Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ To Carry On ❯ To Carry On ( One-Shot )

To Carry On
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
By: Azurite —azurite AT seventh-star DOT net
Site: seventh-star DOT net

Edited: 10/12/09, 3/6/10

Rating: PG-13 (T)

Original Notes: This first—time fanfic is based on the Ranma 1/2 OAV "The One to Carry On."

New Notes: This was my first—ever Ranma fanfiction, and as such, there's not a whole lot of creativity behind it. It's based off of and takes place during the events of the Ranma 1/2 OAV mentioned above, but really, it's sort of an "inside look" on those events, if we heard more about the various tangled going—ons than what the OAV actually showed us. Normally, I would be willing to take something of this not-so-great caliber off the Internet altogether, except I like to see the strides I've made (or hope I've made, anyway) over the years. So while I am making slight cosmetic changes to the story from when it was originally posted, I'm not changing too much of the content unless it's grammatically incorrect or something.

This is one of those Ranma fics where Ranma's boy-type is differentiated from his girl-type by the use of the honorifics: Ranma-chan versus Ranma-kun (assuming anyone bothers to use honorifics at all; we know Ranma himself isn't the best example of this).

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any of the characters. It is the property of creative genius Rumiko Takahashi, as well as Viz Media, Kitty and Fuji TV, and Shogakukan.

It was a mistake. All a horrible, horrible mistake. And at the root of it was Akane.

It all started with that first sparring match that Akane requested from the two lost orphans—Kurumi and Natsume. Akane hadn't practiced in weeks, and as Nabiki said, she only did it in the first place to keep in shape! A small child had beaten her,and so easily….

'Why didn't I listen to Ranma in the first place? He warned me not to fight…' And everything had fallen out of place from there.

The girls had enjoyed Akane's dinner, and then immediately after, announced that their goal was to be the best in Anything-Goes Martial Arts for Women. The family was surprised, and Ranma had interjected that only two families practiced the Anything-Goes Martial Arts—and those two families were the Saotomes and the Tendos. The girls nodded and then said that their father was Soun Tendo!

The girls proceeded to "replace" the true Tendo girls whenever and wherever they could, and at one gathering, Natsume implicitly implied that she and her sister were stronger than Akane.

The subtle jab wasn't vague enough to escape Akane's ears, however. Enraged, she accepted the challenge—but then Ranma-chan accepted it too. The fight began only an hour later… but neither Ranma nor Akane were prepared, and they fought each other more than they fought Natsume and Kurumi. Time after time, when a blow was struck, they worried about each other's safety, and not their goal. This allowed the sisters' greater windows to attack.

Within minutes, blood coursed down Akane's arm, its sleeve having been torn off by Natsume's icy whip. Kurumi's fiery ribbon had burned Ranma badly, and as a final attack, the icy whip and the burning ribbon had been used in conjunction for spiraling effect that sent Ranma and Akane blasting through the dojo wall.

A hissing, steaming noise penetrated the silence after the attack was completed. Those gathered in the dojo could hear a slight moan from the outside hallway, and through the steam and smoke, one could barely make out Ranma's figure sprawled on top of Akane's. Neither were in any condition to keep fighting. When they struggled to their feet, rather than lean on one another as comrades, Ranma-chan's eyes blazed with fury: fury directed at Akane

"If only you hadn't been here Akane, I could have won that fight easy!" Ranma-chan had spat out, clutching her singed arm.

Akane was supposed to be spending the weekend out of town with her friends, but once she had heard about the rash of food thieves and Ranma had let his ego get the better of him…

"Go on and spend the weekend with your girlfriends, Akane. I can take care of a couple of food thieves easy," Ranma said, shrugging as if it was nothing.

"So what you're saying is you don't need me at all!" Akane burst out, her eyes both blazing and watering. Ranma looked up and blinked in surprise. He hadn't meant to imply that at all!

"Ranma right. Akane only get hurt!" Shampoo, one of the victims of a food theft, put in.

"That's right, Ranma-honey can handle it on his own!" Ukyou agreed.

Akane became enraged and jealous—how dare these girls think that she couldn't handle a mere food thief?! She'd show them—and Ranma! She canceled her weekend with her friends and was determined to win any battle that came her way.

Ranma looked down at Akane, mutely surprised to see her tears.

"Fine…" Akane whispered, barely audible. Strong, stubborn Akane…why was she crying?

"If I'm in your way so much then—then—" Akane stood up and ran out the dojo door, sobbing. Ranma stared after her, the pain having numbed any comprehension he may have had.

Soun was hysterical and stood up. He stomped over to Ranma and told him not to set foot in the Tendo Training Hall until he had returned with Akane.

"Fine then. I'll win back the Tendo Dojo all on my own," Ranma vowed. But deep inside, he knew he had to find Akane first.

In the rain, Akane ran. She was barely clothed, in little more than her training clothes. She had nowhere to go, no place to call home now.

"She what?" Ryoga screamed. Akane was where?

"We don't know," Kasumi replied softly. She retold Ryoga the story of what had happened—beginning with the food thefts and ending with the fight—and how Akane hadn't been seen for at least 18 hours.

"WHAT?! Ranma fought too?" Ryoga appeared considerably startled, perhaps on the verge of being terrified. But gentle Kasumi was never one for reading emotions like that and didn't seem to notice.

Within seconds, Ryoga was out the door, dashing away to places unknown.

"So what'd you call us here for Akane?"

"You have lot of nerve to challenge both of us at same time!" Shampoo agreed with Ukyou.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to fight?" Akane challenged, getting into position.

"Fine!" Both Ukyou and Shampoo jumped off the back lot wall they were standing on, and the last thing Akane remembered was a sharp pain in her stomach.

Some minutes later, she heard hazy voices.

"Akane! Wake up!"

"You alive, Akane?" Shampoo…and Ukyou…

"Unhhh…" Akane rubbed her forehead groggily.

She must have been knocked out cold. Ukyou was flaring out a sheet of some sort to circulate the air, and Shampoo hovered over her, expressionless.

"It's not over yet!" Akane mumbled, trying to stand again. But her legs collapsed underneath her, and the two girls knelt at her side.

"You better stay put," Ukyou advised, her eyebrows knit in almost-worry.

"I'll never be able to go home at this rate…" Akane mumbled sadly, causing her two companions to look thoroughly perplexed.

Akane retold the entire story, including her emotions: her shame, her fear, her worry…. By story's end, Ukyou and Shampoo had agreed to help Akane, as if they were friends rather than rivals for an engagement to Ranma. Not like Akane wanted to be engaged to Ranma in the first place, but…. She hadn't mentioned this to them at the time, but as their training progressed, it became clear that Shampoo and Ukyou eventually figured out a new strategy: if they eliminated Akane instead of training her, it would be one less fiancée for Ranma to choose between.

As soon as she found an out, Akane let Ukyou and Shampoo battle each other out and found a new place to train, bringing her still further away from home.

Despite the distance Akane felt she'd imposed on herself, one day Nabiki found her at her "new home." Akane refused to return to the dojo, but she did agree to have some things from the hall sent over. Decent things, like a tent, a punching bag, and some food. Even a little taste of home would be welcome.

Meanwhile, Ranma had set up camp near the river, where two angled walls formed a bridge above him. He lay relaxing for a while, thinking.

"If only that dumb Akane hadn't fought. I would have won that fight easy." It was the same thought that had been running through his head from the moment the fight was over and he'd found himself sprawled on top of a bleeding Akane.

"That's where you're wrong, m'boy." It was his father, Genma. Ranma turned to face his dad, who had that familiar expression on his face that looked as though he was planning something. Genma explained that Ranma needed to tap into the true power of his female side —and not look upon the transformation as a weakness.

"After all," he pointed out, "You wouldn't have fought the two girls as a guy anyway. You never physically fight girls as a guy—the only exceptions once or twice were Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyou. You never even fought Kodachi as a guy, did you?" Ranma shook his head.

So Ranma decided to train as a girl for the rest of his time—until he found Akane.

Ranma-chan had kids stand on the bridge and throw bricks at her—bricks which she easily broke into tiny stones at her feet using the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique. However, one slow brick had hit her dead on while she bragged about her speed and agility, and the kids had taken the chance to get off the bridge and beat the snot out of her. It was only while Ranma-chan disinfected her wounds that she realized this was the same feeling she'd had after the fight with Natsume and Kurumi.

She'd been too proud of herself and underestimated Natsume and Kurumi as a result. And…Akane had gotten hurt.

It was all the motivation Ranma-chan needed. As the days progressed, she trained harder and faster, punching holes in solid steel barrels of water, practicing all the special techniques she knew. But despite the level of concentration required to train, to really, truly train, Ranma-chan often found herself remembering Akane the very last time she'd seen her, crying, injured, and completely alone.

'I wonder how Akane is doing…'

The truth was, Akane was doing well, despite everything that had happened. At least now she wasn't alone: after hearing the story of the fight from Kasumi, Ryoga had sought Akane out, and by some miracle, found her.

He tried to stay hidden in the shadows, contemplating whether to help the girl he loved—and lead her back into the arms of his worst enemy—or not help her and risk her lose whatever respect she had for him. She had seen him as soon as he'd appeared anyway, and not having any viable excuse or the courage to admit his feelings, he agreed to train her.

They punched, kicked, did sit ups, push ups and pull ups. They ran miles in the rain (under an umbrella, of course) and back to the lot again.

And on one of these rainy days, Kurumi saw her.

"Revenge?" Natsume eyed her younger sister.

"Maybe not revenge exactly, but I know she's coming back here. She wants to fight for the dojo again."

"Of course she does. But we have to remember that we are the ones to carry on the Anything-Goes school now. So we'll have to defend ourselves and the hall."

"And?" Kurumi queried, leaning toward her older sister.

"And…?" Natsume prompted. " What if he isn't our real father?"

"Don't be silly! You saw the promise he made to us on the back of the photo. We are the ones to carry on the hall now! Come on, let's practice!"

"Yeah!" Kurumi cheered.

Outside, a bitter and sobbing Soun repaired all of the broken walls. The two girls whom he had no recollection of fathering were destroying the hall from the inside out—beginning
with Akane and Ranma's fragile relationship and working their way outward.

One early morning, Akane ran through the Nerima streets alone. Fast and hard, she thought of only one thing: winning. For her honor, and her family name. To show Ranma that she could fight, and to show Nabiki it wasn't just to "keep her figure".

She paused at the end of a road and opened her eyes.

Her heart leapt to her throat as she realized the figure emerging from the fog ahead of her was none other than Ranma-chan herself.

"Hey, Ranma…" Akane breathed heavily.

"Yo," Ranma-chan managed, her own heavy breathing preventing her from saying much else.

"Training too?" Akane asked. She ignored the niggling feeling creeping its way back up her throat, the voice in her head asking 'Of course he's training, stupid! Why else would he be out running in the rain?'

"Yeah! Just thought I'd work on my girl side, ya know?" Ranma-chan swallowed a lump in her throat. She couldn't admit that she'd been away from the dojo since the fight, thinking about it all the time. "It'd be a shame to lose any fight!" Ranma-chan smiled, but it was not shared.

"What about you? What are you doing up so early?" Ranma-chan continued, now frowning slightly. What she wanted to say was 'Why aren't you home, taking care of yourself? Why are you making me worry about you on a daily basis?'

"I uh…decided I needed a little more training myself." Akane looked down shamefully, but managed to take a step forward. "This is the hardest I've trained in a long time." Akane stopped speaking and forced a smile, clasping her hands together as a means of warding away the lingering hurt.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two girls as the sun rose behind them and the fog cleared.

"I've been thinking…" they both said in unison after a moment. Both Akane and Ranma blushed.

"You go first," Ranma-chan prompted, gulping.

"No, no Ranma, you go first," Akane urged. For some reason, the words she'd wanted to say had dissipated with the fog, and she felt ridiculous and uncomfortable just standing here in the growing morning light.

"Uh okay…" Ranma-chan started, looking down. "I think we should try it again."

Akane blinked in surprise. "Together again," Ranma finished, managing a smile.

Before Akane could respond, a familiar voice called out. "Akane!"

Ryoga, of all people, was running toward them. He paused right in front of Akane and explained the situation."I'm sorry I missed you this morning. I guess I overslept. I must have arrived right when you were leaving. To find you so early, heh, it must be my lucky day!" Ryoga laughed uncomfortably, scratching his head with his hand while he tried to ignore the embarassment that suddenly smothered him.

He sensed the tension heavy in the air and peeked behind Akane. There, standing ever so stoically, was Ranma-chan.

"Geez! I'm glad you're not lonely or nothing!" Ranma snapped suddenly, a sarcastic smile on her face. Akane knew exactly what she was implying by that, and she didn't like it one bit.

Ryoga, on the other hand, seemed slightly astonished.

"I don't believe this! You're being so jealous!" Akane blurted, her eyes narrowing. As soon as the words were spoken, Akane realized if Ranma truly was jealous of her and Ryoga, wouldn't that mean…?

"Haha! Jealous of us?" Ryoga laughed, but there was a sarcastic undertone that Ranma-chan easily picked up on, and it stung her to the core.

'He's rubbing it in!'

"I don't get jealous of you! Don't get no funny ideas, I'm not here for any Tendo Dojo or nothing, and I'm for sure not here for any fiancée, you got that!?" Ranma shouted bitterly.

"Yeah!? Well, I'm just here to strengthen my martial arts!" And with that, Akane turned around, grabbed Ryoga's arm, startling him out of his reverie.

"Come on, Ryoga, let's go!"

"Akane, you're pulling …"

Neither of them saw the mixture of emotions plainly displayed on Ranma-chan's face: raw jealousy, barely simmering rage…. She exhaled a second later and smiled. "Hah. How uncute." Seconds later, she was hit by a precisely-aimed beer can that knocked her out cold.

When Ranma-chan came to, she was in a fit of anger. She poured a kettle of hot water over herself and instantly became her normal self—a "he"—again.

"That's it; I quit! Why the heck do I have to go fight as a girl anyway?"

Ranma glared accusingly at his own knapsack, full of camping gear and training supplies that he had packed when he had left the dojo.

"It's a dumb idea, and besides, it's got nothing to do with me!"

"You can't give up on your training now, Ranma! What about the responsibility we have to win back the Tendo Dojo!?" Genma thundered, appearing from behind the bridge.

"Aw, let 'em have it. Don't tell me you believe that dumb story of his not remembering." Ranma referred to Soun's supposed "absent-mindedness" as he picked up his bags.

"Now hold it right there!" Genma yelled, and then thought about his son's words.

"Well, I suppose there could be more to this than he's telling—" Genma muttered and looked up, a fierce expression of anger plainly on his face.

"But that's not the point!"

"If you break off your engagement to Akane, we have nowhere to stay! And—" With that, Genma was cut off as Ranma casually dumped a bucket of icy water on him, and he reverted to panda form.

Later that evening, in Akane's makeshift home, a a fire crackled away, warmly and brightly. Ryoga tended to it while Akane slept.

Akane, facing the fire as she slept, turned in her sleep and sighed. "Ranma…."

Ryoga blinked once and stared back at her, thinking to himself. He stood up and walked over to her, pulled the thin blanket she had over her fully and kneeled down beside her, admiring her every feature like it was the last time he'd ever see her.

'Oh, dear Akane…I can't give you what you need.' What she needs, Ryoga thought bitterly, is Ranma. 'I've tried to block it out, but…' I can't, Ryoga thought dismally. How could he block out the plainest fact: that his worst enemy and the girl he cared for deeply were in love with each other. Even someone was directionally-challenged as Ryoga could see that they were always attuned to one another.

'Deep inside, I've begun to hope you lose,' Ryoga admitted, if only in his mind.

And then, even if Akane would be miserable and humiliated, she wouldn't be engaged to Ranma. But in the long run, Ryoga remembered, Akane was still a Tendo. So her not being in line for the dojo probably wouldn't change Ranma's feelings for her.

'I know he loves her. I saw the way he looked at us. He was really jealous, and I took advantage of it, and rubbed it in his face. Why can't I just stand by for once, keep my
big mouth shut and let destiny take its course?' Ranma and Akane were obviously meant to be together, and only when he interjected did Ranma and Akane fight.

'Farewell Akane. I'm going off on a long journey, to clear my mind. At least this once, I get to be the hero.'

Ryoga walked away from the coming sunrise.

Many hours later however, his poor sense of direction found him in front of the training hall, as if destiny had led him here.

He shook his head and waited for Akane.

Akane awoke alone, but rather than feel lonely or despondent, Akane immediately began her day by preparing a small, simple meal. Once finished and cleaned up, she began training, and not long into her session, she managed to deliver a powerful punch to the heavy, rough sandbag made for just that purpose. It had withstood hundreds of her punches so far and swung effortlessly back at her, taunting her to improve, to keep fighting. But in that one blow landed in the earliest hours of morning, the sack burst open and sand flew everywhere, as if at last it had given up and recognized Akane's growth and sheer willpower.

It was time.

Akane left the campsite and walked slowly toward the hall, armed with nothing but her well-honed skills. To any onlookers out at that time of the morning, she may have looked eerily serious and perhaps even withdrawn.

Once she arrived at the Tendo home, she stopped, ignorant of Ryoga's presence a few meters away. Silent and cold-eyed, she yelled at the gate to open.

Ryoga was startled. All her training had indeed paid off…but would it for this battle?

As Genma and Soun opened the gate, they eyed Akane warily.

'How much you have changed. And in so little time!' Genma thought. She was very well-toned, and staring at the creaking doors with a fierceness comparable to that of a tiger stalking its prey.

The girls assembled in the training hall, and Natsume prepared to fight Akane. Akane cracked several bones in anticipation.

Abruptly, Kurumi approached her older sister and asked to trade places. "I want to switch places with you. Let me fight Akane. Just me and her."

Reluctantly, Natsume agreed, but she made her sister promise to do her best. Kurumi agreed enthusiastically and readied herself in the starting stance.

"A martial artist must be willing to risk all in battle. But why this battle? And why do they have to risk it all?" Soun whined pitifully.

"Nothing short of a complete knockout. No time limit; winner takes the Tendo Training Hall. Begin!" Nabiki called.

Akane charged, and so did Kurumi. The two jumped, exchanging blow for blow. But not one hit the other, as each blocked the other's attack with expertise.

Akane's harsh punches just barely missed the girl, who was but an inch from a good black eye. As they jumped in the air, blocking each other's kicks, Kurumi glared, a smile
hidden behind her sleeve.

'I can't believe how much she has improved! But I'm better!'

Natsume looked startled that Akane wasn't already defeated, and yelled to Kurumi to finish her off.

Kurumi charged with lightning speed, but Akane kept up, punch for punch, kick for kick. When Akane's fast punches became too much for Kurumi, she jumped in the air.
Kurumi pulled the red ribbon from her short auburn hair and began to twirl it until it reached its burning intensity. But it caught hold of Akane's wrist, and threatened to pull her down, as it had before.

But Akane remained still, gritting as her circulation was cut off from her left arm. It hurt more than than just a simple fire licking her arm, but she held her ground. But slowly, without her consent, the floor beneath her feet began to give, splinters digging into her feet. But Akane remained as still as possible, until…

Suddenly Akane jolted and ran at a startling speed toward Kurumi, her elbow positioned just so she would hit her foe unconscious. It was a desperate move that could easily backfire, but one that could end the fight very quickly if it succeeded.

'Akane!' Ryoga thought with fear.

The elbow just barely missed Kurumi's face, and she was forced to unwind the ribbon and jump back to her corner, heaving with the intensity of the fight.

"Kurumi, change places with me!" Natsume insisted.

"But, Natsume!"

"You can't do that!" Ryoga protested. "You can't just change places in the middle of the fight!" They would be at full energy, while Akane would be continually worn down.

"We are of one mind and one body," Natsume addressed Ryoga. She pulled her whip out to acknowledge that she was now the contender in this fight. "Where one of us ends, the other begins!" The whip was looped decoratively in her hands like a spiraling clover, so that the end could never be seen.

"Hold it right there!" A new voice interjected. All heads turned. "On behalf of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts Training School, I, Ranma Saotome, challenge you to fight Akane and I!"

"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed gratefully. She didn't care if the relief was plain in her voice: it was what she felt. It was a familiar feeling, too: knowing that when it mattered most, Ranma would always be there, no matter what.

"Two on two isn't unfair is it? I'm gonna get you back twice for what you did!" Ranma-chan yelled, barely refraining from biting her lip just to taste blood. 'Yeah, for humiliating me, hurting Akane's integrity and honor, and for hurting my Akane!' At least, that was the thought that ran through Ranma's head at that moment. But he couldn't afford to dissect his feelings: not here, not now.

"And I will defeat you again!" Natsume retorted.

"Kurumi!" she yelled as she charged—not Ranma, but her own sister! Kurumi quickly knelt down as Natsume sprang off her back and leapt—toward Akane!

"Akane!" Ranma-chan screamed, ready to push her out of the way. But before his hands could even make contact, he heard Akane's voice: not out loud, but in his head, like a memory without visuals.

'This is not your fight. It's our fight!' It was true. He couldn't fight Kurumi and Natsume by himself, and neither could Akane. The two sisters had hurt the both of them, so the fight belonged to the two of them, not anyone individually.

But if Akane was in immediate danger? Nimbly, Ranma-chan pushed Akane not-so-graciously out of the way, a move that sent her flying more than a meter across the dojo floor to land flat on her face.

Kurumi's red ribbon wound itself around Ranma-chan's ankle and she screamed with the abrupt burning sensation. She couldn't move, and then suddenly, she too landed flat on her face.

"Wow, what a combination!" Genma noted how the two sisters worked synchronously.

"Just whose side are you on, Saotome?" Soun glared at him.

"Ranma! I've just got one thing to say to you…!" Ryoga glared as he flipped the flat-on-her face girl off with his middle finger.

"How romantic…Ranma pushed Akane out of the way!" Kasumi sighed, clasping her hands together. Beside her, Nabiki rolled her eyes.

Groaning, Akane got up and screamed at her fallen companion. "Are you here to get in my way?!"

"Look who's talking! Maybe if I didn't have to worry about you so much!" Ranma bit back. It was true, but the meaning behind the statement seemed to go unnoticed.

"Maybe they weren't meant to be after all," Nabiki commented sarcastically. It was like they were already married, for God's sake.

"Let me tell you something—I didn't come here just so you could—" she paused as Natsume charged again. She back flipped gracefully and landed on her feet, then sprung forward toward a surprised Natsume. The whip lashed out and created an icy wind, and as Ranma soared towards Natsume, one foot extended to deliver a kick, she yelled out.

"That wind attack of yours is no good. This new speed of mine helps me avoid that!"

However, Ranma had not counted on Kurumi using her ribbon, and when she did, Ranma was forced to jump out of the way and land beside Akane.

"Natsume, do it now!" Kurumi yelled as the fiery spirals of ribbon advanced closer and closer to the pair.

"Anything-Goes Final Attack! Dragon Spiral!" Natsume called, swirling as she unleashed the power of her normally bound whip.

"Akane, this is it!" Ranma yelled.

"Hmm?"

"Just believe in me; run through the spiral!"

Akane didn't need to be told twice; she took note of the flying ice from Natsume and Kurumi's spiral and darted to a spot just in front of Ranma-chan. She began another powerful attack, and Ranma-chan launched the special chi blast so it spiraled around her fist like a fierce wind.

Akane stood her ground as the blast neared behind her, and as it approached, blowing her hair around in torrents, she ran and leapt upward. The wind came and caused the two sisters to stand riveted in their spots, but they were not beaten.

"The power from Ranma's blast is—" Genma started.

"Canceling out the power of the spiral ribbon!" Soun finished in surprise.

The sisters did not see Akane spiraling through the wind, quickly ready to kick. She split her legs and kicked both girls at the same time, just under their jugulars, and the wind from their own spiral slowly died down.

When all the attacks dissipated, everyone was astonished by the havoc and destruction caused.

"Whoa…"

Ranma-chan and Akane were breathing heavily, while Natsume and Kurumi lay unconscious. Sunlight streamed in from the roof; the attack had all but destroyed the walls of the dojo.

Suddenly, a shirt fluttered down from the sky.

"Huh?" Ranma-chan looked up. Also floating down were a bra and a pair of panties. Only one person could be behind this…!

"Hey! Genma exclaimed, rushing up to examine the shirt. "This is the same dogi that was in the photo!"

The same photo that supposedly proved that Soun was, indeed, the father of Kurumi and Natsume.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared and Happosai's tiny figure jumped down, a bra decorating his wrinkled head. "What's the meaning of this? I was just airing out my laundry on the roof when—BOOM!"

"Ma-Master… is this yours?" Soun asked, rather embarrassed as he held up the shirt.

Behind Happosai, Akane and a now-conscious Kurumi blinked expectantly.

"Wow! That's the shirt I used to wear in my younger days! I remember it well…I went from one end of Japan to the other, trying to improve my martial arts!" Then, Happosai
had an enlightened look, and he reached into his robe.

"Come to think of it, I may have a photo!" Everyone huddled around as he produced a photo—one that fully showed him and the same two little girls from Natsume and Kurumi's photo!

Everyone broke out into tears or embarrassed silence. Rather, Soun broke out into tears, wailing about how someone could possibly mistake "the old lech" for him!

"I guess it's true then…" Nabiki began. "The mind really does gloss over painful memories."

"Grr…so you're the one that tricked those two girls by using the name 'Soun Tendo'?!" Ranma-chan gritted.

"I did no such thing! I just wanted to give two poor orphan girls a chance, that's all!" Happosai looked down at the picture fondly.

"Ah, those two little girls. I wonder what's happened to them after all these years?"

"Uh—" Kurumi started.

"We're those two little girls," Natsume finished.

Happosai looked up and turned around, and then leapt towards the two, hearts in his eyes.

"Oh my, after so long! It's me, your long-lost father, Soun Tendo!" he yelled, unaware of the narrowed gazes now fixed on his shrunken backside. But before he could reach out and hug (or grope, as Ranma-chan knew he'd probably do) the girls, everyone kicked him into the sky, sending him through the patch of roof that had not been torn away by the blast from earlier.

Later on, the family gave their farewells to the two sisters. Though Akane was enraged at how the duo had practically torn her family apart, she did know they had no place to go.

"Are you sure you can't stay?" she asked.

The girls responded that they couldn't: unless they were good enough in martial arts not to bring shame to the Anything-Goes school, they had no place in their family, whether or not Happosai had helped them in their childhood.

They would return one day, they promised, and they would challenge Ranma and Akane again.

"And next time, we won't lose!" Kurumi smiled.

Ranma-chan and Akane laughed only slightly, but went along with the jest anyway.

"Can't wait."

The family waved goodbye as the girls walked away from the dojo, their small bags in hand.

"Thank you for…saving me," Akane told Ranma-chan softly.

"I'm sorry I—you know…" Genma appeared behind Ranma-chan with a steaming pot of hot water and poured it over her head, instantly reverting Ranma-chan back to her normal male form. "So…you admit it then. If I hadn't been there, there'd be no way you'd've been able to counter that final attack of theirs."

"Oh, is that what you think?" Akane said, crossing her arms over her twitch and trying to tame the sudden twitch in her left eye. "If I hadn't have been there, you wouldn't have been able to use that final attack of yours in the first place!"

"What did you say?!" Ranma countered.

"You heard me!

"You are SO uncute!"

Let me know what you thought!