[Episode 253474] [Episode 253474]Ranma and Akane were about three blocks from the dojo when it happened.
“Son-in-law.”
Ranma and Akane stopped and turned to the voice. Ranma's face was hard, Akane's was wary. “Old ghoul,” Ranma said back.
Cologne hopped out of the alley and peered at Ranma's hair. “So it is true. I had thought the Japanese werecats were a myth.”
Ranma said nothing and shifted into a ready pose. If the elder was here to fight, well between Britanny and Gar he'd had a pretty thorough education in making use of his hybrid form. He could buy Akane time to escape, if nothing else.
Cologne waved away the concern. “I am not here to fight you, Ranma. I just needed to see for myself. You realize this changes everything.”
Ranma snorted. “Really? I thought turning into a giant cat was perfectly normal,” he said sarcastically.
Cologne's eyes flicked to Akane and back. “Shampoo will need to be part of what I must tell you both. Will you come to the Nekohanten tomorrow?”
“So you can ambush us?” Akane asked angrily. “Drug Ranma and take him back to China, try and kill me? Do we seem that stupid?”
“Akane Tendo, I swear on my life's blood and the honor of the Chinese Amazons, my invitation is nothing more than it seems – this is a matter of great importance that needs actual talk, not misguided action. I will not instigate such an attack.”
Akane and Ranma traded a glance. “You've never made an oath like that before, ghoul,” Ranma pointed out.
“You've never been half cat before, boy,” Cologne returned.
Ranma shrugged, accepting the point. “It's that important?”
“Incomprehensibly so,” Cologne agreed solemnly.
Ranma looked to Akane, who looked to Cologne. “We'll be there,” she said. “And we'll bring Nabiki.”
Cologne smiled slightly. “Ramen special for three, then. Make sure you do come – I do not know how long I can keep Mousse from finding enough silver to coat a sword.”
Ranma grimaced and Akane shivered. “I was afraid it was something like that,” Ranma admitted.
“Indeed. He knows I have forbidden him to challenge you again, but this has never stopped him before. It is only a matter of time, unless we act first.”
Ranma watched Cologne pogo off. “Y'know she ain't on our side, Akane.”
“Cologne has always been on her own side,” Akane observed. “But I don't think she wants us dead.”
“Yeah,” Ranma agreed. “Come on, we need to get home.”
Akane walked in through the front door alone. “I'm home!” she called. She made her way to the family room and saw Soun and Genma playing shogi. Nabiki was at the table with a cup of tea and a manga.
Soun got up and hugged Akane. “Akane, I'm glad you're home safely,” he said.
“Hi, Daddy,” Akane sighed happily.
Soun held Akane at arm's length and looked her over. “You look well. You've been eating properly?”
“Of course, Daddy,” Akane sighed.
Soun carefully held a bit of Akane's blonde hair and rolled it through his fingers. “And...?”
Akane nodded. “Yeah, I'm a werecheetah now,” she admitted. There was an edge of fear in her voice. Of all the people that could reject what happened, her father was the most horrifying possibility.
Soun looked from her hair to her eyes, his face filled with concern. The goofy, lazy crybaby was pushed aside; the man looking at Akane was the man who dedicated himself to his art, who married a woman he loved and raised three beautiful daughters, who stood by the martial artist's code and stood by his family even should it cost him his life. “Are you okay with this?” he asked seriously.
Akane looked back into those eyes, those eyes of the father from before their mother's death...and trembled. She felt tears come to her eyes, and she nodded. “Yeah, Daddy,” she sniffed. “I'm still me. That's the important thing, isn't it?”
Soun wrapped Akane up in a bone-crushing hug. “Yes,” he said. “Yes it is.”
Nabiki sipped her tea and smiled. Their father crying manly tears? For once it actually seemed manly.
Genma looked up from his cheating and considered his friend and his daughter-in-law-to-be. He decided not to interrupt the tender moment just yet, but after what he felt was a reasonable pause he spoke up. “Where's that son of mine?” he asked gruffly.
Akane had wished for the moment to last just a bit longer, but that was a reasonable question. She wiped her eyes as Soun let her go. “Ranma's taking care of...an issue,” she said vaguely.
Ranma finished tying Gosunkugi's feet together and sat him down next to Sasuke. “Now, let's go over this again, shall we? Me and Akane have a lot of stuff we need to hash out with our family, right?”
The two spies nodded frantically. Bound and gagged, they had little else they could do.
“And we don't want any interruptions, do we?”
Shaking heads.
“Good. I'm glad we understand eachother. That makes me so happy. So is Kuno going to find out that we're back?”
Shaking heads.
“Kodachi?” Shake. “Shampoo?” Shake. “Mousse?” Shake. “Ukyo?” Shake. “...did I miss anyone?”
Gosunkugi and Sasuke looked at eachother. “Mrrf?”
“Oh, right. The Principal or Miss Hinako?”
Shake.
“Excellent.” Ranma smiled and undid one of the knots on Gosunkugi. “And you know what happens if you break this little agreement, right?”
Gosunkugi fainted.
“Eh, close enough.”
Nabiki stared at Akane. “He's what?”
“He's cutting off Gosunkugi and Sasuke and making sure they don't bother us for a day or so,” Akane repeated. “Why, what's wrong?”
Nabiki shivered. “When did he learn how to think ahead like that?”
“I don't know,” Akane admitted. “He's been like that all week. Thinking ahead, planning, even a little insightful.”
“If turning into a werecat gave him some brains, where do I sign up?” Nabiki grumbled.
“Hmph,” Genma snorted. “You underestimate the mental aspects of the Saotome Style. I trained the boy to be able to take in a situation and react to it quickly, decisively, and smartly. You think he would have survived everything if he couldn't think and plan on the fly?”
“Well he hasn't acted like this before!” Akane objected.
“When did he have the chance? Everything that's happened to him has honed his improvisation skills, but he's never had enough information early enough to make anything other than short term plans before.”
Akane and Nabiki mulled that over while the door opened. “I'm home,” Ranma announced.
Nabiki looked up while Ranma strolled into the room. “How much time did you buy?”
“Probably a day from Gosunkugi, but Sasuke is harder to judge,” Ranma said. “He'll probably spend a few hours wandering around fretting, and if we're lucky he'll decide Kuno will forgive him if he brings back detailed information instead of fast information. If we aren't lucky, Kuno will have already called him and is on his way.”
Everyone cringed and waited for the Blue Thunder to announce himself.
“...huh,” Akane said after nothing happened.
“Dinner's ready!” Kasumi called, entering from the kitchen with a serving plate of...
“Is that...salmon?” Akane asked, eyes bright.
Ranma licked his lips slightly, suddenly feeling rather hungry.
Genma considered that his sense of impending doom was telling him not to try and steal fish from a werecat.
The meal concluded in relative peace. Akane broke Ranma's old record for speed, but maintained a level of dignity in the process by being accurate and precise. Ranma, meanwhile, moved so quickly Genma never had a chance to consider the theft of food. He frowned slightly and concentrated on his own meal for a change.
Finally he set down his chopsticks. “Ranma.”
Ranma glanced at Genma and stilled. Genma's eyes were closed and he wasn't facing Ranma. His hands were on his lap and he had a carefully neutral expression. “Yeah, pops?” he asked warily.
“The dojo in ten minutes. We need to decide if that new body of yours has thrown off your moves.”
Ranma ran that thought through his head. He ducked his head, closed his eyes, and smiled. “Sure. Thanks, pops.”
“Hmph,” Genma said. He got up slowly and walked to the yard. “Just don't be late.”
Akane watched Genma leave. “What was that about?” she asked.
“Bein' a dad,” Ranma said, getting up himself.
Akane watched Ranma leave. “Huh?”
Kasumi blinked. “Oh my, you don't think Uncle Saotome shows his affection by fighting Ranma, do you?”
“Yeah that's exactly what I think, and so do you sis,” Nabiki sighed.
Soun nodded solemnly. “Such is the way of paternal love in the world of martial arts.”
Akane didn't know about that, but she still allowed a smile over the brief glimpse of Genma's soft side.
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(Posted Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:36)
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