Ranma frowned. She had taken to idly tapping the tall, thin glass on the table before her with the face of a fingernail, no longer concerned with the thought that the fruit punch in the glass - an odd, hazy shade of blue, for some reason - might have some influence on the resulting tone. she repeated to herself, avoiding the urge to dwell on the clothes Kasumi had insisted she wear. Oh, how Kasumi's eyes had brightened when she learned about this 'date...' Nabiki had behaved rather aloof in contrast, but Kasumi... Kasumi *loved* the idea of her little sister going out on a date. Never mind how many times Ranma had protested that this was in no way a real date. Kasumi had picked out an outfit consisting of a green print sleeveless blouse with a white, broad-band collar, and an unassuming white skirt, insisting that Ranma wear it. She claimed the outfit complemented Ranma's scarlet hair and brought out the beauty of the younger girl's eyes and face. Ranma supposed that was true; already, someone had stepped forward, wondering if her date had stood her up. Why hadn't Kasumi told her a good way to deal with questions like that? Yuka, at least, was nowhere near as much of a gossip as her twin sister. But that didn't really matter, did it? Yuka had mentioned once that a lot of the boys in the school would fall all over themselves for a date with one of the cheerleaders. The captain or the elusive second, even more so. As opposed to perverts like Daisuke and Hiroshi - who, according to Sayuri, couldn't be bothered to ask anyone on the squad out because they were too busy looking for ways to peep under the squad's skirts instead. Any boy who could get a date with a cheerleader was supposedly lucky. And since Hiromi already had a boyfriend... Ranma knew the focus was now most likely on her, a girl who claimed she was too much of a tomboy to truly consider a real relationship. Everyone liked to believe that she had some kind of romantic interest in Gosunkugi Hikaru; Nabiki's theory on that belief - when she wasn't teasing Ranma about her 'boyfriend' - was that people thought if Ranma *did* have an interest in someone, then there was a chance she could become interested in someone else. Ranma sighed. The only thing that letting her thoughts wander was accomplishing was wasting time. At any rate, she mused, agreeing to the 'date' had undoubtedly been a bad idea... especially given Ryouga's sense of direction. An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover Instruments of Change Part Sixteen written by Mike Koos --------------------- Akane fixed the location Yggdrasil relayed her in her mind. She was certainly grateful for the fact that there was less call to use her medium outside the Mortal plane - more so since she was better at teleporting than traveling through her medium. she thought, frowning. Skuld and her sisters certainly did not have any problems in using their mediums with ease, so why should she? She set the thought aside. Preferably, a place where she wouldn't drive her family or friends up the wall with her constant 'popping in and out of every window,' so to speak. For the time being, Akane knew she had something more important to address... something she couldn't ignore or postpone as she had done for quite a while. She had a Goddess to visit. Peorth was officially her 'other' mother, for lack of a better term, as genetically Akane was as much the Goddess' daughter as she was the daughter of Soun and Hiroko Tendo. Convinced that Peorth had made the wrong decisions in leaving the Tendo family behind, however, Akane decided she wanted nothing more to do with the Goddess. For a time, Peorth barely even existed as far as Akane had been concerned. Ranmira and Skuld had changed that by taking Akane to see Hiroko. In order to undo what the bugs had done to Ranma and her - *his* reality, the details of that reality was to be extracted from Akane's cellular structure... but first, the Goddesses had claimed, Akane had to resolve every last one of her 'issues.' That included considering what Peorth had done and whether or not the Goddess deserved whatever treatment Akane had been giving her. To that end, Akane concluded she would visit her Goddess mother, alone. The Goddesses could continue leading her by the hand as long as they assumed she needed guidance, yet if she truly wanted to become a Goddess, she had to begin doing whatever she could by herself. It was somewhat ironic, admittedly, that her first act of 'independence' was to visit one of her mothers. She hesitated. Akane told herself, gathering her resolve. Akane materialized within an implosion of golden light, in a park that consisted both of the trees and other potted plants she expected to find in such a park, alongside reflections of the same scenery as well as windows to other locations of which Akane wasn't sure... each view visible in angled, thin planes of transparent material. The 'panes' could be used for purposes other than as mirrors or for viewing other locations. They also served as a touch-terminal link to Yggdrasil or any of the smaller systems and networks, as the equivalent of a videophone, or entrances to a God or Goddess' personal medium. In that regard, Akane was aware that by teleporting or using her medium, she could be wherever she wished almost as soon as the impulse to be there had come. Why, then, had Ranmira and Skuld insisted on having her *walk* to her mother Hiroko's 'apartment' rather than teleport? Was it an attempt to remind her that she shouldn't become dependent on her powers alone - little chance of that, really - or were they warning her about picking the easy choices when it came to making decisions? The choice to visit Peorth by herself definitely had not been easy... She tapped the index finger of her right hand against the pane nearest the path that led to Peorth's home. The 'glass' rippled ever so slightly at her touch; that was an indicator that the pane recognized her and was ready for her commands. An image of Peorth's face appeared at her telepathic request. "Hi hi!" Peorth grinned widely, though Akane could tell that the Goddess was forcing her smile. Once again, she had to marvel at how much Peorth and Hiroko resembled each other. "This is Peorth speaking. I don't really feel like talking to anyone right now, so maybe you could come back later--" "Actually, I'd like to talk to you now, if I can," interrupted Akane. After a pause, she added, "Mother." Peorth's grin abruptly disappeared. She opened her eyes wide, staring at the person who had called her for the first time. "Akane-chan.........?" Akane inhaled. "Please?" Peorth stepped back as Akane teleported into the entryway of her home. "Akane-chan," she immediately began. "I don't... I thought... you didn't want anything to do with me ever again." "Yeah, well..." Akane took in what she could see of the inside of the home. She was reminded of her family's dojo - the room which adjoined the hall was large and primarily empty, sparsely furnished in a style resembling what she had seen in the park outside. Extra furniture could be called forth or removed at one's thought-command. "I'm not angry with you, anymore. I came here to apologize for the way I've acted." Peorth blinked, staring at her in surprise. Akane mirrored the gesture. "What?" "Why would..." Peorth muttered. Then she understood. "Did Belldandy and her sisters make you come here?" Akane nodded. "Sort of. But they also helped me see how you didn't have much choice in what you did, and how I've been acting. You've heard how the reality back home - uh, where I live - was changed by the bugs, right?" "I guess so." "Skuld and Ranmira told me they can restore everything with information from my cells. But before they can do that, they said that I have to... resolve all my personal issues first." "They did?" the Goddess asked, a dubious look to her face. Why would Ranmira and Skuld tell Akane to 'resolve her issues' if it wasn't really necessary for the extrapolation process, Peorth wondered? True, things would go a lot better during the process if Akane didn't have anything troubling her, but it wouldn't be much of a difference that Akane could feel or see. "Yeah." Akane ventured into the large, empty room. "Look, I really am sorry. You are my Mom, too, and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to live my life as Akane, much less have the chance to be a Goddess. I... I want to thank you." Peorth was again surprised. "Why thank me? You were right - I've made terrible choices, and I make a lousy mother. It's my fault you have to become a Goddess now." Akane waved the thought away. "Don't say that! ...You were doing fine acting as our Mom until you had to leave. And I *want* to become a Goddess." "You do?" "Yes, I do." The Goddess settled effortlessly into a sofa-style chair - seemingly not hampered by her clothes in the least, Akane noted, which was a bit strange given that Peorth currently wore what might have been described as an extravagant leather harness over a stylized black bikini, with leather boots and fingerless gloves. Only Urd could possibly have worn an outfit even more 'light,' thought Akane. "I won't have much else to do *but* try to be a good mother, I guess. They're done investigating me, you know; they decided nothing's to be done to you in that regard, but me - me, I'm on suspension 'until further notice.'" Peorth sighed, gathering herself. "Akane-chan?" "Yes?" "You know how Belldandy and her sisters are presently staying with that Keiichi guy? I was wondering... I know the rest of your family might not think much of me at the moment, but perhaps I could... stay with your family again for a little while?" Akane started. "Uh... well, uh, I can't speak for the rest of my family, but... I don't think Kasumi-oneechan will mind, though I'm not sure how Nabiki or Dad will take it. Are you sure you want to do that? It doesn't sound like a good idea to me." "Actually, it was Kami-sama's idea," shrugged Peorth. "He thought it would be a wonderful 'learning experience' for me. But... oh, yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. I think you'll like this, kiddo. Kami-sama just decreed that Hiroko will be allowed to resume her life as Tendo Hiroko, and rejoin her family." "What?" Akane blurted, her eyes widening. "That's great! How will we explain her return, though?" As far as the records were concerned, Mrs. Tendo Hiroko had passed away in the middle of the night after losing a battle with cancer, nine years previous. What would people think if she suddenly reappeared, along with a twin who happened to look quite a bit like her?" In response, Peorth changed the appearance of her face, hair and clothes. A somewhat younger version of the Goddess soon sat before Akane, wearing a nondescript yellow shirt paired with a white dress, her hair only about as long as Kasumi's and worn in a simpler ponytail. "Oh, we've got a couple ideas in mind," she spoke in a different voice, giving her daughter a wink. ** ** ** Ukyou peered over the lattice-patterned wooden divider that hid her and Shampoo from Ranma's sight. Determined to make sure that no part of their friend's first date went wrong, they had stationed themselves several feet apart from the booth at which Ranma sat in the restaurant. Shampoo, of course, had wondered if they weren't perhaps being a bit too optimistic in thinking that they could actually keep every single aspect of the date within control. Particularly considering the couple who were at the center of this whole arrangement... "Where in the world is he?" hissed Ukyou. Trust Ryouga to leave Ranma waiting forever for him at her table, she thought with a frown. She wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if Ryouga left Ranma to wait the rest of the night, claiming that he had gotten miserably lost as an excuse. Ranma didn't know that Ranmira had 'cured' Ryouga's hopeless sense of direction, after all. Maybe Ranma was fully expecting Ryouga never to show... she'd likely figure he would get lost and wind up somewhere in Hokkaido. Ranma deserved better, however; Ukyou believed Ranma shouldn't have to remember her first date as something she'd never want to experience again. Ukyou risked another glance at Ranma. A waitress had brought a new plate of appetizers for Ranma and was asking her a question or three, though Ukyou wasn't close enough to hear their conversation over the low din from everyone else in the restaurant. "C'mon," she told Shampoo. "Let's go see if we can find Ryouga." Ryouga stood on the sidewalk across the street from the restaurant, staring with an almost blank expression at the building's door. He wondered why the mere thought of walking into a public restaurant and sitting at a table near Ranma caused him to hesitate. Wasn't this what he wanted? A date with Ranma? Ukyou and Shampoo had convinced Ranma to go on a date with him. Ryouga had spent all of his time since that moment imagining how the date could be perfect or what he could do to make it an event neither he nor Ranma would ever forget. He had even taken the time to buy Ranma a small gift. Beyond that, however, Ryouga still had no idea why he couldn't bring himself to follow Ranma into the restaurant. He'd arrived in time to see Ranma go in, with Shampoo and Ukyou entering soon after - Ranma's guardian angels, as it were. Though they *did* tend to meddle in their friends' lives more than help... As he continued to stare blankly at the door, the pair in question stepped through it and spotted him. In a matter of seconds, they had bounded across the street and had flanked him on both sides. "Why aren't you in there with her, Ryouga?" Ukyou asked, her tone dangerously near anger. "Do you know how long she's been waiting for you?" Ryouga exhaled. "......I do." "Then *why* are you still standing here? After all we did to get the two of you to agree to go on this date..." "He's nervous," Shampoo said calmly. "That is understandable." A snort. "Shampoo, he's nervous around almost every girl he meets! If he gets any MORE nervous, he'll--" Ryouga closed his eyes. "*Ahem*." Ukyou turned to look at him. "Don't you dare deny it, nosebleed-boy. We've both seen how you act if you even *think* about a girl." "Ignore her. What is important here is that you do not... stand up Ranma?" Shampoo glanced at her 'partner.' "Close enough," shrugged Ukyou. Shampoo gave Ryouga a smirk. "And before Ukyou mentions it, are you going to go in, or will we have to drag you inside?" "We're giving him a choice?" Ukyou said, feigning impatience. Ryouga only had a second to stare at them both in sheer disbelief before they grabbed him, hauling him back through traffic and into the restaurant. Ranma surmised, looking at her watch, She wondered how Kasumi would react if she happened to come home early. No doubt Kasumi would be disappointed that the 'date' hadn't gone anywhere. Kasumi was aware of Ryouga's unusual ability to become lost in little time at all; she'd discovered that fact at the same time as Ranma, Akane and Nabiki. She couldn't expect Ryouga to find his way to her little sister in time for the date, could she? Of course, there was always the possibility that Kasumi believed a goal like going out with Ranma would override Ryouga's sense of misdirection. A loud, metallic *clang* Ranma recognized as the sound of Ukyou bringing her large combat spatula to bear against someone rang out across the restaurant. was the question that first crossed her mind. What was Ukyou doing here? Her second thought was to wonder who had been foolhardy enough to risk annoying Ukyou. She edged out of her booth and scanned the restaurant for her friend. Hmm... if Ukyou was somewhere in the building, Shampoo probably was present as well - this 'date' *had* been their idea. Ranma didn't doubt in the least that both of them - what was that word Kasumi had used a few times? 'Busybodies?' - were here to see how everything was going, or even attempt to fix everything if something went wrong. If it came to that. There. Just inside the entryway, was Ukyou... arguing with someone from the restaurant's staff, while using her combat spatula to intimidate the woman. Shampoo stood behind her, shouldering an unconscious... "Ryouga-kun?" Concerned, Ranma dashed toward them. From appearances, she guessed that Ryouga had been the most recent victim of Ukyou's favorite weapon. "What did you two do to him?" she asked them, warily. Shampoo drew her attention away from Ukyou's ongoing argument to focus on Ranma. "Ryouga was standing on the sidewalk across the street," she said as Ranma insisted on shifting the boy to her own shoulders. "He had probably been standing there at least since the time he was supposed to be in here with you. We brought him inside, but... he tried to...... make a break for it." "And I thought he was lost somewhere," laughed Ranma. That said, she began to lead Ryouga to her table. "Wait a minute!" Ukyou paused. "Where are you going?" "Me?" Ranma gave both her friends the best look of innocence she could muster. "Ryouga-kun and I are on a date. *You* can stay here and argue with whoever you want." "Hey!" Ranma stuck her tongue out in their direction as she retreated. ** ** ** Ryouga clasped Ranma's hand within his own. He could feel his wife's strength as her fingers tightened, interlocking with his, seeking his strength and presence to aid her as she labored to bring their third child into the world. She looked up and, finding him closely watching over her, offered him a wan smile. He gently brushed the hair and perspiration from her forehead with his free hand. To think that she had remained by his side for eight years... why would Ranma do that? Didn't she deserve more than he could offer her? Ryouga wasn't sure whether or not he should feel guilty - he had somehow managed to keep his wife from discovering that he suffered from a Jhusenkyou curse. Thankfully, their children showed no sign of being affected by their father's curse. Yet. And now that another child faced those risks... Ranma had asked that they name their first child, a girl, after Akane. The youngest daughter of Soun and Hiroko Tendo was a Goddess now; Akane's duties kept her notably busy, though she still paid her namesake niece the occasional visit whenever she could. Little Ryouga, three years younger than his sister, was already being trained by his father in the martial arts. Ranma insisted on keeping a careful eye on her husband's efforts, however. The last thing she wanted was for Ryouga to train their son in the irresponsible and callous manner her own father had used. He felt Ranma's fingers abruptly close like a vise around his hand once more, the pain he felt as a result barely an indication at all of what Ranma had to be feeling. Through some wonderfully perverse stroke of luck, the water sprinklers mounted on the ceiling chose that instant to activate. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hibiki," the doctor apologized to a now thoroughly-soaked Ranma. "I don't understand why the sprinklers would do this." Ranma laughed weakly. "That's... okay," she bit out. "I'm used to...... odd things happening... wherever I go. I got used to it after--" Her voice trailed away as she realized that for some reason, her hand was no longer locked around her husband's hand... instead, she now held a familiar small, black pig in her grasp." She shrieked. "*P-chan*!?" ** ** ** He awoke with a start, urgently fighting the impulse to scream. "Ah - Ryouga-kun, you're awake," Ranma said brightly. For a few seconds, he very nearly failed to recognize her voice... as she was at least ten years younger than the woman he had seen in his dream. "...Ranma-san," Ryouga forced himself to say. He took in the scene before him. Ranma sat at a table across from him, and they were both inside a restaurant. he thought sourly, vaguely recalling that she had dragged him into the restaurant before knocking him out, no doubt with that stupid giant spatula of hers. Ukyou's spatulas were more of a fighter's trademark than a necessity. She had grown fond of using them, true, but training for most of her life to be a true martial artist like Ranma had saved her from the trap of only being able to fight with a weapon in her hand. Ryouga could commend her for the effort; he had made sure to do the same in his training. His own weapons were a holdover from his initial days as a fighter, used now as a first line of defense as well as to give everyone the impression he couldn't fight without some kind of weapon. Ukyou, in contrast, had taken to using her so-called 'combat spatula' in much the same manner as Akane had formerly used her mallet. Then again - if Ukyou hadn't knocked him out, would he have had that... dream? He knew he couldn't tell Ranma about the dream. She was definitely not prepared to have a true relationship with a boy, much less date anyone, and he was 'dreaming' about an older Ranma who had been married to him for several years and was carrying their third child? Maybe Ukyou was right in questioning his sanity... Ranma blinked, staring at her date. So far, this outing hadn't been much at all like the dates Sayuri and everyone else had described. "Ryouga-kun?" "Y-yes?" he stammered. "Ah, I see that your date has arrived, miss," the waitress who had been serving Ranma approached the table. "Are you ready to order?" Before Ranma could make her order, Ryouga spoke up. "J-just two bowls of soup for now. We're still deciding what to... order." He cast a sheepish glance toward Ranma. "Right, Ranma-san?" When the waitress departed, Ranma leaned over the table. "Call me 'Ranma,' without the 'san,'" she whispered. "We don't want people to think we're falling all over each other in love." And did this mean she would still call him, 'Ryouga-kun?' He wondered how Ranma would react if her gave her the gift he had bought for her, now. Would she refuse it on the grounds that she didn't want anyone watching to think they were girlfriend and boyfriend? What was wrong with letting other people think they were dating? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to believe he was her boyfriend, as opposed to that Gosunkugi Hikaru guy, if Ranma hated the thought? Better him than Hikaru... Ranma, meanwhile, was scanning what she could see of the whole of the restaurant for anyone she knew - or Ukyou and Shampoo, at the very least. The sounds of Ukyou's argument in the entryway had faded, though Ranma knew better than to assume her two friends had left. "Ryouga," she said, once she was satisfied that they didn't have an audience, that she could discern. "I have to ask you something." Uh-oh. Ranma's serious tone set Ryouga's mind to race. Whatever question she had to ask him couldn't be simple... something along the lines of, 'Do you love me?' or 'Are you P-chan?' In other words, questions he wasn't ready to answer. He could remove the ring Ranmira had given him, excuse himself to look for the bathroom, and wind up lost in Hokkaido before he or Ranma could blink. Ryouga mentally snorted. Intentionally 'losing' the small golden ring was not an alternative, anyway. Burying the fingers of one hand in the hair at the back of his head, he forced a short, uneasy laugh. "Uh, um... *Ranma*, can we, uh... wait until after we get our food to... talk about it?" After a moment of thought, Ranma exhaled. Had she wanted this date to end as soon as possible? "Okay - might as well." She resumed sipping with a measure of boredom at her drink. Ranma definitely was a goddess, sharing the appearance and voice of the Goddess who had been part of her, and deserved much more than an almost last-minute date set up by her not-so-innocent meddling friends. Left with merely a day to prepare, Ryouga had spent a great deal of that time checking the local shops for a gift suitable for the girl he loved. The best gift he'd been able to afford - while setting aside what he hoped would be enough money to treat Ranma to this meal and a movie - was a basic golden bracelet. A triad of clear jewels were mounted in the exact middle of the bracelet, but Ryouga couldn't tell whether the jewels were real or not, just as he wasn't sure if the bracelet itself was true gold. He fished the box in which he'd placed the bracelet from his pockets, and gingerly set it upon the center of the table. "Ranma-sa--" Ryouga coughed, starting over. "Here... I bought this... for you..." Ranma withdrew her breath, making an attempt to study the box without appearing obvious about it. The gift was smaller than any gift Ryouga had ever given her, a small, unwrapped white box with a thin pink ribbon tying it shut. What else could a gift of that size be, if not jewelry? There *were* other possibilities - but a gift of jewelry still remained the most likely possibility of all She had only agreed to this outing with the thought that she could ask Ryouga how he honestly felt about Akane, while Ryouga was taking this date seriously? Worse, Ryouga had potentially spent a lot of money on a present for her... Akane had asked her. Had Akane been right? *Was* Ryouga in love with her? She hesitantly reached a hand out to pick up the box. Whatever Ryouga had bought for her could very well serve as a clue as to how he felt about her. Suddenly, her sense of impending danger flared. Ranma quickly yanked her hand back - an instant before a familiar wooden sword cleaved the box and underlying table in half. "*You*!" Kunou advanced toward Ryouga, aiming the tip of his sword for Ryouga's throat. "I see you join the foul Gosunkugi in hoping to defile this fair damsel," he spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone inside the restaurant to hear. "Consider yourself lucky that Tendo Nabiki warned me in advance of your designs, else you would have far, far more to regret." Ranma's expression darkened. *Nabiki* had told Kunou that she would be here with Ryouga, on a date? Her 'big sister' knew full well how Kunou might react to the news that Akane or Ranma were actually dating someone, so Nabiki hadn't made an innocent mistake. She'd told Kunou on purpose. Kunou continued to believe that the boys at Fuurinkan High School - *including* Gosunkugi! - should fight either Ranma or Akane and win for the privilege of dating them. No one among the boys save Kunou was foolish enough to follow that rule, though; they had no desire to be beaten up simply because Kunou had developed a plan for his loves to take out his rivals for him, and make himself look better as a result. But now, since most of the Fuurinkan student body and even the faculty was ignoring him, the best Kunou could do was attack anyone who showed any interest at all in the two girls whom he loved. That much, Ranma knew. So why had Nabiki informed the boy of her date when Kunou was the most likely person to ruin everything? "You talk as if you control Ranma-san's life," said Ryouga, unimpressed. Kunou sniffed. "It is my duty to ensure that this rare flower be allowed to bloom untouched by low-class, uneducated ignorants such as yourself." "I can protect myself," Ranma insisted, but neither boy paid her any attention. Ryouga and Kunou were preparing for a fight over her, in the middle of a public restaurant. She released her breath in a low growl, clenching her hands into fists. The fact that either could easily hurt someone else aside, Ranma felt she had to resolve the confusion involving her, Akane and Ryouga, as soon as possible. A fight would only delay everything. And if Ryouga had a chance to wander off... "Prepare yourself, cur!" Kunou declared, dashing forward with a sword slash that rotated from shoulder to shoulder. Ranma steeled herself and leapt between the two. If she could stop Kunou before Ryouga charged into the fight, perhaps Ryouga wouldn't have a chance to accidentally run off. "Stop!" she yelled as she turned to stare Ryouga down. Kunou was the secondary threat; Ranma knew she could take care of him at her leisure. Ryouga was considerably more of a formidable fighter than the Kendo swordsman. Ryouga's eyes went wide, focusing on something behind her. Kunou, no doubt. She'd expected to have to fend off Kunou's charge. Ranma spun about to face him, her braided pig-tail of hair floating in mid-swing for an instant... directly in the path of Kunou's final sword-slash. She felt the slight tug as the blade caught her pig-tail near its base, then the weight at the back of her neck - what she knew to be her braid vanished in a blink. Ranma could feel whatever strands were left of her pig-tail unraveling. The blade had stopped less than an inch from carving into her right shoulder. Ryouga recognized the numb expression of shock that formed on Ranma's face as mirroring how Akane had behaved when he'd accidentally cut *her* hair. He hadn't forgotten that particular afternoon. Ranma had later told him - once he'd managed to talk her out of being angry at him for what had happened before she left for her trip to China - that Akane had been letting her hair grow long in a fashion after Kasumi's. As to *why*, Ranma wouldn't tell him. And now, Ranma had lost the braid of which she'd been quite fond. "Ranma-san......" A stunned Kunou slowly withdrew his bokutou. "My pig-tailed goddess... I couldn't stop--" Ranma interrupted him, planting one foot in Kunou's midsection and simultaneously doing the same to Ryouga with a fist. She turned her back on them while they doubled over, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "If you two want to fight so much, go right ahead! Kill each other, if that's what you want! I'm going home." From the table where she had been sitting before stepping outside to fetch Ryouga, Ukyou watched Ranma leave in disgust. "Make sure she gets home okay," she instructed Shampoo as she stood. "I'm gonna see if those two idiots are hurt." she added in her thoughts, her fingers reflexively tightening around the haft of her combat spatula. Shampoo nodded, and left her side. ** ** ** "...I'm home!" Kasumi glanced in the direction of the foyer from where she stood in the family room. "Ara... what is Ranma doing home so soon? Surely, she shouldn't be here for another two or three hours." Nabiki was the only other member of the household who hadn't gone out for the evening; their father was with Mr. and Mrs. Saotome, privately celebrating the fact that they had finally finished moving Nodoka's furniture into the Saotome family's new house. Ranma and *her* furniture would be relocated once school was through for the week. That left Akane, who had yet to return from wherever she'd gone with Ranmira and Skuld. "Maybe the guy's lost again?" suggested Nabiki. Kasumi shook her head, choosing to check on Ranma rather than reply. Better to catch Ranma before the younger girl had a chance to run upstairs and lock herself in her room, she thought. Nabiki shrugged. Why couldn't Kasumi see that letting Ranma become more than friends with someone like Hibiki Ryouga was a poor idea? There had to be a better choice, somewhere. Even Gosunkugi. She considered joining Kasumi and Ranma in the hall. "My goodness, Ranma-chan! What... what happened to your hair?" Nabiki started on hearing Kasumi's exclamation. With concern adding urgency to her steps, she made her way through the hall to the foyer. Ranma had been crying, from the red-tinged and puffy look of her eyes. But her hair... her pig-tail was gone. An uneven layer of hair remained to show where the braid had been. Someone had cut Ranma's hair? Had the hair-obsessed Principal of Fuurinkan High followed his son to the restaurant? "Are you all right, little sister?" "How could you?" Ranma asked, wavering between her anger and crying. "What right did you have to send Kunou to break up my date?" Nabiki faltered in spite of herself. "That Hibiki guy isn't right for you, Ranma. There's... He's obviously hiding something from all of us, and--" "So you figured you'd make my decisions for me, just like Dad always did?" "Little sister, I--" "Don't 'little sister' me!" Ranma demanded. "I never wanna speak to you again!" With that, she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Nabiki noticed her sister's stern gaze for the first time. "Nabiki, what in the world have you done?" <...to be continued...> ------------ Credits: Written by: Mike Koos Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Kevin D. Hammel, Jonathan Ng, Andrew Norris, Shadowmane, Tom Williams With apologies to Takahashi Rumiko and Fujishima Kosuke... All parts of this series are available at the RAAC archives at ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Ah-My-Goddess/ Instruments-of-Change/ or from my WWW pages at http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto/ Comments and questions welcome. * Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos: makoto@cal.net * http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto * * "I can do nothing to stop you. Your background music is too strong * for me." - Sam Johnson, Whose Line is it Anyway?