may react naturally to other things.” She looked down at the redhead before she kissed her forehead. “But just because your body reacts to it, doesn’t mean that you have to act on it.” She stepped back and continued to watch the girl in front of her.

Ranma took that moment to look up at Nabiki, giving her a small smile at the fact that Nabiki was right. ‘That’s right. I still am a guy under all this.’ Ranma thought before hugging the girl back. “Thanks. I guess I needed that.” She said. “Come on, let’s go see Nyoko and Kasumi while Ryouga finishes his bath.”

--LINE BREAK--

A short time later, the four of them were once again gathered in the living room. Kasumi, after Ranma had assured her that Ryouga wouldn't mind her making use of the kitchen, had prepared some tea for everyone, and they were all enjoying a quiet moment in what had already been a hectic day. Kasumi and Nabiki were casually playing with Nyoko, while Ranma and Ryouga were lounging together on the small couch.

"So," Ryouga began in a low growl, breaking the companionable silence that had held sway, "how long have you been using your 'magic', Ranma? I know you have those two under some kind of spell, and Akane knows it too!"

Ranma frowned before turning and bopping him on the head. "Stuff it, P-Chan! I was kind enough to lead you home after that outburst of yours at Shampoo's; I don't want to have to kick you away from it just because you're too pig-headed to realize that I didn't do anything like that. And since when have you begun taking pointers from Kuno?"

"I am NOT taking 'pointers' from Kuno!" Ryouga growled, disgusted at the thought, but also realizing how much he'd sounded like the insane kendoist by accusing Ranma of using magic on others. Still... "But you admit that you're learning magic and you're just the type of guy that WOULD use it to get the girls to do whatever you wanted."

"Don't you mean that YOU'RE just the type?" Ranma growled in return, her eyes narrowed. "I seem to recall several occasions in which YOU'VE attempted to use magic on Akane to get into HER panties..."

"I was NOT!" Ryouga snapped. "I was just trying to rescue her from YOU!"

"Yeah, right. Whatever," Ranma snorted. "In any case, it's just like Cologne said, I've only just started to learn about magic. I can't do anything powerful enough to influence the actions of another person. Least of all, someone as strong-willed as Nabiki or Kasumi." Ranma looked over to the Tendo sisters and smiled, seeing how much they were enjoying playing with Nyoko.

"Oh, so you're saying Akane is weak-willed, is that it? Akane's a wonderful woman and-"

"And what?" Ranma snapped, cutting the Lost Boy off, irritated at him for once again twisting her words to suit his own perceptions of the world. "Sure, she's wonderful to you; nothing you do can ever be wrong. You saw how she was acting when I was leaving the Dojo. She was accusing me of sleeping with Nyoko's mother, among other women. And what were her accusations based on? I'll tell ya... her own insecurities of being a woman, her own distrust in guys, bits and pieces of an overheard conversation that she eavesdropped on, and her own pigheaded refusal to even consider that she might have reached a wrong conclusion." Ranma sighed wearily, pulling her legs up onto the couch and resting her chin upon her knees as she wrapped her arms about her legs. "No, it's over between Akane and me. So don't even talk to me about that violent tomboy. You want her, you can have her. After the things she said about Nyoko and, once again, so callously passing the engagement back over to Nabiki..."

Ryouga looked down and frowned slightly. The last year without Ranma solidified that not all of his problems started with Ranma, but Akane had been frustrated and furious about Ranma not being there for the first few months. It was painful to see Akane worry about Ranma, only to blame him for leaving her within minutes of her expression of worry. He just couldn’t understand why Akane wanted Ranma when she always put him down or got frustrated with him and his antics. Yet, Ryouga couldn’t fault Ranma for that either. Akane’s temper did get the best of her at times, yet it wasn’t directed at him. He chuckled internally at the absurdity of it all, wanting Akane to be free of Ranma, but then turning around and attempting to punish Ranma for doing exactly that, whether intentionally or not. He looked over at Nyoko and wondered what it would be like to be the father of a child himself. He certainly wouldn't stand for anyone saying anything bad about his own children, true or not, and desperately hoped that his Jusenkyo curse wouldn't become a dominant trait for his bloodline, as it would cause all kinds of pain and misery. The Hibiki directional curse was bad enough. Nyoko was certainly a cute baby, and with those unique features, it was almost obvious she was not Ranma’s child.

"I swear, Ranma," Nabiki muttered, sitting up and lifting Nyoko into her arms, turning to face the two on the couch. Not too surprisingly, Nyoko was once again gnawing on her fist. "She may not be your biological daughter, but I'd swear she had some Saotome genes in her ancestry somewhere. She certainly has your appetite." Both sisters giggled at the blushing redhead as Ranma rose from the couch to see to her daughter's 'appetite'.

"Ha ha, very funny, Nabiki," Ranma sighed, accepting Nyoko into her own arms as Nabiki held her up. Kasumi held out the knapsack containing Nyoko's things, but Ranma hesitated as she reached for it. Looking back over to Ryouga, Ranma decided to indulge in a little revenge, especially as, from the feel of Nyoko's diaper, she needed changing as well as feeding. "Ryouga-honey, would you be a dear and bring Nyoko's things into the kitchen for me?" she asked sweetly, not waiting for an answer before heading for the kitchen herself.

Ryouga blinked a few times, but finally rose from the couch to take the knapsack Kasumi held out to him and followed Ranma into the kitchen. Nabiki and Kasumi exchanged glances at Ranma's unusual behavior, but then both broke out in sinister grins as certain possibilities came to mind and they quietly followed after the two to see what mischief Ranma intended.

A few moments later, a wild-eyed Ryouga rushed out of the kitchen, Nyoko's most recently soiled diaper in his hands and held as far away from his nose as he could get it, looking desperately about for somewhere to dispose of the biohazard-bomb he'd been handed before it exploded. Finally, in desperation, Ryouga simply rushed over to the front door, opened it, and threw the 'loaded' diaper as high and as far as he could, before bending over to rest his hands on his knees and begin taking in large gasps of much-needed fresh air.

"Ryouga?" a puzzled feminine voice called.

"Mom?"

--LINE BREAK--

Meanwhile, back in Nerima, a certain myopic duck had managed to make his escape from his confinement in the basement of the Nekohanten, return to human form, and was presently searching high and low for the love of his life. Despite the Amazon Matriarch's best intentions and thanks to the restaurant's ventilation ducting, Mu Tsu had managed to overhear parts of the conversations that had taken place in the dining area of the restaurant while he'd been confined.

The two main conclusions that Mu Tsu had drawn from what little he'd overheard were thus: First, Xian Pu was no longer married to Ranma Saotome and had never been married to him, which was much to Mu Tsu's liking. This first conclusion was, on the whole, correct. Second, Ranma Saotome was in the process of learning a type of magic the old mummy barely knew and, thanks to Ryouga's outburst, was intending to use this magical ability to enslave all the girls in his life into seeing to his perverse pleasures and had apparently already been successful in enslaving the middle Tendo daughter. This second conclusion was, needless to say, greatly in error, but it fit into Mu Tsu's worldview and did not challenge his personal beliefs, so he was running with it.

It was this second, erroneous conclusion that presently had Mu Tsu desperately searching all of Nerima for his beloved Xian Pu, frantic to find and protect her before Saotome could use his magic to enslave her to his will. The fact that Xian Pu was no longer present in Nerima was greatly hampering the young Amazon's search, however, and the fact that he'd been unable to locate Saotome or either of the two elder Tendo sisters only increased Mu Tsu's desperation and anxiety. So much so, in fact, that the young Amazon male finally turned to beseeching the Heavens for a sign as to where he could find his love and was promptly knocked ass over teakettle with a fully loaded soiled diaper to the face.

Whether or not this was an actual 'sign' from the gods would forever remain a mystery, as no deities ever stepped forward to take credit, but the end result was the same in any case. Instead of backtracking to where the offending and odorous projectile had originated and thereby, at least, ending up in the general vicinity of the object of his desperate search... Mu Tsu rushed off to the nearest public bath, cursing Ranma Saotome, specifically, and the inconsiderate parents of babies, in general, every step of the way there.

--LINE BREAK--

Atsuko, meanwhile, had come to the realization that a freshly soiled diaper meant that there was a newborn baby nearby. Her son had been in possession of said diaper and had rushed out of their house; therefore, the baby must be inside the house. Her son would NOT have been in possession of such a diaper unless he had some kind of connection with the mother of said baby and shared some of the responsibility of caring for the same. A year was more than enough time for her son to have met some girl and...

Ryouga paled as his mother's grin became manic.

"Uhm... Mom?" Ryouga tried again, but got no further as he was knocked to the ground by his mother's backpack, which she'd tossed to him before rushing into the house, giggling ecstatically.

"Oh, God," Nabiki chuckled from where she leaned against the kitchen wall, "that was hilarious. Ryouga's expression was priceless."

"He did seem rather... out of sorts, didn't he?" Kasumi added, a mirthful grin adorning her own face.

"Serves the idiot right," Ranma joined in with a grin as she finished securing a clean diaper about her daughter, before turning to check on the heating bottle of baby formula on the stove. "Even so, I thought his reaction was a bit extreme. I mean, he's the only guy I know who can actually 'eat' Akane's cooking and that often looks and smells worse than anything you'd find in a baby's diaper."

"Ranma!" Kasumi chided softly. "That's not a nice thing to say. Even if it's true, you shouldn't say such things... aloud anyway."

"Sorry, Kasumi," Ranma responded, securing the nipple to the baby bottle and, after checking that it was the correct temperature, she gently lifted Nyoko in her arms and placed the bottle near her breast, hoping to coax her once more to take the bottle. After a minute, the baby latched onto the bottle’s nipple and began to drink from the bottle. Once Nyoko started feeding, Ranma looked over at the two elder Tendo sisters and gave them a comforting smile. “At least she’s getting used to the bottle,” Ranma said, before looking down at her daughter.

“And she’s not fussing very much.” Nabiki said, “As long as she’s happy and healthy, you’ll be doing a good job.”

“Thanks, Nabs,” Ranma said, rocking slightly from side to side, while Kasumi and Nabiki watched her feed the child. They both smiled at the way Ranma was almost naturally taking care of Nyoko, even though it had only been a few days since they got her from Xeris. This caused the two young women to frown slightly at the thoughts that crept up from her death.

‘If only we had a chance to meet Ranma’s friend sooner,’ Nabiki and Kasumi thought at the same time as they looked over Nyoko.

“Sounds like you're doing a good job so far,” a new voice added, causing the occupants of the kitchen to turn towards the entryway. Standing there was a woman who appeared to be in her late-thirties to early-forties, about Ryouga's height, with shoulder-length unruly black hair, the bangs of which were kept out of her expressive brown eyes with the application of a bright yellow bandanna tied about her head. She was a stout woman, without appearing fat or overly muscled, and fairly attractive with sun-bronzed skin and a reasonably good figure. Her clothing, which consisted of a sturdy work shirt, shorts, and hiking boots, all bore evidence of long use. While she didn't have a backpack with her, there was no doubt as to who this woman was, as the Hibiki 'fangs' were clearly in evidence as she grinned broadly. This was clearly Ryouga's mother. “Besides, anyone can be a parent, but it takes a nurturing personality to become someone’s mother.” She said before the woman almost teleported over from the entryway to Ranma’s side to gaze adoringly down upon Nyoko.

“Huh?” Ranma asked, confused at Mrs. Hibiki’s comment. Then her eyes began to widen at the implications of what was said to her. “But I’m a...”

“Now ‘Ranko’,” Nabiki stated, interrupting the redhead before she could say anything. “You are turning into a mom with your newborn baby here.” Nabiki smiled mischievously as she looked at her sister.

“Nabiki...” Ranma frowned, giving the girl a warning look.

“Oh my, yes,” Kasumi said, also smiling slightly like her sister before her, “You’re turning into a wonderful mom for little Nyoko.” Kasumi leaned back against the kitchen counter before continuing, “You’ll be the ‘pride’ of this family as she grows older and she has more siblings.”

“You too, Kasumi?” Ranma asked plaintively, while Atsuko grinned broadly, confirming her suspicions that ‘Ranko’ was the child’s birth mother.

“It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear,” Atsuko said, giving her apparent 'daughter-in-law' a welcoming hug, being careful not to jostle her 'grandchild'. "I'm Ryouga's mother, Atsuko Hibiki. Welcome to the family, Daughter. You simply MUST tell me how you managed to get my son over his extreme shyness enough to produce that little cutie.” The woman looked over the two with a comforting smile. “ I had to use about a pint of imported Jack Daniel's whiskey on Ryouga's father, myself. So it’s Nyoko, right?”

Ranma released a weary sigh. The last thing she wanted or needed was even more misunderstandings. "Yes. Her name's Nyoko," Ranma said, gently pulling the empty bottle away from Nyoko’s lips before turning her around to start to burp her. "Mrs. Hibiki, despite what you may think and despite what my friends are implying..."

"'Jack Daniel's'?" Nabiki asked, interrupting, one eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Atsuko responded, still gazing adoringly upon the baby. "As Ranko can likely tell you, the Hibiki men are a bit... high-strung and, initially at least, extremely shy when it comes to being... intimate with girls. I found that a liberal amount of Jack Daniel's whiskey got Ryouga's father over the worst of it. Enough so, at least, for us to have Ryouga.” She stated. “Akira's not nearly so shy about sexual matters any longer, and I've long since learned quite a few... techniques to deal with him being so high-strung and prolonging our lovemaking for quite a while. I'm sure Ranko would find them most useful to... 'enhance' her own pleasure when being intimate with her husband."

Ranma's interest had been piqued at the mention of 'techniques', as had the interest of Nabiki and Kasumi, although each had different reasons for being interested. But Ranma rapidly lost much of her own interest when she realized that Atsuko was intending for 'her' to use them with Ryouga. Speaking of whom...

"Mom?" Ryouga called, stepping into the entryway to the kitchen, his mother's backpack in hand.

"Ryouga," Atsuko chided her son, walking over to him and retrieving her backpack, "why didn't you write and tell me that you'd gotten married to such a beautiful young girl and started a family? Have you told your father? What about your baby sister? Does she know about this? And have you seen her lately?”

"Baby sister?" Ryouga blinked, his eyes darting momentarily to Ranma.

"You mean to tell me that he hasn't even told you about his own family?" Atsuko asked, more than a little shocked. "Granted, Yoiko was born with more than her own share of the family directional curse, but that's no reason to forget about her and not even mention her to his own wife."

"Yoiko..." Ranma began, disbelievingly.

"...Hibiki?" Nabiki finished, recalling what little she'd heard about the time Ranma had pretended to be Ryouga's little sister. As well as the time she found a Yoiko Hibiki on her journey. Coincidence seemed to be stretching a bit thin here.

Atsuko sighed wearily. "Yoiko is Ryouga's younger sister by two years. As I said, she inherited more than her fair share of the family curse, so even I haven't seen her in a couple of years," Atsuko said sadly. "The last time she was actually home, that I know of, was back when Ryouga was able to attend junior high for quite a while. I even remember how she'd developed this HUGE crush over that boy you were always fighting with back then, Ryouga. What was his name, Ranma or something like that, wasn't it?" she asked. Unnoticed by the others, Atsuko's eyes darted briefly towards her supposed 'daughter-in-law', before she continued, "She'd only met him that one time, but had convinced herself that HE was the boy she'd eventually marry. She was still looking for him when I last saw her."

"Is this ringing any bells, Ranma?" Nabiki quietly whispered to the redhead.

"I... I think so," Ranma replied just as quietly, struggling to remember the time she'd attended junior high school with Ryouga. Had she met a girl named 'Yoiko'? Ryouga's little sister? Is that why she assumed that name when she pretended to be Ryouga's sister? Vaguely, the image of a young girl with blonde hair and stunning green eyes came to mind. ‘Yes, Yoiko from France,’ Ranma thought as she remembered the younger girl that she managed to try and help get back home. Only to lose her in London.

"Hibiki-san..." Ranma began, "Does Yoiko have 'blonde' hair?"

"And bright green eyes," Atsuko added, nodding. "She inherited her looks from her grandmother, who was an American.”

"I think I recall meeting her once," Ranma admitted, looking towards Ryouga, "years ago. And most recently. I can't believe you'd forget your own sister, Ryouga."

"Uhm..." Ryouga said nervously, reluctant to admit that he HAD forgotten. If it wasn't for his own mother saying that he DID have a little sister, he still wouldn't believe it. And yet, his mother's description did bring to mind images of a hyper little girl who had seemed to pester him endlessly to find out everything he knew about Ranma.

"Ryouga, I left some groceries out front," Atsuko announced. "If you'll bring them inside, I'm certain Ranko and I can prepare a pleasant dinner for us all in short order."

Ryouga didn't argue, finding the task a handy excuse to vacate the room full of women; he merely turned about and called for Shirokuro. He didn't actually need to be led to the front of the house, but once he stepped outside... it would be nice to be led BACK into the house.

"I can help with dinner, if you'd like," Kasumi offered.

"Nonsense, dear," Atsuko politely refused. "You're a guest in our home and a friend of my daughter-in-law. Speaking of which, Ranko-dear, would you be kind enough to introduce me to them?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Mrs. Hibiki, this is Kasumi and Nabiki Tendo," she said, indicating each in turn, "my friends. Kasumi, Nabiki, this is Atsuko Hibiki, Ryouga's mother."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Atsuko said, bowing to her guests.

"Mrs. Hibiki," Ranma said, getting the older woman's attention. "Despite what you've been led to believe, I am not your son's wife, nor is Nyoko his daughter. I'm sorry. I'm just a friend of Ryouga's. My name's Ranma Saotome."

"Oh, darn," Atsuko said, clearly disappointed, but not upset over the revelation. "I was so hoping he'd gotten over his shyness and started his own family." Atsuko then paused, looking Ranma over carefully. "Hmm... I seem to remember another 'Ranma Saotome', but he was a boy? Jusenkyo?"

"Unfortunately," Ranma sighed. "I take it Ryouga's told you about it?"

"The last time we met," Atsuko nodded. "I suspected that you were the Jusenkyo cursed boy he was going on and on about. You would have made such a lovely daughter-in-law, too."

Kasumi and Nabiki both expected to hear Ranma's usual denials about such a possibility and were suitably surprised when said denials didn't manifest.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hibiki," Ranma said politely. "But I'm not planning on marrying anyone, boy or girl, any time soon."

"What about the father of your child?" Atsuko asked. "Surely you don't intend to remain as an unwed mother? Or... are you actually the father?"

"It's a long story, Hibiki-san," Ranma sighed.

"Well, seeing as I'm finally home, I certainly have the time to hear it," Atsuko stated with a grin. "And I've always enjoyed a good story.”

And so, Ranma once again related the story of how she'd come to be Nyoko's parent as they all went about the task of preparing that evening's dinner. Of course, this had led to the reasons for Ranma's 'training journey' to be explained and so on. In the end, with many additions and interruptions from the others, Ranma all but recounted her entire life's story. By the time she'd finished relating it all, it had grown quite late into the evening.

"Oh my, Nabiki and I really should be getting home," Kasumi stated, noting the lateness of the hour. "If we hurry, we should be able to catch the last..." Kasumi paused, remembering the reason they were at the Hibiki’s to begin with. "Oh dear, where is Ranma going to stay?"

"Don't worry about me, Kasumi," Ranma spoke up, gently rocking a sleeping Nyoko. "I'll be okay. I've got my tent and other things, and there's a park just down the road I can stay the night in."

"I'll hear of no such thing!" Atsuko stated flatly. "If you are in need of a place to stay, then you may stay here. In fact, I suggest that you all stay for the night. It's much too late to be walking the streets at this hour or riding the trains. We have plenty of room, after all. Kasumi and Nabiki can share Yoiko's room and, if you've no objections, you can sleep in Ryouga’s room with him, or share my own room. But I will NOT allow you to take that baby out to sleep in some park when you don't have to."

Unable to adequately argue against such sentiments, and not all that willing to do so either, they all set about the task of preparing their rooms for the night.

--LINE BREAK--

Theodore Diggers watched his wife, Julia, as she strapped their children into their seats on the aircraft. This flight to Japan would be the longest trip they'd ever taken that didn't make use of his ability to teleport. It wasn't that he couldn't use the spell itself, but that he possessed no real familiarity with any location in Japan, and without a clear mental image of the target location, teleporting would be an unwarranted risk. If it had just been himself, he might have risked teleporting to save time, but he would never take such risks with his family. Taking his own seat and securing his seatbelt, he clasped his wife's hand gently within his own, once she'd taken her own seat. He wondered what news Ku Lon would have for him as he settled back into his seat, watching over his daughters, his biological daughter, Gina Babbette, and his adopted daughter, Britanny Elin.

Julia's own thoughts were in close harmony with her husband's, wondering what awaited them in the Land of the Rising Sun. "Theo, did Ku Lon say anything about what the surprise was?"

"No, dear," Theo said, shaking his head. "I was mentioning Britanny when she just stopped talking. Then she asked about her race." He rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease some of the tension he was feeling. "If this is what I think it is, we may have found a relative of Britanny's." Theo hoped that was the case.

The redheaded woman nodded in agreement, reaching over to calm Gina as the plane began to pull away from the terminal and move towards the runway. "I just hope this 'pupil' of hers won't ask for Britanny. I don't think I could give her up.”

--LINE BREAK--

It was a little after midnight when a purple-haired cat crawled through the slightly open window of Ryouga's bedroom. Xian Pu followed the group to this house and had unobtrusively listened in on their conversations, waiting until they'd all gone to sleep before daring to enter the house itself, intending to check on the baby. Well, that's what she told herself anyway, but she still released a relieved sigh when she noted that her Airen was sleeping in the Lost Boy's room, rather than with the Tendo sisters.

Jumping easily from the windowsill to the edge of the Nihon Ikuji crib that had been set up in the room, she looked down upon the sleeping infant and released another sigh, this time of longing. Nyoko was such a beautiful baby, and Xian Pu wanted more than anything to have one of her own, with Ranma as the father of said baby, naturally. Speaking of whom…

Turning about on the narrow lip of the crib, Xian Pu eased into a comfortable sitting position, her tail dangling down into the crib to help maintain her balance. Ranma, still in girl-form, was sleeping in a futon beside the crib, and Xian Pu took this opportunity to once again admire her Airen's beauty as she'd done many times since following him to Japan. She idly wondered how things might have gone differently if she'd given the petite redhead the 'Kiss of Sisterhood' instead of the 'Kiss of Death' on that day so long ago. Would Ranma have accepted a position within the tribe? Would they have become lovers by now? Xian Pu easily admitted now, if only to herself, that she'd allowed her injured pride to guide her actions on that day and that her actions had been in error. As had been many of her actions since, as well, she grudgingly admitted to herself. It was likely going to take a long time before her Airen trusted her enough to consider her as more than just an annoying acquaintance, but Xian Pu just couldn't imagine her life anymore without Ranma being a part of it.

Yank

Xian Pu's eyes went wide, scrambling to maintain her position on the edge of the crib, as her tail was pulled on. It was a futile effort; however, her claws were unable to gain a secure purchase on the aluminum tubing, and a second, harder pull on her tail yanked her down into the crib with a soft thump. Righting herself, Xian Pu hissed softly and turned about to face her assailant, prepared to give them a mauling that they would long remember... only to freeze upon seeing that it was Nyoko that had hold of her tail. Relaxing and sheathing her claws, Xian Pu began batting gently against Nyoko's hands until she released her grip on her tail. Able to move now, Xian Pu began purring softly, comfortingly, and began the task of trying to coax Nyoko back to sleep, nudging the child about with her head and paws.

"MeERK!" She had seen Nyoko beginning to reach for her, and Xian Pu had begun to gently dissuade the child. Then, in a surprising burst of unexpected speed, Xian Pu found herself yanked down against Nyoko and held rather tightly with surprising strength. Try as she might, she just couldn't seem to get free of the baby's hold, and she was more than a little unwilling to try harder, as that would involve hurting Nyoko.

"So... I thought I saw you hanging around earlier."

"Mew?" Xian Pu questioned, looking up to see a sleepy Ranma peering over the edge of the crib. Immediately, she tensed up and was about to begin shoving Nyoko further away when she noticed that Ranma wasn't showing any of her usual fear reactions to the presence of a cat. "Miyah?" she questioned curiously, making a show of looking upon her own cat form and back up at her Airen.

Ranma let out a sigh, one hand rising to brush through her hair. "No, I'm not afraid of you, or other cats, anymore. I'm not 'xactly cured of the Neko-ken, but... We'll talk about that later." Ranma looked at the way Nyoko was nuzzling herself firmly against Xian Pu's furry body and sighed softly. "Nyoko probably misses her mother's fur... something I can never give her..." She watched the two for a time, obviously in deep thought, before speaking again. "Look, Shampoo, promise me that you won't try anything... and I won't object to your being around Nyoko... or me. Okay?"

That didn't even require any thought on Xian Pu's part, as she would never do anything that could harm a baby, and she wasn't about to do anything that could set her chances back of getting into her Airen's good graces again. Lifting her right forepaw, Xian Pu let out a most solemn-sounding, "Mew."

"Okay. We'll talk more in the morning," Ranma said with a yawn, peering over her shoulder towards where Ryouga was softly snoring in his bed, dead to the world. ‘Would I be able to sleep just as heavily as he is right now?’ she wondered. Ever since Nyoko had come into her care, even if it was only for one day, she had maintained a constant state of vigilance, even in her sleep, which was how the very soft 'thump' of Xian Pu's falling into the crib had woken her. Of course, with Ryouga's curse as a walking Blue Plate Special, that particular bed was likely the only place in the world that Ryouga felt he could truly relax his own guard. Ryouga had even, hesitantly, offered to let her use it, rather than the futon she was presently using, but she hadn't felt right about it, seeing as it was his bed and he so rarely got to use it himself. True, it was a rather 'sexist' offer, seeing that he'd probably only made it due to her being in her female form, but... he had made the offer, even knowing the truth of her real gender. At least he hadn't offered to 'share' the bed with her... she probably wouldn't have been able to get any sleep then, especially after her thoughts in the bathing room earlier that day.

Xian Pu watched her Airen as she stared for an unusually long time at the sleeping Lost Boy, and she couldn't be certain due to her cat-form's lack of color vision, but it appeared as if her Airen may have blushed slightly for some reason before reclining back onto her futon and returning to sleep. Was there something going on between the two, she wondered worriedly. Her Airen was certainly spending a great deal of time in his cursed form lately; could it be affecting him? She, herself, had noted that her own cursed form tended to view other cats differently than she had before becoming cursed. She'd certainly never thought of finding this or that tom particularly 'handsome' until she'd been cursed, especially during those times when she was... fertile. It was one of her deepest, darkest secrets that she pursued Ranma so ruthlessly because she feared that she would eventually encounter a tom that she'd find exceptionally handsome and worthy enough for consideration... unless she were already 'mated'.

Pushing away such disturbing thoughts, Xian Pu set about the task of making herself comfortable and getting some sleep. It wouldn't be the first time she'd sat 'baby watch', although it was the first time she'd done so as a cuddle toy. ‘It’s going to be a long night, ’ she sighed to herself.