Mousse was not the only person watching Ranma's behavior with curiousity and concern. Cologne had trailed Ranma when he left, hoping to see more that would reassure her about his reasons for watching her restaurant. That he left after seeing Shampoo had been heartening, but she had too little information about so important a matter. She had not suspected that he felt the pressure so keenly as to be willing to give up his name, an act which she, unlike her younger charges, fully understood the consequences of.
She would have said, in her judgment of the boy, that he was the sort who would never give up. That he had apparently defied her understanding of him was cause enough for concern; the implications it held for her heir made it a matter of immediate import.
She watched from a distance as Ranma at first fought with Mousse, showing only slight signs of differences in his usual pattern. He had taken up one of Mousse's weapons, but that was of no great concern. Son-in-law was a very adaptable fighter. Then something that Mousse said seemed to at first anger him, and then send him, in the middle of a fight, into contemplation.
Her eyebrows raised as Ranma seemed to slip into a state of effortless skill, knocking Mousse out with a mere two moves, using an elegant economy of motion, then moved smoothly into sword forms. The odd thing about the situation, which led her to draw nearer for a better view, was that his face did not match the seeming zanshen or no-mind serenity of his body. It was contorted into anger and confusion, passing through state after state as Ranma seemed caught up in his thoughts. To her surprise, she actually saw happiness and, if she was not mistaken, desire pass across his features.
She noted Mousse recovering and rising behind the boy, turning to stare at him in disbelief and building anger. She quickly moved to where she could intervene, but held back. Mousse would very likely attack the boy, angered by his apparent disregard of the threat Mousse posed, an insult the myopic boy would not be able to tolerate, by her judgment.
She was proven correct as Mousse silently recovered the sword Ranma had knocked from his hand, then waited for an appropriate opening in Ranma's kata. Cologne tensed. Mousse lunged forward, sword diving for the hole in Ranma's guard, but Cologne had already relaxed and was shaking her head as she regarded her son-in-law. She had read the tension in his muscles and was unsurprised when his sword casually deflected Mousse's attack.
She darted forward, tapping a shiatsu point on Mousse's back, dropping him again, then looked at Ranma with worried eyes. Contrary to her hope and expectation, not only had he defended himself in spite of his preoccupation, he had also not come out of it. An attack had been made against him with deadly intent, and it was not even deemed important enough to draw conscious attention. She sighed, settling in to watch over him, from a once more hidden vantage point, of course. If anyone else found him in this state, she wanted to be present for his reaction.
She was disappointed in this, however. He came out of his trance-like state by himself a few minutes later, glancing at Mousse and not seeming to notice that he was not in the same position he had lain in when Ranma had first knocked him out. Not that that was necessarily surprising, Cologne considered, since Ranma had apparently already entered the trance before knocking Mousse out in the first place.
---
Akane doesn't seem to want to be my friend, even if I think of her that way. Well, no, I can't really say that. After all, she did apologize. I guess she really did just not want to marry me. But still, she's never shown me the slightest trust; no, that's what she had to do damnit. I just can't decide about her, if I should try to be her friend, or just let her go.
Ryouga... man, I thought after the failed wedding things would finally get better between us. Well, maybe they will now, once he really comes to understand what happened between Akane and me. I guess I just didn't know how to make friends right. He sighed inwardly.
Ukyou. I don't know if she's ever going to forgive me for not marrying her. I wish I could have my friend back, the one I remember. But then, I remember a boy, and she was never a boy, so... did my friend even exist? That doesn't make any sense... of course Ucchan existed... but was she ever actually my friend? Or was she even then wanting more?
Maybe I should just give up on Nerima. I can make new friends. After all, I already got two!
A surge of happiness filled him as he thought of Hotaru. He could not think of a time when he had felt as fulfilled as when he had saved her. No, that was not true. He had felt fulfilled like that before, but... it had never lasted. Everyone he helped around here seemed to turn against him. Kodachi had turned everything into some perverted, twisted dream of romance. Akane was constantly angry with him because she did not think she needed saving, no matter how much she did. Hotaru... she had been happy, then and after.
I want to see her again. And Setsuna...
His thoughts took on a tinge of desire once more, as he thought about the one woman that his mind felt safe feeling that way about. He could safely want her, knowing that it wouldn't end up with him betraying everyone else by bedding her, or getting beat to a pulp when she claimed to be his fiancee, and flaunted his affections. He felt a tremendous freedom when he thought of her. She knew about his curse and his weakness towards cats, and not only did she not try to take advantage of him, or think he was a freak or a pervert, she was actually trying to help him!
When he thought about his two new friends, he could not help wishing he could have had friendships like that with the people he knew in Nerima. But was it too late? He still wasn't that skilled at dealing with people and he did not think that Nabiki was likely to keep training him now that he was not welcome in the Tendo home. He understood why Akane had felt it necessary to always blame everything on him, but it seemed like everyone else in Nerima had picked up the same idea.
Maybe it's fate. Maybe that's why Tendo-san kicked me out, just after I found out that I had friends and a supportive family outside of Nerima.
That final thought reminded him of why he had been in Nerima in the first place, and that Mousse might be waking up at any time. Ranma was somewhat startled to realize that he was engaged in a sword kata, and quickly stilled. He glanced about and saw Mousse lying in a sprawled heap. Oh well, he would wake up soon enough. And unlike Ranma, he did not have a slew of enemies who would be all too happy to take advantage of a moment of weakness.
Ranma shrugged and leapt away, heading for Furinkan.
---
Shampoo pondered her great-grandmother's behavior as she pedaled towards her first stop. Why is she being so nice to me? I failed! I admitted it, finally. She should be packing everything up to go back home, back to the mountains. Shampoo's pleasure at the thought of her home was distinctly marred by her expectations of what would happen when they got there, so she was not exactly disappointed at Cologne's failure to act true to form.
It hit her just as she left her first delivery. Cologne must know something, must have learned something that would put her airen's behavior in a different light! But why had she not told Shampoo about it? Why had she just let her cry herself to sleep? How could she find out? Nabiki! The mercenary would certainly know everything there was to know about Ranma's disavowal of his family.
Shampoo poured on the speed. If she was early with her next two deliveries, she would have time to swing by the school before heading to finish the rest. It was still early, Nabiki would not yet be engaged in class, though she would probably be in her classroom.
---
Ranma landed on the Furinkan's outer wall, noting with some disgust that a large crowd of jocks had gathered near the front doors. His disgust deepened when he noticed Kuno waiting behind a tree. Would they never learn? Briefly he considered doing something about them, disregarding Akane's words about not needing help.
He decided not to though, and jumping down, strode for the doors, ignoring the crowd as they parted before him. He felt the surge of angry ki where Kuno was but ignored it. Kuno did not come out nor attack. Apparently the opportunity to once more ambush his fierce tigress was worth more than gloating over the sorcerer's defeat, or some such excuse. Ranma didn't really care, he would just as soon not deal with the buffoon again.
He felt a qualm of conscience at leaving Akane to them, but he knew it was what she would prefer. Besides, if he did help, they would just scatter, giving up as they had when he first showed up, after he beat Kuno. They were only out there because they thought he had given up his claim on her. He could protect her this once, again, but she would not appreciate it, and the next day, when he did not come again, or as soon as they learned that he was leaving Furinkan for good, they would be at it again.
Besides, there was no question that while she might not be in Ranma's league, she had unquestionably improved from when she had first faced this fight. She could handle them.
He heard the gloating comments of some of the boys as he passed and they realized that he did not intend to interrupt their fun and he smirked. It was more, he realized then, than people simply agreeing with Akane and treating everything as his fault. If they could truly gloat about their imminent victory in spite of having spent time in the nurse's office or, for all he knew, the hospital, from trying to beat Akane, then they were hardly less delusional than Kuno. Yet another reason to get away from Nerima; maybe that sort of stupidity was contagious.
Noticing the looks he was getting from the students in the halls, Ranma concentrated on the Void and the Flame again, irritated with himself for forgetting to hold it. He would have a much easier day of it if no one noticed him, but he just had to go and blatantly walk into the school through the midst of those idiots.
In spite of that mistake, the void did its job. He walked right past Nabiki Tendo without her noticing him. He grinned at that, wondering if she knew about the fight waiting outside and had come down just because she had seen him, or if she was actually unaware of it. Not that he particularly objected to her at the moment, she had been pretty nice for a while now, but still, he had found her habit of popping up at inconvenient times irritating. To walk past her in the open, not invisible, just unnoticed... that was nice.
An instant later he had his back against the wall. "Shampoo? What's she doing here?" he groaned. He had recognized her voice the instant he heard her accosting Nabiki. Wait a minute... I didn't hear anything being broken. What happened to her usual wall-bashing?
He peered around the corner in time to see Shampoo and Nabiki slipping into a locked room, the keys glinting in Nabiki's palm as she turned to close the door. "What the hell is going on?" Ranma felt a sudden fear for Nabiki. If Shampoo had heard about last night... she might have decided that it neatly explained why Ranma had fled from her even though he was technically free of the other engagements.
Once again setting aside his purpose for the moment, he darted out of the building, still holding onto the void. He didn't need to deal with anyone noticing him at the moment. In fact... considering the danger Nabiki might be in, he invoked the Umisenken alongside the Void and the Flame. Moments later he was crouched in the window of the room where Nabiki had taken Shampoo.
To his surprise, there was nothing threatening in Shampoo's manner. If anything, she looked almost... pleading? Pressing his hands tightly against the windowsill to maintain his position, he leaned forward and rested his ear against the cold glass, shivering at the contact.
He could not hear Nabiki clearly but Shampoo's higher sing-song tones carried better.
"You is for sure?"
Any further words she might have spoken and any response that Nabiki might have proffered were drowned out by the sudden chorus of battle cries and pledges of devotion and determination from the front of the school. Ranma sighed, shaking his head, and dropped from the window to make his way back inside. Shampoo had not seemed to be threatening Nabiki nor had Nabiki seemed nervous, so leaving them together seemed safe enough.
Besides, he had other business here, and having them occupied while he went about it was all to the good.
Holding to the void, he passed unnoticed through the halls and into the office, where he dropped the technique and stepped up to the secretary's desk. Somewhat to his surprise, she looked up and smiled on seeing him. "Oh, Saotome, I've been expecting you," she said as she busily flipped through a pile of folders on her desk before pulling one out. "Nabiki mentioned that you might be dropping by to withdraw. Moving in with your mother finally?" She smiled as she proffered the folder, neatly tied with string.
Ranma nodded dumbly, reaching out, but it was snatched away before he even realized the room had garnered another occupant.
"No, no, no keiki gonna be leaving da Big Kahuna's school so easy!"
Ranma groaned as he turned to face the principal. "I thought you were gone, you crazy nut!"
"Heh heh, you think da Big Kahuna not gonna hear about one of his problem keiki trying to get away? You really wanna leave? Fine!" With that, the principal cracked a coconut he held, splashing Ranma with the cold water that had been in it. "Then you can go to school with my little wahine!"
The insane head of Furinkan held the folder up, gripped loosely in the jaws of his ubiquitous shears. Ranma tensed and growled when the water hit her, then shook her head, sending droplets flying. She stared at the folder full of papers, her ticket to freedom. All it would take was one twitch at the wrong moment and they'd be snapped in half. What would she do then?
"Fine," she growled. "We'll see how you do against my lawyers," she snarled, then turned and raced out of the building, furious at him and at herself for not having anticipated his interference. She had been so ready to have to convince them to give her the papers that the secretary's quick action and her mention of Nabiki had made her drop her guard.
Kochou Kuno stared after the fuming redhead doubtfully. "Wahine been taking lessons from Nabiki?" he asked as he dropped the papers back on the secretary's desk. He ignored her irritated glare as he walked bemusedly back into his office.
Ranko stopped in front of the school doors. The grounds beyond were covered with groaning boys, victims of a furious Akane. Kuno, in their midst, was already staggering to his feet. Ranko darted back in the school, wrapping herself in the Umisenken to avoid him. That's just what I don't need right now, she groused silently. Another Kuno. She was staring at the ground, trying to calm her breathing, when Kuno entered the school and passed by her, mumbling something about 'where the mercenary is.' Ranko snorted indelicately. That was right, wasn't it? Kuno was usually dragged inside by Nabiki after she took her cut from his wallet.
Ranko turned suddenly and ran her head into the wall, cracking the tile. "You idiot," she hissed. "You're not bound by promises in the name of Saotome anymore. Just walk in there invisible and take it. There's no loss of honor in avoiding a dishonest challenge anyway."
With that she marched back into the school. She had convinced herself that Kuno had not really made a challenge yet, so her honor was safe in backing down and asking Ishida for help, but now she realized that just as her father's request to not use the Yamasenken and Umisenken no longer bound her, so too was she free of the stricture that a Saotome must accept every challenge. Finally she could ignore the blatantly stupid. It was foolish anyway, in her opinion, to lend credence to pointless or honorless martial arts or artists by honoring their challenges.
Unseen, she entered the office and smirked when she saw that the secretary had apparently taken a walk without having put away the folder yet. She slid up to it and verified the name, Ranma Saotome, before snatching it up and slipping out.
Once beyond the walls of the school she couldn't help but let out a victorious shout. It felt so good to have outwitted that ignorant buffoon. Go to school with his daughter, indeed! Setsuna's face came into her mind as she remembered Setsuna's casual acceptance of her as a man in spite of her rather... intimate... examination of her female form, and for once, she said quietly, "I am a man," and meant it without reservation, in spite of the soft female tones that spoke it.
Papers securely in hand, Ranma wasted no time in getting back to Juuban, though she employed no special techniques, not wanting to take any chances with losing or damaging her records.
She reached the park without incident, and was about to stow the papers in her backpack when she realized that this was an unnecessary risk. Setsuna would most likely be willing to store them for her. That brought to mind Setsuna's comments the night before, about bathing to make a good impression at school. Surely Setsuna would have realized that Ranma couldn't get enrolled until she found out where she would be staying? Not to mention who would be paying for it, though she had the impression that would be taken care of by Ishida-san. Still, he wouldn't be able to do much if she got enrolled at the wrong school.
Ranma briefly considered finding a sentou and bathing before going to Setsuna's, to demonstrate that she had listened to her, but decided against it. The risk of losing the papers, or getting them soaked, or having them stolen if she left them in the backpack, was just too great.
She reached the small clearing where she had left her backpack hidden before she had quite decided what to do or where to go, but as she entered it, the question fled her mind.
She looked around warily. Someone else had been in the clearing, of that she was sure, and unless her senses misled her, it was still being watched. Clearing her mind, she moved closer to the center of the clearing. There, in that tree!
Just as she identified the position of one of the hidden watchers, he dropped out of the tree and took a step toward her. She paid the well-dressed man little attention, concerned with finding the other eyes she could still feel. Then they too stood up and stepped out of the brush to stand behind the first man.
He stepped forward again and then bowed low. Seeing that all three men were nicely dressed and now that she could no longer feel hidden eyes on her, she relaxed slightly, and matched his bow, keeping her eyes on one of the other men to catch any signs of movement.
"Saotome Ranma?" The question was asked in a pleasant voice that belied the somewhat tense situation but nevertheless held a distinct note of uncertainty and disbelief. At the same time, it narrowed down the list of possibilities for her accosters, though not substantially, since anyone in Nerima would know of her curse. Still, she now had a pretty strong suspicion as to whom she faced. At least it wasn't suffixed with "Prepare to die!"
Ranma shook her head violently. "I am a Saotome no longer," she said sharply. "If you have any complaint against the Saotomes, you can take it up with them."
The men relaxed, the man in the middle nodding. "My apologies. Nokomura-san sent me, Ishida-san, to retrieve you. He wishes for you to go somewhere with him today, but first," and here he paused to look her over, "you need to change, bathe, and be dressed appropriately. Nokomura-san asks that you please come with us. We will take you to where you may bathe and prepare before meeting him."
Ranko looked at them uncertainly but before she could speak, the center man had snapped his fingers. The man to his left, her right stepped forward and presented the first man with a sealed scroll, which he then held out to her.
She stepped forward warily and, sensing naught amiss with the scroll, took it before backing away again. She examined the seal, cursing silently to herself for not having looked when in Ishida's office to see with what he sealed his correspondence.
Cracking the wax seal, she unrolled the scroll by feel, keeping her eyes on the three men. Lifting it up to where she could see it and still keep the men in her peripheral vision, she quickly read it. It said basically what the man had, but it added two things. First, it said that she was to go today with Ishida to meet her new family, the Tsukinos. Second, and most importantly, it mentioned Setsuna and the part she had played in their little drama.
Some enemy of herself or the Ishida-ke might have known about the plans of Ishida-san, but they would not be likely to have understood the part Setsuna was playing.
She rerolled the scroll and bowed again to the three men. "Alright," she said, "let's go."
The third man, who had yet to speak or take part, stepped forward now. "You were seen heading to Nerima. Have you obtained your transfer papers from Furinkan?"
Ranko nodded, a bit disturbed at realizing that she was still being watched. Of course, she had known that it was going on since she first talked to Ishida, but hearing such direct and immediate evidence was still startling. Was she really that important to them?
"If you would like, Ishida-san, I will take them for safe-keeping."
She eyed him narrowly. "Why?"
The man laughed. "One of my boys just dropped by Furinkan to get your papers so Ishida could do the transfer. He said they were gone when he got there, though the principal insisted that you had been there and been rebuffed."
She nodded, mollified. If he knew that, then he probably had done just as he said. They were with Ishida. She had no reason to believe Ishida was trying to do her harm, and the fact that they had even tried to recover her papers for her was more help than she had received in a long time, aside from Setsuna.
She pulled out the papers and handed them to the man. They turned and led her through the park to where a grey compact car was parked. She looked at it in mild surprise.
"Expecting a limo?" laughed one man. "Sorry, field work doesn't rate quite so high. And leaving a limo outside a park for hours is not a good way to avoid attention." He pointed at the bike rack atop the car. "You can ride with us, or Ishida said to offer you the rack." He laughed, as if he had made a joke, but Ranko nodded and leapt to the top of the car, one hand catching the rack.
The men shook their heads, laughing, but made no objections as they got in the car, leaving Ranko alone atop the car as they pulled out into the traffic. Ranko's thoughts turned to the words of the scroll as the car steadily made its way through the streets. "Tsukino?" she wondered. "He picked the family that Pop sold me to?" At least there she had been sold not as a husband but to protect. It had to be the same Tsukinos, didn't it? Why had they made such a request in the first place? Who were they, that they needed a great martial artist to guard their honor?