Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Insanity Continues ❯ Lessons ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Lord Archive 
School is not the only place where learning happens.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Martial Arts / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.03.2012 | Pages: 8 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 916 | Status: Completed
School is not the only place where learning happens.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Martial Arts / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.03.2012 | Pages: 8 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 916 | Status: Completed
The Insanity Continues
Volume 2 - Reflections and Changes
Chapter 3 - Lessons
By: Lord Archive
Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan and are used without permission. All rights reserved.
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Ranma stood at the gates of Furinkan High, facing off against Kuno.
The elder student was glowing with a yellow battle aura. "You have befouled the bed chamber of the lovely goddess before taking her hand in marriage. You vile cur. I SHALL SMITE THEE!"
Before Ranma could say anything, Akane reminded him, "Keep your mouth shut." She knew he might just make a comment of Kuno's latest love interest.
Nabiki glared at Kuno coldly.
Ranma knocked out cold his opponent in a second, and continued towards class followed by his pregnant wife.
Nabiki grabbed Kuno and dragged him to the nurse's office, muttering, "Pathetic."
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Ranma and Akane made their way to their classroom, fully aware of the comments made about them as they passed.
"He certainly didn't waste time."
"Mr. and Mrs. Pervert."
"Can you believe she's pregnant?"
"It's the slut."
"They're so lucky."
"Can't they mind their own business?" Ranma muttered angrily.
"You should know the answer to that," Akane replied bitterly.
When they entered their classroom, they saw a wall of students, all asking questions. Most wanted to know if Akane was really pregnant.
Akane shook her head at the sight. "Yes, I'm pregnant. So what?" she
snapped.
The class fell silent.
"Oh, Akane, congratulations!" Yuka elated.
"Didn't take long for her to get pregnant, did it?" Hiroshi commented.
"Nope," replied Daisuke, counting money. "I'm glad it didn't."
Hiroshi smirked. "Won the bet I see."
Daisuke nodded. "Yep."
"So, how far into the pregnancy are you?" Sayuri asked.
Akane was flushed by the sudden good outpouring of affections from her female classmates. "Six days," Akane replied.
"Six days?" the female students questioned.
"Cologne can detect pregnancy even at it's earliest stages," Akane answered.
"Six days down, nine months to go," a girl commented.
"You're certainly a stud, Saotome. Getting her pregnant so quickly, and all," a guy commented.
Before anymore comments were made the bell rang and Ms. Hinako arrived in her childlike body. "All right students, sit down." She noticed she was being ignored and stepped between Ranma and Akane, pulling out a fifty-yen coin. "I SAID SIT DOWN!" She blinked, because of the sudden dust cloud that used to be a wall of students. By the time she could see clearly only Ranma and Akane weren't seated.
Ranma and Akane quickly moved to their seats.
"Oh, Akane," Ms. Hinako said. "I hear congratulations are in order."
Akane blushed. "Er... Thanks."
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Ukyou watched Ranma and Akane eating lunch from a distance. She could tell they were upset with her about what she said yesterday. Both of them had been avoiding to look at her. She didn't blame them, she did the same thing to them the day before.
Ukyou was surprised that a good number of students were encouraging Akane and congratulating her about the pregnancy. She was also upset at those that ridiculed Akane about it, and even tore down some defamatory notes.
Ukyou sighed as she picked at her lunch. Part of her wanted to apologize, but doubted they would accept it. It didn't help that she still couldn't stand them being together. He married the wrong girl.
Ukyou shook her head. She knew it was a lost cause. Ranma was married and going to be a father. She should accept that and move on with her life. After all she could still be friends with him. She just had to apologize... eventually.
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"Hello, I'll be with you in a moment," Dr. Tofu greeted Ranma and Akane as they arrived for her appointment.
The young couple sat in the waiting room. After a moment Dr. Tofu ushered out an elderly patient and announced, "I can see you now, Akane. Ranma, you should wait here."
Ranma grumbled while Akane went into the office.
"How have you been feeling?" Dr. Tofu asked.
"Perfectly fine," Akane replied.
"How have you been feeling emotionally?" Dr. Tofu pressed.
Akane shrugged weakly. "I guess I've been feeling the full range of emotions."
"Why's that?" Dr. Tofu wondered.
"Between fear of the future and happiness of marriage. Having people at school either ridicule me or encourage me about the pregnancy," Akane explained.
Dr. Tofu frowned. "They know about that?"
Akane sighed. "Ukyou told them."
Dr. Tofu shook his head. "Akane, now about the pregnancy, how far into it are you?"
"Almost a week," Akane answered.
"I see," Dr. Tofu said, holding his hand to his chin while deep in thought. "I had planned to give you a pregnancy test just to make sure, but it might come up negative for a couple more days still. I'll give you that test next Friday."
Akane nodded.
"I'd still like to run some tests. They'll just be to check for possible complications," Dr. Tofu informed.
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"Hi, Kasumi," Nabiki greeted as she arrived late from school, carrying yet another brown bag.
"Hello, Nabiki. More flowers?" Kasumi returned as she dusted the phone stand, eyes darting nervously toward the kitchen.
"Nope," Nabiki replied. She pulled out a cute little dolly.
"How cute," Kasumi's normal pleasantness was somehow missing.
Nabiki frowned. "Kasumi, what's wrong?"
Kasumi didn't answer as she cast a worried glance towards the kitchen.
A dread filled Nabiki when she realized a disaster was brewing.
"Akane, STOP!" Ranma was heard screaming.
"Why?" Akane shouted.
"Look what you're putting into the food," Ranma barked.
"Oil. That's what the recipe calls for," Akane shot back.
"But that's motor oil," Ranma pointed out heatedly.
"Motor oil? Why is there motor oil in the kitchen?" Akane questioned.
Kasumi face was locked in fear.
"Come on Kasumi, let's go out to eat," Nabiki suggested firmly.
"B-but my kitchen..." Kasumi stammered.
"It's their kitchen now. They can destroy it if they want," Nabiki reminded.
"B-but my kitchen..." Kasumi repeated as she was dragged out of the house.
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It took a while for Nabiki to get Kasumi to the restaurant. The eldest Tendo sister kept insisting that she should be home in case something went wrong.
Nabiki wouldn't have any of it, and practically dragged her sister all the way there.
Kasumi looked at the restaurant, The Otaku Bar and Grill, and asked, "Why are we eating here?"
"I've got a coupon for a buy-one meal get one free," Nabiki replied.
Kasumi nodded. "Oh."
They entered the restaurant and initially had trouble being seated. Nabiki wasn't liking having to wait and asked to see the manager. When she stated her name, they were promptly seated.
Kasumi sat at the table fidgeting.
Nabiki knew she had to distract her from thinking about what their younger sister was doing to the kitchen. "So, Sis, what are you going to do about the good doctor?"
"Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi sighed. "I don't know. He just gets so... so silly around me."
"Love just drives him crazy," Nabiki teased.
"Is it really love? Ranma and Akane don't act like that towards each other," Kasumi observed.
"We each express our love in our ways. Dr. Tofu goes wacky, Ranma insults her, Akane hits him, I charge less interest," Nabiki explained.
Kasumi gazed at her. "So, how much interest do you charge Kuno?"
Nabiki folded her arms. "Standard interest, of course."
"Considering he's rich, that shows a lot," Kasumi commented knowingly.
Nabiki glared. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"That you love him," Kasumi replied.
"I do not," Nabiki denied.
Kasumi gave her a knowing smile.
Nabiki didn't like how much she was sounding like Akane. For some reason everyone started insisting that she was in love with Kuno. Which was ridiculous. Why would she love that idiot. Her frown deepened, even her thoughts sounded like her little sister. She shook her head, wanting to get off that line of discussion. "Now back to talking about the doctor, how do you feel about him?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I like him a lot," Kasumi admitted.
"Is that why you're always borrowing his books?" Nabiki insinuated.
Kasumi blushed a little. "I think so."
"So, is this love?" Nabiki tried to tease out.
"I don't think so," Kasumi mustered her best denial.
Nabiki eyed Kasumi critically. Not believing that for a second.
Kasumi pouted. "You don't believe me?"
"Nope," Nabiki deadpanned.
"See, trying to deny it doesn't work," Kasumi pointed out.
Nabiki chuckled dryly. "Well, I can't deny that one... Okay, MAYBE I do feel more for him than I'm saying... For now, though, I don't think I do. Okay?"
Kasumi nodded. "If you say so."
Nabiki was thankful as their waiter arrived with their food. She hoped they could move off the topic of what she felt for Kuno.
"Do you think Akane will have a boy or a girl?" Kasumi asked.
Nabiki picked at her food for a second. "Honestly, I think it'll be both a boy and a girl."
Kasumi frown. "You think the curse is inheritable?"
"Considering everything that happens to them, yes," Nabiki replied.
Kasumi didn't immediately comment. "They do seem to have an interesting life."
"I've experienced more things than most people will in their entire life, and I haven't seen a tenth of the adventures Akane has, let alone Ranma. I hope she knows what's she got herself into," Nabiki groused.
"She does. Auntie Saotome asked her after the wedding attempt if she really wanted to marry Ranma and the insanity he brings with him," Kasumi informed.
Nabiki sighed. "I regret I stopped that wedding. I thought Dad bribed Akane into marrying Ranma, but she made it painfully clear the only one being bribed at the time was Ranma."
"You didn't know what China did to her," Kasumi reminded.
"I should have asked or found out. I did something without first obtaining all the information, and that's an error I should've never done," Nabiki berated herself.
"We all make mistakes," Kasumi said assuring.
Nabiki shrugged. "I guess."
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The elder two Tendo sisters had finished their dinner with some idle chatter, and were now walking home. Thankfully to Nabiki, little of the idle chatter concerned love interests. Kasumi's insistence that she loved Kuno was starting to annoy her. She would be happy to get home and work her daily accounting of her profits.
"This would be a good night to walk with a loved one," Kasumi commented.
"Are you still pushing that? You're getting as bad as Dad and Ranma's parents," Nabiki griped.
Kasumi shook her head. "I was just commenting how it's such a nice night."
"Yeah, whatever." Nabiki guessed that now with Akane and Ranma married, they would be picking on her. An idea flashed through her head. "Why don't you ask Dr. Tofu to go for an evening stroll?"
Kasumi pouted. "I can't. If I ask him, he'll just grab Betty-chan and dance around town."
"We're going to have to cure the good doctor of his silliness," Nabiki noted.
"I wish I knew hooOouch..." Kasumi said as she tripped on the sidewalk and fell awkwardly.
Nabiki immediately moved to help her sister. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I just hurt my ankle a little," Kasumi replied with a slight wince as she tried to move her foot.
"Hmm... You should see Dr. Tofu about that," Nabiki said with a devious grin.
"It's not that bad." Kasumi waved the suggestion off. "Besides, he'd never be able to control himself."
"Now Kasumi, this is best opportunity to help him with his problem," Nabiki pointed out.
Kasumi looked confused. "How is that?"
"That doctor goes nuts when he sees you, but in order to help you he'll have to touch you. And, he'd never hurt you. Right?" Nabiki spelled out.
Kasumi nodded.
"So, if you come as a patient he'll have to stay in control, or he'd hurt you. I'm willing to bet he'd stay in control," Nabiki wagered.
Kasumi paused in thought. "Do you really think it'd work?"
"Yes. Now let me help you get to Dr. Tofu's." Nabiki helped her older sister up to her feet and guided her toward the clinic.
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Dr. Tofu was cleaning up his office after his last customer had left when he heard a knock at the door. He wondered who it could be as he opened the door and saw the girl of his dreams, looking rather sheepishly, leaning on Nabiki. "K-Kasumi, what a surprise to see you here of all places."
"Dr. Tofu, Kasumi HURT her ankle and you NEED to examine it," Nabiki ordered.
"Oh my, you hurt your ankle. Come with me," Dr. Tofu picked up Kasumi and carried her to the examination bed. He placed her carefully on it and studied her ankle.
Kasumi was blushing the entire time.
"Does this hurt?" Dr. Tofu asked.
Kasumi nodded. "A little."
Dr. Tofu walked over to the counter and picked up a bandage. He then started to wrap the woman's hurt ankle. "It's a light sprain. You should avoid putting pressure on it for a few days." Dr. Tofu looked up at her not believing he was actually talking normally to her, only now realizing just what he had done.
"Thank you, doctor." Kasumi smiled her thanks feeling things were going well, until his glasses fogged over.
"K-Kasumi, it was my pleasure." Dr. Tofu closed his eyes trying to hold onto his control. He clenched his fists, trying to retain what little control he had as he finally stammered, "I-I w-was w-won-d-dering if-if y-y-you w-w-w-would g-g-g-g-go o-o-o-o-o-out w-w-w-w-w-with m-m-m-m-m-m-me-me S-S-S-S-S-S-S-Sa-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-tur-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-day?"
Kasumi smiled brightly. "I'd love to."
For a moment Dr. Tofu stared at her in shock, and then he ran over to a skeleton. "Betty-chan did you hear that? She wants to go out with me!" he elated, dancing out of his clinic with the skeleton in his arms.
Kasumi shook her head, praying the date would go well and he could stay in control of himself.
"So, the plan worked," Nabiki commented as she entered the room.
Kasumi looked at her sister with a big smile on her lips. "Yes. Yes, it did."
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Kasumi leaned on her sister as they returned home. She couldn't wait for her date with Dr. Tofu, and hoped he could control himself. Her smile, the one that she wore since leaving the clinic, dropped a little when she noticed the eerie silence of her home.
Nabiki was also unsettled by the quiet and knew where the source would likely be.
They carefully walked toward the kitchen and peeked inside. The kitchen was a complete mess. No real surprise there. In the middle of the kitchen sat Ranma and Akane glaring at each other. Not much of a surprise, either.
Kasumi shook her head, they had been doing so good. Nabiki frowned at this, she hoped that they wouldn't have to worry about major repair bills for a while. They were startled by a noise from the two in the kitchen. The newlyweds were laughing.
"You look pretty silly," Akane snickered.
"Look who's talking," Ranma replied, flinging some food(?) at Akane.
"Too bad this stuff really isn't edible. It would've been fun to clean off if it was," Akane commented with a perverted grin.
"I can think of some fun ways to get clean," Ranma returned with his own perverted grin.
"But my way would've been funner." Akane faked a pout.
Ranma moved to stand up. "True, we'll have to try that later. We'll get Mousse to clean the kitchen, now let's go take a bath."
"Yes." Akane grinned.
"You two go have your fun. I'll clean the kitchen," Kasumi interrupted with a motherly smile.
Ranma and Akane blushed a deep shade of red.
"Now Kasumi, remember the doctor's orders: keep pressure off your foot and date him tomorrow. We'll get Mousse to clean this," Nabiki corrected.
Akane's eyes widen. "You've got a date with Dr. Tofu?"
Kasumi nodded.
"About time," Ranma commented.
"Yeah, the same can be said about you two. Now go have your fun. I'll go find Mousse," Nabiki retorted.
"He's in the dojo," Ranma informed.
"Go on you two, have your fun," Kasumi insisted.
Akane grabbed her husband's hand. "You heard them, let's go."
"Who would have thought, peace in our own time," Nabiki commented.
"Make love, not war," Kasumi added.
Nabiki eyed Kasumi suspiciously, "Just how far do you plan on going on your date?"
"Nabiki! I wouldn't do anything that wasn't proper," Kasumi retorted, pleasantly.
Nabiki smirked. "And whose view of being 'proper' are you referring to?"
Kasumi shook her head. Nabiki was going to tease her by twisting whatever she said to her own wishes. She found she was actually liking it, though. Nabiki was treating her more like a sister than the mother that she had been for them.
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Shampoo arrived at Furinkan High just before the Saturday classes ended. She wanted to deliver her great-grandmother's message to Akane without the possibility of seeing Mousse. When the bell rang she scanned the students leaving the school watching for signs of Ranma, for where ever Ranma was, so was Akane.
Shampoo was startled when she heard several battle cries erupt from the main entrance of the school. She saw almost two dozen students rushing out of the school and racing towards her.
"Shampoo, my love shall defeat you!"
"Defeat for marriage!"
"I love you!"
"My love shall knock you out!"
Shampoo's eyes took a predatory gleam. "Stupid boys think they can defeat me. I show them who is greatest Amazon fighter of her generation." She launched herself into the fray, dodging attacks and sending her new would-be suitors to unconsciousness.
"Love knock-out pu..." a guy wearing boxing gloves cried out before going unconscious from Shampoo's blow to the head. He was the last one to fall.
"Hmpf," Shampoo snubbed. "Mousse imitations, not even make me break a sweat. Need much more training." She turned around when she heard some people laughing.
"So, there going after you now." Akane giggled. "But, this seems to be only half the group."
"The other half is going after Ukyou," Hiroshi informed.
Ranma rolled his eyes.
Akane shook her head, believing they would never learn.
Shampoo raised an eyebrow. "What going on?"
"This was half of the 'Tendo Akane Fan Club,'" Akane said with obvious disgust. "But, seeing as I married Ranma, I guess they set their sights on you and Ukyou."
"Aiya! No want leftovers, especially from pervert girl," Shampoo spat out.
"What do you want anyway, Shampoo?" Akane asked angrily.
"Great-grandmother want to see pervert girl," Shampoo informed.
Akane pouted. "What for?"
"Great-grandmother need to inform pervert girl about Amazon laws," Shampoo explained.
"I'll see her after I visit Dr. Tofu," Akane reluctantly agreed.
Shampoo nodded as she got onto her bicycle and left.
Ranma blinked. He had seen Shampoo and she had not registered his presence. He half expected the Amazon to tackle-hug him as soon as she saw him, but she hadn't even looked at him. He then shrugged. At least he didn't have to worry about Akane hitting him. But, something still felt wrong about Shampoo's lack of attention.
Akane's anger subsided when she realized that Shampoo had avoided looking at Ranma. And guessed the girl really was hurting about losing Ranma. The Amazon couldn't even say her name... actually that was nothing new.
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Nabiki didn't have to wait for the school to empty before removing today's present, a single red rose. She could easily hide it from view.
Nabiki wondered if he was going stingy of her. She eyed the card attached to it, a smile crept across her face as she read it.
Oh cunning, beauteous one,
I cannot bear to sit alone.
My heart yearns for thee.
Would you meet me by the tree,
by the field racers run,
at the setting of the sun?
-Hopefully soon to no longer be
just a Secret Admirer of thee.
Nabiki would later be thankful no one was in the classroom as she could not contain her joy at being asked for a date. She immediately began to think about what she should wear.
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Dr. Tofu was going over Akane's results as the newlyweds looked at him in expectation. "Good news. Nothing to report from the initial tests that I ran. I'll be able to give you more information from the other tests next week."
Akane and Ranma nodded.
Dr. Tofu continued, "I'd like to talk to you about some of the things to expect about the pregnancy. First, in about three weeks you'll start to experience what is called morning sickness..."
Ranma's mind shut off as he watched Dr. Tofu go into a long winded discussion of pregnancy, occasionally he would hand Akane a pamphlet. By the end of it, she had about two dozen. Ranma hadn't responded to the entire discussion until Akane waved her hand in front of his face.
"Huh?" Ranma emitted.
"Jerk! You zoned out. How much of the discussion did you even listen too?" Akane angrily asked.
Ranma tried to think quickly, trying to decide on truth or lie. He sighed, either way meant pain. "None of it."
Akane shook her head, sighing. "At least you're honest about it... Okay, you're going to have to read these pamphlets, though if you'd paid attention you wouldn't have to."
Ranma was stunned his wife did nothing more to him than just throw the stack of information packets at him.
"Now, let's go to the Neko-Hanten. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can go on our date," Akane growled out.
"Date?" Ranma asked, surprised.
Akane glared death. "Don't tell me you forgot about taking me out on a date?"
Ranma quickly searched his memory concerning asking his wife out for a date. The Imprisonment Gem! "No... no, I didn't forget about OUR date. But... between us having sex for the first time, finding out you were pregnant, us getting married, our honeymoon, and that press conference Nabiki arranged for us, I've kinda forgotten what date TODAY is. Also, with that punishment thing, I was... well... I thought you didn't want to go out after that."
"Why wouldn't I?" Akane was visibly shaking with anger.
"I-I-I don't know..." Ranma held up his hands in a warding gesture. "I... well... why are we still here?" He asked, trying to regain some of his composure. "The sooner you've finished with the old ghoul, the sooner we can go on our date."
Akane's anger relented. "Okay, let's go."
Ranma smiled as he grabbed his wife's hand and led her out of the clinic.
A smile touched Akane's face. It was hard for her to not punch Ranma through a wall, but if she had, any chance for the date later in the evening would have been nil. She had given her husband a chance to talk his way out of it, and was only a little disappointed about what he said. She hoped this would get easier though, he still had that annoying foot-in-mouth habit.
Ranma was happy. He had somehow avoided getting hit by Akane. She actually gave him the chance to talk rather than hit him. He could tell he came very close to gaining another flying lesson. He wished he knew how to avoid saying the wrong thing, like questioning her reference about the date. Then she might not need to fight to control her anger... at least not as often.
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Shampoo sat at a table in the corner of the Neko-Hanten with several books detailing Amazon law. Cologne was still working in the kitchen, dealing with the remnants of the lunch rush.
When the newlyweds entered the restaurant holding hands, Shampoo immediately started to study one of the books.
"Hi, Shampoo, old ghoul," Ranma greeted.
"Greetings, Honor Elder. Greetings, Shan Pu," Akane greeted with a bow.
This caused Cologne and Shampoo to stare at her.
"I've been talking to Mousse about some of the Amazon customs," Akane answered their unspoken question.
"Ah, well, I'd like Shampoo teach you the ways of a true Amazon," Cologne told her.
"Why does I have to teach pervert girl?" Shampoo demanded.
"Because you need to refresh your memory of Amazon laws. This foreign life threatens to corrupt you," Cologne answered in Chinese.
"All right. I will teach pervert girl," Shampoo replied.
Akane shock her head. Here she was willing to learn about Amazon laws and culture, yet Shampoo was insulting her and Cologne was speaking in Chinese. She was going to have to learn how to speak it. She reminded herself, in an attempt to keep from getting angry, that she was doing this to prevent further problems of the Amazon variety.
Ranma was annoyed to find out that they wouldn't let him learn any of the laws because he was a man, but soon he felt some relief as he realized it meant he wouldn't need to sit through another 'class.' Between learning how to deal with a pregnant wife, learning how to deal with his classmates, and just plain learning at school, he found that he already had more than enough to study for.
Ranma sat at a table eating. He grew impatient after he polished off three bowls.
"So, old ghoul," Ranma began as he caught a plate that was tossed at his head.
"Don't call me that. Refer to me as your wife does," Cologne chastised.
"Whatever, old ghoul," Ranma failed to correct.
Cologne shook her head, there was no teaching him about social graces. "What do you want?"
"I, ah, was wondering... what can you tell me about the baby?" Ranma asked.
Cologne shrugged. "Not much. Just that it's there and healthy."
"That's good to know at least," Ranma answered, somberly.
"Unsure of the future, are you?" Cologne guessed.
Ranma looked away. "Maybe."
"I'm sure you and Akane will do fine. Look at how much your father screwed up, and you turned out fine," Cologne assured him jokingly.
Ranma failed to laugh. "Oh, that magic you used on my wedding ring actually works. It fits snugly in either form."
"You doubted it?" Cologne wondered.
Ranma gave a shallow nod. "I have plenty of reasons to distrust if magic will work."
Akane was getting bored from listening to Shampoo's lesson in Amazon laws. The only thing she really caught so far was that she wouldn't be a true Amazon until she competed in the annual tournament. This gave Akane over a year to decide if she wanted to actually be an Amazon.
"...That all Amazon women must learn bakusai tenketsu," Shampoo continued in her lesson.
"Why would I need to learn breaking point?" Akane asked.
"The reason to learn technique is to increase resistance to damage. This helps prevent possibly injury during pregnancy. Learning technique would've been good idea, if pervert girl wasn't already pregnant," Shampoo answered.
"Why can't I be trained now, before I'm too far into the pregnancy?" Akane wondered.
Shampoo looked down at the girl. "Means of training may cause injury which result in miscarriage."
"Oh... Um, Shampoo, can we continue this later?" Akane questioned.
Shampoo shrugged. "Guess so."
"How about next Saturday?" Akane suggested.
Shampoo nodded. "That be fine."
Ranma attention was drawn to Akane as she got up from the table. "Can we leave now?"
"Anxious for our date are we?" Akane asked critically.
"Yep," Ranma replied.
Shampoo muttered something unpleasant in Chinese.
Akane smiled. "So am I."
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Author's Note:
Thanks to David Tatum and Brent Neef for going over the original version of this chapter, and thanks to all who gave me suggestions and comments.
The idea of Kasumi's hurt ankle can be traced to Nabiki's suggestion to Kasumi to fake an injury in M. A. MacKinnon's "Doors Best Left Unopened" The 'kitchen aftermath' scene, however, was plotted before I read that story so similarities were coincidental.
Volume 2 - Reflections and Changes
Chapter 3 - Lessons
By: Lord Archive
Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan and are used without permission. All rights reserved.
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Ranma stood at the gates of Furinkan High, facing off against Kuno.
The elder student was glowing with a yellow battle aura. "You have befouled the bed chamber of the lovely goddess before taking her hand in marriage. You vile cur. I SHALL SMITE THEE!"
Before Ranma could say anything, Akane reminded him, "Keep your mouth shut." She knew he might just make a comment of Kuno's latest love interest.
Nabiki glared at Kuno coldly.
Ranma knocked out cold his opponent in a second, and continued towards class followed by his pregnant wife.
Nabiki grabbed Kuno and dragged him to the nurse's office, muttering, "Pathetic."
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Ranma and Akane made their way to their classroom, fully aware of the comments made about them as they passed.
"He certainly didn't waste time."
"Mr. and Mrs. Pervert."
"Can you believe she's pregnant?"
"It's the slut."
"They're so lucky."
"Can't they mind their own business?" Ranma muttered angrily.
"You should know the answer to that," Akane replied bitterly.
When they entered their classroom, they saw a wall of students, all asking questions. Most wanted to know if Akane was really pregnant.
Akane shook her head at the sight. "Yes, I'm pregnant. So what?" she
snapped.
The class fell silent.
"Oh, Akane, congratulations!" Yuka elated.
"Didn't take long for her to get pregnant, did it?" Hiroshi commented.
"Nope," replied Daisuke, counting money. "I'm glad it didn't."
Hiroshi smirked. "Won the bet I see."
Daisuke nodded. "Yep."
"So, how far into the pregnancy are you?" Sayuri asked.
Akane was flushed by the sudden good outpouring of affections from her female classmates. "Six days," Akane replied.
"Six days?" the female students questioned.
"Cologne can detect pregnancy even at it's earliest stages," Akane answered.
"Six days down, nine months to go," a girl commented.
"You're certainly a stud, Saotome. Getting her pregnant so quickly, and all," a guy commented.
Before anymore comments were made the bell rang and Ms. Hinako arrived in her childlike body. "All right students, sit down." She noticed she was being ignored and stepped between Ranma and Akane, pulling out a fifty-yen coin. "I SAID SIT DOWN!" She blinked, because of the sudden dust cloud that used to be a wall of students. By the time she could see clearly only Ranma and Akane weren't seated.
Ranma and Akane quickly moved to their seats.
"Oh, Akane," Ms. Hinako said. "I hear congratulations are in order."
Akane blushed. "Er... Thanks."
--------------------------------------
Ukyou watched Ranma and Akane eating lunch from a distance. She could tell they were upset with her about what she said yesterday. Both of them had been avoiding to look at her. She didn't blame them, she did the same thing to them the day before.
Ukyou was surprised that a good number of students were encouraging Akane and congratulating her about the pregnancy. She was also upset at those that ridiculed Akane about it, and even tore down some defamatory notes.
Ukyou sighed as she picked at her lunch. Part of her wanted to apologize, but doubted they would accept it. It didn't help that she still couldn't stand them being together. He married the wrong girl.
Ukyou shook her head. She knew it was a lost cause. Ranma was married and going to be a father. She should accept that and move on with her life. After all she could still be friends with him. She just had to apologize... eventually.
--------------------------------------
"Hello, I'll be with you in a moment," Dr. Tofu greeted Ranma and Akane as they arrived for her appointment.
The young couple sat in the waiting room. After a moment Dr. Tofu ushered out an elderly patient and announced, "I can see you now, Akane. Ranma, you should wait here."
Ranma grumbled while Akane went into the office.
"How have you been feeling?" Dr. Tofu asked.
"Perfectly fine," Akane replied.
"How have you been feeling emotionally?" Dr. Tofu pressed.
Akane shrugged weakly. "I guess I've been feeling the full range of emotions."
"Why's that?" Dr. Tofu wondered.
"Between fear of the future and happiness of marriage. Having people at school either ridicule me or encourage me about the pregnancy," Akane explained.
Dr. Tofu frowned. "They know about that?"
Akane sighed. "Ukyou told them."
Dr. Tofu shook his head. "Akane, now about the pregnancy, how far into it are you?"
"Almost a week," Akane answered.
"I see," Dr. Tofu said, holding his hand to his chin while deep in thought. "I had planned to give you a pregnancy test just to make sure, but it might come up negative for a couple more days still. I'll give you that test next Friday."
Akane nodded.
"I'd still like to run some tests. They'll just be to check for possible complications," Dr. Tofu informed.
--------------------------------------
"Hi, Kasumi," Nabiki greeted as she arrived late from school, carrying yet another brown bag.
"Hello, Nabiki. More flowers?" Kasumi returned as she dusted the phone stand, eyes darting nervously toward the kitchen.
"Nope," Nabiki replied. She pulled out a cute little dolly.
"How cute," Kasumi's normal pleasantness was somehow missing.
Nabiki frowned. "Kasumi, what's wrong?"
Kasumi didn't answer as she cast a worried glance towards the kitchen.
A dread filled Nabiki when she realized a disaster was brewing.
"Akane, STOP!" Ranma was heard screaming.
"Why?" Akane shouted.
"Look what you're putting into the food," Ranma barked.
"Oil. That's what the recipe calls for," Akane shot back.
"But that's motor oil," Ranma pointed out heatedly.
"Motor oil? Why is there motor oil in the kitchen?" Akane questioned.
Kasumi face was locked in fear.
"Come on Kasumi, let's go out to eat," Nabiki suggested firmly.
"B-but my kitchen..." Kasumi stammered.
"It's their kitchen now. They can destroy it if they want," Nabiki reminded.
"B-but my kitchen..." Kasumi repeated as she was dragged out of the house.
--------------------------------------
It took a while for Nabiki to get Kasumi to the restaurant. The eldest Tendo sister kept insisting that she should be home in case something went wrong.
Nabiki wouldn't have any of it, and practically dragged her sister all the way there.
Kasumi looked at the restaurant, The Otaku Bar and Grill, and asked, "Why are we eating here?"
"I've got a coupon for a buy-one meal get one free," Nabiki replied.
Kasumi nodded. "Oh."
They entered the restaurant and initially had trouble being seated. Nabiki wasn't liking having to wait and asked to see the manager. When she stated her name, they were promptly seated.
Kasumi sat at the table fidgeting.
Nabiki knew she had to distract her from thinking about what their younger sister was doing to the kitchen. "So, Sis, what are you going to do about the good doctor?"
"Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi sighed. "I don't know. He just gets so... so silly around me."
"Love just drives him crazy," Nabiki teased.
"Is it really love? Ranma and Akane don't act like that towards each other," Kasumi observed.
"We each express our love in our ways. Dr. Tofu goes wacky, Ranma insults her, Akane hits him, I charge less interest," Nabiki explained.
Kasumi gazed at her. "So, how much interest do you charge Kuno?"
Nabiki folded her arms. "Standard interest, of course."
"Considering he's rich, that shows a lot," Kasumi commented knowingly.
Nabiki glared. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"That you love him," Kasumi replied.
"I do not," Nabiki denied.
Kasumi gave her a knowing smile.
Nabiki didn't like how much she was sounding like Akane. For some reason everyone started insisting that she was in love with Kuno. Which was ridiculous. Why would she love that idiot. Her frown deepened, even her thoughts sounded like her little sister. She shook her head, wanting to get off that line of discussion. "Now back to talking about the doctor, how do you feel about him?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I like him a lot," Kasumi admitted.
"Is that why you're always borrowing his books?" Nabiki insinuated.
Kasumi blushed a little. "I think so."
"So, is this love?" Nabiki tried to tease out.
"I don't think so," Kasumi mustered her best denial.
Nabiki eyed Kasumi critically. Not believing that for a second.
Kasumi pouted. "You don't believe me?"
"Nope," Nabiki deadpanned.
"See, trying to deny it doesn't work," Kasumi pointed out.
Nabiki chuckled dryly. "Well, I can't deny that one... Okay, MAYBE I do feel more for him than I'm saying... For now, though, I don't think I do. Okay?"
Kasumi nodded. "If you say so."
Nabiki was thankful as their waiter arrived with their food. She hoped they could move off the topic of what she felt for Kuno.
"Do you think Akane will have a boy or a girl?" Kasumi asked.
Nabiki picked at her food for a second. "Honestly, I think it'll be both a boy and a girl."
Kasumi frown. "You think the curse is inheritable?"
"Considering everything that happens to them, yes," Nabiki replied.
Kasumi didn't immediately comment. "They do seem to have an interesting life."
"I've experienced more things than most people will in their entire life, and I haven't seen a tenth of the adventures Akane has, let alone Ranma. I hope she knows what's she got herself into," Nabiki groused.
"She does. Auntie Saotome asked her after the wedding attempt if she really wanted to marry Ranma and the insanity he brings with him," Kasumi informed.
Nabiki sighed. "I regret I stopped that wedding. I thought Dad bribed Akane into marrying Ranma, but she made it painfully clear the only one being bribed at the time was Ranma."
"You didn't know what China did to her," Kasumi reminded.
"I should have asked or found out. I did something without first obtaining all the information, and that's an error I should've never done," Nabiki berated herself.
"We all make mistakes," Kasumi said assuring.
Nabiki shrugged. "I guess."
--------------------------------------
The elder two Tendo sisters had finished their dinner with some idle chatter, and were now walking home. Thankfully to Nabiki, little of the idle chatter concerned love interests. Kasumi's insistence that she loved Kuno was starting to annoy her. She would be happy to get home and work her daily accounting of her profits.
"This would be a good night to walk with a loved one," Kasumi commented.
"Are you still pushing that? You're getting as bad as Dad and Ranma's parents," Nabiki griped.
Kasumi shook her head. "I was just commenting how it's such a nice night."
"Yeah, whatever." Nabiki guessed that now with Akane and Ranma married, they would be picking on her. An idea flashed through her head. "Why don't you ask Dr. Tofu to go for an evening stroll?"
Kasumi pouted. "I can't. If I ask him, he'll just grab Betty-chan and dance around town."
"We're going to have to cure the good doctor of his silliness," Nabiki noted.
"I wish I knew hooOouch..." Kasumi said as she tripped on the sidewalk and fell awkwardly.
Nabiki immediately moved to help her sister. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I just hurt my ankle a little," Kasumi replied with a slight wince as she tried to move her foot.
"Hmm... You should see Dr. Tofu about that," Nabiki said with a devious grin.
"It's not that bad." Kasumi waved the suggestion off. "Besides, he'd never be able to control himself."
"Now Kasumi, this is best opportunity to help him with his problem," Nabiki pointed out.
Kasumi looked confused. "How is that?"
"That doctor goes nuts when he sees you, but in order to help you he'll have to touch you. And, he'd never hurt you. Right?" Nabiki spelled out.
Kasumi nodded.
"So, if you come as a patient he'll have to stay in control, or he'd hurt you. I'm willing to bet he'd stay in control," Nabiki wagered.
Kasumi paused in thought. "Do you really think it'd work?"
"Yes. Now let me help you get to Dr. Tofu's." Nabiki helped her older sister up to her feet and guided her toward the clinic.
--------------------------------------
Dr. Tofu was cleaning up his office after his last customer had left when he heard a knock at the door. He wondered who it could be as he opened the door and saw the girl of his dreams, looking rather sheepishly, leaning on Nabiki. "K-Kasumi, what a surprise to see you here of all places."
"Dr. Tofu, Kasumi HURT her ankle and you NEED to examine it," Nabiki ordered.
"Oh my, you hurt your ankle. Come with me," Dr. Tofu picked up Kasumi and carried her to the examination bed. He placed her carefully on it and studied her ankle.
Kasumi was blushing the entire time.
"Does this hurt?" Dr. Tofu asked.
Kasumi nodded. "A little."
Dr. Tofu walked over to the counter and picked up a bandage. He then started to wrap the woman's hurt ankle. "It's a light sprain. You should avoid putting pressure on it for a few days." Dr. Tofu looked up at her not believing he was actually talking normally to her, only now realizing just what he had done.
"Thank you, doctor." Kasumi smiled her thanks feeling things were going well, until his glasses fogged over.
"K-Kasumi, it was my pleasure." Dr. Tofu closed his eyes trying to hold onto his control. He clenched his fists, trying to retain what little control he had as he finally stammered, "I-I w-was w-won-d-dering if-if y-y-you w-w-w-would g-g-g-g-go o-o-o-o-o-out w-w-w-w-w-with m-m-m-m-m-m-me-me S-S-S-S-S-S-S-Sa-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-tur-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-day?"
Kasumi smiled brightly. "I'd love to."
For a moment Dr. Tofu stared at her in shock, and then he ran over to a skeleton. "Betty-chan did you hear that? She wants to go out with me!" he elated, dancing out of his clinic with the skeleton in his arms.
Kasumi shook her head, praying the date would go well and he could stay in control of himself.
"So, the plan worked," Nabiki commented as she entered the room.
Kasumi looked at her sister with a big smile on her lips. "Yes. Yes, it did."
--------------------------------------
Kasumi leaned on her sister as they returned home. She couldn't wait for her date with Dr. Tofu, and hoped he could control himself. Her smile, the one that she wore since leaving the clinic, dropped a little when she noticed the eerie silence of her home.
Nabiki was also unsettled by the quiet and knew where the source would likely be.
They carefully walked toward the kitchen and peeked inside. The kitchen was a complete mess. No real surprise there. In the middle of the kitchen sat Ranma and Akane glaring at each other. Not much of a surprise, either.
Kasumi shook her head, they had been doing so good. Nabiki frowned at this, she hoped that they wouldn't have to worry about major repair bills for a while. They were startled by a noise from the two in the kitchen. The newlyweds were laughing.
"You look pretty silly," Akane snickered.
"Look who's talking," Ranma replied, flinging some food(?) at Akane.
"Too bad this stuff really isn't edible. It would've been fun to clean off if it was," Akane commented with a perverted grin.
"I can think of some fun ways to get clean," Ranma returned with his own perverted grin.
"But my way would've been funner." Akane faked a pout.
Ranma moved to stand up. "True, we'll have to try that later. We'll get Mousse to clean the kitchen, now let's go take a bath."
"Yes." Akane grinned.
"You two go have your fun. I'll clean the kitchen," Kasumi interrupted with a motherly smile.
Ranma and Akane blushed a deep shade of red.
"Now Kasumi, remember the doctor's orders: keep pressure off your foot and date him tomorrow. We'll get Mousse to clean this," Nabiki corrected.
Akane's eyes widen. "You've got a date with Dr. Tofu?"
Kasumi nodded.
"About time," Ranma commented.
"Yeah, the same can be said about you two. Now go have your fun. I'll go find Mousse," Nabiki retorted.
"He's in the dojo," Ranma informed.
"Go on you two, have your fun," Kasumi insisted.
Akane grabbed her husband's hand. "You heard them, let's go."
"Who would have thought, peace in our own time," Nabiki commented.
"Make love, not war," Kasumi added.
Nabiki eyed Kasumi suspiciously, "Just how far do you plan on going on your date?"
"Nabiki! I wouldn't do anything that wasn't proper," Kasumi retorted, pleasantly.
Nabiki smirked. "And whose view of being 'proper' are you referring to?"
Kasumi shook her head. Nabiki was going to tease her by twisting whatever she said to her own wishes. She found she was actually liking it, though. Nabiki was treating her more like a sister than the mother that she had been for them.
--------------------------------------
Shampoo arrived at Furinkan High just before the Saturday classes ended. She wanted to deliver her great-grandmother's message to Akane without the possibility of seeing Mousse. When the bell rang she scanned the students leaving the school watching for signs of Ranma, for where ever Ranma was, so was Akane.
Shampoo was startled when she heard several battle cries erupt from the main entrance of the school. She saw almost two dozen students rushing out of the school and racing towards her.
"Shampoo, my love shall defeat you!"
"Defeat for marriage!"
"I love you!"
"My love shall knock you out!"
Shampoo's eyes took a predatory gleam. "Stupid boys think they can defeat me. I show them who is greatest Amazon fighter of her generation." She launched herself into the fray, dodging attacks and sending her new would-be suitors to unconsciousness.
"Love knock-out pu..." a guy wearing boxing gloves cried out before going unconscious from Shampoo's blow to the head. He was the last one to fall.
"Hmpf," Shampoo snubbed. "Mousse imitations, not even make me break a sweat. Need much more training." She turned around when she heard some people laughing.
"So, there going after you now." Akane giggled. "But, this seems to be only half the group."
"The other half is going after Ukyou," Hiroshi informed.
Ranma rolled his eyes.
Akane shook her head, believing they would never learn.
Shampoo raised an eyebrow. "What going on?"
"This was half of the 'Tendo Akane Fan Club,'" Akane said with obvious disgust. "But, seeing as I married Ranma, I guess they set their sights on you and Ukyou."
"Aiya! No want leftovers, especially from pervert girl," Shampoo spat out.
"What do you want anyway, Shampoo?" Akane asked angrily.
"Great-grandmother want to see pervert girl," Shampoo informed.
Akane pouted. "What for?"
"Great-grandmother need to inform pervert girl about Amazon laws," Shampoo explained.
"I'll see her after I visit Dr. Tofu," Akane reluctantly agreed.
Shampoo nodded as she got onto her bicycle and left.
Ranma blinked. He had seen Shampoo and she had not registered his presence. He half expected the Amazon to tackle-hug him as soon as she saw him, but she hadn't even looked at him. He then shrugged. At least he didn't have to worry about Akane hitting him. But, something still felt wrong about Shampoo's lack of attention.
Akane's anger subsided when she realized that Shampoo had avoided looking at Ranma. And guessed the girl really was hurting about losing Ranma. The Amazon couldn't even say her name... actually that was nothing new.
--------------------------------------
Nabiki didn't have to wait for the school to empty before removing today's present, a single red rose. She could easily hide it from view.
Nabiki wondered if he was going stingy of her. She eyed the card attached to it, a smile crept across her face as she read it.
Oh cunning, beauteous one,
I cannot bear to sit alone.
My heart yearns for thee.
Would you meet me by the tree,
by the field racers run,
at the setting of the sun?
-Hopefully soon to no longer be
just a Secret Admirer of thee.
Nabiki would later be thankful no one was in the classroom as she could not contain her joy at being asked for a date. She immediately began to think about what she should wear.
--------------------------------------
Dr. Tofu was going over Akane's results as the newlyweds looked at him in expectation. "Good news. Nothing to report from the initial tests that I ran. I'll be able to give you more information from the other tests next week."
Akane and Ranma nodded.
Dr. Tofu continued, "I'd like to talk to you about some of the things to expect about the pregnancy. First, in about three weeks you'll start to experience what is called morning sickness..."
Ranma's mind shut off as he watched Dr. Tofu go into a long winded discussion of pregnancy, occasionally he would hand Akane a pamphlet. By the end of it, she had about two dozen. Ranma hadn't responded to the entire discussion until Akane waved her hand in front of his face.
"Huh?" Ranma emitted.
"Jerk! You zoned out. How much of the discussion did you even listen too?" Akane angrily asked.
Ranma tried to think quickly, trying to decide on truth or lie. He sighed, either way meant pain. "None of it."
Akane shook her head, sighing. "At least you're honest about it... Okay, you're going to have to read these pamphlets, though if you'd paid attention you wouldn't have to."
Ranma was stunned his wife did nothing more to him than just throw the stack of information packets at him.
"Now, let's go to the Neko-Hanten. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can go on our date," Akane growled out.
"Date?" Ranma asked, surprised.
Akane glared death. "Don't tell me you forgot about taking me out on a date?"
Ranma quickly searched his memory concerning asking his wife out for a date. The Imprisonment Gem! "No... no, I didn't forget about OUR date. But... between us having sex for the first time, finding out you were pregnant, us getting married, our honeymoon, and that press conference Nabiki arranged for us, I've kinda forgotten what date TODAY is. Also, with that punishment thing, I was... well... I thought you didn't want to go out after that."
"Why wouldn't I?" Akane was visibly shaking with anger.
"I-I-I don't know..." Ranma held up his hands in a warding gesture. "I... well... why are we still here?" He asked, trying to regain some of his composure. "The sooner you've finished with the old ghoul, the sooner we can go on our date."
Akane's anger relented. "Okay, let's go."
Ranma smiled as he grabbed his wife's hand and led her out of the clinic.
A smile touched Akane's face. It was hard for her to not punch Ranma through a wall, but if she had, any chance for the date later in the evening would have been nil. She had given her husband a chance to talk his way out of it, and was only a little disappointed about what he said. She hoped this would get easier though, he still had that annoying foot-in-mouth habit.
Ranma was happy. He had somehow avoided getting hit by Akane. She actually gave him the chance to talk rather than hit him. He could tell he came very close to gaining another flying lesson. He wished he knew how to avoid saying the wrong thing, like questioning her reference about the date. Then she might not need to fight to control her anger... at least not as often.
--------------------------------------
Shampoo sat at a table in the corner of the Neko-Hanten with several books detailing Amazon law. Cologne was still working in the kitchen, dealing with the remnants of the lunch rush.
When the newlyweds entered the restaurant holding hands, Shampoo immediately started to study one of the books.
"Hi, Shampoo, old ghoul," Ranma greeted.
"Greetings, Honor Elder. Greetings, Shan Pu," Akane greeted with a bow.
This caused Cologne and Shampoo to stare at her.
"I've been talking to Mousse about some of the Amazon customs," Akane answered their unspoken question.
"Ah, well, I'd like Shampoo teach you the ways of a true Amazon," Cologne told her.
"Why does I have to teach pervert girl?" Shampoo demanded.
"Because you need to refresh your memory of Amazon laws. This foreign life threatens to corrupt you," Cologne answered in Chinese.
"All right. I will teach pervert girl," Shampoo replied.
Akane shock her head. Here she was willing to learn about Amazon laws and culture, yet Shampoo was insulting her and Cologne was speaking in Chinese. She was going to have to learn how to speak it. She reminded herself, in an attempt to keep from getting angry, that she was doing this to prevent further problems of the Amazon variety.
Ranma was annoyed to find out that they wouldn't let him learn any of the laws because he was a man, but soon he felt some relief as he realized it meant he wouldn't need to sit through another 'class.' Between learning how to deal with a pregnant wife, learning how to deal with his classmates, and just plain learning at school, he found that he already had more than enough to study for.
Ranma sat at a table eating. He grew impatient after he polished off three bowls.
"So, old ghoul," Ranma began as he caught a plate that was tossed at his head.
"Don't call me that. Refer to me as your wife does," Cologne chastised.
"Whatever, old ghoul," Ranma failed to correct.
Cologne shook her head, there was no teaching him about social graces. "What do you want?"
"I, ah, was wondering... what can you tell me about the baby?" Ranma asked.
Cologne shrugged. "Not much. Just that it's there and healthy."
"That's good to know at least," Ranma answered, somberly.
"Unsure of the future, are you?" Cologne guessed.
Ranma looked away. "Maybe."
"I'm sure you and Akane will do fine. Look at how much your father screwed up, and you turned out fine," Cologne assured him jokingly.
Ranma failed to laugh. "Oh, that magic you used on my wedding ring actually works. It fits snugly in either form."
"You doubted it?" Cologne wondered.
Ranma gave a shallow nod. "I have plenty of reasons to distrust if magic will work."
Akane was getting bored from listening to Shampoo's lesson in Amazon laws. The only thing she really caught so far was that she wouldn't be a true Amazon until she competed in the annual tournament. This gave Akane over a year to decide if she wanted to actually be an Amazon.
"...That all Amazon women must learn bakusai tenketsu," Shampoo continued in her lesson.
"Why would I need to learn breaking point?" Akane asked.
"The reason to learn technique is to increase resistance to damage. This helps prevent possibly injury during pregnancy. Learning technique would've been good idea, if pervert girl wasn't already pregnant," Shampoo answered.
"Why can't I be trained now, before I'm too far into the pregnancy?" Akane wondered.
Shampoo looked down at the girl. "Means of training may cause injury which result in miscarriage."
"Oh... Um, Shampoo, can we continue this later?" Akane questioned.
Shampoo shrugged. "Guess so."
"How about next Saturday?" Akane suggested.
Shampoo nodded. "That be fine."
Ranma attention was drawn to Akane as she got up from the table. "Can we leave now?"
"Anxious for our date are we?" Akane asked critically.
"Yep," Ranma replied.
Shampoo muttered something unpleasant in Chinese.
Akane smiled. "So am I."
-----------------------------------------
Author's Note:
Thanks to David Tatum and Brent Neef for going over the original version of this chapter, and thanks to all who gave me suggestions and comments.
The idea of Kasumi's hurt ankle can be traced to Nabiki's suggestion to Kasumi to fake an injury in M. A. MacKinnon's "Doors Best Left Unopened" The 'kitchen aftermath' scene, however, was plotted before I read that story so similarities were coincidental.