Hearts' Healing 2 - The Paths of Honor A Ranma 1/2 - Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki FanFiction By Sinom Bre This and other fanfiction or mine can be found at: http://home.houston.rr.com/onnaranma/index.html C&C very welcome. Respond to FFML or privately to: sinom_bre@yahoo.com ----- Continuity ----- This is a Ranma divergence fic, the divergence occurring at the beginning of the Ranma storyline, the day before the fateful trip to Jusenkyo at the end of the 10-year training trip. This is also a continuation of the TM! OAV storyline, although the concentration will be on one character, with the remaining cast coming in as appropriate. You will also have to have read "Hearts' Healing", "Hearts' Healing Interlude - Wedding", and "Hearts' Healing 2, Part 1" for the events in this story to make much sense. ----- Disclaimers and Acknowledgments at the End ----- ======================================== Part 2: Conflicts of Interest - I ======================================== [September 16, 2003] Her eyes blinked as she awoke, and confusion settled in. "Where am I?" she asked the ceiling in a whisper. The slow breathing of another drew her attention, and she turned her head to see an elderly woman sleeping in a bed on the other side of the room. The wrinkled face triggered her memories of the events that had brought her to the home of her husband's one-time adopted mother, and Ryouko smiled at Wong Liu, as the old woman continued to nap away the first blush of morning. Even though she'd only been there about a day and a half, the former space pirate and Demon of Destruction had already found a place in her heart for Liu. Ryouko rolled over and started as she realized Ranma was gone. She felt a moment's panic, but he was *always* up before her. She hated and loved that about him, and shook her head in exasperation. "I married a morning person. I can just *hear* Aeka laughing," she muttered, climbing out of the tiny bed. Ryouko knew that Ranma was, in fact, *not* a morning person per se, but someone who took sleep when he could snatch it and rose when he'd had enough; Ryouko was the true master of late morning dalliance. Also, Ranma would occasionally suffer from uneasy sleep and would rise early, discomfited. She was rarely awake enough to notice it, though. As she padded out of the bedroom, Ryouko mentally cast about for Ryou-ou-ki, more out of habit than need, these days. Her space-faring partner was nosing around one of the fields, probably having followed Ranma out. Ryouko examined the only other sizable room of the house and then moved into the kitchen, noting a teakettle and two clean cups sitting on the table. Smiling, she poured herself some of the brew, its strong, bitter odor entering her nose and making her mouth ache for its hot caress. She sipped appreciatively before setting out to find her errant mate. Casting her attention to the open door to the bedroom, Liu's light snores were still audible. Ryouko nodded to herself and rose from the ground, floating out the back door just as the first speck of the sun appeared on the gentle roll of the horizon. Ranma was seated on an old section of upended log, banks of morning fog drifting by on an unfelt breeze. As the air cleared between Ryouko and her husband, the log displayed numerous gashes and shaved areas to her eyes where a sharp object had, over time, whittled away at the wood's crown. Although Ryouko didn't know it, it was the very chopping block at which Ranma had spent many an hour splitting tinder for the fire. Ranma's attention was on the rising sun, and Ryouko decided to sneak up on him. Moving through the air, ghosting through the mist, Ryouko made no sound that she could hear, but she missed seeing one of Ranma's ears twitch and a smile appear on his face. ~~~~~ The tall marker stone at the turnoff to Wong Liu's farm bore silent witness to the rising sun, as it had for the nearly two hundred years that it had served its purpose. Even now, the first rays of sunlight were starting to burn away the low fog, leaving it to collect in low-lying sections of the surrounding land, including part of the main road. The peace of the morning was interrupted by the soft slaps of many leather-soled feet on bare dirt. It echoed dimly up from the fog-enshrouded dip in the road, and after a moment, the Nyuuchiezuu appeared like variegated apparitions from the gray. Shan Pu, the group's leader and primary candidate for future matriarch of their village, motioned twelve of her thirteen accompanying warriors off in pairs using hand signals, indicating that they should come at the farmhouse from different angles. The hulking warrior Dowel, who was carrying a shriveled old woman on her back, Cologne, stayed with Shan Pu, and the three of them headed up the two-wheel track, turning off into the fields just as the farm came into view over a low rise. ~~~~~ He could tell her good morning, but that would ruin her fun. Ranma schooled his features and feigned surprise when his wife embraced him from behind. "Gah!" he exclaimed, but his poor acting tipped her off. Ryouko frowned at him. "Liar. You knew I was there, didn't you?" "Well..." She sighed. "Just you wait, Hakubi Ranma. One of these days--" Ranma interrupted her by pulling her around into his lap, almost spilling her tea, and grinning at her. "I would hope that all my training of you wouldn't be for nothing." Putting on an air, Ryouko huffed. "Are you saying I'm no good?!" He chuckled. "You're good; just not as good as me," he teased. "I'll arm-wrestle ya!" Setting her tea on the ground, Ryouko put her fist in the air, leaving her upper arm level, and patted her bicep. "Ain't failed me yet!" Ranma laughed aloud at that. "No bet! I didn't say I was as *strong* as you." Allowing herself to be mollified, Ryouko put her arms around Ranma's neck and kissed him, breaking only after she was satisfied. "Ohayou, my husband." "Ohayou, my wife." Even after five years of marriage, being called 'wife' still raised goosepimples over her body. She attacked her husband with greater fervor. ~~~~~ "Oh, my achin' bones." Wong Liu sat up in her bed, resting even from that small effort. She smiled at the mussed guest bed; it was wonderful having Ranma and his wife visit. She was as proud of the boy -- no, young man -- as if she'd been his real mother. Grimacing as she rose to her feet, favoring her game leg, Liu hobbled into the living room and then into the kitchen to find a fresh pot and a clean cup waiting for her. "Ah, my dear boy. Always thinking of others. Makes sense you being a doctor." She poured and then sipped. "Good, good. Now, if we can just get you and your pretty wife to have a baby or five, this old woman's life would be complete." Liu looked out one of the few windows the house could claim and smiled at the sight of Ranma and Ryouko necking in the backyard. ~~~~~ Shan Pu cursed the mist still clinging to the ground around the dense vegetation of the long-fallow field. She knew approximately where she was, but that wasn't good enough. She wanted to know exactly where she was relative to the prey. She looked backed to see Dowel duck-walking to keep Cologne and her own height from giving them away. Shan Pu shook her head and decided to risk rising above the chest-level mist. With only the top of her head, her odango, and her eyes above the dispersing fog, she located the house and then the prey. Her eyes narrowed at the strange woman enjoying herself with Nyuuchiezuu property. She looked a bit too thin to be a warrior, although the hair wasn't *too* outre for village fashion. Deciding where she wanted to be when the moment came, Shan Pu stepped forward, but her foot landed on something oddly soft and hard at the same time. Its voice, however, was definitely hard on the ears. "MIYAAAAAAA!!!" it screamed. A bonbori slammed into the ground, but the creature had fled. "Shit!" ~~~~~ Liu was two steps out of the back door, intending to have a little fun embarrassing Ranma and his wife -- she thought -- when a bizarre and piercing cry echoed over the field from the left. Ryouko's strange pet shot out of the last of the mist and streaked towards her owner. Both Ranma and Ryouko had gotten to their feet when fourteen women seemed to melt out of the fields. Ranma held out his hand. "LIU!" The old woman hobbled as quickly as she could to stand next to them. The strange women ignored her, as she posed no threat. "Who is, Liu-san?" "Nyuuchiezuu." Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Great, just great," he muttered in Japanese. "What do we do, Ranma?" Ryouko had shifted around so that Liu was between them. "I don't want to, ah, 'you know' them if I don't have to." Ryou-ou-ki was at her feet, hissing at the purple-haired warrior that had trod on her. "Wait and see what they want, I guess." The Amazons formed a circle; Ranma noted their cool gazes and gulped. After a few seconds of mutual appraisal, the purple-haired woman facing Ranma stepped forward and spoke. "You there, male. You will come now." "Wha-- WHY?!" "It is not for you to question; you are Nyuuchiezuu property. Come, and the others won't be hurt." "What did she say?" Ryouko whispered over her shoulder. "Um... The dialect is off a little, but I think she called me their 'property'." "NANI?!" Ryouko spun around to look at the Amazon, her face a mask of amazement mixed with fury. The leader looked at Ryouko, and then dismissed her with her eyes. "It is time to leave, male." "No." "No? You talk too much. Be more obedient, or the others..." She trailed off and gestured at Liu and Ryouko, leaving it to his imagination. She had no real intention of hurting innocents, but the ten-year smear on her honor, slight though it was, and the jokes she'd endured, even if good- natured... Shan Pu wasn't about to leave without her prize to flaunt in certain faces. Ranma was becoming a little desperate, and he decided to resort to a tactic that should be universally understood. "No! Ranma fight-- no, er, challenge you! Then YOU leave!" "That is acceptable," she intoned with a smirk. Worried, Ryouko placed a hand on his shoulder. "Uh... If I understand this right, are you sure about this?" Liu, on the other hand, was frantic. "Ranma! You CAN'T!" "I believe--" He never had the chance to finish as the leader leapt at him, forcing him to back away and dodge her maces. "So, your name is Ranma." She executed a vicious double strike with her bonbori, the second clipping Ranma's head, but not enough to daze him. "I am Shan Pu, and you are about to belong to me." Having recovered from the surprise assault, Ranma led her around, dodging and assessing her fighting style, and the practice was beginning to annoy the Amazon. In the center, Liu was babbling at an uncomprehending Ryouko and pointing at Ranma and his opponent, but the combatants were too busy to notice. "Stupid male! Fight back!" Shan Pu was growing weary of hitting air. Ranma just smiled and waited while she expended energy. Still seated on the chair strapped to Dowel's back, Cologne, the current Nyuuchiezuu matriarch, smiled to herself and nodded at his tactics. *Sigh.* Shan Pu continued her assault, growing angrier, but Ranma dodged and waited until he saw his chance. With a cry of outrage at the perceived insult he gave her by not engaging, Shan Pu overextended, at which point he relieved her of one of her bonbori with a kick to the hand. The mace went flying. Shan Pu stopped and licked a cut from the exchange, and then smiled, chiding herself for the loss of self-control. "Not a problem." She tossed her other bonbori aside and rushed him. His blocking was good and complete, but then her hands started to blur. About twenty-five punches slammed into him in less than two seconds and sent him flying across the clearing. "RANMA!!" Ryouko screamed. She growled and spun towards Shan Pu. "RYOUKO!" Ranma called. "No... I'll finish this." He groggily rose to his feet, watching a pair of purple-haired women coalesce into one. "But, but--" "Please? I... need to. I challenged and she accepted." "Oooo! Men!" Ryouko clasped her left wrist, pulling off a wide bracelet and stuffing it into her bodice. No one noticed the action except Cologne. She didn't feel any magical discharge, so she wasn't sure what to make of it... although something wasn't right about her... something about her eyes? Too far away to judge further, Cologne kept part of her attention on Ryouko, while turning most of it back to the fight. Without taking his eyes off his opponent, Ranma smiled at Ryouko's anger. Shan Pu walked towards him, her eyes blazing in some emotion he couldn't identify. "You are strong, as will be our children," she mused. Ranma blinked; almost a mistake. She was on him like lightning, and he was forced to dodge her incredibly fast punches as well as other feints and attacks. he thought. Another exchange forced him to put some distance between himself and his opponent, which he wanted. She smirked at him and charged again. He waited until she was almost upon him before dodging right and sending his aura left. Shan Pu stumbled for a split-second, her senses giving her contradictory information, and Ranma used her hesitation to twist around her and hit several pressure points on her left side. Shan Pu recovered her wits almost instantly, jumped away, and landed awkwardly. Her left arm hung useless and her left leg was only partially under her control... and she was livid. Cologne's cackle went unheard by the combatants. "RAAAAHHH!!!" Shan Pu yelled as she loped to the attack. Ranma didn't oblige her, and evaded, keeping Shan Pu from putting her planned attack into effect; he stayed just out of her reach. They danced their deadly dance for another minute until Shan Pu stopped and glared at him. "WHY do you RUN?!" He smiled faintly and carefully approached to just within her range, and to Shan Pu's surprise, his battle presence winked out. "Wha--" And she sensed someone attacking from behind. Shan Pu spun around, right arm up and ready to block, and saw no one. From the stinging fire of fingertips stabbing her body, she knew that she'd been duped, and she gasped and fell to the ground, unable to move anything, not even her mouth. Ranma stood over her for a second and then relaxed. The mad cackling finally impinged on his awareness, and he turned to see a shriveled old woman with a staff jump down from behind the largest woman in the party. To his amazement, she hopped on the staff to in front of him, still balancing. "Impressive, young man!" she said in almost accent-less Japanese. She hopped down and examined Shan Pu, nodding her head in a cross between amusement and grudging respect. "Indeed. The arms and legs are easy, but the mouth and her labored breathing, keeping her weak without killing her, is subtle work." She looked back up at him. "I thank you for not taking her life," she said with utmost seriousness. Ranma relaxed further, nodding and believing the situation resolved. "Who taught you your knowledge of pressure points?" Cologne asked. "My father. He's a doctor." "Ah. And what do you do?" "I'm a doctor, too." Cologne's mouth spread in a wide grin, showing perfect teeth. "Better and better." Cackling yet again, her fingers flew over her motionless great-granddaughter, undoing what had been done. Shan Pu sat up slowly, holding her head. "Hurts," she moaned. "It will pass, Great-granddaughter. Now, I believe there is something you must say to this young man." Ranma prepared himself to receive her apology, but he began to bigsweat as she lifted her head to gaze at him. She leapt from the ground and, chagrined, Ranma realized he'd left himself open to attack. However, when her arms went around his neck and her lips mashed against his, he opened his mouth to protest, which left him further open to an invading organ. Stunned, he stood there while his prior opponent kissed him soundly. She finally broke the kiss and looked at him with loving eyes. "Wo ai ni. Wo de airen!" Ranma felt the world starting to gray. "Wha... Wha..." "Congratulations, Son-in-Law. Per three-thousand years of Nyuuchiezuu law, you have defeated Shan Pu and are now her husband." "Wha--Wha-- NO WAY!!" "Indeed, it is... Come here, Shan Pu. It is unseemly to hang off of a male like that." Ignoring a feeling of disappointment, Shan Pu moved to stand next to Cologne. "But, but, but..." Ranma cranked his head around to look at Ryouko, who was blinking owlishly, stunned at the bizarre result of Ranma's victory and still too lost in the surrealism of the moment to be angry. Cologne appraised Ryouko again, wondering what it was about the woman that bothered her, but she dismissed it and shook her head. "She is obviously unworthy of you; not a warrior at all." Ranma whipped his head around to stare down at the diminutive old crone. "Uh..." Cologne went on. "It is the Law of the Nyuuchiezuu that strong woman warriors find suitable husbands. I cannot, in all good conscience, let such a fine specimen as yourself get away." Looking back at Ryouko, Ranma saw her start to twitch. "Um, I don't think you fully understand the situation." "Yes, yes, boy, I understand your reluctance, but the law is the law. Look at it this way: you'll be contributing to three-thousand years of Nyuuchiezuu glory!" "Well, you see, I think you're short about two-thousand years." Cologne looked up at him, her annoyance rising. "What ARE you talking about?" Reluctant to disclose his wife's origins, Ranma stumbled over his words. "Ryouko is... She won't... This just isn't going to work!" "Boy! I am not here to bandy words with you! You WILL come with us!" "What is the problem?" Shan Pu asked, turning the conversation back to Chinese. "He is reluctant to leave his previous wife," Cologne said, snorting. "Feh. I will show him that she is unworthy." Pulling out her retrieved bonbori, Shan Pu stalked up to Ryouko. "You there! Ranma will be MY husband!" "What is she saying, Ranma?" Ryouko's voice was cool, making Ranma uneasy. "That I will be her husband." Ryouko's left eyebrow twitched as Shan Pu continued. "You are no warrior!" "You are no warrior," Ranma echoed weakly. "You are UNFIT!" Ranma coughed. "You are, um, unfit... Try not to kill her, Dear." "And I will prove it!!" Shan Pu launched herself at Ryouko, bonbori leading. Ryouko caught both globes of the maces in her hands, stopping them completely. "Un--... worthy?" Twitching, Ryouko's fingers dug into the hollow metal of the mace. "How DARE you!" In the blink of an eye, Ryouko had released the bonbori, and the severed forward halves of the mace heads fell to the ground, an afterglow ringing the edges. Shan Pu crossed her eyes at the orange point of an energy sword hovering over the slope of her nose, and then backed hastily away. Cologne barked a command, and the remaining Nyuuchiezuu readied their arms and tightened the circle. Ranma blanched and backed away from Cologne and Shan Pu. "You, ahhh, shouldn't have done that." Eyes were then drawn to the ground as it began to tremble, then shake. "An earthquake?" Cologne said. "I didn't sense--" A brilliant flare from their right stole their eyes again and revealed Ryouko shaking in a towering rage and surrounded by a building corona of brilliant orange. A trinity of red stars blazed, one each at her throat and on her wrists. Her eyes were squeezed shut, blind to the energy she radiated that grew in strength with that of the quaking ground, and if the glare hadn't been so strong, the gawkers might have seen tears leaking out of the corners of her clenched eyelids. The corona shattered into a thousand points and swirled outward, eerie in the sudden silence of the now motionless ground, encompassing the immediate area, warriors and all. Then Ryouko's eyes opened, revealing a glowing scarlet hell. "Un-- Un-- worthy... Ryou-ou-ki," she said in a dead voice. "Get Ranma and Liu out of here." "Miya!" the cabbit chirped. She galloped a short distance and jumped... and kept going up. A few of the Amazons tracked her, their eyes starting to bulge, only to almost pop out when Ryou-ou-ki exploded into expanding crystalline shards. In seconds, a bizarre spaceship hovered over the farm. An indistinct rosy light fell from the ship to cover the clearing. All felt a tug, but only Ranma and Liu rose into the air. "AAAAH!! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Liu tumbled, end over end, followed by dead grass and the odd bit of paper. "Calm down, Liu! It's oka--" They both faded away, the colored light disappearing and leaving only Ryouko, charring the ground around her feet. She slowly levitated four meters into the air, holding Cologne with her crimson eyes. "Unworthy?" she hissedm, and then shouted, "UNWORTHY?!?!" She shook for a moment, then said, "I spent FIVE THOUSAND *YEARS* being unworthy and only a FEW learning to be HUMAN again!! I am WORTHY!! DAMN you! *DAMN* YOU!! Not YOU... or TSUNAMI... or ANY BLEEDING GOD ON HIS PLANET CAN SAY *THAT* TO ME!!!" She held her arms out, and the points of orange energy swirled back into her palms. "NO ONE will TAKE the LOVE that I - HAVE -- *EARRRNED*!!!" Having collected all the energy in two large globes, her arms swept down to point at the ground, and the globes collapsed in on themselves and disappeared, leaving only the gems shining hot. "Run... or die," she said in an even tone, the fire in her eyes burning cold. The power returned in two brilliant, massive flares that shot from her downward-facing palms in thick orange beams. The resulting explosion from the compression of vaporized soil and rock and its release out and down excavated a crater wide enough to almost reach Liu's farmhouse, and it sent the Nyuuchiezuu flying. As she arced through the air to land hard in the high grass surrounding the farm, Cologne wryly noted that she'd done something she hadn't done since her youth: she'd made a tactical error by proceeding with too little information and not fully understanding her opponents. "OOF!" "Move it, Dowel. Unless you want to know what's it like to be instantly well done." Blanching, the lumbering Nyuuchiezuu warrior took off at a run, although Cologne managed to hop into the seat before she was up to speed. Explosions rocked all around, turning the surrounding farm into a blast zone of craters. Cologne noticed that none of the blasts had claimed any victims, and she was grateful that the woman, or whatever, was being at least that merciful. Her special cold ki-hot ki attack was considered and discarded; she'd need to be quite close to make it work and Cologne's intuition told her that the ease with which their attacker generated the blasts meant that she had only scratched the surface of her available power. No, one mistake a decade was all she allowed herself. By the time they reached the road, the assault had ceased. The ship was still visible over the rise, and it hovered in place for about a minute. Amazement clear on her ancient features, Cologne then watched the object zoom straight up into the sky and disappear with a twinkle. She turned to see Shan Pu sitting on the ground, her eyes wide and staring. "Ai... ren..." ~~~~~ Satisfied that her point had been made and with her rage vented, Ryouko materialized on Ryou-ou-ki's bridge, still glowing and her gems still burning, only to be confronted with a cowering and crying Liu, hiding behind Ranma. He gave Ryouko a pained look. "She's in shock," he said, "and scared witless. Um... Turn yourself off, Dear." "Wha--? Oh, sorry." All of Ryouko's emanations died away. "Liu? Liu? It's all right," Ranma said, trying to soothe her. The old woman didn't respond, continuing to cry and shake, and then he saw the right side of her face go slack and her right arm go limp, and she started to topple on a nonfunctional right leg. "Oh, no. No! LIU!" Ranma caught her and held her to him. "What?!" Ryouko asked. "I think she's having a stroke! LIU! Damn me for a FOOL! LIU!!" "Lay her on the floor!" Ryouko commanded. "WHAT?!" "DO IT!!" Blinking, Ranma gently set the elderly woman on the deck. "Ryou-ou-ki! Medical stasis!" Ranma watched as the deck flowed up and over the stricken Liu. After a few seconds, the deck flowed away, leaving the woman frozen inside a clear crystal. "Uh..." "She's on hold, Ranma. We'll take her to see Washuu -- your medicine can't help her enough. Sorry, my love." "No... No, you're right... Let's go, then. I can't stand seeing her like that." "Let's go, Ryou-ou-ki. Hail Washuu." "Miya," the worried cabbit chirped. A giant screen popped up, curving along the inside of the environmental dome. It stayed gray for a few seconds, and then an elfin face surrounded by chaotic red hair appeared. "Ryouko-chan! So good of you to call your mother. It's only been, what? TWO MONTHS?!" Sighing and shaking her head -- and trying to refrain from a case of stress giggles -- Ryouko pointed to Liu encased in the crystal. "We've got a patient for you." "Hmmm." Unseen, Washuu's hands typed furiously for a few seconds. "Major thrombosis in the left hemisphere. The bleeding has pretty well soaked the entire side. Bad stuff. Terminal." Ranma jerked. "No necrosis as yet, but she was stalled on the cusp of it. Still going to be ticklish work." She stopped typing. "I'll prep the main floor of the lab. Teleport directly in." "Hai." Washuu looked over the distraught group. "Ja." The communications screen winked out. Ryouko gathered Ranma up in her arms and held him while he stared at the only mother he could clearly remember having, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. ~~~~~ After a long period of time spent regrouping, Shan Pu led her shaky team back to the site where the confrontation had taken place. Everyone had scrapes and bruises, but there were no serious injuries of any kind. Cologne nodded to herself at the fact, adding it to the mental picture of the woman who could've killed them all with only a minor difference in aim. She wasn't fooling herself. Ever the tactician, she'd noted that the blasts had all been about the same distance from the fleeing women, so it was only the woman's desire not to kill that kept them from meeting their ancestors prematurely. Shan Pu stood in the center of the initial blast zone, shaking her head at the size of the crater from a point about ten feet below ground level. She turned and looked up at the rim where her great-grandmother still perched on Dowel's back. "NOW what?" "A good question, child. For the time being, I think your air--" She stopped, uncertain whether the man would *ever* end up being Shan Pu's husband. "I think the young man is out of our reach, for now." The shift in address with regard to her rightful and lawful spouse annoyed Shan Pu, and she scowled up at Cologne. "Airen," she said flatly. "We'll see," the elder rejoined. One of the other warriors that had been poking about ran up to Cologne. "Elder, I don't know if it's important, but I found this." She held up a small piece of heavy, stiff paper to the matriarch. The small rectangle was singed, but otherwise, the writing upon it was legible. Cologne smiled as she read the name and address and was intrigued by the list of skills. "What is it, Great-grandmother?" Shan Pu had scrambled up the rim of the crater and now stood before Cologne. "A clue, Shan Pu. A clue." Cologne put the business card away in her robe. "Gather your party. We're leaving." ____________________ Pensive and casting looks into the foyer where the door to Washuu's laboratory was located, Ranma sat in the den of the Masaki home. Ryouko had remained in the lab, ostensibly to keep an eye on the proceedings, but Ranma knew it was to avoid contact with either Tsunami or Tenchi. There was, of course, nothing to see concerning Liu's treatment because the old woman was inside some type of pod while Washuu worked on her from her lab station. "Here. Drink it. It will relax you." Looking up into the kind, pink eyes of Tenchi's wife, Ranma smiled. "Thanks, Tsunami-san." She bowed and then sat opposite him. "None of that 'san' business. You are family--" Ranma shifted, uncomfortable, and sipped his tea. "--despite the hard feelings of others." He sat his tea down on the table. "Thank you. I, er, do appreciate it." "Not at all... I just wish..." Tsunami looked over at the door to Washuu's lab. "Never mind." Changing the subject, Ranma asked, "So, where is Tenchi?" He almost flinched at the name as he said it. Tsunami chuckled. "On Jurai, of all places. Okaasama and Funaho-okaasama insisted he come for a visit. I suspect they're trying to get Otousama to at least not despise him." "Why didn't you go with him?" The smile left her face, and it was her turn to shift uncomfortably. "I apologize. It's none of my business," he said. "That's all right; it's no secret... off-planet. The Emperor is... disturbed concerning me." She sighed. "To be Tsunami, the ephemeral goddess, was one thing; to have her merge with his youngest child and become an amalgam of the two is something else entirely." She caught Ranma studying her and paused before continuing. "You are wondering why, of course. Why the early assimilation?" Embarrassed, he said, "Oh, no. I mean, I wouldn't dream of- -" "You wouldn't be any different from the others," Tsunami interrupted, shaking her head and reaching to pick up her own tea. "At least with you, I have a chance for an unbiased hearing." She sipped her tea once, then said, "It would've happened eventually anyway, sooner or later, when the alignment of certain factors was... more favorable." Ranma only had a rough idea of what the situation had been, and certainly not enough to comment. He only nodded in response, trying not to think of Ryouko's feelings on the matter. Tsunami studied Ranma in turn. "I think I would like for *you* to understand. I miss Ryouko. She was... *is* part of this family." He nodded again. "The thing I fear no one will believe is that it was NOT the choice of Tsunami to move the final assimilation up; it was Sasami's." She got to her feet and walked to the front window. Aeka had stopped at the foyer entrance to the den, frozen by Tsunami's last words, and had then moved back out of sight to listen. If either Ranma or Tsunami were aware of her, they showed no sign of it. "No, Sasami was frightened of a number of surprisingly adult things, regardless of her youth," Tsunami continued. "She was afraid that the final assimilation would distance her from her family, which, sadly, it has. She was afraid that as assimilated goddess, no one would want her, love her for herself. The only person she knew... that she could *imagine* that didn't seem to mind was Tenchi." She leaned against the glass, staring out over the water of Masaki-no- ike. "And Tenchi was starting to come around to Aeka and Ryouko. Another year or two, perhaps, and something solid would have probably grown between the three of them." She laughed. "Despite their fights, Aeka and Ryouko love each other, and it would have probably turned into even more, given time." She bowed her head. "For denying that a chance to live, I... we are truly sorry." Her words disturbed Ranma -- some of them hit too close to home -- but rueful, she turned and smiled at him, and he dropped his dark expression. "Forgive me. Speaking of the past through two sets of memories is awkward." "Ah, no problem. I can't imagine what it must be like." "No, and you don't want to, although it's not painful or anything. Just... extraordinarily odd." She glided back to her seat at the couch and sat down. "I miss Ryouko. Aeka-oneesama is here, of course, although I don't know why she stays, really. She only speaks to me when necessary." She paused. "Sasami wanted Tenchi, and was afraid that he wouldn't be there for her when she grew up, and she was afraid that when she grew up and had fully assimilated with Tsunami, no one else would be able to see past Tsunami to the person inside. So... she *forced* Tsunami to act." From her hiding place around the corner of the doorway, Aeka started, putting her hand up to her mouth. "Forced?" Ranma said, echoing Aeka's thoughts. "Indeed, forced." "How?" Aeka nodded to herself at Ranma's question. Tsunami brooded on her tea for a moment. "When Tsunami saved a little girl that fell to her death in the Royal Nursery over seven-hundred years ago, she could do so only by intermingling her life essence with Sasami's physical body. Sasami's life was dependent on Tsunami's... and the reverse was, to a lesser degree, also true. Had something happened to Sasami, Tsunami would likely not have died, but she would've been severely diminished and become ineffectual." Her eyes grew hard. "That was, and is, unacceptable." She smiled again, and to Ranma, the room seemed to brighten. "So you see, because of the initial assimilation, she wielded a kind of indirect power over Tsunami. Sasami was growing depressed over her situation and her impending future, and Tsunami began to catch stray thoughts from her, picturing herself tired and alone, and the thoughts became steadily darker." Tsunami waved her hand in the air. "Oh, it might not have ever come to anything... permanent, but Tsunami could not take the chance. Too much... future was at stake, so Tsunami granted her unspoken wish. Her desires became Tsunami's, and the fusion, we... *I* got what Sasami wanted." She paused. "And may the creator have mercy on my soul," she said softly, her voice carrying throughout the room, "for many I love will not." Ranma was stunned to silence, and a quietly weeping Aeka moved away from the door and climbed the stairs, disappearing into her room. Tsunami looked up at him. "I still love Ryouko like a sister, and I would do almost anything to have her forgiveness... or Aeka-oneesama's." "I'll... talk to Ryouko," Ranma said uncertainly, "but I can't, *won't* promise anything. Even now, she'll barely speak of it, and when she does..." "I see..." Tsunami sighed, noticing a pain of some deep kind washing across his face. "Thank you for listening at such an awkward time." "It was nothing. It kept my mind off things." Tsunami looked at Washuu's door. "Ryouko is approaching. I will leave you two to your news. If there's anything you need, please ask." She smiled as she rose, and glided out of the room. The door to the lab opened in time for Ryouko to see a brief glimpse of Tsunami's back as the woman disappeared out of her limited field of view. An ugly glare appeared on Ryouko's face and then vanished, and she walked into the den. "Ranma, come inside. Washuu is finished." ~~~~~ Washuu was studying the readouts on her holo-monitors when the glowing disk of the lift settled to the floor and then rose out of sight, leaving Ranma and Ryouko at the bottom. "Ah. Take a seat." Washuu indicated Ryouko's chair and a second chair that rose out of the substance of the floor next to it. After they were seated, Washuu finally turned from her displays and regarded Ranma. "I have good news and so-so news." She leaned back. "All the damage has been corrected or replaced. I've even taken care of her leg and a few other things that were close to happening." She sighed and rubbed her face. "However, in the process of releasing the medical stasis, some necrosis of brain tissue occurred before I could get nutritive fluid into the brain case and have it filter down to all the parts. The dead material was easily regenerated, of course, and the motor and autonomic functions easily mapped out and repaired. But..." Washuu sighed. "She will suffer some memory loss, Ranma. Usually, there's enough fault-correction through repetitive storage to reconstruct lost memories, but Ranma, the woman is old, and she was suffering some memory loss already and loss in brain-percentile usage. And the damned stroke cleaned out a number of redundant storage locations for recent memories. I don't know what she won't remember or will, but you should be prepared. I reconstructed what I could, so I *think* it will be minimal, but look for the worst. The brain is still a tiny, tiny bit of a mystery, even to me." She paused for a second, and then said to herself, "And perhaps that is as it should be." She shrugged and looked seriously at Ranma. "Are you prepared to care for her, help her relearn anything she's forgotten how to do?" "Of course." There was no hesitation. Turning to Ryouko, Washuu asked, "And you?" Ryouko nodded. "Very well. Here we go." Returning to her holo-keyboard, Washuu typed a sequence of commands, and a large, ersatz sarcophagus materialized in a cleared area. The surface of the container peeled away in sections, each disappearing into the one beyond, opening a rectangle of increasing size. Soon, the top had vanished, revealing Liu sleeping peacefully within. Washuu punched a button, and Liu's eyes fluttered open. Ranma was at her side in a flash. "Liu? Liu-san? How you feel?" Liu turned her head and blinked. "Ranma? What...? Where AM I?" Laughing, Ranma picked her up in his arms. "You're safe, that's where." He gently placed the old woman on her feet. She looked around, and then looked at Washuu and Ryouko. "Hello. Do I know you?" "Hmmm," Ranma noised, switching to Japanese. "I don't think she remembers you, Ryouko." Ryouko slumped, then brightened. "That may not be... all bad." Ranma caught on. "Yeah, I think you're right." He switched to his broken Chinese. "Liu-san?" He pointed to Ryouko. "That my wife, Ryouko." "Oh!" Liu beamed, and she began speaking in flawless Japanese. "I am Wong Liu. I'm very pleased to meet you!" Both Ranma and Ryouko turned to stare at Washuu, who had her back to them and was whistling innocently while she typed. Ryouko just shook her head. Blinking, Ranma turned back to Liu. "Uh... How are you feeling, Liu-san?" "Right as rain, oddly enough. I seem to remember... hurting my leg? Funny. It's okay now." "Err, yeah," Ranma temporized. "Um, Ryouko's mother fixed it for you... amongst other things." "Oh?" "Yes... Maybe we should go out to the living room and talk about this a little bit." Ranma ushered Liu in front of him towards the laboratory lift. Ryouko started to follow. "Ryouko," Washuu said, "a moment, please." Ranma nodded at his wife, and he and Liu ascended out of view. "What?" Ryouko walked up to Washuu's workstation. Crossing her legs and linking her fingers behind her head and leaning back, Washuu said, "I want you two to stick around for twenty-four hours. It'll give me enough time to monitor Liu for any irregularities." Ryouko nodded and started to walk off again. "And there's something else, something I've been meaning to talk to you and Ranma about." Stopping and turning her head around, Ryouko said, "Oh?" "Yes... Actually, Liu is just fine and go home at any time, but I wanted you two to stick around, because this is something near and dear to my heart." Ryouko's body turned to match her line of sight, and she canted her head to one side, asking the obvious question. Washuu clasped her hands together, little sparkles in her eyes. "GRANDCHILDREN!" The once universally feared space pirate tipped forward and planted her face on the lab floor. ____________________ "A grand morning," Tendou Soun hummed to himself as he walked down the lane from a nearby market, a pack of cigarettes in one hand and a generous bottle of sake in the other. "Saotome-kun should be up and about in a while, and then we'll see about which of us deserves the title of Grand Master of Unrestricted Shogi. Yes, indeed... Hello, what's this? The clinic's reopening!" Soun stepped up to the door and read the hand-written notice aloud. "'Back on Wednesday. Clinic will open on Monday, September 22nd.' Well, that's good news!" He turned and read the name on the placard... and frowned. ~~~~~ "Kasumi!" Soun doffed his street slippers and walked barefoot down the hall and into the kitchen, finding his eldest daughter at her usual work. "Oh, hello, Father. Did you go out this morning?" she said, flashing him a smile before going back to stirring the pot of miso on the stove. "Er, yes, I did. Did you know that the clinic is reopening?" Kasumi's wooden cooking spoon spun out of her hand, spraying a line of dusky red liquid, and clattered on the floor. "Oh, dear..." "Is something wrong, Kasumi-chan?" She bent over and retrieved the spoon, avoiding looking into her father's eyes. "No, no. Just clumsy this morning." "Oh." Soun set the sake and cigarettes on the counter as Kasumi reached to place the dirty spoon in the sink. "I found it more than a little odd that the new physician is named Ranma." The spoon fell out of Kasumi's hand and banged against the brushed steel of the sink. Soun gaped as he watched his daughter grip the edge of the counter tightly, her eyes closed. He rushed over and supported her, his hands along her slender arms. "Kasumi! Maybe that doctor isn't getting here quick enough!" "No... Father. I am not... ill." She opened her eyes and bowed her head. He blinked at her, then said, "Well... if you say so... Are you sure?" "Quite sure." She straightened, still keeping her head down. "Will you come with me, Father?" Nodding and confused, Soun followed Kasumi out of the kitchen, through the tearoom, out the open shoji, and into the doujou. She stopped in the middle of the floor and turned to face him. "Please sit, Father. There are some things that I must tell you. It seems the goddess of luck is not smiling upon me... or Nabiki... or Akane." Soun dropped to the floor and sat on his shins, fearing illness in his precious daughters. Kasumi mirrored him a short distance away, and she surprised him by bending forward and placing her forehead on the floor. "I am very truly sorry for what I am about to tell you, for I and my sisters have dishonored our family, and... it may not be recoverable." "Kasumi! Please get up! What is this all about?!" She didn't move, but sighed and began a tale, the sound of her voice against the polished wood floor both muffled and strangely reverberant. After a few moments of listening, Soun began to pale. ~~~~~ "Tadaima!" Tendou Nabiki cheerily called out to her birth home, having taken a personal day off from work by falsely citing a family emergency. It was something of an emergency, though, because she needed to speak with Kasumi without delay -- the reopening of the clinic was a timebomb just waiting to explode. She took off her business shoes and slid her feet into her slippers that Kasumi always kept waiting for her, and she wondered where her usually omnipresent older sister was. As she stepped into the hallway, her father appeared at the other end. She waved and said, "Hi, Daddy. I took a day off to--" "Daughter." Soun was grim and formal. "Come to the doujou. I would have words with you." He turned and stalked through the tearoom and out of the house. Hovering in place on her toes, Nabiki swallowed once, then twice. She wondered just what exactly had blown up in their faces -- hoping it had nothing to do with current developments -- and whether or not she'd be able to doctor its spin. Blowing air out of her mouth, "Calm, Nabiki," she traced Soun's path to the outlying building on the property. ____________________ "Oh! Hello. Who are you? My, you're a pretty one!" Liu bowed once to a bemused Tsunami. Tsunami returned the gesture with her usual grace. "Hello, Wong Liu-san. I am Masaki Tsunami. I welcome you to my home." A four-year-old girl with midnight blue hair peeked around from behind Tsunami's house kimono. "Achika-chan, say hello to Wong-san." "Ohayou, Wong-san," Achika said in a tiny voice, her large red eyes peering intently at their guest. "Oh, myyy, what a darling little girl! Come give Auntie Liu a hug." Liu buried the girl in her arms. Tsunami edged over to Ranma and whispered, "How is she?" "Fine," he whispered back, "but a little *too* happy." He smirked at Liu. "Washuu, no doubt." "Yes. Probably an anti-anxiety medication or something similar." Liu straightened, and Achika fled back behind her mother, peeking around at the old woman. Now gazing at Tsunami, Liu said, "What an interesting hair color. If I were back home, I'd think you were Nyuuchiezuu." It wasn't tactful, but there was a certain pharmacological innocence to the question, and Tsunami couldn't help but smile. "Thank you," she said. "Nyuuchiezuu?" "Um, there hangs a tale," Ranma said, bigsweating. "I can't wait to hear it," Tsunami chuckled. "Are those tattoos?" Liu asked, reaching up and poking the two round dots on Tsunami's forehead, causing her to blink. "Where is your husband?" The assimilated Juraian goddess had to fight down a case of the giggles. "Er, something like that," she temporized, "and Tenchi is on a trip... family business." "Ah. Takes his responsibilities to family seriously, I see. Good, good." Tsunami brought a hand up to her mouth to hide a smile. "Something... like that." She briefly wondered to what tortures of courtly politeness the rulers of Jurai were subjecting her poor Tenchi. "Liu-san," Ranma said gently, "let's, um, go into the den and have a talk. There are some things you should know about what has happened recently." She batted Ranma's arm. "Oh, you young people are always so serious. Well, lead on!" Liu preceded them out of the kitchen. Tsunami patted Ranma on the shoulder as he shook his head. "Go forth, serious young man, and explain." "Ha, ha," he said wryly. "I will bring in tea shortly." "Thanks, Tsunami." Ranma steeled himself and strode into the den to find Liu looking out through the picture windows at the pier and the lake. "Liu-san." "Look, Ranma! Isn't it gorgeous?" He couldn't find it in himself to be impatient with her, so he smiled and joined her at the window, enjoying the view. "Yes, it is. This valley has always been beautiful to me." Looking down at the simple wonder on Liu's face, Ranma wondered when he'd lost that. No, he hadn't lost it; he felt it every time he looked at the wonderful being that was his wife. Ranma put his arm around Liu and enjoyed the view. ~~~~~ As she waited for the kettle to heat, Tsunami looked out the kitchen window and smiled at Achika playing in the yard. She suddenly felt eyes upon her, and turned to see Ryou-ou-ki sitting on the floor about ten feet away, staring. Tsunami turned back to her kettle and put a hand on the counter to steady herself. The part of her that had been Sasami was causing her to almost burst into tears. She so wanted Ryou-ou-ki's friendship and love again. Hesitantly, smiling, Tsunami turned back to the cabbit, who hadn't moved. Tsunami walked obliquely to Ryou-ou-ki and sat in a nearby chair, turning to face her once and, hopefully, future friend. They simply sat, regarding one another, until Tsunami felt she would burst. She held out a hand. "Ryou-chan--" But the cabbit turned and scampered away. Tsunami stared after her, and then put her face in her hands and began to quietly sob. She didn't see Ryou-ou-ki peek around the corner and watch, her large yellow eyes sad and confused. ~~~~~ "Hey, hey? Hitting on other women already?" Ryouko padded into the room, smiling at the picture of Ranma and Liu at the windows. Ranma turned and playfully leered at his wife, under which she preened. Liu, however, was on Ryouko in a trice. "Ryouko, did you see that darling little girl of Tsunami- san's? Are you and Ranma going to give me a little grandchild to bounce on my knee? Please?!" Ryouko's left eyebrow twitched, and Ranma came to the rescue. "Liu-san, please! Now, we've all had a hard day." "We have?" "Er, yes, we have." "Oh... But it's still morning!" Liu allowed herself to be guided to a seat on one of the couches. "Um..." He turned to Ryouko. "What did Washuu want?" "I'll, er, tellyoulater," she finished in a rush and hurriedly sat down opposite Liu. He stared at her for a second, but nothing more was forthcoming, so he sat beside Liu. "Liu-san, um, earlier this morning... Let's see..." "Yes?" "Ah, well, you see, we were at your farm earlier this morning." "We were? I don't remember that." "Well, there's a reason you don't remember. You, um, had a stroke this morning." Liu blinked at him. "I did?" "Yes, you did, but Ryouko's mother fixed you up." "Oh, well, I must thank her, then." Liu started to rise, but Ranma gently brought her back down. "I've got more to tell--" "If I had a stroke, why do I feel so good? Shouldn't I be in a hospital?" Ranma glanced over at Ryouko, who was clearly enjoying his discomfort. he thought ruefully. "You see, Liu-san, Ryouko and Washuu and Tsunami are, um, different than, er, other people you know." "Oh? Are they rich?" "Uh, HAHA! Well, some of them are, but that's not what I'm trying to say." "Well, spit it out, son. I *don't* remember you being so indecisive... ... My, I'm not speaking Han, am I? What am I speaking?!" "Uh, Japanese. You see--" "Japanese?! How?" Ryouko couldn't contain herself any longer and laughed aloud. "Liu, what Ranma is dancing all around is that Washuu... Tsunami, and I are aliens." Liu considered that. "Oh. What country are you from?" Fighting off the urge to tip over, Ryouko said, "No, no. You should ask, ah, what planet we're from... where applicable." Liu considered that, also. Then considered it some more. She turned to Ranma and said, "Ranma-chan, I know a few girls back at the village that would flip over you." She then cupped a hand around her mouth, her voice falling to a whisper. "And they're not crazy, either." Ryouko finally did tip over, and Ranma had to fight off his own laughter, settling for a broad grin. "Liu-san, Ryouko's not crazy, heh. She, ah, well... I guess you're going to have to show her, Honey." Levitating up from her prone position on the couch, Ryouko straightened and waved at Liu. "Hmph! Wires." Ryouko fell out of the air, and then was right back up. She teleported to another location in the house and then back to the couch. "Mirrors, but very well done." The pirate slapped her forehead, and then produced her energy sword. "Errr... How did you do that? I didn't know you did magic tricks!" "ARGH!! RYOU-OU-KI!!" After a moment, everyone heard a bang on the outer wall and a wail. Ryouko rolled her eyes, while Ranma chuckled. There was a moment of scratching, then silence. A determined cabbit finally phased through the outer wall of the den and scampered up to Ryouko. "Miya?" Ryouko moved to hover over Liu. "Do you trust me?" "Well..." Liu looked to Ranma, who smiled and nodded. "I suppose so..." Gathering a startled Liu up in her arms, Ryouko floated towards the wall. "Ryou-ou-ki, let's go outside for a minute." "Miya!" As they approached the sheet-rocked inner wall, Liu started squirming. "The wall is getting close." "That's okay. We're going through it." The wall was upon them before Liu could say anything coherent in reply. "AAAHHH!!-- Ungh?!" Liu looked back to see the undamaged outer wall receding. "How...?!" "We phased through it. Um, our, er, atoms and stuff passed between the atoms of the wall. It's handy." "Yes... I suppose it would be," Liu warbled. They stopped a short distance from the house, Ryou-ou-ki having run alongside, and Ryouko alit on the ground and set Liu on her feet. "Ryou-ou-ki, ship mode." "Miya?" "We're trying to convince Liu that we're from outer space." "Miya?" *Sigh.* "Just do it, please?" Ryou-ou-ki chirped an affirmative, and then galloped a short distance before jumping. "MIYOOOOOOWWWWWLLLL!!!" Her body exploding into giant crystalline constructs, Ryou-ou-ki expanded into a quadrilateral spaceship, her yellow environmental dome glinting in the sunlight. She hovered very near. Liu was clutching her chest, staring. Ryouko put her arm around Liu and said, "Ryou-ou-ki is a living spaceship. We've been together, sort of, for over five-thousand years." "Five... THOUSAND?!" A thoughtful expression settled on Ryouko's face. "Yes, Liu, five thousand. Except... I don't remember most of it... thankfully. But that's a story for another time." She looked up at Ryou-ou-ki and then back to Liu, smiling again. "Wanna take a joyride?" ~~~~~ "Ranma?" Turning from looking out the window as Liu and Ryouko boarded Ryou-ou-ki, he saw Tsunami standing in the kitchen entry. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Tsunami? Is everything all right?!" He hurried over to her, stopping just shy of invading her personal space. "Oh, I'm fine. It's nothing you need concern yourself over. No, I'd forgotten to tell you that your father called looking for you. He said it was urgent." "Oh! Well, thanks... Are you sure you're all right?" "Yes, thank you for asking." She turned and walked back into the kitchen rather abruptly, and Ranma wondered what could possibly have upset her. She was the most even- tempered person he knew. Shrugging, he walked into the foyer to the telephone table next to the stairway. He picked up the receiver and dialed a familiar sequence of numbers. ~~~~~ "Where could that boy BE?!" Ono Toufuu paced in his living room. "Not at the clinic. Not at the Masaki house. Not at Mother's. Not ANY-where!" He stopped his pacing and sighed. "You're just working yourself up. Stop it." His tea had, by now, cooled to almost room temperature, but Toufuu sat down on the couch and sipped anyway. It was the least he felt he deserved. His pony-tailed hair jerked as he shook his head forcefully. "What were you thinking, Toufuu, waiting for the right moment? There is no such thing as the right moment, and now, it may be awkward at the very best... if you're lucky." Saotome Nodoka had been a charming woman, but obviously a woman with her own agenda where Ranma was concerned, and their meeting had left him more than a little at sea as to how to inform Ranma of her impending visit. He had mused, then considered, and then struggled with how best to tell his adopted son that his biological mother had found him. The only hope was that it wasn't too late for Ranma to prepare himself. The phone rang, startling Toufuu and causing him to drop his tea into his lap. "Ah! What a mess!" He hovered in place for a second, debating as to whether a towel was in order, but the second ring suggested to him that current matters at hand were far more important than a damp lap. In four steps, he was at the phone and picking it up. ~~~~~ "Father! Hey, it's me. Is something wrong?" Ranma listened and grew steadily more still as the minutes ticked by. ~~~~~ Washuu stepped out of her lab through the storage room closet door and saw Ranma standing over the phone, staring at the device. "Did it do something it wasn't supposed to?" she asked. Ranma jumped. "Washuu! Uh, what?" "The phone. Did it do something it wasn't supposed to or designed to do? I got rid of the improved model." He looked at her blankly, and she rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Come with me." She turned and re-entered her lab. "Um..." Ranma felt a slight queasiness in his stomach. Washuu's lab was dangerous ground when going in alone -- or even with someone -- unless there was some specific reason for being there. "Come on!" A voice rang from the closet. "I haven't got all day!" Ranma found himself walking through the door. "Oh, the things I do for peace in the family," he muttered. "What's this all about, Wa-- ERK!!" The door shut, cutting off the muted hum of machinery and the receding but still frantic yells of yet another guinea pig caught. ____________________ The walk from her place of work was not terribly long, but long enough for Akane to have time to think. Her primary occupation was, of course, teaching at the doujou, trying to pass on what she knew of the Tendou Ryuu of Musabetsu Kakutou to a paltry few, but Akane was not terribly happy with her circumstances. Her father's training had been desultory at best, and she was left feeling like there was an entire dimension to her family's school of martial arts that she hadn't been exposed to, especially after listening to Saotome-san's training stories, when he felt like talking about it, that is. And it wasn't easy being a woman martial arts instructor to begin with; few students were comfortable with or willing to learn from a woman in such a setting. she wryly thought. Thus, to a degree, her skills felt empty, but it was her duty to the family. She sighed, concentrating on the seams in the concrete sidewalk. Working part time at the Nerima daycare was both a joy and a necessary social outlet for her... and a torture, but one to which, however, she gladly subjected herself. She had never married, and at twenty-seven, she was past what was considered marriageable age in Japan. She'd had the occasional date after turning twenty-six, but they were largely interested in just seeing how far they could go on a first date and nothing more. The few exceptions had much younger women fawning over them, knowing a good catch when they saw one. she thought with a comfortable bitterness. She worked at the daycare for the children, all of whom she dearly loved, even the problem cases. She related well to the latter category, having been something of one herself. It was for the children, in lieu of those it seemed she would never have. Akane looked up to see the gate to her home as she crossed the intersection where the wall around the Tendou compound began. Stopping briefly before the gate, she gazed further down the road, where a lifetime ago she had once entertained hope of a romantic kind... until she crushed it with her fear of the unknown. Shaking her head, she pushed the gate open and entered. Once in the house proper, she didn't even bother announcing herself as she doffed her shoes and put on her slippers. Padding down the hall, she peeked into the kitchen only to find it empty. "Huh." The tearoom was likewise uninhabited, so she retraced her steps to the stairwell, ascended, and looked in all the rooms, only finding Genma still snoring in his futon. "Well, honestly! Unless everyone's taking a bath together... Not! Maybe somebody's in the doujou." Her steps faltered even before she was halfway down the covered walk that connected the doujou to the house. An ominous density seemed to hang in the air, and Akane wasn't certain she wanted to proceed. She grumped and shook her head, "Silly, silly," and marched straight to the closed shoji, firmly opening them. "Oh! Hi, every... body..." The sight that greeted her explained the atmosphere she'd sensed, but Akane was mystified as to its cause. Kasumi and Nabiki were seated on their shins off to one side. Kasumi's face was streaked with tears, although she had since composed herself and was trying to appear normal. Nabiki's face was expressionless, and it was only long association with her that allowed Akane to see that Nabiki was uptight; it shouted at her from the middle sister's unnatural stillness. "Um..." "Akane," Soun said, seated precisely in the middle of the doujou floor, "come in and shut the door." His voice was even, but strained, and his face was stony, so unlike the usually teary man. Akane swallowed, wondering what in the world had happened, and turned and closed the shoji. She walked to the center of the room, uncertain where to place herself, then opted for the other side of Nabiki from Kasumi. Sitting on her shins, she waited for her father to speak. Soun was silent for many long and uncomfortable minutes. When he did speak, his voice shook from the control he was exerting on his emotions. "A-Akane." "H-Hai." "When... When Saotome-kun lost his son, the honor of both families was... strained. An agreement had been made, but it seemed as though it would never be fulfilled. No matter the reason why, it put our honor on tenuous ground. Now..." He trailed off, clenching his eyes shut and becoming very still. Akane hazarded a look at Nabiki, who slid her eyes over to her younger sister. *What?* Akane mouthed. *Guess who?* Nabiki returned. Akane frowned in incomprehension. *Ranma* Nabiki pointed down. *Here - Clinic - Doctor.* Akane blanched and slowly turned her head to look at her father, who was still concentrating. She looked down at her hands, the enormity of the situation filling her chest with fear. She felt tears gather in her eyes, and shortly, they began running down her face. "It's... It's my fault... Oh, gods, it's all my fault!" Akane burst into heaving sobs, burying her face in her hands. "We've got DO something!!" Soun's meager control shattered, and he began weeping, albeit more quietly. "Wh-Why, Akane? Why did you do this?!" "Father," Kasumi interrupted, finally smiling again, "it wasn't just Akane's fault. We all kept our silence, so we have to be strong now." "But Akane KNEW him!" "She didn't know who he was until well after he had left," Nabiki said, her voice annoyed but her face still expressionless. "And Ranma frightened her, Daddy." "I... I don't understand," Soun said weakly. "Frightened?" Akane pull her hands away from her red and damp face. "Daddy, he, uh... uh... turned into a girl... right in front of me! I... didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to DO! It was scary. Like... something out of a movie." "The Jusenkyou curse," Soun muttered. "So... It's real. Oh, the horror. Genma, you always were just a little more foolish than me." He sighed, having spent his tears for the moment. "Akane, why didn't you say something when Saotome- kun arrived?" He looked up suddenly, and bored into Akane with his eyes. Akane flinched. "THAT'S why you were so frantic when you found out who Saotome was!" "... Hai..." "Oh, Akane! Do you know what you've DONE?!" "... ... Hai. I've... dishonored our family..." Her face firmed, however. "No, Akane," Kasumi said, trying bestow some measure of calm. "We all have. Each of us is as much to blame for keeping our silence." Descending into tears once more, Soun slumped. His daughters waited him out, and after several minutes, he spoke. "What... What are we going to do? He IS married, Nabiki?" "Hai... Five years, now." "And two families removed, and he owes nothing to the Saotome name." Akane rubbed her nose. "Daddy? Doesn't he? I mean, if he married someone else, wouldn't he be dishonored, too?! I mean, surely this can be fixed!" "You don't understand the whole situation, I think, daughter. Tell me, did he know the name of our school?" Akane blinked as she fought to remember. "Uh... Um... Oh! Yes, he did. I remember telling him about the Musabetsu Kakutou. Why?" Soun looked down at his hands, hands that could once crush stone. It had been a long time since he was that young. "There are only two schools of Musabetsu Kakutou, Akane. He HAD to have known that we were connected with Saotome-kun. Do you understand what that means?" Nabiki and Kasumi's eyes widened in realization, but Akane was still confused. "Not... exactly, Daddy." "That means, Akane, that he declared himself ronin, intentionally or otherwise, by not seeking out his father or those who might know of his whereabouts. An almost incomprehensible state, in this day and age, but should someone decide to adopt him into their family, and it appears that Toufuu-sensei did just that, Ranma would have a clean slate. No dishonor at all. I'm a little shocked, frankly; Toufuu didn't strike me as the kind of man who would throw away another family's honor like that." Akane slumped, vexed. "We can fix this, somehow..." she mumbled, her mind racing. "I doubt he knew of the agreement, Daddy," Nabiki said, ignoring Akane for the moment. "I don't believe Saotome-san told Ranma about the engagement before he was, er, cursed, and if Ranma didn't know..." She let the conclusion hang in the air. "I suppose you're right, Nabiki," Soun said wearily. "So much gone wrong, just because he was afraid to tell his son." Kasumi frowned, but Nabiki beat her to the punch. "As I recall, WE didn't find out about it until the last minute, either." Soun winced. "Errr, we thought it best not to give anyone... Never mind." Scowling, Nabiki crossed her arms, but declined to press him for the completion of his thoughts. "Whatever, but that strategy thoroughly backfired, ne? So NOW what? Keep everything under wraps? Works for me." "No, that won't work," Soun said. "Saotome-san won't settle for that, I suspect," Kasumi said. "He doesn't seem the type. And since Ranma is here, they are bound to cross paths. Everyone goes to the clinic at some point." "I don't know what we'll do," Soun continued, "but I will have to speak with Saotome-kun about this. Then... we'll see." "This can be fixed! Right?!" Akane said, her voice rising. "Come on! He was the one who went ronin! It's not our fault! Right?!" She looked around at the bleak expressions on the others' faces. "Right?" she said more quietly. Soun shook his head. "I am not entirely happy with you or your sisters over this matter -- we may all suffer because of the silence that was kept -- but... I think I understand why you were afraid. And as for repairing the situation, I don't know... He really turned into a girl?" Akane nodded. "Big boobs and everything," she said in a tiny voice. Cocking an eyebrow, Soun said, "I *see*. Kami, I cannot imagine what the poor boy went through with something like that." ____________________ "Did you really have to take my clothes off for this?!" Washuu snickered. "Not really. It's just more fun for me, this way." Ranma rolled his eyes, and then blanched as Washuu leaned over, lifted his boxers open, and looked at his penis. "My, my, my. No wonder Ryouko-chan never wants to let you out of the bedroom." "Washuu-chan!!" "Ne, ne! Call me 'Okaachan'!" Grunting in frustration, Ranma turned his head away, frowning. "Initiating scan. The bar will make several slow passes, so just relax for a bit." Ranma was held horizontal on an examination table by the restraint device that Washuu seemed to favor: a sphere with four retractable tentacular arms. A long metallic bar hovered over Ranma without visible support as it made an achingly slow pass down his body, starting from the head. When the bar reached his collarbone, Washuu could see that Ranma's mind was far away. "A Jurai penny for your thoughts." "Huh? Oh..." Ranma looked at the bar after glancing at Washuu. "It's... nothing." "No? Awful weighty nothing." He couldn't help but smile crookedly. "So it is." Nothing more was said until the bar was over his navel. "So?" Washuu said, a slight edge of impatience in her voice. "What is it?" Ranma grimaced and looked at her. "I don't really want to talk about it yet." "Hmmm." Washuu stepped back, and Ranma's eyes nearly popped out of his head as the scientist grew until she was a well- endowed adult. She pulled a syringe filled with clear liquid out of... somewhere and held it up for his inspection. "Well, since you don't want to talk about it," her deeper, smokier voice purred, "I guess I'll just have to entertain myself another way." She hefted the syringe. "Know what this is?" Ranma vigorously shook his head, his eyes still wide. "Aphrodisiac, and it never fails. Developed it myself over fifteen thousand years ago." She approached, pulling her tunic down over one shoulder, and settled the tip on the needle on Ranma's arm. "You'll love it!" "AAAHH!! NO! I'LL TALK!!" Washuu pouted. "Are you sure? This would be lots more fun." "YES! I mean, yes, ahem, I'm sure." Ranma shivered. "Right, then. What's up?" "Um, um..." He tore his gaze away from the syringe. "Father has been trying to get ahold of me, and--" "How is Toufuu-san?" "Um, fine. Teaching and doing a little practice on the side." "Well, you tell him he's long overdue for a visit. I don't get to talk shop very often, and you're always too busy with Ryouko-chan." Ranma just looked at her, and Washuu sweatdropped. "Anyway, Ranma-chan, what were you saying?" "Father told me that my... mother has... found me, and she'll be visiting me at the clinic... soon, in fact." His head straightened, and he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes shifting back and forth, unconsciously searching the darkness above him. "That's definitely... weighty." She crossed her arms, bringing one hand up and resting her chin in the palm. "How does that make you feel?" Ranma didn't answer for a moment, but then said, "Uncomfortable, uneasy." He glanced at the scanning bar, which was at his knees. "I thought... I thought that was all behind me, I guess." "The past has a funny way of catching up with you," Washuu said in a distant tone of voice. Without looking, Ranma nodded. "So you are definitely going to meet with her?" "I don't think I can avoid it." "Would you if you could?" "... No, I don't think so." "Why not?" "I don't know... Curiosity, I suppose. I've always wondered what she was like. I wonder what Pops told her about me. I wonder..." He trailed off, frowning. "What?" "Nothing." Washuu placed the injection needle next to his arm. "AH! Uh, I was wondering if she's going to be disappointed... in me." Taking the syringe away, Washuu sat back down on her cushion. "Yes, she might be." Surprised, Ranma finally turned his head to peer at her again. "Why do you say that?" Shrugging, she said, "It's hard having your child taken from you. It happened to me once... no, twice, although the circumstances were different for each. Still, it hurts. Terribly." "So she would be disappointed because...?" "Are you sure you're a doctor? You're being dense." Ranma glared at her. "Fine, fine. What I mean to say is that she'll probably be disappointed you didn't look for her. She might think you didn't love her enough to look." "I don't even KNOW her, Washuu-chan. How could I LOVE her?" "Well... I see what you mean, but think of it from her perspective. It's likely that she isn't thinking along those lines. All she knows is that the child she brought into the world has been gone since he was six. I can almost guarantee that she still loves *you*." "I suppose... I just don't have any sense of what to expect, how to act when I meet her." "Just be yourself, Ranma-chan. You've certainly charmed the socks off of the alien contingent in Okayama." Ranma snorted and laughed, genuinely feeling better. A soft thump sounded as the scanning bar reached his feet and reversed course. "By the way, Washuu-chan, why are you scanning me so thoroughly?" "Ah. I'll explain tomorrow morning, after I've had a chance to go over your readings. I don't want to have to go through it twice or if it's going to be a moot point." "Nothing's wrong, is there?" Ranma asked nervously. "No, no. Like I said, I'll explain tomorrow. You and Ryouko-chan can come in after breakfast." "Oh... Okay." There was no conversation for the remainder of the scanning bar's return pass until it arrived over the top of Ranma's head and stopped. "Okay, Ranma! Time to change!" "Huh? ACK! THPTH! PPT!" Washuu had squirted the contents of the syringe onto Ranma's face, the amount calculated by her to be just a little more than enough to activate the curse. Some of the fluid had, of course, gotten into Ranma's mouth, and the redhead was indignant. "HEY! That's just saline!" "Yup!" Washuu grinned from ear to ear. "Cheap trick, Washuu-chan! Hmph! Some 15,000-year-old aphrodisiac!" Wagging her finger at the bound woman, Washuu said, "Oh, I never said there WASN'T such a thing. And..." She looked onna-Ranma up and down once, "...I'm not entirely gender specific in my tastes." Ranma swallowed thickly to Washuu's cackling laughter. ~~~~~ "WHEEEE!! Do it again!!" Liu cried, her face plastered to Ryou-ou-ki's currently transparent environmental dome. Her anti-anxiety medication was still in full swing. Ryouko's eyes rolled in her head and she dramatically clutched her stomach; doing corkscrews around Saturn's rings on top of Washuu's little bombshell about babies was not doing her digestion any favors. "Ryou-ou-ki," Ryouko called weakly, "once more, then head for home." The main control crystal, with an image of a familiar cabbit projected onto the insides of its facets, bobbed once, projected eyes rolling. "... miya..." ____________________ The best description for the atmosphere pervading the evening meal was tense and cautious, Genma decided. Something had happened, but nobody was talking. Soun had opened his mouth several times, but had then closed it, staring at a point just beyond his plate but not quite reaching the serving bowl in front of him. After a moment, he would slowly resume eating. The girls were silent and kept their eyes down, although Akane mumbled to herself occasionally. Kasumi looked tired, and Nabiki was even more economical in her movements than usual. All of this set off Genma's mental alarms, but he quietly sighed and finished the rest of the food in front of him, noting that it wasn't up to Kasumi's usual standards. he thought. The girls waited patiently until everyone had finished eating, and they cleared the table in record time, all three disappearing into the kitchen, none of them moving far from the others. Genma mentally shrugged. "Well, Tendou-kun, shall we pick up where we left off? I believe you were three tiles down." Soun smiled faintly. "I think you were the one down, and by four tiles... No, Saotome-kun, there is a matter between our two families which must be addressed. Will you join me with your pipe on the engawa?" "Certainly." The two men gathered their smoking materials, Soun his cigarettes and Genma his long-stemmed pipe and tobacco pouch, and proceeded to the porch that extended across the side of the home facing the koi pond. Both lit up and sat silently for a time. "What's on your mind, Tendou?" Genma looked over at his friend, and started at seeing tears already beginning to course down his face. "Tendou-kun?" "Saotome-kun... A large secret was... *kept* from us... concerning your son." Genma froze, then slowly puffed his pipe. "Such as?" he said evenly. "It, ah, seems my daughters... knew of him, but for reasons I am about to tell you, kept their silence. I do not condone their actions, but I would ask that you to hear this out." His teeth cutting into the cheap plastic-resin tip of the pipe, Genma ground out, "Speak." After Soun finished relating all he'd learned, Genma was surprised to find he'd crushed the bowl of his pipe in his hand and had snapped the pipestem off in his teeth, grinding it between the molars on the right side of his mouth. He dropped and spat out the remains of his pipe. "Married?" he forced out. "Five YEARS?!" "Saoto--" "MARRIED?!" His face worked for a moment, and then he stood, turning to walk into the house. He stopped after only one step, however, and looked down at Soun. "If... If this can't be put right, Tendou, do you know what this MEANS?!" Soun blinked up at him. "Put right? How can it be PUT RIGHT?! Will he just walk away from a wife of five years?! How--" "You leave that to me," Genma said, his voice soft. He gave his friend a hard look and stalked into the tearoom. He paused just outside the kitchen, looking in; Soun's daughters were quietly cleaning up. "What do you think they're saying?" Akane whispered to Nabiki, turning from the counter to suddenly see Genma staring at her. "EEP!" The other two women turned at the exclamation and caught sight of him. He just stood there, no expression, no emotion, although his mind was awhirl. Without any better response to the situation, he caught and held each of their eyes for a few seconds before turning and moving down the hall. He climbed the stairs, entered his room, and shut the door. Opening the closet, Genma dragged out his pack and started going through it, not sure what he was looking for, not sure he was looking for anything, and not sure he wasn't just doing it to keep his hands and mind busy. He began muttering to himself. "No, boy, you're not just going to walk away from this. No, indeed. I did not spend all that time training you just so you can go off and play at being a doctor. No, sir. My life is worth FAR more than that. This is will be corrected. He'll be made to see the error of his ways..." He sighed, dropped his pack, and sat on his futon. "A plan. I need a plan..." Bending his mind to the problem, Genma exercised mental muscles that had been honed at the shogi table: strategy, guile, taking advantage of momentary unwariness on the part of his opponent to change the odds to better favor his ultimate victory... He drew a blank. "I need to know the lay of the land." So saying, Genma stood and concentrated, falling slowly into a crouch. He stood there, sweating, for a moment, and then his breath exploded out of his body. "Bah. You've let yourself get soft, Genma." He set himself and tried again. This time, he felt the technique fall into place, and he knew he'd be able to move about the entire house without being detected. Genma let the technique go, and took a deep breath. "He WILL give us an heir." Genma left the room, and then the house, heading for the clinic. ~~~~~ As the Tendou daughters completed the cleaning of the kitchen, Akane stopped and placed her hands on the countertop, closing her eyes and leaning forward until her forehead rested against a cabinet door. She jumped when Kasumi hugged her from behind, and Akane turned and buried her face in Kasumi's shoulder. After a moment, Nabiki's hand rested on Akane's arm in an uncharacteristic show of support from the middle daughter. Soun entered the kitchen, took in the sight, and shook his head, moving to gather his precious daughters into his arms. ======================================== END HEARTS' HEALING 2 PART 2 ----- Acknowledgments ----- Many thanks to T.H. Tiger, Louis Philippe-Giroux, XStylus, and Vincent Seifert for pre-reading. Thanks to Ed Becerra, Andrew Norris, Kevin Hammel, and Anand Rao for spot-reading along the way. If I've left anyone out, you may frog me at your leisure. ^_^