Ranma ½ Career Opportunities 6

[Lawra]

“This is a terribly bad idea and I will be saying I told you so.” Ranma told Washu just before he and his former roommates were transported down to Earth, specifically to Nerima.

On the other side of the brief lightshow, Ranma found himself on a reasonably familiar street near Furinkan. The local populace was going about their daily business, and since it was a school day that eliminated at least five people who could cause a disturbance. Ukyo, Akane, Nabiki, and the two male Kunos would be at Furinkan. The female Kuno would be at her own school and likely wouldn’t be skipping just to track Ranma down for a random encounter. That meant aside from one such random encounter, he only had to worry about Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse.

His wrist computer beeped, drawing his attention as Washu’s happily smiling face appeared on a viewscreen. “Oh and since you’re out around normal Earthlings, I can’t have your little problem leading to injury.” She explained a second before he felt the limiting garment kick in. “Have fun!” Washu waved before cutting the connection.

“Washu!” Ranma yelled at the blank viewscreen. “That!” He sputtered in rage.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you if any wild animals attack.” Corina patted him on the shoulder.

“This isn’t the wild.” He replied with a deadpan look at the Seniwan girl. “And it’s not wild animals I’m worried about, though Ryoga could probably be called one.”

“Are you really that concerned with being attacked?” Adilynn asked, her eyes inspecting someone who was walking by and making a point to ignore the trio. “Is this planet lawless?”

“Just the people I know.” Ranma groaned. This had to be a big elaborate plot of some sort. Washu, Seto, some other shadowy figure waiting in the wings? It didn’t matter, he now had to play tour guide to two aliens, and was limited to being a normal human. At least he didn’t have to do it as a girl, though looking down at his wrist, he finally remembered that he hadn’t given Washu back the disguise field.

“Lighten up.” Corina rolled her eyes. “This is the first time we’ve ever been near a developing world. So come on, show us what life is like here.”

“I would be interested in seeing some of their computer systems.” Adilynn added.

“Well-- I think there’s a shop that has some computer stuff nearby.” Ranma tried to focus on the positives. He was back on Earth, he could explore some old haunts, and the people he was showing around were still his friends even after finding out that he been a guy the whole time he had been living with them. There were probably others, but he just wanted to keep things simple, and not think too much.

Several hours later, Ranma was starting to enjoy being a tour guide for the two aliens. Corina had done it for him the first night he had been at the academy, so now he was returning the favor. The orange haired girl was enjoying everything with muted excitement. Adilynn was caressing an old circuit board like it was valuable, and not simply picked out of the trash. The two GP cadets did receive some looks for wearing the pink and white uniforms.

“I’m pretty sure that if someone throws something like that out, it’s not worth anything.” Ranma tried to tell the girl.

“No way!” Adilynn protested. “Circuit boards like this are a collectors dream! It’s all soldered together; there are transistors, capacitors, resistors, all these ancient microchips. No one makes anything like this anymore, not for thousands of years.”

“Alright.” He held up his hands in defeat.

“Is there any place to get a drink around here?” Corina asked while wiping from sweat from her forehead.

Ranma glanced at a vending machine that was serving drinks before writing that off because he didn’t have any money. It was a warmer day out and it would be nice to spend some time out of the sun. He was noticing the lower quality air as well, going from the perfect air out in space, to the quiet wilderness at the Masaki shrine, and now to a highly populated city made it very noticeable.

“There is one place.” He said slowly.

School was just getting out for the day so Ukyo wouldn’t have her shop open for another forty five minutes or so. The only place where he might be able to swing free drinks and it had air conditioning was the Nekohanten. He could head over to the Tendo’s, but he wasn’t ready to open up that can of worms yet. Corina and Adilynn should be able to handle the Joketsuzoku girl if she tried anything violent since they were both body enhanced, while Cologne had stayed out of the action for a long time now, and never made any threatening moves towards Ukyo or Akane.

“But if this purple haired girl challenges you to a fight, or tries to wash your hair it’s best if you say no to both.” He explained to the pair.

“Wash our hair?” They both asked before Ranma started to explain the memory erasing technique.

X x x x x x

“So how was your trip, Shampoo?”

“Oh too too fun great grandmother.” Shampoo gushed as she sat with her relative. Having been in China for the past week to see a cousin who had recently had a baby, she was happy to be back in Nerima, and would be tracking down Ranma later to have some fun. “Epil’s baby is the cutest. I have pictures.” She produced the pictures from her travel bag and handed them to Cologne.

“I should visit as well.” The elderly woman smiled at the pictures. “But someone has to be here to make sure Son-in-law doesn’t get himself in too much trouble.”

“Maybe invite Airen?” She suggested. It would give her time to show her betrothed the village since he hadn’t had a chance to see much the first time.

Cologne laughed to herself. “If you could get him to go.” The elder turned towards the entryway. “Speaking of Son-in-law.”

“Airen?” She asked hopefully, spinning on her seat to see him entering into the restaurant, she smiled brightly, and was off her chair to bound over to him. “Airen!” She cried happily and glomped on to him, nearly bowling him over from the force. “You come visit now I back from trip?”

“You were on a trip?” He asked and her smile quickly evaporated. “Since when?”

“For last week.” She squeezed her arms tighter around his neck. “You no notice Shampoo gone?”

“I’ve been gone for the past two weeks, no one told me anything about a trip, so how could I know you were gone?” Ranma asked incredulously.

“Shampoo forget tell you?” She asked and he nodded. “Oh.” Cuddling up to him again, she sighed happily. “No problem then.”

“Ranma you seem to have a gift for overstating things.” A girl that Shampoo was just noticing spoke up. She had orange hair, her skin was tanned, triangle shaped ears, and was very tall. She was wearing a pink and white uniform of some sort along with a second but normal looking non-Asian girl standing off to the side.

“Who you?” Shampoo asked, gripping Ranma possessively.

“Interesting clothing you have there, Son-in-law.” Cologne hopped up to them on her staff. “And your two friends.”

“How bout I explain it over something to drink and maybe some ramen?” Ranma suggested.

“If it’s interesting enough.” Cologne looked over to her. “Go put your things up in your room while I get Son-in-law and his friends something.”

X x x x x x

‘I knew this would work.’ Ranma thought to himself as Cologne quickly poured them all a glass of ice water. Corina was sitting next to him and Adilynn was on the far side.

“So what have you been doing these past two weeks?” Cologne asked while taking a seat on top of the table. “I thought it was kind of quiet around here after you had that fight with your father.”

“How’d you find out about that?” He asked after taking a drink.

“I have my ways.” The elderly woman answered with a smirk on her wrinkled face.

‘Probably a certain duck or cat.’ He thought morosely, wondering how much Cologne actually spied on him.

“So? What have you been up to?” Cologne repeated her earlier question.

“Oh just having my life turned upside down.” Ranma responded casually. “How have you been? Still alive or did you just keep walking around?”

“Funny.” The old woman narrowed her eyes but refrained from bashing him on the head. “And your new friends?”

“We’re he-his roommates.” Corina quickly corrected her mistake.

“Roommates?” Cologne asked in amusement. “Has something happened between you and the Tendo girl? I can’t imagine her letting you live with two women.”

“It was just temporary.” He answered quickly. “And ya I’m not living at the Tendo’s anymore.”

“Where are you living then? If you’ve finally broken up with Miss Tendo, there is always a place here with Shampoo.” The old woman suggested.

“It’s very far away and honestly I’m just visiting for the day to show my friends around. This is their first time in Japan.” Ranma answered after a moment of thought.

“Airen is leaving?” Shampoo asked worriedly as she bounced up to the table.

‘Whoops.’ Ranma realized his mistake in telling them any details on his living arrangements. “It’s on a special training trip. Invite only.”

“Hmm.” Cologne rubbed her chin thoughtfully while Shampoo pouted on her way back to the kitchen. “Your friends carry themselves well but do not look like trained fighters. What are you up to, honestly?”

“Galaxy spanning empires, political intrigue, spaceships, solar system sized schools, crazy scientists thousands of years old, and psychic trees.” Ranma ticked off various things that he had encountered and it earned him a smack on the top of the head.

“Don’t let that tongue get ahead of you, boy.”

“Well if I had some food, I wouldn’t have to talk so much.” He rubbed at his head and caught sight of Shampoo coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of food, and booting Mousse back through the doorway as an afterthought.

“Here go husband.” Shampoo announced and placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him while pointedly ignoring anything for Corina and Adilynn.

“Shampoo.” Cologne drew the girl’s attention and Ranma noticed a switch between what he was hearing and the words that were being formed by the old woman’s mouth.

‘She must be speaking in Chinese.’ He reasoned, the translator built into his clothing was doing it’s job.

“Don’t be petty, go back into the kitchen, and get our other two guests their food. I invited them here to find out where your betrothed has been. Do not make me or yourself out to be a bad host, it reflects badly.” Cologne chastised Shampoo who quickly vanished back into the kitchen. The old woman turned back to him and seemed to switch back to Japanese. “I hope you won’t be too busy with your food to give me a straight answer.”

“I gave you a straight answer.” He told her through a mouthful of noodles. ‘They might be nuts but the Joketsuzoku make great ramen.’ Glancing at his former roommates who were watching the interplay with amusement. “Right?”

“He is.” Adilynn answered.

“I’ll get the truth out of you eventually.” Cologne sighed and stepped off the table to balance on her staff. “Be sure to pay on your way out.”

“Hey! You said.” Ranma started protest.

“If it was interesting enough.” Cologne interrupted as she hopped away. “Shampoo! Is that a delivery? Quit wasting time and get to it!” The old woman yelled as she entered the kitchen.

“We never got anything though.” Corina told him.

“Hmm.” Ranma stared down at his empty bowl. “Probably won’t either.”

“So, how was it?” Adilynn asked with narrowed eyes and crossed arms.

“Uh, heh heh.” He laughed nervously. “I don’t really have any yen on me either.”

“I assume that’s the local currency.” Corina tapped a finger to her chin. “Doesn’t really seem like our problem, right Addy?”

“No, not at all. No reason to pay for something we never had.” The black haired girl stood up and pushed in her chair.

Glancing to see if Cologne was around, he stood up and hastily pushed the two girls towards the doorway. “She’s mad at me already, so skipping out won’t really matter.”

X x x x x x

“So this is why you have been taking your time with Ranma’s enhancement.” Seto commented as she gazed at the ship in dry dock before her. It was certainly nowhere near the size of a Galaxy Police cruiser but large enough to be a perfect target for pirates. The hull was constructed of two sections, a white elongated octahedron made up the main body while a red outer hull formed a set of wings along the sides that curled up and over the cockpit. Seto smiled, expecting the ship to perform above and beyond the original specifications.

“Me?” Washu asked in mock indignation. “It’s hardly my fault that he has issues that need addressing.”

“True.”

“As for the ship, I had to make a few improvements to the designs.” The red head audibly preened. “And of course this is a fully joint operation between Jurai and the Galaxy Police, correct?”

“Of course.” Smirking at the thought of a united power like that, Seto turned away from the ship to look at Washu. “I will need Ranma to start his practical training soon. It’s not going to be beneficial for him in the long term to stay on Earth.”

“Agreed.”

“And when did you plan to tell him?”

“I was waiting to see his reaction. When he gets back tonight I’ll explain.”

“Excellent. Handling that would have been impossible without your assistance.”

“It was my pleasure, although I can’t take all the credit.” Washu shifted to look at a new child-like figure clad in a burgundy and black dress floating in the space to her right.

“I’d hope not Nee-sama.” Tokimi frowned cutely at the red head before addressing Seto. “Thank you for bringing that reality distortion to my attention. While I was able to restore most of the space time anomalies from the incident with Z, there are still many small ones that escape my notice.”

“I’m at a loss for words, having one of the Choushin thanking me.” Holding a hand up to her heart, she was flattered in the extreme that such a being would take an interest in her.

“Then I must be going. I have been distracted with other things and still need to correct the other anomalies that resulted from that.” Tokimi tilted her head and smiled before vanishing from sight.

“Shall we see what the children are up to?” Washu asked with an amused smirk.

X x x x x x

Ryoga paused in his travels to look at the three directions offered by the road intersecting the one he was currently walking down. ‘Hmm, left or right? Or should I just go straight?’ Taking off his backpack and sitting down on the grass to the side of the road, he sighed. ‘What’s the use?’ He thought, watching a small car plod along and come to a stop next to him. ‘One direction is as good as the other.’

Rolling down the window, an older man raised an eyebrow at him. “Young man, what are you doing way out here?”

“Just trying to get back to Nerima.” Ryoga answered.

“Nerima? Isn’t that in Tokyo? You’re a long way from there.”

“Which direction?”

“Direction? Well the road I’m on is going North. So if you take that one you’ll get there eventually.” The man pointed down the path to Ryoga’s left.

“Thanks.” Shouldering his pack once again, Ryoga started off down the road indicated.

X x x x x x

“Drop it, Nabiki.” Akane groaned as she made her way back home after school.

“So how much longer are you going to tell everyone that Ranma’s on vacation?”

“As long as Kuno keeps believing it.” It hadn’t taken long before Ranma’s removal from Furinkan had become public knowledge and Kuno had initially tried to start up his ridiculous morning challenges. In a moment of sheer brilliance, Akane had been able to convince him that Ranma was off on a training mission and would be coming back to challenge Kuno. This resulted in her unwanted suitor going off to dedicate himself to training. Of course it did have the problem of Kuno asking her every day if Ranma had returned.

Turning to her dear sweet elder sister, Akane narrowed her eyes. “And don’t you dare do whatever it is that you have rattling around your head.”

“Would I?” Nabiki asked innocently.

“Do I have to answer that?” She rolled her eyes and ignored any retort to enter her home. Not seeing Kasumi outside or in the kitchen, she continued on to the living room to greet her non-mercenary sister when she stopped dead.

“Oh hey, Akane.” Ranma greeted, waving as he casually sipped on some drink, and sitting at the table like he had never left.

‘Isn’t that just like him?’ She thought wistfully, noting that he had strange but upscale looking clothing on once again, and had a silver headband covering part of his forehead for some reason. ‘

“Welcome back.” Kasumi greeted from her place at the table. “Ranma stopped by with some friends.”

“Friends?” Akane finally noticed the two girls that were also sitting at the table. One was a giant with a deep tan and orange hair while the other looked normal but a strange ethnicity.

“These are my old roommates.” Ranma went on to introduce them but Akane tuned him out, realizing that these would be the two Ranma had seen naked.

The vein in her forehead throbbed and she had already knocked Ranma’s head through the floor before she realized that she was moving. “You idiot! You run off to space, leave me to deal with the idiots here, you show up with two girls you’ve been peeping on, and you act like I should be happy to see you?!”

“Nice to see you too.” Ranma groaned from beneath the floor.

“Akane, we have guests, can’t you wait till Ranma does something before you hit him?” Kasumi admonished her.

“I guess.” She answered, finally reigning in her anger.

“How interesting.” Nabiki took a seat across from the two new girls. “I take it you’re aliens? Do you speak Japanese?”

“Yes to both.” The tall one answered, watching Ranma pull himself back up. “I may not be familiar with Earth customs but is it customary to greet someone with violence?”

“Don’t be put off by my little spark plug of a sister’s violent outbursts. She is deeply and madly in love with Ranma but is equally in denial of her feelings.” Nabiki explained.

“Hey! I don’t love him.” Akane corrected Nabiki’s earlier statement. “So why are you here?”

“I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d stop by.” He answered.

“With them?” She still wasn’t too certain about the two girls. They must have known about Ranma’s real gender by now and they were visiting here? “No offense or anything.”

“Honestly, I told Cologne the truth earlier and she didn’t believe me.”

“You went to see Shampoo?” Akane interrupted Ranma.

“I’m their tour guide.” He continued on without answering her question about Shampoo. “Not too sure what Seto’s angle is in all this.” Ranma mused to himself.

“Seto? That woman from the other night?” She asked.

X x x x x x

Ranma nodded to Akane and took a moment to rub at his head. He had barely felt the blow that she had delivered. ‘Guess even though I’m not strong, that doesn’t make me not tough.’ A small consolation considering Akane could just beat him into the ground all day long.

“So where’s Pop and your old man?” He asked. The brief conversation he had with Kasumi before the other two sisters had shown up had not reached that point.

“Happosai dragged them off for special training.” Nabiki answered.

“Phew, last thing I wanted to do was deal with him.” He breathed out a sigh of relief. Who knew what the little freak would have done now that Ranma-chan was no more.

“Actually it’s because of you. He wasn’t happy to hear that they let you run off.” Akane explained.

“Is this Happosai a good friend?” Corina asked.

“No, no, no, no.” Ranma replied quickly. “Be very happy that little monster isn’t here.”

“Your mom might have something to do with that. She’s been stopping by almost nonstop.” Akane spoke up again. “It’s the weirdest thing, your mom’s ideas about being manly are basically being like Happosai-- but she absolutely despises him.”

“Well there’s a plus.” He reasoned. His mother couldn’t be truly crazy if she hated Happosai.

“Actually she’ll probably be stopping by any time.” Akane tacked on and cupped a hand behind her ear. “I can hear the doorbell now.” Ranma was about to make a sarcastic joke about how Akane’s humor had been worth traveling across the galaxy to hear, but stopped with the doorbell did ring.

“Ooh that was good timing, Akane.” Kasumi rose from her position to answer the door.

A partial smile appeared on Ranma’s face, imagining that it actually was his mother. With the curse gone he no longer had any reason to be concerned over a meeting. At least not with her demanding that he slit his stomach with a knife before his head would be taken off. Then again, Nodoka didn’t know about the curse, and Ranma still had little clue on what he was going to be judged by. So when Kasumi returned explaining to someone out of sight that their son was here, he panicked, and quickly reached for the disguise field.

The disguise field fully kicked in just as Kasumi came around the corner with Nodoka. The Saotome woman’s eyes rapidly scanned the room and upon finding only females they fell briefly before locking on him momentarily. Ranma caught his former roommate’s looking at him in confusion but ignored it to wave at his mother hesitantly.

“I thought you said my son was here, Kasumi?” Nodoka asked the Tendo girl, a suspicious tone creeping into her voice.

Kasumi wrung her hands nervously as her eyes widened to look like a deer in headlights. “Well-- he was here.”

“He had to go!” Ranma blurted out loudly, hopping to his feet. “A dangerous mission out in space-- with space pirates.” He explained, trying to come up with a more elaborate lie to for the inevitable questions. Ranma yelped in pain as Akane stomped on his foot.

“What are you doing?” The youngest Tendo sister hissed.

“Trying not to get my head cut off.” He answered in a voice too low for Nodoka to hear.

“As long as he’s being manly.” Nodoka beamed, appearing suddenly behind him, and placing her hands on his shoulders.

‘When did she move?’ Ranma asked himself.

“Midori-chan it’s great to see you again.” Nodoka announced and without waiting started to drag him from the room. “I need a word in private.”

“Uh-- okay.” He allowed his mother to lead him out in the hall, curious over her actions.

X x x x x x

“Developing planets are certainly different.” Corina nodded to herself, calmly sipping on a strange tasting fruit juice.

“Agreed.” Adilynn nodded in agreement.

“Think we should help Ranma out?”

“It’s too hot, let him handle it.” The other cadet waved her hand dismissively.

X x x x x x

‘Just keep calm Saotome, it’s just your mom, who thinks she is talking to a girl named Midori. Or she somehow made the connection and figured out that Midori doesn’t exactly exist, and-- and she’s going to demand you commit seppuku because your old man is a complete and total moron.’ Ranma’s shoulders slumped, realizing the stupid situation he had just put himself in. If he revealed himself to Nodoka now she would likely try to get him to fulfill Genma’s pact. If Midori simply vanished then eventually his mother would ask where she went.

“Midori-chan, did you hear me?”

“Uh-- no.” He answered after a moment of hesitation at the name.

“I asked who are your parents, dear?”

Ranma gulped and struggled to think up a lie. He could say Seto was his mother, but he didn’t know if she was monitoring this somehow and it might be taken as approval for her offer. “Well--“ He fidgeted nervously, considering just dropping the disguise and finding out if Nodoka was really as insane as she seemed to be.

“Oh, I’m sorry if my question was too personal.” Nodoka apologized.

“It’s alright.” He gave an internal sigh of relief. “But I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Nodoka smiled pleasantly with her head twisted slightly to the side.

Ranma paused before asking. “Are you serious about the seppuku pledge?”

His mother’s face took on a more serious tone as she straightened up. “Every day since my husband and son left I have lived knowing that Ranma would live up to the pledge. I have never had a doubt until I was reunited with my husband and he along with the Tendo family continue to hound me, questioning both my honor and resolve.”

“I think I understand.” Bowing his head, he felt a serious blow to his desire to be around his mother. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“Ooh, I’m sorry dear, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Nodoka went back to smiling happily.

“But-- what would make Ranma manly in your eyes?” He asked, wondering what hurdle he might have to jump if Nodoka was this serious. His mother opened her mouth to respond before freezing and taking a moment to think about the question.

“Well-- obviously he should have many young ladies competing for his affection. I already know Akane-chan has feelings for him.”

‘She does?’ Ranma asked himself. If it was true then it was news to him.

“It’s so hard to put it into words.” Nodoka paused with her head cocked slightly to one side and put a finger to her lips in thought. “Obviously if he’s manly, he’ll have a healthy interest in women. Such as attempting to view beautiful girls in all states of undress. Viewing girls on the street, at the beach, or even in the bath.”

“Like peeping?” He stared at his mother incredulously.

“Vulgar but correct.” Nodoka nodded.

“If it’s vulgar, why should a guy do it?” Ranma crossed his arms under his fake breasts and shifted to put all his weight on one leg.

“A woman has to place a great deal of value into her physical appearance, a manly man needs to be able to appreciate that, and if she is womanly then she will appreciate his attention. Even if it intrudes into private activities.”

“So a woman is only womanly if she likes random guys staring at her nude and spending all her time worrying about how she looks?” He asked challengingly.

“Traditionally yes, a woman needs to spend her time making herself attractive to men. So it’s only natural that she should enjoy when she receives that kind of attention for all her efforts.”

“Then I guess girls can’t do anything else, right?” Ranma had dealt with enough people before when he still turned into a girl who had treated him like he was just a pair of tits. So he felt insulted that Nodoka thought he should have enjoyed that, and as a man that he was expected to treat women like that. That was before he thought of the girls who were interested in him. “I know Akane does more than worry about her looks and doesn’t like when guys peep on her.” He remarked snidely.

“Akane-chan and her femininity is not what I wanted to talk to you about, it’s my son and his masculinity.” Nodoka glanced away nervously, a crack appearing in her confidence.

“Yes, Ranma.” Ranma almost sneered, beginning to get too worked up over Nodoka considering his death over whether or not he would peep on girls. “He’s manly enough, not whatever definition you have, but what would I know? I gotta spend my time prettying myself up so a man can come ogle me.” Turning with all the righteous indignation he could muster, Ranma stomped off away from his stunned mother.

X x x x x x

Akane simply did not know how to feel about these two former roommates of her fiancé. The giant one with the dark skin was open and liked to engage in conversation. The more normal one was quiet but highly intelligent. Past that Akane didn’t know all that much about them except that they were actually aliens. Having dealt with magical creatures and crazy examples of humanity, she found their alien origin to be almost mundane. She was slightly infuriated that they were quite closed lip about any details pertaining to life off of Earth.

“So why doesn’t everyone know about aliens?” She finally asked directly and the two shared a brief glance.

“As far as I know it’s the normal procedure.” Corina answered evasively before continuing at her disbelieving look. “Honestly—and you did not hear this from me—but I think this planet is being kept in the dark because it’s the royal vacation home for Jurai.”

“Earth is a vacation home?” She asked slowly.

“You didn’t hear me say that.” The tan girl looked around conspiratorially. “That’s information I’m not supposed to know and you were definitely never supposed to hear.”

“They really don’t care.” Ranma butted in, dropping into a kneeling position between Akane and Kasumi, still in his female form. “Bigger concerns, blah blah blah.” She continued, waving her hand flippantly.

“Midori!” Nodoka announced angrily, storming into the room, and locking her eyes directly on the cursed teen. “I will not be spoken to with such disrespect young lady.”

“Ranma, what did you do?” Akane whispered quickly, forgetting to refer to Ranma as Midori.

“Midori?” Ranma asked, completely unconcerned by her mother’s anger. “Nearly forgot that I still had this disguise field going.” Tapping a silver band on her wrist, Ranma’s form shifted into his true male one. Akane’s jaw dropped partially open and she quickly looked back and forth between son and shocked mother.

“Mi—what?” Nodoka stammered in shock.

“Ranma what are you doing?” She repeated loud enough for Nodoka to hear.

“Ranma? But—Midori—Ranma?.” The Saotome woman froze up. “You were a girl.”

“Not really, it was just a disguise field that made me look like a girl.” Ranma corrected.

“I—I—I need to sit down.” Nodoka jerkily knelt down, Kasumi rushing over to assist the woman.

“You couldn’t have found a better way to introduce the curse, could you Saotome?” Nabiki remarked sarcastically and with a hint of venom in her voice.

“That wasn’t for her.” He answered. “Just didn’t want to look like a girl anymore.”

“I don’t understand.” Ranma’s mother seemed to have moved past her shock enough to ask more questions.

“It’s a curse.” Kasumi was the first to speak up with an answer. “Ranma has a magical curse that turns him into a girl, usually it requires water.” The eldest Tendo sister fidgeted with her hands briefly. “That’s the super simple version.”

“Magic? A curse?” Nodoka appeared to be slowly catching on, even with the lack of a true explanation. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say something, stupid.” Akane snarled and lightly hit her unwanted fiancé over the head.

“I guess.” He conceded and she nearly hit him again before she realized that he was trying to compose a good way to explain things.

“Pop made me hide when I first met you, back when I still had the curse, and when you seemed serious about that pledge I decided I needed to stop waiting to get a cure.”

“But you were just a girl.” Nodoka spoke up, still quite confused, and looking around for confirmation that she had not be hallucinating.

“Just a disguise I got from space.” He answered and briefly activated the disguise to emphasize his point. “If you’re expecting me to carry about that stupid pledge, it’s not going to happen. I’m not going to be some kind of super pervert like Happosai. Besides I got other things I’m honor bound to do. And-- I just can’t accept that your thing with Pop is more important anymore.”

“I don’t know what to say.” The Saotome woman repeated mechanically, her shoulders slumping as she stared off into space.

Akane looked between the two with muted horror. What was Ranma trying to accomplish here? Sure his mother had some wild ideas on what a man should act like but was her fiancé really going to throw his mother out of his life over a misunderstanding?

“So how’s Earth so far?” Ranma suddenly asked the two girls from outer space.

She was just about to speak up and berate Ranma for being so callous towards his mother before she got a good look at his face. Ranma was a good liar when it came to impersonal things. However when it came to something close to him, he had certain facial tics, and was awkwardly evasive. Akane had missed it before because it was subtle but now that she took a second look, she could see it. Ranma wasn’t trying to be emotionally distant because he didn’t care, but because it was eating him up inside, and he wasn’t willing to let anyone see.

“It’s become very uncomfortable recently.” Adilynn answered.

X x x x x x

Ranma nodded in understanding, this was a wildly uncomfortable situation. He was struggling to keep his composure, using the precious few tips he had picked up from living at the Masaki home to keep himself calm. It helped that he had several people in his life that seemed to genuinely care for him, unlike his own mother. Pausing, he found that realization to be thoroughly depressing.

“Ranma!” Akane’s shout broke into his musings just before she started to pummel him about the head and shoulders.

“Ouch! Hey quit it!” Being limited as he was, he couldn’t even run away from his violent tomboy fiancé.

“Then quit feeling sorry for yourself and talk to your mom, you idiot!” The youngest Tendo hit him over the head one more time for emphasis.

‘Fat load of good you two are.’ He glowered briefly at his former roommates who had sat idly by while one of the lawless natives assaulted him. ‘But I should try.’ Noticing all the eyes in the room were locked on to him, Ranma leveled a simmering glare to the onlookers.

“I think I left the oven on.” Kasumi took the hint and rose to rush out of the door.

“Let’s go check out that little pond outside.” Corina volunteered and pulled Adilynn outside.

“This is a perfect time for you to give me back all my clothes that you borrowed.” Akane motioned for Nabiki to follow her.

“It’ll be five hundred yen for making me search.” The middle sister reluctantly left the scene of an upcoming awkward conversation.

Sitting in the painfully tense room with just himself and Nodoka, Ranma cursed Washu and Seto for sending him down to Nerima for the day. This was likely all part of their plan. Was their goal to push him towards Seto and adoption? Or was it some emotional garbage about reconciling with his real mother? Either option was equally likely along with any number of plots that weren’t so immediately obvious.

Nodoka was the one to break the silence first. “I waited so long--.” She paused, staring down at the floor. “Everyday— every month-- every year— waiting for Genma to return and bring back my child.” She paused again, dabbing at her eyes with her kimono sleeve. “And then I heard that you were to go off into space, to do something no other man has done. At first I was so proud it felt like I would burst. But then I realized that I would likely never see my son ever again—and it hurt.”

Ranma swallowed the painful lump forming in his throat. He had spent his life never caring that he had another parent. But Nodoka had spent that entire time waiting for the moment he would return home to her. Crazy or not, he was starting to consider her position better. He remembered their first meeting, what should have been a joyous moment had been ruined by his father’s attempt to hide.

“I may have been overzealous in my expectations—but I could never predict my husband and son to hide and lie to me.” Nodoka finished disappointedly, sniffling but sitting with as much dignity as she could.

He looked away, ashamed of going along with his father’s ruse.

“As disappointed as I am in your character, I just—I don’t know how I am supposed to respond to it.” She visibly deflated, staring impassively at the floor.

Ranma breathed out through his nose and stood up. “Originally I accepted a life in space for a cure and when I finally had it within my grasp-- I hesitated-- until I met you. I was cured because I had to meet my mother as her son. When given the chance—I hesitated again.” Sighing, he felt like such a coward. “Even if you ask me to fulfill that contract I can’t. I’m a coward who will choose the obligations I made for myself.” Squeezing his hands into his fists and closing his eyes, he hated admitting it. “So—go ahead and say I committed seppuku if that’s so important. Chances are—I’ll never be back to this planet again, so no one will ever have to know.”

Sparing his shocked mother one last look and trying to hide despondency, he mustered his resolve, and tried to calmly walk outside towards the koi pond. Both of his roommates looked as though they had heard the entire exchange and made a point not to meet his gaze. Bringing up his hand, he hit several keys on his wrist computer. “Seto.” He demanded angrily. “I know you can hear me.” He growled at the blank viewscreen. “I’m done playing this game!”

X x x x x x

Nodoka knelt on the floor in complete and utter shock. Ranma had wanted to meet her as a man and had cured himself for her. This was all some sort of horrible misunderstanding! Slipping on her kimono in her blind panic to rush after her son, she ran out into the yard, and collapsed at his feet.

“Ranma! Wait--.” She had no further time to beg for understanding because the world vanished around her briefly. The oppressive heat of Tokyo was replaced with a gentle breeze and fresh air. Blinking repeatedly, she rubbed at her eyes, trying to come to terms with the vast grassy field she was now in. Nodoka traced the forested edge of the field until she couldn’t help but gape at the tree large enough to be a skyscraper that dominated the landscape. “Where—where am I?”

“Oopsies.” A woman she recognized as Kamiki Seto from the other night exclaimed with false surprise, a fan held in front of her face. “And to answer your question you’re aboard my ship, Mikagami.”

“Ship?” She asked intelligently, noticing that she was no longer clutching Ranma’s clothing, and her child was located a short distance away. The two women who were accompanying her son were nowhere to be seen, leaving just Seto, Ranma, and herself. A wooden table made up of a three meter tree slice sat nearby along with three chairs.

“It’s a very large ship.” Seto added, snapping her fan shut. “I thought you two could use some real privacy and maybe a second opinion. Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?”

“O—okay.” She nodded and mechanically stood up to walk towards the table. “Some water would be nice.”

“Ranma.” The mint haired woman motioned towards the table, the black haired teen frowned but took a seat across from her. Nodoka jerked to the side as an attendant wearing dark green robes with her face covered appeared and poured her a glass of water.

Focusing on her child, Nodoka recovered enough of her faculties to try, and patch up the situation. “Ranma, this is all just a big misunderstanding.”

“I agree-.” Seto tried to break in.

“Please be quiet.” She interrupted the woman who looked at her in amused shock. “Son—please don’t leave.” She pleaded. “Whatever is going on—I know we can work it out. Please—please don’t leave me again.” She begged, wringing her hands with enough force to hurt. Nodoka could see a mix of hope and pain in her son’s eyes.

“If I may—perhaps this would be easier for you both if there wasn’t a death pact hanging over your heads.” The other woman suggested.

“But it’s--.” She pulled the old piece of paper out and laid it flat on the table. The ink was old and faded but even Genma’s terrible handwriting was still legible. Nodoka was going to say that it was all she had. This piece of paper had been everything to her, the one link she had to her husband and child.

“Would you rather a piece of paper, or the real thing?” Seto asked.

“My son.” She answered and felt tears start to fall from her eyes. But she couldn’t just accept him. He had to be manly, over a decade of her life had been spent waiting and expecting Genma to return, it couldn’t be for nothing.

“Then you don’t need this, do you?” Seto slowly drew the paper away from her.

“But he’s going to leave again—he’ll be on another planet! What am I supposed to do?” She asked the other woman desperately.

“Well since you’ve asked there are several means of communication available and Ranma may be soon in a position to visit Earth anytime he wants.” The tall woman explained and held up the contract. “He’s only lost to you if this is more important.”

Nodoka stared at the paper in indecision. “Our family honor will be forever tarnished unless--.” She paused and let out a ragged breath.

“Did you plan this?” Ranma suddenly spoke up, staring directly at the tall mint haired woman.

“Plan what?” Seto asked innocently.

“For this?” Her son pointed towards her.

“We were keeping an eye on you and obviously we expected you to come into contact with people that you knew.” The woman answered calmly.

“You knew because you planned it!” Roughly standing up and stomping away, he paced angrily back and forth. “It’s just too perfect. The Amazons, the Tendos, and then my mom shows up just in time for you to whisk me away for this calm peaceful conference that you’re going to help settle.”

“Ranma I admit to preparing for this outcome but I assure you that it was not the intent of your visit to Earth to cause it.” Seto’s explanation and calm façade held but Nodoka picked up on just the tiniest hint of desperation.

“You.” Ranma snorted and looked away in frustration. “You—almost had me believing that the stories about you were fake. That you didn’t have a plan and use for everyone. But I guess it is true, isn’t it? It’s all games and plots.”

Nodoka looked slowly between the two, missing out on something, and not knowing how to ask for an explanation. It was another clear indication that she had missed out on vital parts of her son’s life. “Son--.” She drew her child attention, wanting to know why he was so upset but paused as the sharp look he gave her. “Perhaps you should take a deep breath.”

“Yes deep breaths.” The raven haired teen nodded rapidly and took several deep breaths. “Do you know what she wants from me?” He indicated Seto. “She enrolled me in school as a girl. She put herself as my guardian. She offers to adopt me into her family and following that I can’t help but imagine I’ll be married off for some political purpose.”

“That’s not true.” Seto tried to correct the boy until Ranma held up his hand.

“Like with Noike?” He asked sarcastically. “Was it before or after when you decided to set her up with Tenchi?” Ranma seemed to be growing more and more agitated with every point he was trying to make.

“It didn’t happen like that.” The woman calmly tried to explain before she was interrupted.

“No but it did happen. Just like with how you created a conga line of suitors for Amane.”

“You’re really blowing things out of proportion.” Seto tried to slow down Ranma’s tirade.

“Why don’t you just be honest? Huh? What’s your big plan for me? What little slice of the galaxy will my hide get you?” Ranma demanded angrily.

“I think you some time to calm down.” Seto hardened her gaze and Ranma vanished in a flash of multicolored light.

“Wha—what did you do?” Nodoka asked, shocked over Ranma’s anger at the woman, and that he had just disappeared.

“I sent him to his room.” The woman answered sadly.

“Why was he so mad with you? Was what he said true?”

“Nodoka-dono some of what he said was correct.” Seto admitted. “And I am more than happy to explain anything that you want.”

“I feel so out of the loop.” She sighed. “I don’t know what to ask first.”

“Take all the time you need.”

X x x x x x

“I’ll tell you when I need to calm down!” Ranma yelled at empty air, realizing too late that he was no longer facing Seto but the large bed of his room on the Mikagami. “Damn it!” He shouted ineffectually before grabbing the edge of his bed and throwing it roughly up against the wall vertically. His dresser received the same treatment, bouncing through the front door, to smash against the grass outside. Huffing and puffing in the center of his room, he glared at the wall, daring it to incur his wrath until his bed came down on his head squashing him to the floor. Popping his head and shoulders out the side, Ranma growled and cross his arms, his left eye twitching angrily.

Yelling in frustration, he stood up suddenly, and bent the bed in half before shoving it outside. Everything here reminded him of Seto, her lies, and the future in space he had condemned himself to. Ranma paused in his anger, feeling that something was amiss. “Wait.” No one had taken the restrictions off of him, he should be as weak as a normal human.

When no answer came for his concern, he stomped out of the home sized room, and headed towards the control area to look for Seto so he could continue giving her a piece of his mind. He didn’t know how to get back to the field where they had been but there should be someone there who can teleport him back. Asking around, he found out that none of them new Seto’s current whereabouts because she had not wanted to be disturbed. Growing frustrated that his first act to find Seto had failed, he headed down to where the Mikagami’s real body was housed.

“I take it you’re not going to help me find her, are you?” He asked the otherwise normal looking tree, standing in the shade created by the leaves.

“Yes I’m angry at her.” He exclaimed indignantly at the ships answer.

“No I’m not going to—hurt her.” Ranma wanted to emotionally hurt Seto but he didn’t want to physically harm the woman.

“Hey! She started this.” He crossed his arms and sat down in a cross legged position. “I am completely calm and I don’t appreciate being told that I need to calm down.”

Rolling his eyes and sighing, he just wasn’t getting through to the tree. “There’s a time to get angry and there’s a time to not, this is one of those times where I should be angry.”

He paused at the Mikagami’s next question. “You want me to explain it to you? I thought you knew it all from Seto. Oh—I didn’t know you could keep things from each other.” Scratching at his chin, he had thought they were constantly and freely sharing information between each other. “If I tell you, will you take me to where Seto is?”

“No promises, huh?” Uncrossing his arms, he leaned back and planted his hands on the grass. “I guess I can try.” He didn’t know how much a sentient tree could relate but it would give him time to come up with more reasons to be angry with Seto.

zx

Strolling down a dirt path lined with trees, Seto nodded her head towards the other woman in affirmation of her most recent question. While the situation was different than she had expected, the Earthling was showing where Ranma had received his inquisitive nature from. Although that wasn’t particularly fair of her, Genma had been the central parental figure in Ranma’s life, so she should give the man some credit.

“While there are examples, it’s considered exceptionally strange for anyone bonded with a tree ship to not join a royal house.” She explained, trying to assuage Nodoka’s distress at the implication that Seto was trying to steal her child away. “It’s merely a practical political arrangement.”

She could admit to herself that she had made a mistake in assisting Ranma in finding Nodoka once again. The Earthling was currently a very negative influence. The boy needed to move on from his life on Earth not be forcibly tied down by misplaced sentiment. For long term and positive growth, Ranma needed to stop thinking so terrestrial, and to start thinking in a large galactic scale.

Then again, Nodoka was only a temporary influence, so she could afford to be briefly indulgent.

“That makes sense-- I suppose.” The Earthling stopped to watch a small fox like creature pause while moving through the surrounding trees to look at them. Two bright amber eyes appraised them both before it vanished off into the forest. “I’m overwhelmed by this place and I don’t understand how my son has adapted. Then again, I do not know my child.”

“Unfortunately your time with him will remain limited. A consequence of your choice to have Genma raise him.”

“Is there any way that-- that could be changed?” Nodoka asked hopefully.

“The rules were bent quite extensively in the first place.” She answered evasively. “But I will do my best to ensure that you will have a way to communicate.”

“Duty is heavier than a mountain.” The woman stood up straighter and tried to look resolute.

“Something I fear Ranma is still struggling to learn.” Seto smirked as she motioned for Nodoka to stop. “Shall we go see if he’s in a more agreeable mood?”

“I’m not so sure if I should. I’ve only caused disharmony since I’ve seen him.” Nodoka fidgeted with the sleeves of her kimono while looking away uncertainly.

“Then how would you like to properly meet Mikagami-chan?” She certainly didn’t expect anything from it but it would be interesting to see her reaction.

“Isn’t that the name of this-- ship?” The Earthling asked in confusion, still struggling with the concept of a tree ship and their enormous interior.

“Yes, and I’m sure she would enjoy the chance to make your acquaintance.”

zx

Ranma felt especially tired as he sat crosslegged under the shade of Mikagami. He had passionately explained why he was so upset with Seto, expecting the tree ship to fight him over every point. Instead the living ship had listened with incredible patience and even added to his reasons to further his case against Seto. Somehow, while feeling justifiably angry with the Juraian noble, it made him feel better by getting it out.

“And what do you think I should do?” Initially he thought to add ‘if you’re so smart’, but that felt wrong. Mikagami wasn’t to blame for his situation and the tree projected an aura of peace and serenity that felt too sacred to destroy further.

She didn’t offer him any suggestions, which he should have expected.

Closing his eyes, he considered how his choices had led him to this point even if he didn’t fully understand the consequences. If he didn’t like Seto’s plans then he could leave. He had sworn no sacred vows to Jurai for life and they really didn’t consider him to truly be in their service until after he completed his time as a cadet. Ranma was already out in space so he could explore the galaxy and see all the wonders that it held.

But if he threw away his ties to Jurai then he could never return home. Before the body enhancement he would have been dropped off back on Earth with his memory of life in space wiped. However, he had gone through with it in a rash decision to remove the Jusenkyo curse.

‘Maybe I should have paid more attention to what she had to say.’ He conceded, remembering how he had dismissed Seto’s warning the night before his body enhancement.

“It’s been quite some time since Mikagami-chan has had so much attention.” Seto’s amused voice made him open his eyes to see the tall woman at the base of the steps that led up to the control room. Behind her, almost hiding, was his mother looking at him in trepidation. “Nodoka-dono, this is the real Mikagami.”

“Hello, it’s-- nice to meet you and I’ve had a lovely time aboard.” Nodoka nodded curtly to the tree, clearly having little interest in it before addressing him. “Son, how are you feeling?”

Ranma took a deep breath as the tension he had been feeling earlier returned. “Like I’ve been taken advantage of to serve her goals.” He answered, narrowing his eyes at Seto. ‘I must be spending too much time around Noike if I’m going to talk like this.’

Stretching out his legs, he stood up in one smooth motion. “If you expect me to be part of your family then I’ll need to know what those goals are-- or no deal.” He heard his mother gasp softly but he never looked away from Seto’s red eyes gazing back at him intensely through her mint colored bangs.

“I would expect nothing less.” Seto’s red painted lips smiled approvingly.

‘I was kind of hoping she’d fight a bit more.’ He should have come up with a lot more conditions. This was the kind of bargaining failure that his father was known for.

“Do I not get a say in this? He is my son.” Nodoka interjected upset over being left out of the discussion.

“Would becoming a Prince of Jurai satisfy your contract to be manly?” Seto shifted the subject.

"A-- a-- a-- a prince?" Nodoka stuttered.

"He would be in line to become emperor as well. Though only a series of truly extraordinary circumstances would move him to the front of the line of succession." Seto added as though she was considering just how exactly she would bring it about.

"That would be very manly." His mother slowly conceded.

"Also, while I know it's not the norm, polygamy is practiced in the Jurai empire. So he could have many wives." The mint haired woman quickly hid a toothy grin behind her folding fan.

"Son, you must accept her offer immediately." Nodoka quickly informed him.

Ranma simply blinked repeatedly, having not expected Seto to be buttering up his mother with information that fit right into her mentality. "Uh-- I guess I accept-- so long as I chose who I marry." He added, not wanting to give Seto everything.

"Excellent, I'll just send you two back to Earth to finish off your visit while I go make the arrangements." Seto snapped her fan closed and didn't wait for a response before she was already heading back up the steps.

'Did I just win or lose?' Ranma asked himself in confusion as the teleporter kicked in.

 

[aeroprime]

Wow. You can just hear the whole situation ticking down to detonation. :lol:

 

[Lawra]

Wow. You can just hear the whole situation ticking down to detonation. :lol:

Or everything could have a huge build up and then Ranma freaks out from all the stress and ruins the moment.

 

[ringlhach]

That'd take the cake, wouldn't it- Ranma accidentally starting something because he's too wound up.

 

[DaJuggernaut]

This....won't end well.


Excellent.

 

[Lawra]

Might as well post something since I haven't in forever.

------------------

ôSo how was your trip Shampoo?ö

ôOh too too fun great grandmother.ö Shampoo gushed as she sat with her relative. Having been in China for the past week to see a cousin who had recently had a baby, she was happy to be back in Nerima, and would be tracking down Ranma later. ôEpilÆs baby is the cutest. I have pictures.ö She produced the pictures from her travel bag and handed them to Cologne.

ôI should visit as well.ö The elderly woman smiled at the pictures. ôBut someone has to be here to make sure Son-in-law doesnÆt get himself in too much trouble.ö

ôMaybe invite Airen?ö She suggested. It would give her time to show her betrothed the village since he hadnÆt had a chance to see much the first time.

Cologne laughed to herself. ôIf you could get him to go.ö The elder turned towards the entryway. ôSpeaking of Son-in-law.ö

ôAiren?ö She asked hopefully, spinning on her seat to see him entering into the restaurant, she smiled brightly, and was off her chair to bound over to him. ôAiren!ö She cried happily and glomped on to him, nearly bowling him over from the force. ôYou come visit now I back from trip?ö

ôYou were on a trip?ö He asked and her smile quickly evaporated. ôSince when?ö

ôFor last week.ö She squeezed her arms tighter around his neck. ôYou no notice Shampoo gone?ö

ôIÆve been gone for the past two weeks, no one told me anything about a trip, so how could I know you were gone?ö Ranma asked incredulously.

ôShampoo forget tell you?ö She asked and he nodded. ôOh.ö Cuddling up to him again, she sighed happily. ôNo problem then.ö

ôRanma you seem to have a gift for overstating things.ö A girl that Shampoo was just noticing spoke up. She had orange hair, her skin was tanned, triangle shaped ears, and was very tall. She was wearing a pink and white uniform of some sort along with a second but normal looking non-Asian girl standing off to the side.

ôWho you?ö Shampoo asked, gripping Ranma possessively.

ôInteresting clothing you have there, Son-in-law.ö Cologne hopped up to them on her staff. ôAnd your two friends.ö

ôHow bout I explain it over something to drink and maybe some ramen?ö Ranma suggested.

ôIf itÆs interesting enough.ö Cologne looked over to her. ôGo put your things up in your room while I get Son-in-law and his friends something.ö

X x x x x x

æI knew this would work.Æ Ranma thought to himself as Cologne quickly poured them all a glass of water. Corina was sitting next to him and Adilynn was on the far side.

ôSo what have you been doing these past two weeks?ö Cologne asked while taking a seat on top of the table. ôI thought it was kind of quiet around here after you had that fight with your father.ö

ôHowÆd you find out about that?ö He asked after taking a drink.

ôI have my ways.ö The elderly woman answered with a smirk on her wrinkled face.

æProbably a certain duck or cat.Æ He thought morosely, wondering how much Cologne actually spied on him.

ôSo? What have you been up to?ö Cologne repeated her earlier question.

ôOh just having my life turned upside down.ö Ranma responded casually. ôHow have you been? Still alive or did you just keep walking around?ö

ôFunny.ö The old woman narrowed her eyes but refrained from bashing him on the head. ôAnd your new friends?ö

ôWeÆre he-his roommates.ö Corina quickly corrected her mistake.

ôRoommates?ö Cologne asked in amusement. ôHas something happened between you and the Tendo girl? I canÆt imagine her letting you live with two women.ö

ôIt was just temporary.ö He answered quickly. ôAnd ya IÆm not living at the TendoÆs anymore.ö

ôWhere are you living then? If youÆve finally broken up with Miss Tendo, there is a place here with Shampoo.ö The old woman suggested.

ôItÆs very far away and honestly IÆm just visiting for the day to show my friends around. This is their first time in Japan.ö Ranma answered after a moment of thought.

ôAiren is leaving?ö Shampoo asked worriedly as she bounced up to the table.

æWhoops.Æ Ranma realized his mistake in telling them any details on his living arrangements. ôItÆs on a special training trip. Invite only.ö

ôHmm.ö Cologne rubbed her chin thoughtfully while Shampoo pouted. ôYour friends carry themselves well but do not look like trained fighters. What are you up to, honestly?ö

ôGalaxy spanning empires, political intrigue, spaceships, solar system sized schools, crazy scientists thousands of years old, psychic trees.ö Ranma ticked off various things that he had encountered and it earned him a smack on the top of the head.

ôDonÆt let that tongue get ahead of you, boy.ö

ôWell if I had some food, I wouldnÆt have to talk so much.ö He rubbed at his head and caught sight of Shampoo coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of food, and booting Mousse back through the doorway as an afterthought.

ôHere go Airen.ö Shampoo announced and placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him while pointedly ignoring anything for Corina and Adilynn.

ôShampoo.ö Cologne drew the girlÆs attention and Ranma noticed a switch between what he was hearing and the words that were being formed by the old womanÆs mouth.

æShe must be speaking in Chinese.Æ He reasoned, the translator built into his clothing was doing itÆs job.

ôDonÆt be petty, go back into the kitchen, and get our other two guests their food. I invited them here to find out where your betrothed has been. Do not make me or yourself out to be a bad host, it reflects badly.ö Cologne chastised Shampoo who quickly vanished back into the kitchen. The old woman turned back to him and seemed to switch back to Japanese. ôI hope you wonÆt be too busy with your food to give me a straight answer.ö

ôI gave you a straight answer.ö He told her through a mouthful of noodles. æThey might be nuts but the Joketsuzoku make great ramen.Æ Glancing at his former roommates who were watching the interplay with amusement. ôI am, right?ö

ôHe is.ö Adilynn answered.

ôIÆll get the truth out of you eventually.ö Cologne sighed and stepped off the table to balance on her staff. ôBe sure to pay on your way out.ö

ôHey! You said.ö Ranma started protest.

ôIf it was interesting enough.ö Cologne interrupted as she hopped away. ôShampoo! Is that a delivery? Quit wasting time and get to it!ö The old woman yelled as she entered the kitchen.

ôWe never got anything though.ö Corina told him.

ôHmm.ö Ranma stared down at his empty bowl. ôProbably wonÆt either.ö

ôSo, how was it?ö Adilynn asked with narrowed eyes and crossed arms.

ôUh, heh heh.ö He laughed nervously. ôI donÆt really have any yen on me either.ö

ôI assume thatÆs the local currency.ö Corina tapped a finger to her chin. ôDoesnÆt really seem like our problem, right Addy?ö

ôNo, not at all. No reason to pay for something we never had.ö The black haired girl stood up and pushed in her chair.

Glancing to see if Cologne was around, he stood up and hastily pushed the two girls towards the doorway. ôSheÆs mad at me already, so skipping out wonÆt really matter.ö

 

[Hawk]

I remember liking this, but it's been too long since it updated. I'm going to have to reread to remember what's going on. Don't have time at the moment.

Good to see you writing anything though Lawra.

 

[Nanya]

Oh wow, this isn't dead? :blink:

COOL! B)

 

[Dumbledork]

WOW. This is still alive. Nice addition. Hope there'll be more updates.

 

[Lawra]

Just a little something to establish this amongst the normal OVA timeline. The rest of the cast are also going to be cured.

-------------

ôSo this is why you have been taking your time with RanmaÆs enhancement.ö Seto commented as she gazed at the ship in dry dock before her. It was certainly nowhere near the size of a Galaxy Police cruiser but large enough to be a perfect target for pirates. The hull was constructed of two sections, a white elongated octahedron made up the main body while a red outer hull formed a set of wings along the sides that curled up and over the cockpit. Seto smiled, expecting the ship to perform above and beyond the original specifications.

ôMe?ö Washu asked in mock indignation. ôItÆs hardly my fault that he has issues that need addressing.ö

ôTrue.ö

ôAs for the ship, I had to make a few improvements to the designs.ö The red head audibly preened. ôAnd of course this is a fully joint operation between Jurai and the Galaxy Police, correct?ö

ôOf course.ö Smirking at the thought of a united power like that, Seto turned away from the ship to look at Washu. ôI will need Ranma to start his practical training soon. ItÆs not going to be beneficial for him in the long term to stay on Earth.ö

ôAgreed.ö

ôAnd when did you plan to tell him?ö

ôI was waiting to see his reaction. When he gets back tonight IÆll explain.ö

ôExcellent. Handling that would have been impossible without your assistance.ö

ôIt was my pleasure, although I canÆt take all the credit.ö Washu shifted to look at a new child-like figure floating in the space to her right.

ôIÆd hope not Nee-sama.ö Tokimi frowned cutely at the red head before addressing Seto. ôThank you for bringing that reality distortion to my attention. While I was able to restore most of the space time anomalies from the incident with Z, there are still many small ones that escape my notice.ö

ôIÆm at a loss for words, having one of the Choushin thanking me.ö Holding a hand up to her heart, she was flattered in the extreme that such a being would take an interest in her.

ôThen I must be going. I have been distracted with other things and still need to correct the other anomalies that resulted from that.ö Tokimi tilted her head and smiled before vanishing from sight.

ôShall we see what the children are up to?ö Washu asked with an amused smirk.

 

[Hawk]

An odd explanation of Jusenkyo. It seems too orderly to me for it to be some random anomaly.

 

[keds999]

True...

BTW, is Ranma's job going to be similar to Seina's? Or does Lady Seto has another plan for him?

 

[Lawra]

An odd explanation of Jusenkyo. It seems too orderly to me for it to be some random anomaly.

That the magic for it comes about through a random distortion does mean the result can't be orderly. Nevermind that Jusenkyo itself is a diluted version of the spring at Jusendo which itself did little more than copy+paste traits.

 

[Seed00]

Will Ranma take as long as Seina to adjust to the enhancements? I remember something about his nanos being slightly higher in performance than the GP's.

 

[Lawra]

Will Ranma take as long as Seina to adjust to the enhancements? I remember something about his nanos being slightly higher in performance than the GP's.

Washu's been playing Ranma a bit in that regards. He's all but adjusted, but she wanted a reason to keep him around to work on the other things.

 

[Deathwings]

I'm actually happy that Jusenkyo end up being something so...mundane. For those characters. Too often Jusenkyo tend to be some all powerful unstoppable force of nature. Mundane is nice.

 

[Lawra]

I'm actually happy that Jusenkyo end up being something so...mundane. For those characters. Too often Jusenkyo tend to be some all powerful unstoppable force of nature. Mundane is nice.

Well if it's not mundane to one of the three beings responsible for everything but themselves in the multi-verse. Who would it be mundane for?

 

[Deathwings]

Tell that to the bazillion of fics where it actually isn't. <_<

 

[Lawra]

Ryoga paused in his travels to look at the three directions offered by the road intersecting the one he was currently walking down. æHmm, left or right? Or should I just go straight?Æ Taking off his backpack and sitting down on the grass to the side of the road, he sighed. æWhatÆs the use?Æ He thought, watching a small car plod along and come to a stop next to him. æOne direction is as good as the other.Æ

Rolling down the window, an older man raised an eyebrow at him. ôYoung man, what are you doing way out here?ö

ôJust trying to get back to Nerima.ö Ryoga answered.

ôNerima? IsnÆt that in Tokyo? YouÆre a long way from there.ö

ôWhich direction?ö

ôDirection? Well the road IÆm on is going North. So if you take that one youÆll get there eventually.ö The man pointed down the path to RyogaÆs left.

ôThanks.ö Shouldering his pack once again, Ryoga started off down the road indicated.

X x x x x x

ôDrop it, Nabiki.ö Akane groaned as she made her way back home after school.

ôSo how much longer are you going to tell everyone that RanmaÆs on vacation?ö

ôAs long as Kuno keeps believing it.ö It hadnÆt taken long before RanmaÆs removal from Furinkan had become public knowledge and Kuno had initially tried to start up his ridiculous morning challenges. In a moment of sheer brilliance, Akane had been able to convince him that Ranma was off on a training mission and would be coming back to challenge Kuno. This resulted in her unwanted suitor going off to dedicate himself to training. Of course it did have the problem of Kuno asking her every day if Ranma had returned.

Turning to her dear sweet elder sister, Akane narrowed her eyes. ôAnd donÆt you dare do whatever it is that you have rattling around your head.ö

ôWould I?ö Nabiki asked innocently.

ôDo I have to answer that?ö She rolled her eyes and ignored any retort to enter her home. Not seeing Kasumi outside or in the kitchen, she continued on to the living room to greet her non-mercenary sister when she stopped dead.

ôOh hey, Akane.ö Ranma greeted, waving as he casually sipped on some drink, and sitting at the table like he had never left.

æIsnÆt that just like him?Æ She thought wistfully, noting that he had strange but upscale looking clothing on once again, and had a silver head band for some reason. æ

ôWelcome back.ö Kasumi greeted from her place at the table. ôRanma stopped by with some friends.ö

ôFriends?ö Akane finally noticed the two girls that were also sitting at the table. One was a giant with a deep tan and orange hair while the other looked normal but a strange ethnicity.

ôThese are my old roommates.ö Ranma went on to introduce them but Akane tuned him out, realizing that these would be the two Ranma had seen naked.

The vein in her forehead throbbed and she had already knocked RanmaÆs head through the floor before she realized that she was moving. ôYou idiot! You run off to space, leave me to deal with the idiots here, you show up with two girls youÆve been peeping on, and you act like I should be happy to see you?!ö

ôNice to see you too.ö Ranma groaned from beneath the floor.

ôAkane, we have guests, canÆt you wait till Ranma does something before you hit him?ö Kasumi admonished her.

ôI guess.ö She answered, finally reigning in her anger.

ôHow interesting.ö Nabiki took a seat across from the two new girls. ôI take it youÆre aliens? Do you speak Japanese?ö

ôYes to both.ö The tall one answered, watching Ranma pull himself back up. ôI may not be familiar with Earth customs but is it customary to greet someone with violence?ö

ôDonÆt be put off by my little spark plug of a sisterÆs violent outbursts. She is deeply and madly in love with Ranma but is also similarly in denial.ö Nabiki explained.

ôHey! I donÆt love him.ö Akane corrected NabikiÆs earlier statement. ôSo why are you here?ö

ôI was in the neighborhood, thought IÆd stop by.ö

ôWith them?ö She still wasnÆt too certain about the two girls. They must have known about RanmaÆs real gender by now and they were visiting here? ôNo offense or anything.ö

ôHonestly, I told Cologne the truth earlier and she didnÆt believe me.ö

ôYou went to see Shampoo?ö Akane interrupted Ranma.

ôIÆm their tour guide.ö He continued on without answering her question about Shampoo. ôNot too sure what SetoÆs angle is in all this.ö Ranma mused to himself.

ôSeto? That woman from the other night?ö She asked.

X x x x x x

Ranma nodded to Akane and took a moment to rub at his head. He had barely felt the blow that she had delivered. æGuess even though IÆm not strong, that doesnÆt make me not tough.Æ A small consolation considering Akane could just beat him into the ground all day long.

ôSo whereÆs Pop and your old man?ö He asked. The brief conversation he had with Kasumi before the other two sisters had shown up had not reached that point.

ôHapposai dragged them off for special training.ö Nabiki answered.

ôPhew, last thing I wanted to do was deal with him.ö He breathed out a sigh of relief. Who knew what the little freak would have done now that Ranma-chan was no more.

ôActually itÆs because of you. He wasnÆt happy to hear that they let you run off.ö Akane explained.

ôIs this Happosai a good friend?ö Corina asked.

ôNo, no, no, no.ö Ranma replied quickly. ôBe very happy that little monster isnÆt here.ö

ôYour mom might have something to do with that. SheÆs been stopping by almost nonstop.ö Akane spoke up again. ôItÆs the weirdest thing, your mom has some strange ideas about being manly and Happosai fits a lot of them but she absolutely despises him.ö

ôWell thereÆs a plus.ö He reasoned. His mother couldnÆt be truly crazy if she hated Happosai.

ôActually sheÆll probably be stopping by any time.ö Akane tacked on and cupped a hand behind her ear. ôI can hear the doorbell now.ö Ranma was about to make a sarcastic joke about how AkaneÆs humor had been worth traveling across the galaxy to hear, but stopped with the doorbell did ring.

ôOoh that was good timing, Akane.ö Kasumi rose from her position to answer the door.

A partial smile appeared on RanmaÆs face, imagining that it actually was his mother. With the curse gone he no longer had any reason to be concerned over a meeting. At least not with her demanding that he slit his stomach with a knife before his head would be taken off. Then again, Nodoka didnÆt know about the curse, and Ranma still had little clue on what he was going to be judged by. So when Kasumi returned explaining to someone out of sight that their son was here, he panicked, and quickly reached for the disguise field.

The disguise field fully kicked in just as Kasumi came around the corner with Nodoka. The Saotome womanÆs eyes rapidly scanned the room and upon finding only females they fell briefly before locking on him momentarily. Ranma caught his former roommateÆs looking at him skeptically but ignored it to wave at his mother hesitantly.

ôI thought you said my son was here, Kasumi?ö Nodoka asked the Tendo girl, a suspicious tone creeping into her voice.

Kasumi wrung her hands nervously as her eyes widened to look like a deer in headlights. ôWell-- he was here.ö

ôHe had to go!ö Ranma blurted out loudly, hopping to his feet. ôA dangerous mission out in space-- with space pirates.ö He explained, trying to come up with a more elaborate lie to for the inevitable questions. Ranma yelped in pain as Akane stomped on his foot.

ôWhat are you doing?ö The youngest Tendo sister hissed.

ôTrying not to get my head cut off.ö He answered in a voice too low for Nodoka to hear.

ôAs long as heÆs being manly.ö Nodoka beamed, appearing suddenly behind him, and placing her hands on his shoulders.

æWhen did she move?Æ Ranma asked himself.

ôMidori-chan itÆs great to see you again.ö Nodoka announced and without waiting started to drag him from the room. ôI need a word in private.ö

ôUh-- okay.ö He allowed his mother to lead him out in the hall, curious over her actions.

X x x x x x

ôDeveloping planets are certainly different.ö Corina nodded to herself, calmly sipping on a strange tasting fruit juice.

ôAgreed.ö Adilynn nodded in agreement.

ôThink we should help Ranma out?ö

ôToo hot, he can handle it.ö The other cadet waved her hand dismissively.

X x x x x x

æJust keep calm Saotome, itÆs just your mom, who thinks she is talking to a girl named Midori. Or she somehow made the connection and figured out that Midori doesnÆt exactly exist, and-- and sheÆs going to demand you commit seppuku because your old man is a complete and total moron.Æ RanmaÆs shoulders slumped, realizing the stupid situation he had just put himself in. If he revealed himself to Nodoka now she would likely try to get him to fulfill GenmaÆs pact. If Midori simply vanished then eventually his mother would ask where she went.

ôMidori-chan, did you hear me?ö

ôUh-- no.ö He answered after a moment of hesitation at the name.

ôI asked who are your parents, dear?ö

Ranma gulped and struggled to think up a lie. He could say Seto was his mother, but he didnÆt know if she was monitoring this somehow and it might be taken as approval for her offer. ôWell--ô He fidgeted nervously, considering just dropping the disguise and finding out if Nodoka was really as insane as she seemed to be.

ôOh, IÆm sorry if my question was too personal.ö Nodoka apologized.

ôItÆs alright.ö He gave an internal sigh of relief. ôBut I wanted to ask you something.ö

ôWhat is it?ö Nodoka smiled pleasantly with her head twisted slightly to the side.

Ranma paused before asking. ôAre you serious about the seppuku pledge?ö

His motherÆs face took on a more serious tone as she straightened up. ôEvery day since my husband and son left I have lived knowing that Ranma would live up to the pledge. I have never had a doubt until I was reunited with my husband and he along with the Tendo family continue to hound me, questioning both my honor and resolve.ö

ôI think I understand.ö Bowing his head, he felt a serious blow to his desire to be around his mother. ôIÆm sorry I didnÆt mean any disrespect.ö

ôOoh, IÆm sorry dear, I didnÆt mean to snap at you.ö Nodoka went back to smiling happily.

ôBut-- what would make Ranma manly in your eyes?ö He asked, wondering what hurdle he might have to jump if Nodoka was this serious. His mother opened her mouth to respond before freezing and taking a moment to think about the question.

ôWell-- obviously he should have many young ladies competing for his affection. I already know Akane-chan has feelings for him.ö

æShe does?Æ Ranma asked himself. If true it was news to him.

ôItÆs so hard to put it into words.ö Nodoka paused with her head cocked slightly to one side and put a finger to her lips in thought. ôObviously if heÆs manly, heÆll have a healthy interest in women. Such as attempting to view beautiful girls in all states of undress. Viewing girls on the street, at the beach, or even in the bath.ö

ôLike peeping?ö He stared at his mother incredulously.

ôVulgar but correct.ö Nodoka nodded.

ôIf itÆs vulgar, why should a guy do it?ö Ranma crossed his arms under his fake breasts and shifted to put all his weight on one leg.

ôA woman has to place a great deal of value into her physical appearance, a manly man needs to be able to appreciate that, and if she is womanly then she will appreciate his attention. Even if it intrudes into private activities.ö

ôSo a woman is only womanly if she likes a random guy staring at her and worrying about how she looks?ö He asked challengingly.

ôTraditionally yes, a woman needs to spend her time making herself attractive to men. So itÆs only natural that she should enjoy when she receives that kind of attention.ö

ôThen I guess girls canÆt do anything else, right?ö Ranma had dealt with people before when he still turned into a girl who had treated him like he was just a pair of tits. So personally he felt insulted and that was before he thought of the girls who were interested in him. ôI know Akane does more than worry about her looks and doesnÆt like when guys peep on her.ö He quipped.

ôAkane-chan and her femininity is not what I wanted to talk to you about, itÆs my son and his masculinity.ö Nodoka glanced away nervously, a crack appearing in her confidence.

ôYes, Ranma.ö Ranma almost sneered, beginning to get too worked up over Nodoka considering his death over whether or not he would peep on girls. ôHeÆs manly enough, not whatever definition you have, but what would I know? I gotta spend my time prettying myself up so a man can come check me out in the bath.ö Turning with all the righteous indignation as he could muster, Ranma stomped off away from his mother.

 

[Lanceavalon]

IT LIVES!!!!!

 

[Seed00]

IT LIVES!!!!!

The hatred of Nodoka has always beeen strong with this one.

 

[Mick]

IT LIVES!!!!!

The hatred of Nodoka has always beeen strong with this one.

Glad she's being villainized for change. Too many fics make her out to be the good/guy master swordswoman.

 

[Lawra]

Akane simply did not know how to feel about these two former roommates of her fiancÚ. The giant one with the dark skin was open and liked to engage in conversation. The more normal one was quiet but highly intelligent. Past that Akane didnÆt know all that much about them except that they were actually aliens. Having dealt with magical creatures and crazy examples of humanity, she found their alien origin to be almost mundane. She was slightly infuriated that they were quite closed lip about any details pertaining to life off of Earth.

ôSo why doesnÆt everyone know about aliens?ö She finally asked directly and the two shared a brief glance.

ôAs far as I know itÆs the normal procedure.ö Corina answered evasively before continuing at her disbelieving look. ôHonestlyùand you did not hear this from meùbut I think this planet is being kept in the dark because itÆs the royal vacation home for Jurai.ö

ôEarth is a vacation home?ö She asked slowly.

ôYou didnÆt hear me say that.ö The tan girl looked around conspiratorially. ôThatÆs information IÆm not supposed to know and you were never supposed to hear.ö

ôThey really donÆt care.ö Ranma butted in, dropping into a kneeling position between Akane and Kasumi, still in his female form. ôBigger concerns, blah blah blah.ö He continued, waving his hand flippantly.

ôMidori!ö Nodoka announced angrily, storming into the room, and locking her eyes directly on the cursed teen. ôI will not be spoken to with such disrespect young lady.ö

ôRanma, what did you do?ö Akane whispered quickly.

ôMidori?ö Ranma asked, completely unconcerned by his motherÆs anger. ôNearly forgot that I still had this disguise field going.ö Tapping a silver band on his wrist, RanmaÆs form shifted into his true male one. AkaneÆs jaw dropped partially open and she quickly looked back and forth between son and shocked mother.

ôMiùwhat?ö Nodoka stammered in shock.

ôRanma what are you doing?ö She repeated loud enough for Nodoka to hear.

ôRanma? ButùMidoriùRanma?.ö The Saotome woman froze up. ôYou were a girl.ö

ôWere. That was just a disguise.ö Ranma corrected.

ôIùIùI need to sit down.ö Nodoka jerkily knelt down, Kasumi rushing over to assist the woman.

ôYou couldnÆt have found a better way to introduce the curse, could you Saotome?ö Nabiki remarked sarcastically and with a hint of venom in her voice.

ôWasnÆt for her.ö He answered. ôJust didnÆt want to look like a girl anymore.ö

ôI donÆt understand.ö RanmaÆs mother seemed to have moved past her shock enough to ask more questions.

ôItÆs a curse.ö Kasumi was the first to speak up with an answer. ôRanma has a magical curse that turns him into a girl, usually it requires water.ö The eldest Tendo sister fidgeted with her hands briefly. ôThatÆs the super simple version.ö

ôMagic? A curse?ö Nodoka appeared to be slowly catching on, even with the lack of a true explanation. ôI donÆt know what to say.ö

ôSay something, stupid.ö Akane snarled and lightly hit her unwanted fiancÚ over the head.

ôI guess.ö He conceded and she nearly hit him again before she realized that he was trying to compose a good way to explain things.

ôPop made me hide when I first met you, back when I still had the curse, and when you seemed serious about that pledge I decided I needed to stop waiting to get a cure.ö

ôBut you were just a girl.ö Nodoka spoke up, still quite confused, and looking around for confirmation that she had not be hallucinating.

ôJust a disguise I got from space.ö He answered and briefly activated the disguise to emphasize his point. ôIf youÆre expecting me to carry about that stupid pledge, itÆs not going to happen. IÆm not going to be some kind of super pervert like Happosai. Besides I got other things IÆm honor bound to do. And-- I just canÆt accept that your thing with Pop is more important anymore.ö

ôI donÆt know what to say.ö The Saotome womanÆs shoulders slumped and she stared off into space.

Akane looked between the two with muted horror. What was Ranma trying to accomplish here? Sure his mother had some wild ideas on what a man should act like but was her fiancÚ really going to throw his mother out of his life over a misunderstanding?

ôSo howÆs Earth so far?ö Ranma suddenly asked the two girls from outer space.

She was just about to speak up and berate Ranma for being so callous towards his mother before she got a good look at his face. Ranma was a good liar when it came to impersonal things. However when it came to something close to him, he had certain facial tics, and was awkwardly evasive. Akane had missed it before because it was subtle but now that she took a second look, she could see it. Ranma wasnÆt trying to be emotionally distant because he didnÆt care, but because it was eating him up inside, and he wasnÆt willing to let anyone see.

ôItÆs been very uncomfortable recently.ö Adilynn answered.

 

[Lanceavalon]

Short but nice I like how you have him Shock Nodoka so hard that she actually thinks instead of simply reacting, and doing something epically stupid.


More please I want to see how this Nadoka works through this, it'd be easy to use her to drive Ranma off but through are tons of other reasons for him to walk away.

 

[Hawk]

Random encouragement to continue writing. I reread the whole story because of this.