Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been,
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing a face she keeps in a jar by the door,
Who is it for?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?


Saotome's Choice
by JP Buckner
ajaff@poky.srv.net
http://onewest.net/~ajaff/manff.htm

Chapter Five  -  Trials and Visitations

"Eleanor Rigby": lyrics by Lennon and McCartney (Yeah, I like The
Beatles, so sue me. Err, scratch that.)




She let loose a great sigh. Her face was scrunched up, trying hard
not to let the situation get the better of her. But she was failing.
Her body began to shiver from the coldness of the water. Ranko fought
back, trying to keep her teeth from chattering from the experience.

This was not the first time Ranko had experienced a cold bath. Many
times on the road, as Ranma, he had bathed in cold streams or ponds
when no warm bath was available. But a dip in a cold stream was
different than sitting in a cold tub of water. Ranko had learned that
awful truth when cold baths had become a necessity during the
full-body cat tongue experience. Ranko's face cringed as memories of
that flooded her mind. Being stuck in her female form was bad enough,
Ranko remembered, but the physical pain of even the most lukewarm of
water that went with it was too much to bear.

Ranko gritted her teeth, searching for her resolve. Hot water won't
cause me pain right now, she mused, but it just might kill me. Slowly,
a look of determination came to her face. She would do this. She could
do this.

Ranko sat back, hoping to find the peace that usually came to her
from a bath. Alas, it was not coming easily. Maybe in time, she
thought. And this is just baths. Other hot water dangers are out
there, just waiting for me. At least I don't have school right now,
she smiled as she thought about that. At least I have about a month
before I have to worry about that. I wonder, she thought, I wonder
how I'm going to deal with my classmates? My family home is a long
way from Furinkan; maybe I won't have to show my face there. But what
about a new school? What about showers, and about dealing with
students who don't know anything about my past? It's always been
tough enough for me whenever I went to a new school before, but now?
How long will it take for the other students to notice I'm not what I
appear to be? How long until they realize I'm different?

Ranko shook her head in disgust over her thoughts. I've got a month
before I have to worry about that. If I make it that long. Clearing
her mind, Ranko sat back and listened to the still silence around
her.

****************************************************

Silence.

Two young women walked the streets in silence. One was silent, having
just spent the last handful of minutes informing her sister of the
events of the day. The other was silent as the meaning of those words
came crashing down onto her.

Kasumi shook her head in disbelief. "Nabiki, I'm just having problems
with what Cologne told you. Can it possibly be? Do you trust her, do
you believe her?"

Closing her eyes before exhaling a deep breath, Nabiki replied,
"Trust her? Kasumi, there are only two people in the world I trust,
you and me. And half of the time I'm not so sure about me. No, I
don't trust her. I know she didn't tell me everything. Why was she
so hesitant to tell me how she was going to help Ranma with hot
water?

"But I do believe her. It fits in too well not to be true. I look
back at Ranma, and everything that has happened, and yes, I do
believe her. Kami help me, I believe her."

The two continued on in silence. They watched, as people walked by,
seemingly without a care or worry in the world. If they only knew,
Kasumi thought to herself, if they only knew of some of the things
that were going on around them.

"Nabiki," Kasumi said quietly. "What are we going to do about Ranma?
Doesn't he, she, have a right to know about this? How do we tell
her?"

Nabiki shook her head. "Sis, I just don't know. It all depends on
what she wants. If being Ranko and living with her mother is what
she wants, what she really wants, then we shouldn't tell her. Not
just yet. This will only make things more difficult for her, with
everything else she has to deal with.

"But if there's still a part of her that wants to come back, if she
wants to try to return to her old life, then we have to tell her. We
have to let her know what's truly at stake here. We just have to wait
and see."

The two marched on, nearing their destination.

Inside the Saotome home, Nodoka gave a warm smile as she watched
Ranko come out of the bathroom. She took a close look at the young
girl's face. She could see far less of the worry, less of the stress
that seemed to punctuate that face so often. Nodoka thought back to
what her friend had told her about Ranko and stress. She thought of
the many times she had visited the Tendo home, and looking back now,
she could see the stress there on that face.

A part of Nodoka, a part deep inside, tried to make the rest of her
listen. She MUST become a proper young lady. She MUST be taught the
ways of tradition, of the true path of a young woman. She MUST be
shown the way of honor. You know the risk, the danger, if she does
not follow this path. You must push her.

But the rest of Nodoka, the core of her, rebelled against this voice.
No, I must not push her. I must not make her life any worse than it
already is. She has much potential, I can see it. I must guide her,
not push her. She needs a mother, someone to watch over her. Maybe in
time, she will be ready for the rest. But for now...

Sighing to herself, Saotome Nodoka watched as Ranko gave her a big
smile, and then entered her room. Nodoka closed her eyes, and tried
to imagine Ranko's future. What would she be like as a woman? What
kind of man would she love? What kind of mother would she be? Would
she be a housewife, or perhaps would she try for a career as well,
like Naoko? Would her martial arts be a hobby, or would they play a
major part of her life? And where would Nodoka fit into this life?

Various and conflicting images came to Nodoka, and she wasn't sure of
what to make of all of them. She could see Ranko as so many things,
that no one possibility seemed more feasible, more true to her. There
were just so many possibilities. Nodoka never had this with Ranma,
she knew his fate was written in stone from his birth. He would
become Genma's heir, becoming a martial arts sensei, continuing the
family school. And he would marry a Tendo, to combine the schools.
For Ranma, the future was fairly certain in Nodoka's mind. But Ranko?

Nodoka pondered on this for a while. Just whose future was better,
Ranma's or Ranko's? The one whose path was laid out before him,
or the one whose path was an enigma. And just what did Ranko want?
What were her hopes and dreams? Nodoka thought she had a good idea of
who this young girl was, but she realized she had no idea of just
what Ranko wanted in life. If she was to become a part of Ranko's
life, if she was to become her mother, she had to know.

Nodoka's musings were interrupted by the front bell. Steeling herself
for what was to come, she went to the front door, and greeted her
guests.

"Good afternoon, Auntie. I hope we have come at a good time."

Nodoka nodded and replied. "Your timing is good, Kasumi. Ranko just
finished her bath. Come on in." Standing aside to let the Tendo
sisters enter, Nodoka kept a close eye on them. They seem a little
preoccupied. There is something bothering them. Probably guilt,
Nodoka thought, probably guilt for forcing their own cousin out of
their house.

"I am glad the two of you came here. I so want to speak to you both."

Kasumi gulped. The tone in Nodoka's voice told her flat out the
conversation was NOT going to be fun. Still, they came here to talk
to both Saotome's, but first things first.

"Auntie, we need to speak to you as well. But we need to talk to
Ranko first."

Nodoka's eyes narrowed in focus. "And why would that be? You plan to
add more fuel to the fire?"

Nabiki spoke up. "No, Auntie. We have to apologize to her."

Nodoka froze in place, not quite sure of what to do next. Eventually,
her face softened, and her body relaxed. "Apologize?"

Nabiki lowered her head. "Yes. We've hurt her, I know. Me especially.
She needs to know she is important to us. She needs to know she'll
always have us, as friends if not family, if she wants."

Nodoka stood there, considering her options. Eventually she nodded,
and said, "All right. But it all depends on what Ranko wants. I'll
go tell her you're here. But if she does not want to speak to you,
I will not force her. Do you understand?"

Both Tendos nodded, and watched as the Saotome matriarch went down
the hall, and entered a room. Kasumi whispered over to Nabiki, "Well,
that went well, don't you think?"

Nabiki quietly replied, "Yes, but the worst is yet to come."

The moments dragged as the two waited for Nodoka's return. In time,
the elder Saotome came out of Ranko's room, and motioned to the
sisters. "Ranko wants to see you two. Alone. But hear me, if you
cause her any more pain, I promise that you will not be happy that
you came here today."

Kasumi nodded and bit her lip. Slowly, she and Nabiki headed towards
Ranko's room. As she entered, she tried to appraise the young girl
standing before them. She didn't seem that different, but yet. Her
hair was different, out of its usual pigtail, and in a ponytail. The
clothes, well Ranko was wearing Ranma's normal red and black
ensemble, except the red blouse and black slacks fit Ranko better,
and definitely did a better job of accentuating her current gender.
And was Ranko wearing a bra? Kasumi wasn't sure of what to think,
and kept quiet until Ranko's mother left the three of them alone.

"Please, find a place to sit, you two. This place ain't much right
now. It was Mom's guest room, but we'll manage."

Kasumi tried to give Ranko a slight smile, and sat down on Ranko's
bed, with Nabiki taking a seat beside her. Ranko found a chair to
use, and the three waited in silence, unsure of just how to start
this.

Kasumi found her voice first, "Ranma..."

Ranko quickly interrupted, "Kasumi, please, call me Ranko. The last
thing I need is for Mom to hear someone call me Ranma right now."

Kasumi slowly nodded. "All right... Ranko. How are you doing so far?"

Kasumi watched as Ranko shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, I guess. It's
good to see you again, Kasumi, but why," Ranko paused and turned
towards Nabiki, "is SHE here?"

Nabiki glanced down towards the floor. "Ranko, I'm..."

Nabiki looked back up, and saw fire in Ranko's eyes. "Why, Nabiki?
Did you come here to laugh at the freak? Did you come here to see the
boy who's living as a girl? Did you come here to try to blackmail me,
to use this to make some extra yen for yourself? What are you up to
this time, Nabiki?"

Kasumi spoke up first. "Ranko, that is a rude way to treat a guest.
Nabiki came here to..."

Kasumi was interrupted by Nabiki's hand on her shoulder. "It's all
right, Sis. I deserve that. After everything I've done, I can't blame
her for that at all."

Nabiki turned towards Ranko, and once again lowered her head in
shame. "Ranko, I know I've done some mean things to you in the past.
I know I haven't given you any reason, any reason at all, for you to
trust me. If you hate me, and don't want to believe anything I have
to say to you, I won't hold it against you. I just want to let you
know, I have to tell you that... that..."

An eerie silence gripped the room. Ranko sat back, waiting for what
was coming next. After a moment, she couldn't take it anymore. "What,
Nabiki? What is it you have to tell me?"

Nabiki closed her eyes, and filled her lungs with a giant breath.
Why, she wondered, why was this so hard to say?

"I have to say I'm... I'm sorry, Ranko."

Ranko harshly replied, "Sorry for what? Sorry your biggest cash cow
is out of your life? Sorry you don't have me around to laugh at
anymore? Sorry you didn't make more off of me while you had the
chance?"

"Ranko, that's enough! Nabiki came here to apologize to you. She is
being sincere, if you do not believe her, believe me when I say
that."

Ranko turned towards Kasumi, and frowned. "I'm sorry, Kasumi, but I
can't believe her. I told her yesterday that I wasn't gonna be fooled
by her actin' again. She may have tricked you, but she ain't trickin'
me. Nabiki hasn't been sincere to me once since I met her."

The voice in Ranko's head spoke up. "That's not entirely true now,
Saotome."

Ranko quietly responded. "Huh, whatcha mean?"

"Look at her. Take a good look at her, and remember. Remember if
you've ever seen her like this before."

Ranko turned her attention back to Nabiki. She could see the Tendo
girl's head turned down, with her eyes cast towards the floor. There
was a sadness etched there, as though sorrow itself was being put on
exhibit.

Ranko once again asked herself. "So? I still don't see what you
mean."

Ranko could almost swear she heard her voice sigh in disgust. "The
first time, Saotome, the first time your mother came to the Tendo
home. Remember that?"

"Of course. How can I forget the first time I lied to Mom?"

"Remember the conversation you, Akane, and her sisters had about your
mother?"

"Oh, yeah. I remember that." And with that, Ranko closed her eyes and
pictured in her mind that moment. That very moment when...

Ranko opened her eyes in shock, and once again studied Nabiki's face.
It was the same. The same as when Nabiki pleaded with Ranma to tell
his mother the truth. The one time Ranma actually remembered seeing
sympathy in Nabiki.

"She... she could have been tricking me then, playing some game like
she always does."

"For what purpose, Saotome? In what purpose was there for her to see
you possibly commit seppuku if your mother didn't accept your curse?
And why would she throw away a golden opportunity, after all wasn't
letting you hide from your mother as Ranko another way to blackmail
you?"

"Yeah, I guess you got a point there."

"And how often did she USE that opportunity? How often did she use
your mother to make money off of you?"

Ranko had no answer to that question.

Slowly, Ranko came to a decision.

"Nabiki... I don't totally trust ya, but if Kasumi says it's okay, I
guess I can give you another shot."

The look on Nabiki's face after she said that clinched the deal for
Ranko. It wasn't a smug look of victory, or of saying 'Ranko, you
chump', but one of relief and gratitude.

"Ranko, thank you. I know I haven't given you much reason to trust
me, but I hope I can gain your trust in time."

Kasumi watched the exchange with concern. She knew Ranko did not
totally believe what Nabiki had said, but she was glad that at least
Ranko was giving her a chance.

"Ranko, how have you been holding up so far?"

Giving a small grin, Ranko turned her attention  towards Kasumi.
"Fine, so far. I've had some rough parts, but so far things are going
well."

"It's not too late to turn back. You can come home with us, Ranko. If
you really want to try again with Akane, I'm sure things will work
out better. You can come back with us if you want."

Ranko shook her head. "No, I can't. I won't. I want to stay here. I
have to stay here."

"Why?"

Gazing back towards Nabiki, Ranko asked, "What do you mean, why?"

"I mean, Miss Saotome, or should I call you Miss Tendo, I mean why do
you HAVE to stay? Why do you want to stay? Why did you come here in
the first place?"

"Nabiki, I told you why Ranko did this yesterday..."

"Kasumi, I know YOU told me. I want her to tell me. I want to hear it
straight from the wild horse's mouth."

Nabiki waited patiently, eyeing Ranko carefully. She watched as Ranko
sat there, hesitating.

"Well?"

"I came here because... because..."

Ranko closed her eyes, and steadied herself. Talking about her
thoughts, her feelings, was never easy for her, and now she knew she
had to make those feelings perfectly clear.

"For as long as I can remember, I stopped being a person to anyone
close to me. For most of that time, I was Pop's heir, not really his
son, but someone to try to reinvent himself in. He never really cared
about me, just what I represented to him. Anytime I would try to talk
about what I wanted, about what was on my mind, he would shut me up,
always sayin' I was talkin' like a girl. Yes, he was like that even
before Jusenkyo.

"And when I arrived at your house, that didn't change. Everyone
treated me like I didn't matter, like what I wanted was meaningless.
Especially the people I wanted to get close to. Akane, she never
listened to me, she never believed me or believed in me. Anything
that happened was always my fault, any fights or glompings were
always my doing. Even Happosai, anything he did was somehow my fault.

"Ryoga and Ucchan, all I ever wanted from them was friendship. They
were the closest things to friends I had livin' on the road. But
Ryoga, he blamed all of his problems on me. Hell, if a space station
crashed on his home, he'd somehow blame me. All he ever wanted from
me was to get his revenge, and to take Akane away from me. And
Ucchan? Sure she wasn't as bad as Shampoo or Kodachi, but her lame
attempts to get me, or to break Akane and me up, were just
frustrating.

"Worst of all was what people expected from me. When anyone was in
trouble, I had to put myself in one embarrassing position after
another. And did I ever get any thanks? 'Good job, Ranma, I know
that must of been rough on you?' No, it was always, 'What kept you
so long? What was your problem?'"

Ranko paused, trying to find the words to say next.

"I wasn't a person to everyone. I was like a... a cooking utensil,
you know one you use for a specific task, then put away when you're
done with it. That's what I had become, something to use when needed,
only to be ignored the other times.

"I came here because with Mom, it's different. She doesn't see me as
a thing, but as a person. Sure, she treats me as a girl, but I'd
rather be treated as a girl by Mom than as a thing by everyone else."

A tear formed in Ranko's eye. "And she cares about what I want, what
I need. Earlier today, we went shopping for clothes. I was expecting
her to make me wear dresses and skirts and stuff like that."

Nabiki slowly nodded and asked, "And?"

Ranko grinned. "Am I wearing a dress right now?"

Nabiki shook her head.

"Like I said, I was expecting her to buy dresses and stuff. And if
she had asked me, I would have worn them. I would do anything for
her, anything. But when we were in the store, she told me I could buy
what I wanted to buy. If I didn't want to buy dresses, she wasn't
going to make me.

"I could tell, I could see, that it was important to her that I dress
and act like a young girl, but I could also see that it was more
important to her that I be happy. She did that, she put back her own
needs for me! I've never had someone do that for me before."

Ranko looked Nabiki straight in the eye. "That's why I came here,
Nabiki. Because Mom is the one person who I feel cares about ME,
about what I want, not about what they can get out of me. She
doesn't know I'm Ranma, doesn't know I'm her son, but she still cares
about me. She loves me, and I love her, and right now that's what I
need.

"And there's more."

Nabiki's eyebrow shot up. "More?"

Ranko nodded. "When I came here yesterday, I could feel the emptiness
of this house. She's been lonely all these years, Nabiki. She's been
all alone. She needs someone in her life, even more than I do. I left
her all those years ago, when Pop took me away from her. I won't
abandon her again. I won't let this house get empty ever again. She's
my Mom, and I can't do to her what Pop did. I won't run out on her.
And if that means being Ranko for her, so be it."

Kasumi spoke up. "And what about Akane?"

A sad frown covered Ranko's face. "I miss her. But this is best for
her as well. Now she can get on with her life without having me
around. Maybe now she can find a nice guy, instead of being stuck
with me. She's better off without me."

"Ranko, that's not true. I told you before, she does care for you."

"I remember you tellin' me that. I know better, Kasumi, I know
better. Don't worry, in time I'll just be a bad memory for her. I
wish I hadn't caused her so much pain before, but it's over now.
She'll be happy. That is what is important now."

Kasumi let out an exasperated breath. "Ranko, you said no one treated
you well? Wasn't there one person who always helped you out when you
needed it? Wasn't there always one person you came to your aid when
you were in trouble? How many times, Ranko, how many times did Akane
help you out? And you say she sees you as a thing? That she doesn't
care out you?"

Nabiki glanced back towards Ranko. "That's right. Akane, she has
helped you many times. Starting with that first day at Furinkan. I
know I wasn't much help to you, but Akane? How many times did she put
herself on the line for you?"

Ranko slowly glanced down towards her feet. "That don't mean nothin'.
Akane, she helps people. That's just the way she is. It don't mean
she cares about me or anythin' like that."

The three young women sat in silence for the longest time. As the
moments mounted, Kasumi and Nabiki looked at each other,
communicating their thoughts without speaking. In time, Kasumi spoke
up.

"Ranko, if this is what you want, if this is what you need, you can
count on us."

"Huh?"

"What my dear older sister is trying to say, Ranko, is that we will
support you through this. If there is anything you want, if there is
anything you need from one of us during this, all you have to do is
call us, and we'll help."

A hopeful smile graced Ranko's face. "Really, you mean that?
Anything?"

Nabiki smiled even larger than Ranko. "Of course. That's what friends
are for."

"Friends?"

"Yes, Ranko, friends. Like I said before, if you ever need my help in
any way, just call. I will gladly help you in any way I can."

Ranko's smile fell for a moment. "For a price, I'm sure."

Nabiki shook her head. "Nope, free of charge."

"Free of charge... did I hear that just right?"

Keeping eye contact with Ranko, Nabiki nodded and smiled once again.
"Yep, you heard right, young lady. No price, no strings. After
everything I've done, I owe you more than I can ever repay. I will
help you any way I can."

"Nabiki, I... I... thank you."

"You're welcome, kiddo."

Nabiki waited for a moment, wondering how to address the next topic.
Well, might as well get it over with...

"Ranko, Kasumi and I aren't the only ones who want to help you.
Cologne wants to come over tonight to speak to you."

"The old ghoul? Why would I want to see her?"

"I understand your reluctance, Ranko. But believe me, she is more
sympathetic to your situation than you might think. She has some
things to tell you that you want to hear, honestly."

"You think I should talk to her?"

Nabiki nodded. "Yes, I do. She wishes to help you, like we want to
help you. But be careful."

"Careful?" Ranko gave Nabiki a confused look.

"Yes, careful. Remember, Ranko, no matter what she tells you, she
has her own agenda. She wants to help you, but don't forget how
manipulative she can be."

Ranko sat there pondering this over. Eventually, she replied, "Okay,
I guess I can hear her out. I'm not sure it's such a good idea, but
I'll hear what she has to say."

"Good. Now, why don't you tell us everything that has happened to you
since you got here."

"Everything?"

Nabiki sighed in frustration. "Yes, everything. Your mother is going
to talk to us after we are done talking to you, and it's important
that we have our stories straight. You had to tell her some story to
explain why you came here, and we need to be on the same page,
understand? Besides, you're not that good at that sort of thing. Me,
on the other hand, hey, what can I say. Some people got it, some
people don't."

Ranko chuckled, and responded, "Okay, I guess tellin' you makes
sense." And slowly, Ranko began to tell Kasumi and Nabiki about what
had happened. Ranko decided it would be best to leave out some
things. She didn't feel too comfortable in talking about her dream,
or of the voice in her head, just yet. So she concentrated on her
conversations with her mother.

****************************************************

Akane was concentrating on one thing. And that thing made her mad. So
mad that she was fuming.

Well, no, not exactly. Akane had past the fuming stage about an hour
ago, and was close to being downright seething. Infuriated. Truly
angry.

How dare she, Akane mused, how dare she just storm in my home, do
that to me, and then run away like that? And what was I thinking?
Following her, feeling sorry for her. I guess I'm the idiot now.

Akane looked out over the part of town she was passing through. For
the last couple of hours, she had been frantically searching for
Kodachi, the Black Rose. But this flower had retreated into her bud,
and Akane couldn't find her anywhere. Not the Kuno home, not either
school, Furinkan or St. Hebereke, not any usual hangout. Of course,
Akane wasn't quite sure of Kodachi's usual hangouts. By choice. But
she had spent much of the afternoon investigating all of the possible
ones.

As Akane realized where she was, a smile made its way onto her face.
The canal, one of Ranma's favorite places to come. Akane had liked it
as well. It was soothing, pleasant. It was a good place to come and
to try to escape one's problems.

Pausing for a moment, Akane closed her eyes, and tried to remember
the last time she had come here. It hadn't been too long, not that
long ago, but when? Herb. That was it, Akane remembered. It was when
Ranma, Ryoga and Mousse were out after Herb, to try to find the
Kasuifuu. At home, to her family, Akane had put up a good front. She
didn't want everyone to understand the fear that was inside of her.
When she needed to let it out, to be alone, she came here, to the
canal, away from everyone else, and she tried to deal with it.

Now, she decided, now is a good time for me to use this place, to try
to deal with everything that has happened. Kodachi, well I tried, no
one can say I didn't try. I'll just come down here, toss a few stones
into the canal, and feel better. I hope.

Slowly, Akane began to climb down towards the canal. As she reached
the bottom, she heard a slight sound off to the side. The sound of
someone sobbing. Turning her head towards the sound, Akane stopped in
shock as she recognized the figure sitting there.

Here, she's been here the whole time. Did she come here because she's
seen Ranma here before, or is it a coincidence? Either way, she's
here now. Akane gathered her thoughts, and began to approach the
young woman in front of her.

"Kodachi? Are you all right?"

Kodachi had her head down, and Akane thought she heard her murmur
something.

"Kodachi, what was that you said?"

Kodachi's head came up with a start, and Akane jumped back from the
sight. The young Kuno girl's eyes were red and puffy, as if she had
been crying for hours. As her head came up, Kodachi responded.

"I said, go away! Are you as deaf as you are stupid, you silly little
girl?"

"Kodachi, please, I just want to..."

"How many times do I have to say it. Go. Away. Now. I don't want to
see the likes of you right now. Just leave me alone."

Akane couldn't take it anymore, as the frustration of all of the time
she had spent looking for Kodachi came out.

"Fine! You want me to leave you alone, that is just fine by me! I
don't know what I was thinking. I thought maybe, just maybe, you were
hurting, and needed someone to talk to. Stupid little me, trying to
help YOU of all people, forget it. If you want to stay here and
wallow in your problems alone, I just don't care. I'm going home now.
Good-bye, Kodachi."

Akane huffed, turned and headed out of the canal and towards her
home. She was long out of range, and did not hear Kodachi's response.

"Wait. Akane, please wait."

****************************************************

Waiting patiently had become second nature to Saotome Nodoka. Not
that she liked it, but thanks to her life, she had no other choice.
For the past few moments, she kept glancing towards Ranko's door.
Part of her wanted to listen to the conversation within, but she
kept that part of her in check. She wasn't totally convinced that
leaving Ranko alone with her cousins was the best idea, but Ranko did
want to speak to them, so she grudgingly gave in. And if Kasumi and
Nabiki were here to apologize like they said... Nodoka closed her
eyes and hoped that would be the case.

Nodoka watched as the time slowly passed, until the pot did boil,
and Ranko's door opened. Her breath slowly exhaled as she saw the
look on Ranko's face, one of near relief, instead of distress. The
three young girls seemed in decent enough spirits. Nodoka listened as
Ranko addressed her cousins.

"Thanks, you guys. I was a little worried when I heard you were
comin' over. I'm glad we had this talk."

The smile that came to Kasumi's face erased all traces of
apprehension in Nodoka. She heard Kasumi and Nabiki say their
good-byes to Ranko, then watched as they headed over in her
direction.

Kasumi spoke up first. "You wished to speak to us, Auntie?"

Nodoka slowly nodded, then turned towards Ranko. "Dear, will you
leave the three of us alone for a few moments?"

Ranko nodded in response, and headed into her room.

Nodoka motioned the two girls to follow her, and the three ended up
in Nodoka's room. This time, Kasumi and Nabiki kept their feet, and
the three stood by each other, waiting for the next shoe to fall.

Nodoka broke the ice first. "Okay, first things first. Exactly what
happened to send Ranko here? She said she got into a fight with all
of you, but she wouldn't give me details. Exactly what happened?"

Kasumi and Nabiki glanced at each other. Kasumi gave Nabiki a
smile, telling her how wise she was to insist on speaking to Ranko
first. Kasumi then turned to Nodoka.

"Well, you see Auntie, it all started with Ranma."

"Ranma?"

Kasumi sheepishly nodded. "Yes. You see, Ranma has quite a number of
admirers. This makes Akane quite upset. Even though the two have
never really discussed their feelings with each other, both care
deeply about the other. But all of those other girls trying to throw
themselves at Ranma just makes Akane mad."

A smile came to Nodoka's lips. "He has many girls after him? He must
be a fine young man to have so many girls chasing him."

Nabiki spoke up. "Oh, yes, Auntie, he is. I know of many a girl that
would like nothing more that to be with him." Plus a few boys, Nabiki
told herself.

Kasumi picked up the story again. "Anyways, all this attention from
other girls makes Akane quite jealous, and she has quite a temper.
Of all the girls in Ranma's life, Akane is probably most jealous of
Ranko. Ranma and Ranko are so close to each other, that it makes
Akane see red."

Nodoka nodded in understanding.

"Yesterday, Akane and Ranma got into a silly little fight, like they
have a habit of doing. This time was different, though. Ranma had
taken enough, and he told Akane he was breaking off the engagement
between the two, and he up and left. But not before saying a few
choice words of his own.

"After he left, Ranko tore into Akane. She was furious that Akane let
her petty jealousy push Ranma away. Ranko said some pretty harsh
things towards Akane."

Kasumi stopped and took a breath. She noticed that Nodoka seemed
entranced on every word she was saying. So far, so good. Now...

"Akane, well if you know Akane like we know Akane, you would know
she was not going to take that lying down. She tore into Ranko right
back, accusing her of trying to steal Ranma away from her, telling
her right to her face that she thought that Ranko was flaunting
herself to Ranma. Akane called Ranko a lot of names I do not want to
repeat. Ever."

"How could she think such things about Ranko?"

Kasumi frowned a little. "Akane does not really think that about
Ranko. She cares for her, she was the first one to befriend Ranko
when Ranko came to live with us. It is just that, when Akane gets
mad, she'll often say and do things she would never say or do
otherwise. She is really sorry about the way she treated Ranko, but I
am afraid that if she saw Ranko right now, her anger would get the
better of her, and more damage would be done."

Nodoka studied the faces of the sisters for a moment before
responding. "I see. What about Ranma? Where did he go?"

Kasumi and Nabiki shared yet another glance. This time, Nabiki picked
up the lead.

"We don't know, Auntie. Uncle Saotome left to look for him. He told
us he would find Ranma and bring him back to us."

Nodoka once again looked at the Tendo girls. "All right. Now, Ranko
tells me she never felt welcome in your home. What do the two of you
have to say about that?"

"We are sorry, Auntie." Kasumi hung down her head in shame as she
answered Nodoka's query. "It was not that we did not care for Ranko,
because we do. It is just that, well, after so many years of just the
four of us living together, all of a sudden all of these people came
and were living with us. Maybe if it was just Ranko, we could have
handled it better, but with Ranko, Ranma, Uncle and Happosai..."

Nodoka quickly interrupted Kasumi. "You are never to say that name in
my presence. Ever. Do you understand?"

Kasumi shrank back from the cold, hard glare that Nodoka was giving
her. She had never seen the Saotome matriarch like this before, and
she hoped that she would never see her this way ever again. Figures,
she thought, figures the old pervert would do something that would
make even this mild-mannered woman mad.

"Of course, Auntie. I promise I will never mention that name in your
presence ever again."

Nodoka's hand quickly appeared on Kasumi's shoulder. "It's all right,
dear. I'm sorry I barked at you like that. It's just that where HE is
concerned, I..."

"Don't worry about it, Ma'am." Nabiki spoke up, worried about what
that freak could have done to this woman. "That pervert is not high
on any of our lists. Frankly, if I could go the rest of my life
without having to hear or utter his name again, I'd be happy."

"As I was saying before, Auntie," Kasumi returned to the topic at
hand, "with so many people coming to live with all of us in such a
short time, I guess we never really gave Ranko the attention she
deserved from us. I am sorry about that." 

Nodoka nodded her head, and smiled. "I believe that you are. Now, I
must ask you two a question."

"Ask away, Auntie." Kasumi waited patiently for what Nodoka had to
say.

"Would it be all right with you if I... if I... oh dear, asking this
is harder than I thought it would be."

Kasumi gave Nodoka her patented smile. "It is all right, Auntie. Go
ahead, want do you want to know?"

Closing her eyes, and finding her center, Nodoka asked. "Would it be
all right with you if I adopted Ranko, and raised her here as my own
daughter?"

Nabiki spoke up first. "I think, if this is what Ranko wants, it
would be all right by us."

"And your father?"

Once again, the sisters shared a thought with just a glance.

"Don't worry about Father, I am sure I can convince him this is what
would be best for Ranko." Kasumi couldn't believe she said those
words so easily. She wondered to herself if she was dooming Ranma to
a life not his own by agreeing to this. Was she dooming her younger
sister? She knew Ranma needed to at least spend some time with his,
no her, mother. Still, a sense of worry hung over Kasumi like a
shroud.

"I will speak to Ranko about this later. She has had a busy day, and
I see no reason to burden her with this until later. However, if I am
to adopt her, I will need the proper paperwork to make things
official."

"Paperwork?", Kasumi asked.

"Yes, dear. Birth certificate, medical records, school records, and
the like."

Kasumi glanced over towards Nabiki for help, and saw from her face
that this request did not surprise the middle sister at all.

"Of course, Ma'am," Nabiki replied, "just give me a few days to get
everything you will need together, and I will get them to you."

Nodoka smiled once again. "Thank you, dear. Now let us continue in
the kitchen, where we can share some tea and discuss less urgent
matters."

Kasumi and Nabiki let out breaths of relief. Both felt this talk
could have gotten worse, much worse that it had. They followed their
host into the kitchen, and after the tea was prepared sat down at the
table and began to sample the offered beverage.

Between sips of tea, Nodoka asked, "So, Akane was jealous of Ranma
and Ranko. Tell me, is there a boy Ranko likes?"

Kasumi began to choke, while Nabiki performed spit take #412. This
question had come completely out of left field, and neither was
remotely prepared for it.

Nodoka shook her head in wonder. "I know Ranko has had some problems,
but she is a teenaged girl. Don't tell me that there hasn't been a
boy she has shown some feelings towards?"

Nabiki started to big-sweat. This was one question, one contingency
they had not considered when they went over the cover story with
Ranko. Still, it deserved to be answered, but how?

Eventually, Nabiki remembered something.

"Well, there was this one time."

"Yes?"

"Well..." Nabiki paused for a moment, trying to come up with the
right words to explain this. "There was once when Ranko fell for
this one boy, really hard." With the help of a magical fishing rod,
Nabiki did not say aloud. "And when I say Ranko fell hard, I mean
real hard. The boy was flustered by Ranko's affections, the whole
mess ended badly, and Ranko moped around for days afterwards." Of
course, it was Ranma who was moping, at the very thought of falling
in love with Ryoga, but Nabiki once again kept her mouth shut on
that.

"I see. And this boy? Did he treat Ranko poorly? Did he try to take
advantage of the situation?"

Nabiki caught herself, again waiting for the proper words to say.
"This boy really didn't care for Ranko, certainly not that way. He
cares for another girl, and he found Ranko's devotion quite
distressing. Ranko was really hurt by the way he treated her during
this."

"I see. Well, let's talk about you two, shall we? Tell me, what is
going on in your lives right now."

And for many moments, nearly an hour, the three women talked about
things not dealing with Ranko, Ranma or Akane. The three talked about
their own lives, about school and many other mundane and sundry
things. Eventually, the hour got late, and Kasumi and Nabiki excused
themselves from the Saotome home. Slowly, they began their journey
back.

After a number of silent minutes, Kasumi spoke up. "Nabiki, about
the birth certificate and the other things you told Auntie Saotome
you would get her, how are you doing to deal with that? Are you going
to forge some papers?"

Nabiki shook her head. "Nope. I'm good, but I'm not THAT good. That
kind of thing needs a professional. Now as far as the medical records
are concerned, I think I can talk Tofu into helping out there. But
the other stuff, well I know of some people who might help us."

Kasumi eyed her sister carefully, "You know of some people? Just what
kind of people are you getting involved with?"

Nabiki shot back a glance towards Kasumi. "Don't worry, I'm not
involved with these people, I just know of them. I have had no desire
to ever do business with their likes before, but now their skill is
needed. I have no desire to make a habit of it. They are just too
dangerous."

"Nabiki, if it is dangerous..."

"Don't worry, Kasumi, I'll be okay. This will just be a business
transaction, nothing more. For what we need, the type of records this
will entail, this is not going to be cheap."

Kasumi quietly asked her sister, "If this is not going to be cheap,
can we afford it? With our finances the way they are?"

Nabiki began to chuckle. "You can quit the act anytime, Sis. You
know as well as I our finances aren't that bad. You know as well as I
that I was just using that as an excuse for what I did to Ranma. I
was only justifying my actions.

"No, we are not that bad off financially. We're not rich, not by any
stretch of the imagination, but we're not hurting that badly. This
will put a little dent in my college fund, but I'll manage. After
everything, Ranko deserves this chance to get to know her mother."

****************************************************

I can manage. I can get myself through this, Akane tried to tell
herself.

Sitting back at her home, Akane shook her head to herself. No, I'm
only fooling myself. This is just too much, way too much for me to
deal with. First Ranma, then learning about Ryoga, and now all of
this thinking about Mother... I don't know, I don't know if I can
handle this anymore.

Mother... Akane reached for one last snack cake as she once again
thought about her mother. Why, Kodachi, why did you have to do that
to me? Why did you have to make me do that after all of these years?
After all of these years, why did you make me betray my mother's
last request? Why?

As her hand approached the cake, Akane noticed that it was shaking.
Bringing the hand in front of her face, she watched in quiet
fascination as her hand seemed to move on its own accord, as if it
were afraid and terrified of its own account. Bringing up her other
hand, Akane noticed it was shaking too. She tried to force them, to
will them, to stop, but they would not listen. Slowly, she brought
her head down, to put between her hands in the hope that its presence
would keep her hands from betraying her inner-most fears. And it
seemed to help, just a little. The hands, they still shook, just not
as violently as before. She could feel the movements of her soul come
through her hands and caress her face.

She began to feel the need to cry once again, but she would not let
herself. She would not let her tears consume her once again. She was
Tendo Akane, she was strong, she could keep her saddest emotions in
check. It was who she was, she never let her grief control her.
Never!

*Plink*

Akane's head jerked up, as she heard the sound from outside. It
sounded like something entered the water of the pond, as if a small
pebble or something...

*Plink*

And there it was again. There is something out there. Someone,
perhaps. Slowly collecting herself, Akane stood up and when towards
the door leading outside, to see if she was hearing things, or if she
did have a visitor.

As the door slid open, Akane gasped at the sight in front of her. Not
for the first time today, or the second, this person had surprised
her. She was sitting there by the pond, looking deep into the water,
and Akane watched as she slowly tossed a small pebble into the water's
embrace.

*Plink*

Finding her voice, Akane spoke up, "Kodachi?"

The Black Rose turned to Akane, a wispy smile on her face. "I never
really noticed how lovely your pond was before. It is quite
beautiful. Almost soothing in a way."

"Why... why did you come here again? Do you wish to attack me once
more? You won't find me so easily defeated, if that's the case."

Kodachi slowly shook her head. "What you said before, about wanting
to help me. Did you really mean that? Or was it just the foolish
remarks of a foolish girl?"

Akane's blood began to boil. "I meant it! Of course, if you're just
going to sit there and insult me, never mind!"

Akane turned away, ready to head back into her house, when she
heard Kodachi speak again.

"I'm sorry."

Akane turned back towards Kodachi. Kodachi had just apologized? What
next, will the sky turn pink? Will water run uphill? Will someone
actually enjoy her cooking?

"You're sorry?"

Kodachi nodded, and Akane noticed some sadness still in Kodachi's
eyes. Whatever it was that set her off before...this isn't a trick,
Akane thought, this is no trick.

"Do you still wish to help? Even after everything?"

Akane slowly nodded.

"How much are you willing to help? Would you be willing to talk to
me, freely?"

Once more, Akane nodded.

"Would you tell me about... would you tell me about your mother?"

Akane began to lose her equilibrium. Before she lost her footing
completely, she headed over to the pond, and sat nearby Kodachi. "My
mother? Why do you want to know about my mother?"

Kodachi once again gazed out into the pond, and picked up one last
pebble. Tossing it up and catching it over and over again in her
right hand,  she closed her eyes, silently mouthed a few works, then
tossed the pebble into the drink.

*Plink*

"It's important. Please. What kind of a woman was your mother?"

Akane looked down, unsure if she wanted to speak of this to Kodachi,
of all people. Finding a pebble of her own, she picked it up, and
allowed it to join its cousin under water.

*Plink*

The act of tossing the pebble seemed to calm her down. Akane closed
her eyes, and tried to think about her mother. After the events
earlier that afternoon, it wasn't that hard.

A smile came to Akane's face, and she started to speak, keeping her
eyes closed as the vision of her mother came to her. "She was so
beautiful. Daddy, he says I remind him of her, but I don't see it.
She was so beautiful, and I'm just some short-haired, skinny, uncute
tomboy. I look at her photos, and I wish I could be half the woman
she was. And she was so kind. She was always there whenever I needed
her, whenever I needed something. I don't have many memories of her,
but the ones I do have I cherish. She was a strong woman, she never
let Daddy get away with anything when she was around.

"There was once, I was playing on a neighbor's swing. I was having
so much fun, and swinging up so high. But they installed the swing
set too low, and I ended up cracking my head on some pavement during
one swing. I cried for a long time, and Mother, she came over and
head me close and comforted me. There wasn't any major damage,
or anything like that, but it hurt so much, and she quickly took that
hurt away. And when I was calmed down, she went and laid right into
our neighbors for being so foolish for building that swing so low.
For about a week after that, whenever they saw her coming, they would
hang their heads in shame, not wanting to make eye contact. And yes,
they fixed that swing that very afternoon."

Once again, Akane left the tears well up inside her. But this time,
she would not allow them freedom. No, not again, not again.

"And she was so clever, too. She pretty much ran the business end of
the Dojo, she had such a way with numbers, and the like. I guess
Nabiki gets it from Mother. Daddy, he can be so clueless about
certain things.

"Most of all, I guess, I remember the way she made me feel. I always
felt so safe around her, I knew she would always be there for me. I
knew she would never let anything bad happen to me."

Akane opened her eyes, and saw Kodachi watching her intently. Akane
half expected Kodachi to ridicule her for this, but all she saw in
Kodachi was sympathy.

Kodachi took a deep breath, and slowly words poured out. "Akane,
would you tell me how... I mean how... how did your mother die?"

Akane looked at Kodachi in shock, and shook her head. "No, please, I
don't want to talk about that."

But Kodachi's eyes would not let go of Akane. "Please. It's very
important. Please."

"You want something more to hang over me. You want more ammunition to
use against me. No, I don't know why I told you as much as I did.
After all you've done to me, I don't what came over me. This ends
now." Slowly, Akane stood up, and turned towards her house. A hand
grabbed Akane's arm, and she looked down towards Kodachi, expecting
to see the worse.

Akane froze as she realized that the grasp of Kodachi's hand wasn't
forceful. She could feel the shaking in that hand, just as she felt
the shaking of her own hands just moments ago. She saw tears in
Kodachi's eyes, not crocodile tears, for real misery lived in those
tears.

"Please." Kodachi once more pleaded.

Not completely understanding why, Akane sat back down, and paused.
This was hard, so hard, and she just wasn't ready to deal with it.

Moments of silence engulfed the pair, and those moments stretched
on and on. Biting her lip, Akane tried to find her strength. Only
closing her eyes and visualizing her mother in those last days gave
her the strength she needed.

"Cancer. She died of cancer."

Akane once again felt Kodachi's hand reach out to her, and she
felt... warmth there. Warmth and compassion from the last person on
the face of the earth she ever expected to get such things from.

"I was only five when the doctors told us. It was too late, they
said. Too late for them to do anything but try to make things easier
for Mother. They said... they said she'd be lucky to last two
months."

Akane opened her eyes, and this time she could not stop the tears
from flowing. "Two months! Mother lived for over a year after that.
If you could call what she went through living!"

The tears came freely now, as Akane stopped all pretense of trying
to keep them in check. "She was once so strong, so vital. She was the
heart, the strength of our family. And we watched, all of us watched
as she slowly lost that strength, as that cancer took away her
strength. We watched as that cancer ate her, literally ate her from
the inside out!

"It was horrible, horrible! I watched as she slowly was eaten alive!
Near the end, in the weeks before her death her body was nothing but
a shell, a shell of this once strong, vital woman. The only thing
that reminded me of her strength, her vigor, was her eyes. That was
the only thing left where I could actually see my Mother, the only
place left where my Mother was still alive."

Akane paused and took one deep breath after another, regaining
her own strength. "Imagine, Kodachi. A child, a six-year-old child
watching her own mother dying like that. All of us tried to remain
strong, for once Mother needed our strength to get by, instead of
the other way around. We had to be strong for her. I had to be strong
for her. I wanted to fall apart, and I wanted to lose myself in my
grief. But I had to be strong. I had to."

Kodachi nodded, then looked Akane straight in the eye. "And your
promise?"

Akane's tear-laden eyes turned downwards, and she replied, "Right
before she died, she knew, she knew she didn't have much time left.
When we were alone together, she smiled at me and she told me, she
asked me..."

A pause filled the air, the two just sat there, as the slightest
sounds of the streets nearby amplified themselves in the still air.

"She said, she told me 'Akane, don't be sad for me. I've had a good
life, a wonderful life with your father and my wonderful daughters.
Don't feel sad for me. Remember not these moments, but the joyous
times we shared. Remember the joy, not the sorrow. Akane, I want you
to promise me something. I want you to promise that you won't cry
for me. I don't want you to cry for me. I know your Father, he will
not be able to deal with this at all, and he needs you to be strong
for him. Please, my wonderful little girl, please promise me you'll
always remember the good times we had, and that you'll never cry for
me'. And I kept that promise, I kept that promise all of these years.
Until now."

Kodachi frowned, and lowered her own head. "I'm sorry about that. I
didn't understand."

A smile came to Akane's face. "That's twice now you've apologized to
me. I never expected to hear an apology out of your lips."

A chuckle, not her patented laugh, came out of Kodachi's lips. "Don't
get used to it."

Akane tried to laugh at that, but she couldn't find any laughter in
her right now. "Can you imagine, Kodachi. Imagine a child watching a
parent die like that. To see their mother slowly eaten alive like
that. I can't imagine a worse way for a child to see their parent
die."

"I can."

Akane's eyes went wide as she watched the pain on Kodachi's face. She
watched as Kodachi tried to find her own strength, her own center.

Slowly, words came to Kodachi's lips. "I guess you deserve to hear
my story. You deserve to know why I wanted to hear yours."

Akane slowly nodded her head.

Kodachi continued, "I was ten. Father was away on a business trip.
It was late, and I went to take a bath before going to bed. My dear
brother was watching some silly anime on tv, involving samurai and
fair damsels and the like.  I walked into the bathroom, and...
and..."

Once again, a hand found itself on someone's shoulder, in a
sympathetic manner. This time, though, it was Akane coming to
Kodachi's aide.

"I walked in, and Mother was there, and... and she was in the furo,
but that wasn't all. The water, it was... it was red. There was red
all over the place. Mother... blood... too much blood. Blood was in
the water. It was on the walls. It was on the floor. It was
everywhere, everywhere.

"And I screamed. I screamed so loud, the neighbors heard me and
called the police. Tatewaki, he came in and he saw, and he didn't
scream. He didn't utter a sound. I probably wouldn't have heard him
if he did. When the police came, and broke down the door to come in,
for both brother dear and I couldn't move, when they came I was still
screaming."

Kodachi tried to catch her breath. "To this day, none of us know why.
None of us know why Mother slit her wrists and killed herself. She
left no note, no explanation.

"Ever since then, the sight of her in the furo visits me in my
dreams. Constantly. And in my dreams I keep screaming, until I wake
up screaming. All of these years, I've tried one thing after another
to make the nightmares go away, to stop the visions from haunting me
night after night."

Kodachi closed her eyes, and tried to continue on. "First, I threw
myself into gymnastics. I hoped that if I concentrated full-time on
that, it would make the rest go away. And for awhile, it worked. But
the nightmares wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to look elsewhere.

"Then, I took up gardening. I found the tranquillity of the art of
gardening quite soothing. And it worked, much longer than gymnastics
did. But in time, the nightmares came back.

"A couple of years ago, I tried drugs. At first, I tried the standard
drugs, but they were no help, not at all. So I started experimenting.
I began to make my own drugs, and potions and the like. I had to keep
fine-tuning them, and experimenting, as the ones that worked only
lasted a little while. In time, even the drugs lost their power for
me, and I no longer use them myself, but the knowledge of drugs and
potions that experience gave me helped me elsewhere."

Akane began to shudder as a wicked grin graced Kodachi's face, but
only for a moment. That expression was soon wiped out by the sadder
one that existed there before.

"Nothing worked anymore, and I could slowly feel my own sanity
escaping me, but I could do nothing to keep it. Then I found
something, I found one thing, one thought that kept the hounds of
insanity at bay."

Akane thought she had an idea of what this could be, and asked
Kodachi, "Ranma?"

Kodachi nodded at that. "Yes, Ranma. When the hounds come calling,
all I have to do is think of my darling Ranma. I just have to think
of the two of us, and how happy we can be together. When I think of
Ranma, I have good dreams now, not those nightmares. Not all the
time, anyways."

Kodachi gave Akane a slight smile. "Don't worry, I know Ranma doesn't
care for me the way I care for him. The way I need him. But just the
thought of him is enough for me. Most of the time. Of course, maybe
one day he will see me that way."

Akane gave Kodachi a grin of her own. "Don't get your hopes up."

A laugh once again filled the air. "Just like you to try to quash a
girl's dreams. Akane, I'm not going to give up on my darling Ranma
easily. You had better understand that."

This time, Akane laughed in return. "That goes double for me. But,
Kodachi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think, do you think we can at least stop the fighting and
bickering and all of the crap between us. I'm kind of tired of all
the craziness. Can we try to chase after Ranma as two civilized
people, instead of a pair of lunatics?"

Kodachi gave Akane a huge smile. "I don't know, some of our
activities have been kind of fun. Maybe we can just cut back on it,
a little bit?"

"That's fine by me."

A harsh gleam came to Kodachi's eyes. "You realized this doesn't
make us friends, or anything like that."

Akane began to laugh. "Us? Friends? Heaven forbid!"

Kodachi joined Akane in laughter, as the two just sat there, and for
one moment in time, forgot their rivalry.

****************************************************

"Auntie, that smells good!"

Nodoka watched as Ranko inhaled the aroma coming from the dinner.
Nodoka thought it would be fun to teach Ranko a dish she hadn't tried
before. Even though this dish was different that what Ranko was used
to, she seemed to pick things up very fast.

"Here, dear. Take a taste."

Using a spoon, Nodoka carefully scooped out a small potion of the
meal for her 'niece' to sample. The look on Ranko's face told Nodoka
all she needed to know.

"Auntie, this is delicious. What is it called again?"

"Stroganoff, dear."

"Stohca.."

Nodoka shook her head. "No, dear. Stroganoff. A dear friend taught me
the recipe. Now just let it simmer for a while, stirring it from time
to time."

Ranko grinned. "A friend, huh? Does she have other cool recipes?"

Nodoka began to chuckle. "Maybe, dear. You might have to ask her next
time you see her."

Ranko's eyes shot up in surprise. "I've met her?"

"Yes, dear, this morning."

Ranko thought for a second, wondering who her mother might mean. In
time, a light came on. "Oh, you mean the doc?"

"Yes, dear. Naoko, that is Doctor Yamamoto and I have known each
other a long time."

Ranko was about to reply, when the front bell rang. Nodoka headed
towards the front door. As she left the kitchen, she told Ranko,
"Watch that while I see who is calling, okay Ranko?"

Ranko nodded, and stirred the meal just a little, taking the
opportunity to taste just a little bit more of the dinner.

"And Ranko," Nodoka yelled out from the front room, "be sure and
leave enough to eat for dinner."

Ranko smiled, and contented herself to close her eyes and just live
in the aroma that surrounded her. In time, she heard her mother
return to the kitchen.

"Dear, there is a woman here to see you."

"Ah. It must be the old ghoul."

Nodoka frowned at Ranko's response. "Dear, that is not a nice thing
to call somebody."

A laugh came from behind Nodoka, and as Ranko looked down, she saw
Cologne standing there. "It's quite all right, Mrs. Saotome. It's
just a little game Ranko and I play, isn't that right, child?"

Ranko frowned, and nodded. She began to feel very nervous with the
Amazon Elder in the house. Even though Nabiki thought it would be a
good idea to see her, Ranko still felt uncomfortable when dealing
with the old woman.

"Auntie, may I introduce you to Cologne, Matriarch of the Chinese
Amazons."

Nodoka looked over her guest. "Cologne? That is a rather odd name."

Cologne chuckled. "That's not exactly my name, but it's close enough
to my Chinese name that you can call me that. What is in a name,
anyway? A rose by any other name would surely wither and die."

Nodoka frowned at that. "That's not exactly a cheery way to put that
now, is it?"

"Perhaps not, but at my age you realize that all things must end
someday. Save taxes and human stupidity. Those things last forever.

"Would it be acceptable if I spoke to you niece alone, for a short
time?"

Nodoka turned to Ranko. "It will be a while until dinner is ready. I
suppose you two can talk until then, if that's what you want, Ranko."

Ranko gritted her teeth, and answered, "I guess we might as well get
this out of the way." Leaving her mother in the kitchen, Ranko headed
towards her room, with Cologne in tow.

Ranko grumbled to herself. "This is getting to be busier than the
Tokyo business district at rush hour."

Cologne raised her eyebrow. "Did you say something, child?"

Closing the door behind her to give Cologne and her some privacy,
Ranko grunted. "Nabiki said I should listen to what you have to say.
So I'm listening. What brings you here?"

Cologne began to laugh. "You know, child, I will miss your fine
conversational skills once I return home."

"H-h-h-home? You're leavin'?"

The Amazon Elder perched herself on her staff, and began to nod.
"Yes, child. I am an old woman, and I miss my home. This adventure
has been fun, and I feel years younger from everything, but I am
homesick and it is time."

Ranko leaned against the wall, allowing the strength of the wood to
keep her standing. "I can't say I'll miss ya or anything like that.
But what about Shampoo?"

"She will accompany me. And Mousse as well."

Ranko couldn't stand anymore, and slowly her body slid down the wall
and she found herself in a sitting position. She stared intently at
the Amazon, her mind trying to decipher what game was being played
out here.

"Before I leave, Ranko... it is all right if I call you Ranko, isn't
it, child?"

The young girl slowly nodded.

"Before I leave, Ranko, there are some things I wish to discuss. For
starters, you will be glad to know that the Kiss of Death and the
Kiss of Marriage are no longer in effect."

"Why?"

"Because they are no longer important. The time has come to move onto
other things."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Ranko asked, "But what about 3,000
years of Amazon law?"

"Law exists only for the betterment of our tribe. As Elder, it is up
to me to determine our peoples needs. All laws have loopholes, when
the needs of tribe exceeds the letter of the law."

"But why..."

"I cannot explain why. Not exactly. All I can say, Ranko, is that I
am sorry for all of the problems that have existed between us, and I
hope to start anew."

Ranko's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, right. This is just another trick. You
can't fool me so easily, ya old ghoul."

"Ah, so young to be so untrusting. Would it help if I said I was
sorry."

Ranko studied the old woman intently before answering, trying to find
some clue, some hint of what was to come.

"It wouldn't hurt."

Cologne nodded, and slightly bowed to her host. "Then apologize I
will do. Child, I am sorry for any problems or pain I have caused
you. I only did what I did because I respect you so much."

"Respect? Yeah, whatever."

The Amazon looked up towards Ranko and grinned. "Respect, of course
I do, child. You are perhaps the finest fighter I have ever seen.
Your skills are without peer. Your passion and determination are
limitless. I am in total envy of your abilities. How could I not want
someone like yourself for my people."

Ranko grinned, and shot back. "Yeah, I am the best."

Chuckling to herself, Cologne continued on. "And I still want you for
our people, but I will no longer try to trick you. I know that is a
useless cause. Instead, I will offer my friendship, and hope that one
day you will come of your own free will to our camp."

"Wait all you like, there is no way I will come and be some kind of
stud farm for your tribe."

"You misunderstand, child. I offer full tribal membership to you. As
a warrior, not as breeding stock. As Matriarch, I can offer
membership to outsiders I deem worthy to join our cause, and you are
most worthy."

Shaking her head, Ranko replied, "That's what you say now. But once I
get there, you'll sing a different tune."

"No child, hear this. On the honor of my ancestors, on over 3,000
years of Amazon tradition, I promise you that I will do everything in
my power to make you a true Amazon warrior, with power and
responsibilities, and not some kind of a slave. I will not force you
to marry Shampoo, or any other Amazon woman, against your will."

Ranko stopped for a moment, grinned, then shot back. "But what about
Amazon men? Knowing you, you'll probably try to breed me with your
tribe's men to get what you want."

Damn, it was worth a try, Cologne thought to herself. "Okay, I
promise that you will not be forced to marry anyone without your
consent. Satisfied?"

"It's a start. Not that I'm comin' to China, or anythin' like that.
But I have your word? No more games?"

"I meant what I said. And if you choose not to come, I will not hold
it against you, nor will I attempt any revenge on you, or anyone
close to you. I also promise to keep Shampoo out of your hair.
However..."

"Hah! I knew there would be a catch!"

Cologne took her staff, and quickly impacted it against the closest
blunt object, namely Ranko's head.

"Ow!"

Grinning slightly, Cologne brought her staff back to an upright
position. "As I was saying before being rudely interrupted, I ask
one thing of you in return. That if you decide not to join us, you
promise never to wage war against our people. The Kiss of Death was
put into effect many centuries ago to ensure that any outsider strong
enough to defeat us in battle would not return and destroy us.

"That is the deal. Do you agree?"

Eyeing Cologne carefully, Ranko slowly nodded and said, "As long as
you or your people do nothing against me or anyone close to me, you
have yourself a deal. I promise, on my honor as a martial artist."

Grinning broadly ear to ear (a sight that freaked Ranko out a tad),
Cologne continued on. "Good. Now that we have that out of the way, I
have to ask you, child, what are you going to do about hot water?"

Ranko shot her eyes down towards the floor. "I don't know. It's going
to be tougher that I first thought, I think."

Cologne nodded in comprehension. "Yes, it will be difficult. The
longer you go, the harder it will get. That's a part of the curse. I
have a way that can help you. However, you may find the solution
worse than the problem, I'm afraid."

Ranko watched as Cologne reached into her robe, and pulled out a
small vial. Looking at the vial, Ranko noticed a glowing green liquid
inside of it. It seemed to almost be alive.

"Wha... what is that?"

Cologne placed the vial on the floor between her and Ranko. Slowly,
she pushed the vial towards the younger girl, watching as Ranko's
eyes followed it's progress. Eventually, the vial sat in front of the
cursed martial artist.

"Ranko, do you remember the Musk?"

Cologne watched a recognition and hatred found their way into Ranko's
eyes. "Herb. How can I ever forget HIM?"

"Do you remember the way that they once used Jusenkyo for their
people?"

Cologne could almost see the bile rise up in Ranko's throat. "Those
perverted bastards."

"Jusenkyo is sacred to the Musk, and they have their use for it, for
better or for worse. Jusenkyo is also sacred to our people, and like
the Musk we have a use for it as well. However, our use is much
different than the Musks."

Ranko shot Cologne a questioning glance. "How so?"

"The Musk, they used the springs, well just one spring, to strengthen
their tribe. We, we use the springs for another purpose. We use it
for punishment."

"Punishment? Oh, like Shampoo?"

Cologne nodded. "Precisely. There are two forms of serious punishment
with the Joketsuzoku. One is death. The other, well as a cursed
person yourself, you can imagine the horror of being forever trapped
in a body not your own."

Ranko slowly nodded, knowing no words needed to be said.

"The potion you see in front of you, child, was developed many
centuries ago by one of the first of the tribe to discover the
mysteries of Jusenkyo. It was developed for a specific purpose, to
punish in the most horrific way imaginable.

"Think about it, Ranko. First the condemned is put into one of the
pools, often chosen to fit the personality of the transgressor. Then
they are given this potion, what we call the Themis Potion. Do you
know what this potion does?"

'I... I think I have a clue. It's like the Chisuiton, right?"

Cologne applauded. "Yes! Got it in one, child. A cursed individual
who takes this potion is frozen in their cursed form. They can not
change back. Ever. Imagine the horror of a human trapped in the body
of a animal, for the rest of their life. To be treated and used as an
animal is used until the day they die."

A look of sadness crossed Cologne's face. "Most who are punished this
way die within weeks of the freezing. They simply lose the will to
live. This could have been Shampoo's punishment for failing to kill
you when she had the chance. Normally, Jusenkyo plus the Themis
Potion is standard punishment for such a crime. But she was given
clemency, because of the circumstances. However, if the Council of
Elders ever believe that she has, to put it one way, violated the
terms of her parole, the punishment will be carried out to its
fullest, and the girl you know as Shampoo will never take her human
form again."

Looking back towards the potion, Ranko began to shake as she
understood what that would do to her. "Why... why call it Themis?"

"Themis was the name of an ancient goddess of justice. It seems
fitting."

"And you expect me to take this?"

Cologne shook her head. "No, child, I expect nothing. I am merely
offering it to you as a way to protect yourself from the blood oath
made many years ago. This will solve your hot water problem. You
would no longer have to worry about your mother finding out the
truth of your existence."

"But... but... but... isn't there some other way?"

Cologne shook her head. "The waterproof soap could help you, but
only for a short time. In time, the body develops an immunity to its
powers, much like with many drugs. In time, the soap would have no
effect on you and you would be back at square one. If you wish
some, I could send it to you once I return to China. I have no more
with me here. But it will take at least a couple of weeks for you to
get it."

I do have some here, Cologne thought to herself, but you don't have
to know that.

"The Chisuiton itself would be perfect for you, but ever since Prince
Herb got cursed himself, he guards that like his life depended on it.
He would never let either of us near it.

"No, child. This is the only way to be absolutely sure. The only
way."

"But there's an antidote, right?"

Cologne reached over and placed her hand on Rankos. "No, child. No
antidote. Ever since the potion was developed, the wisest Amazons
have tried to come up with an antidote, so that the magic of the
potion could never be used against us. But the magic of the potion
is stronger than anything we tried. Not even Jusenkyo itself can do
anything. If you take this, you can jump into every pool at Jusenkyo,
and none will affect you.

"If you take this, you will be female forever. Nothing can change
that. This is no cure, no antidote, no magic bullet. I warn you, if
you use this, it is for the rest of your life."

Closing her eyes, Ranko silently said, "If I do this, I give up my
dream of a cure, forever."

"Ranko, I'm sorry. What I have to tell you now will be hard for you,
but you need to give up that dream."

Opening her eyes like a flash, Ranko asked, "What do you mean by
that?"

"You may not believe me, but it's true. You can never be cured. You
can never be a man all of the time. Ever."

"You... you lie."

"No, I speak the truth. I swear on my ancestors graves that it is the
truth. Ever since we first discovered Jusenkyo and its secrets, we
have tried, in vain, to find a cure, a counter. There is none. There
is no magic, no spell, no dip in the nanniichuan that will change
what is. Once Jusenkyo touches you, it never lets go.

"Hear me, Ranko. You have a choice. Believe me when I tell you that
you will never be 100% male ever again. Never. You can spend the rest
of your life living in fear of water, living as half-man and
half-woman, living as something other than whole, or...

"Or you can chose to give up the dream, to live as all of something
instead of half of something. You are lucky in that respect, Ranko.
Unlike the others, your cursed form is still human. It is strong, and
has much going for it. Unlike the others, you do not have to worry
about being seen as something less than human, as dinner or some
zoo exhibit perhaps."

Ranko shot Cologne a glance. "Lucky? I'm lucky? I'm chased by
perverts, treated like some little doll by some people, like a
second-class citizen by others. Even my own father treats me
differently because of my curse. And yet he still expects me to
respect him, even when he's in his cursed form.

"I have a girl that I love that thinks me a pervert, a boy I hate who
thinks I'm his dream girl, a mother who sees me as some maladjusted
tomboy, and you call me lucky? Do you know how many problems have
been caused by this body?"

Cologne shot Ranko a glance in return. "But yet, here you are using
it, to get something you want. How many times have you USED this
body, to scam extra food off vendors, to tease Ryoga, to have a laugh
at some fool's expense, to try to learn some new trick or technique."

"But, I'm still a guy! This isn't me. No matter how many times I
change, no matter how much time I spend in this body,  it isn't me.
And now you say I should give up on the real me, my real body?"

Cologne shook her head. 'No, Ranko. I'm just telling you the truth.
If you want to use the potion, that is fine. If you prefer to be
half-and-half, that is fine too. If you persist in believing one day
you'll rid yourself of this female body, you are fooling yourself,
but that is up to you. All I am doing is giving you options. On one
hand, you can perhaps lead a normal life, be with your mother as
Ranko, and never have to worry about water and being seen as some
kind of pervert ever again. On the other, you can remain Ranma, or
perhaps try to live as Ranko for awhile to get to know your mother.
But if you try this, you know as well as I eventually your luck will
run out. You know I am right about that."

"I know, but still... I just can't give up on my manhood. Not
totally, I mean, I can't live this way the rest of my life, can I?"

"Only you can answer that, Ranko. Only you. And you do not have to
decide right this instant. But remember, the longer you wait, the
harder it will be to avoid the inevitable."

Cologne got up, and went towards the door. "I will be leaving you
now, child. In a few days, I will leave for China, probably never
to return. If you wish to talk to me some more until then, you know
where to find me."

Ranko, nodded as watched as the old woman exited her room. Ranko
reached down and gingerly picked up the vial that was sitting before
her. She took it to the desk in her room, and carefully placed it in
the back of the bottom drawer.

Keeping an eye on the desk for a moment, almost expecting it to come
to life on its own, Ranko sighed and returned to the kitchen. All of
this thinking was making her hungry, and she couldn't wait to dig
into that stroganoff.

****************************************************

Digging into their last reserves of energy, Nabiki and Kasumi
returned home. Quietly, they entered the house, waiting to see how
Akane was holding up. As they saw the sight inside their home, they
froze in shock, glancing towards one another in disbelief.

Akane was sitting in the house, watching a movie on television with a
bowl of popcorn. Well, the popcorn was actually sitting between Akane
and someone else.

"Kodachi?", Nabiki whispered.

Kodachi grinned, and turned towards Akane. "Your sister's real
observant, isn't she Akane?"

Akane smiled herself. "Yep. She's always been sharp to notice
things."

"What... what are you doing here?" Nabiki was rarely at a loss of
words, but this sight was enough to make even her tongue-tied.

"Well, before you interrupted, I was watching a movie! If you leave
us alone, maybe we can actually see how this ends."

Glancing at each other yet once again, Nabiki and Kasumi just
shrugged their shoulders and headed into the kitchen. After
everything that had happened, they weren't sure they wanted to know
just right yet.

"Can this get any weirder?" Kasumi asked once they reached the
sanctity of the kitchen.

****************************************************

Can this get any weirder, Ranko asked herself as she lie in bed.

Dinner and the rest of the evening went by in a daze for Ranko, and
she couldn't get Cologne's visit out of her head. She couldn't even
find peace in sleep, as she kept glancing towards her desk, and
wondering.

I can't. I just can't. It's asking too much. I can't do that.

"What's asking too much?" When she heard this question, Ranko wasn't
too surprised. She was waiting for this voice to return, in time.

"To give up my manhood, forever. I mean, I can't live as a girl for
the rest of my life."

"Isn't that what you chose when you came here? To live as Ranko?"

Ranko closed her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, but that's different. I
could always, you know, if things got..."

"You mean if it didn't work out here, you could become Ranma again.
If you thought your mom would understand, you could level with her.
If you found a cure, you could end the charade."

"Ummm, yeah. Pretty much. How'd you know what I was thinking?"

Laughter came from within her head. "Oh, I know how and what you
think better than you do, Saotome. I know things about yourself that
you don't even know. So, tell me, does that potion really frighten
you so much."

"Yes! If you know me like you say you do, you know that! I'm a guy!
You know how much I went through to get the Phoenix Pill, to get
that damned kettle, to get my manhood back again when I had lost
it. And now, I'm supposed to give it up, without a fight? I don't
think so."

Silence sat in Ranko's mind as she waited for a reply eventually, one
came.

"And yet, you still have the potion. You haven't thrown it away, have
you. You haven't totally disregarded it, have you?"

"Shut up!"

"No, Saotome, I will not. You will hear me. You are thinking about
using it, aren't you?"

"No!"

"I'm not saying you will use it, I'm just saying you're considering
it. Remember, I just told you, I know what your thinking. Don't lie
to me, Saotome. You can never lie to me. You are thinking about it,
aren't you."

Silence.

"Well, Saotome?"

"All right, yes, I am thinking about it, okay? Are you happy?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Why are you considering it?"

"Hmmph, if you know me like you say you do, you know the answer
better than I do, right?"

Again, laughter found its way into Ranko's head. "True. But I want to
hear it from you. You need to hear it from you"

"Mom... it's mom. It has only been one day, a day and a half maybe,
and already the thought of leaving mom, of hurting her should she
find out the truth frightens me. I think, I think I need her more now
than I did before I came here."

"It's not too late to tell your mom the truth, Saotome. You don't
have to use the potion. Do you really think your mom will force you
to carry out the pact? There are other options. We went through that
last night."

A pregnant pause filled the air. "I don't know. Part of me, part of
me thinks she wouldn't. But part of me isn't so sure. Honor, family
honor, means so much to her. I just don't know."

"Then give it time, Saotome. Get to know her. Find out for sure how
she'd react. Right now, you're making a major decision based on
hunches and fears. Whatever you decide, one way or the other, will
affect the rest of your life. Don't rush into a decision you might
regret down the road, Saotome. Whatever you do, be absolutely sure it
is what you want to do."

"I guess...I guess that makes sense. I'm just so scared. Scared
she'll find out the truth, scared she'll hate me. I don't want her to
hate me."

"I understand, really I do. Now try to get some sleep. Who knows
what the next day or two will bring. These next few days, Saotome,
these next few days may be the most important days of your life. Not
to put any pressure on you, but you need your, ahem, beauty sleep."

"Very funny."

"Humor, Saotome, is an important part of life. Never forget it. When
you lose the ability to laugh at life, you lose life itself. Laugh,
and the world laughs with you. Cry, and you're Tendo Soun."

"How am I supposed to get some sleep if you don't shut up!"

"Beats me. But I'll shut up, for now. Good night, sweet prince. Or
should I say, princess?"

"Oh, whatever."

Sleep did not come easy into that good night, but it came. It came
just the same.

END CHAPTER FIVE