"So, Ranma, how does it feel knowing your mom is off to a party where she might meet some hunk who'll sweep her off her feet?" Nabiki asked once they were sitting in the living room again. "Who knows, you might have a stepdad by tomorrow morning," she added with her trademark smirk.
"Will ya cut it out, Nabiki. I don't wanna hear anythin' 'bout my mom's datin' any more than I hafta," the boy replied while covering his ears.
"Well, you have to admit it's a possibility, right?" When her prey didn't respond to her bait and continued to stubbornly cover his ears, Nabiki tried another tack. "Well, I, for one, am curious about it. Who knows, she might meet a guy our age... maybe someone like Kunou..."
"AAAHHH!!! Will ya cut it out, Nabiki!" Ranma yelled in wide-eyed terror, the horror that last statement conjured in his mind was beyond anything he could imagine. He turned to the only person he knew could stop his tormentor. "Kasumi! Nabiki's pickin' on me! Make her stop!"
"Why, Ranma, I never knew you to be one to hide behind a girl."
"Nabiki, please stop teasing Ranma," Kasumi intervened with a sigh. "I'm sure Ranma is nervous enough as it is."
"Okay, okay. Dirty tactic, Saotome."
"Thanks, Kasumi," the only boy said before sticking his tongue out at the middle Tendou.
"Aren't you even a little bit curious, Ranma?" Akane asked.
"And a bit anxious? I mean, what I just said might come true, you know."
"Will you stop puttin' weird ideas into my head, Nabiki?! I'm sure mom has more sense than to go pick someone like Kunou!"
"How about someone like Sanzenin then, hmmm? He's way smoother than Kunou and, well, your mom has been lonely..."
"AAAHHH!!!" Ranma grabbed his head and shook it violently to clear the image of him having Sanzenin for a stepfather. "Alright! Alright! Ya win, Nabiki! What do I hafta do ta shut ya up?!"
"Not just for me, Ranma," Nabiki replied, "but more for you. I admit I'm curious but you have a bigger stake here than anyone else, right?"
"Just tell me, okay?"
"Well, all you have to do is just follow your mother and see what happens. Simple enough, right?"
"What's the catch?"
"No catch. I'm just curious. Just tell me what happened. Being forewarned is forearmed, you know."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"All I'm saying is that anything that affects you affects the rest of us."
Ranma sighed. "Fine. So that's it. I just gotta follow mom around?"
"Yes."
Ranma sighed again before standing up. "Fine, so I gonna get goin' before mom's taxi gets too far."
"Not so fast, Ranma."
"What now, Nabiki?"
"You'll probably need help so I called them for you."
"I ain't gonna like this, am I?"
"Nihao, Airen!"
"Ranchan!"
Glomp!
"One-thousand one. One-thousand two. One-thousand three. One-thousand four. One-thousand five. Shampoo, what did mom tell ya? No glompin' for mo' than five seconds. It ain't fair ta the others."
"Ah, phooey. Shampoo still no understand why greatgrandmother agree to that!" the bubbly Amazon replied as she very reluctantly let go with a pout. "It not like others going to hug Airen anyway."
"Well, if you stop hogging him and give others a chance, maybe they will!" Ukyou retorted with a glare at her rival.
"Girls, if ya fight, I'm gonna tell mom," Ranma warned before Shampoo and Ukyou spun away from each other with a hmph. "Thanks fer not fightin'," he said with sincerity. He gave each girl a hug to show his appreciation to which the two cooed with delight. When he let go he noticed his blue haired fiancee looking away with a frown.
"Akane..."
"What?!" the girl replied irritably.
"Akane, please..."
The pleading in his voice made the girl sigh. "Ranma, I know," Akane said more softly as she looked at her fiance. She tried to smile. "I said I understood, right? It's just that I... need more time."
Things had come to a head several months earlier after the two fathers had blown themselves up in their last attempt to seal Happosai. Of course the two carried out their plan without really thinking about it first. If they did they probably would have moved farther away than just ten meters from the cave entrance when they detonated ten kilos of C4 plastic explosives. Only God and the two knew where they got their hands on C4.
The families only found out what happened after the police had contacted them based on a Seven Lucky Gods wallet of Soun they found at the scene. The bodies, however, were never found. Just a finger here and some toes there. And they all had to endure several weeks of interrogation and surveillance on the suspicion they were terrorists.
After finally finding out the state of her son's relationships from all the parties involved, Nodoka had promised to commit seppuku to the three girls if no honorable solution was found to the mess of commitments they were in to atone for her family's actions.
To which a horrified Ranma had futilely tried to dissuade her despite help from the girls. Having failed to convince his mother from such an action, he announced to everyone he would commit sepukku with his mother to the dismay of the girls.
After a long night of shouting, tears, revelations and barely restrained tempers at the dojo, a compromise was reached. Sort of anyway. The girls would tone down their actions and Ranma would treat each girl equally while the adults, namely Ranma's mother, would try to find a solution to the situation agreeable to everyone. This did not leave anyone completely happy but considering the alternative, everyone grudgingly agreed.
Of course, the fact that there were no fathers to push Ranma and Akane, Ryouga was spending more time with Akari (being lost still took up most of his time however), and Mousse having finally gone home at the behest of his mother at the prodding of Cologne, had helped a lot to calm the situation.
Which brought them to the present situation.
"Thanks, Akane. I promise ta make it up ta ya. And ta ya, too, Shampoo, Ucchan." Ranma turned to Nabiki. "Can I go now?"
"Sure. You two know what to do, right?" Nabiki asked.
"Yeah, sugar. We just follow Auntie around and see what happens."
"Good. Now go before even Shampoo can't track the taxi."
"Hey, I'm coming, too!" Akane declared just before the three could exit.
"Akane, you're just going to slow them down."
"No, I'm not!"
"Sis, I know you can roof hop now thanks to Ranma but you're still not as fast as the three of them."
"It's all right, Nabiki. Akane can come if she wants to."
"Ranma?"
"Yeah. It's not like the taxi's or mom's tryin' ta get away from us so I figure it ain't be goin' too fast. And I'll be there if she ever needs help."
Nabiki sighed. "Oh, all right. You're the one in charge of it anyway."
Ranma nodded. "Okay, girls,let's go. Just no fighting, okay?"
"Ah, just one minute while I get changed." Akane said as she glanced down at the blouse and skirt she was wearing.
"Um, sure. Just make it quick."
"Okay, thanks." When she got to her room, Akane made sure to lock her door before opening the lowest drawer in her dresser. She took out what she was looking for and after a short conversation with it, had it hidden under a pair of slacks and sweater.
"Ya ready, Akane?" Ranma asked when he saw the girl come back down the stairs.
"Yeah."
"Then let's go."
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(Posted Sat, 01 Jul 2006 01:05)
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