Bastard Child By Kyokukou Disclaimer : I don't own the characters from Ranma 1/2 only the characters that I write myself . So please don't sue me ! But if you try to use my characters .....there will be ...unpleasant consequences if I find out . Do not repost or reprint this without my permission , however if you do ASK there is a good chance I will let you . Prologue She looked down at herself then at the approaching figure out the window . Thankful that now she had nothing to fear from her mother ...well not what she used to have to fear at least . Her mother knew all ...well knew about the curse at least . Happily , she stepped out the window and hopped to the ground . Intending to greet her mother warmly before any of the others could arrive and interfere . Intending , was the key word there . The word that fate just loved to screw into many fascinating contorted paths and events . " SWEETO !" The old perverted master was groping her before she even hit terra firma . " DIE !!" She howled in pain and righteous fury . It took all of her strength to pry the diminutive hands from their painful grip on her breasts . With full intention to kill the old master and rid the world of his evil she attempted to break his nose and shove the bone into his withered brain . All it came to was a minor nosebleed on the miniature man . " That allya got ?!" The master taunted . " Hotcha !" This time she intercepted the master's leap with a snap kick . She smirked , even though her foot hurt considerably , as the pervert sailed towards LEO . " Someday I'll finish what Oyaji started ." She swore to the speck of an image . " Forget the cave , I'll do it RIGHT !" " Those years were a nice respite from him ." Her mother sighed , laying a hand on her shoulder . " Your Father only struck the Pervert whenever he groped me . I cannot say I missed his ..attentions in those intervening years ." " Nobody's killed him in three hundred years ." She ground her teeth . " I'll have to be that first ." " If you ever need this for the occasion ..." Her mother tapped the wrapped family katana meaningfully . " That just might do the job ." She grinned savagely at her mother . Nodoka returned the grin . It was a beautiful mother and child moment . If a bit twisted . * * * " So he should be back in a few days ?" Akane hefted her Mallet of Doom™ . The one that took up most of the free space in almost any room . " Or less ." He sighed . " I didn't kick him far enough , the angle was too steep ." " He's mine next time ." Akane ground her own teeth , the Mallet of Doom gone just as it had appeared , from apparently nowhere . " Can I sell any of you a burial plot for the perv ?" Nabiki piped up . " I will let it go at a fifty percent discount as an incentive to kill him ." " Burial's too good for him ." Nodoka snorted . " What makes you think I'll leave anything left to bury ?" He cracked his knuckles evilly . Now on the far side of the room , trying to look as calm as possible under the circumstances , Soun and Genma played Go . " Saotome-kun ?" Soun prompted as he studied the board . " Is it just me or does hate for the master only grow in women's hearts over time ?" " It does Tendo-kun , oh how it does ." Genma nodded gravely . Somewhere in a crater a sneeze topped eight consecutive sneezes so far . * * * It was about midnight when his bladder called him to wakefulness . Correction , her , bladder . " How..?" She squinted in the darkness at the bucket her panda father had overturned apparently upon his return from a midnight snack . Now in a smaller body she had a proportionally smaller bladder , ergo her current state . A state that was not the one she preferred , sleep . The thought of thrashing her father was tempting , but it would have to wait until after answering nature's call . That was a simple enough task . However , halfway to the door coming out of the bathroom she felt it . The sense of danger flavored with foreboding . Such sensation was familiar as pain to her , and just as unwelcome as one tended to have the annoying habit of following the other . On a hunch she sidestepped away from the door a stride and took a defensive stance . Once ready she extended her senses , feeling outside the room and into the house . There . In the living room , something small and fast . Happosai ? Cologne ? P-chan ? Only the foremost and latter were of great possibility . But before she could focus further on the target she sensed another presence . This one had next to no fighting ki , a zero on any harmful emotions or intents . So either it was a master of the arts of concealment or Kasumi . Real big choice there . But at least Kasumi was safe from the master's hands . Sudden movement from the small presence and Kasumi's abrupt scream threw all of that presumption out the window after stomping on it a few times . Kasumi's scream invoked protective reactions in her that normally were only reserved for Akane , but Kasumi was the kind to spark such reactions in nearly anyone . She tore the door from it's tracks in her haste . She was down the hall and in the living room faster than she had remembered moving in a long time . The sight she saw shocked even her hardened nerves . Happosai had not only groped Kasumi , he had reached his hands down the front of the elder girl's night gown . Had she been in a more reasonable state of mind than absolute fury and righteous rage she might have noticed the confused expression on the master's face . Along with the lack of 'sweeto' or 'hotcha' or any other cry to triumph he usually emitted . However , when someone with protective instincts like hers hears Kasumi scream the action capable is to remove the source of Kasumi's distress with any means necessary . She had both hands wrapped around the old freak's neck and after making sure the master had lost his grip she began applying massive amounts of pressure to the withered windpipe . This was followed up by raising him up and slamming him down on her bent knee with force that would usually snap an steel girder . Of course that action was repeated with the speed gained from Kachu Tenshin Amiguriken training , and of course aforementioned massive amounts of pressure remained an unabated constant . On an instinctual level she became aware of the presence of all the other martial artists in the household . Of course this did little except add fervor to her Happosai abuse . Until she became aware of the Mallet of Doom's™ presence in the room . Working together as of one mind and purpose she tossed Happosai into the air and promptly dove for the floor . The Mallet of Doom™ whooshed overhead , the meaty splut of Happosai could be heard before the faint whistle of his flight to parts unknown . The next few hours were a blur to her as they comforted Kasumi . Apparently she had been wearing one of Nabiki's night gowns and the master had mistaken her for her younger sister . Kasumi was shaken and nearly in shock . This was the first time in her life she had been groped by any man . Nabiki was at her side , claiming all responsibility for the mistaken identity . Akane was loudly advocating a Happosai hunt . Soun was , of course , crying himself into dehydration . Genma tried to be stoic but still shook with an anger he had not felt since the pervert had last groped his wife . They were really going to have to kill him for this . After three centuries of such crimes he must deserve that and more . For the honor of all women ...and even cursed half women . * * * " We're serious this time !" She argued . " Why are you still a girl ?" Her mother quipped , avoiding the question . " More appropriate ." Akane answered for her . " Yeah ." She agreed . " You said I could borrow it for the occasion ." " I wasn't completely serious ." Nodoka shook her head . " But it was KASUMI this time !" Akane shouted . " Now it's serious !" She seconded . " I'm grieved to hear that ." Nodoka said truthfully . " But don't you know why both your fathers didn't kill him when they had the chance ?" " He's a tough bugger ." She admitted begrudgingly . " No ." Nodoka said soberly . " My husband and Tendo-kun are far more powerful combined that you imagine , more than Happosai . They fear him for another reason aside from his mastery ." " What could that be ?" Nabiki cocked an eyebrow . " He's their grandfather ." Nodoka admitted , hiding her face in shame . " So we're related to ...him ." Her jaw fell slack . " NO !" Nabiki leapt to her feet . " No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!" Akane just took the middle road and fainted . After waiting for everyone to calm sufficiently , which took the better part of two hours , Nodoka explained . While she understood it to be under unusual circumstances Happosai was the genetic grandfather of both Sound and Genma , and therefore the genetic great grandfather of the Tendo sisters and Ranma . " NO !" Nabiki suddenly burst out . " I'm getting a round of genetic testing on us before I'll accept relation to that THING !" " But Nabiki , it'll only confirm the truth ." Nodoka said in a oddly nervous tone of voice . " You don't have to test everyone ." " Everyone ?" Nabiki calmed a bit . " I was just going to test myself and Ranma , but testing everyone is a better idea ." That was the proclamation that heralded the beginning of the end . [Truth shall not set free . It shall bear all . Naked reality is not something people deal with well . Thus the reason ignorance is bliss .] He had become accustomed to the horror of being related to the freak in the intervening week it had taken for Tofu to get the results of the testing back . So he had not been all that surprised when Tofu began calling out the results to those assembled in the waiting room . " I'm afraid that Happosai is the grandfather of Saotome Genma and Tendo Soun . Saotome Nodoka , may I say you do have an impressive lineage ." " Well ?" Nabiki impatiently prompted, on the edge of her seat , literally . The good doctor sighed . " I'm afraid that you are his great granddaughter , Nabiki . My condolences ." The middle Tendo daughter promptly fell into a inward spiral caused by the shattering of her self image . " Ranma ?" Tofu asked with somber gravity . " Hai ?" He blinked . How could this get worse ? Oh , some things are best not asked in the hearing of ones own Karma , Kami- sama , and/or the universal law of Murphy-san . " Could I speak with you ," The Doctor finished his sentence addressed to those assembled . " in private ." The last two words left no room for argument . He followed the doctor into the back of the clinic . His danger sense was completely silent . But his sense of foreboding was on full scream . The Doctor checked the lock on the door twice after they entered the small examination room . He sat at the grim doctor's gesture . " Ranma , what I'm about to tell you is going to be devastating ." Tofu began , not meeting his eyes . " Aww come on ." He shrugged . " I got a curse , fiancée's out the wazoo , my life in general , and Happosai as a blood relation . My life can't get much worse can it ?" Oh yes , some things should never leave anyone's lips . It's for their own good . " Ranma . Happosai isn't your great grandfather ." Tofu rubbed his face with a hand in a tired gesture before continuing . " Because Saotome Genma is not your biological father ." Now his reaction to this news was not exactly what Tofu had been expecting . Tofu had been expecting devastation or joy . Instead his face hardened as his hands clenched into rock hard fists . " Excuse me for a moment , I have to give Oya -Ahem- Genma a preview of what's coming to him ." Promptly he exited the room and proceeded to make his way to the waiting room at a calm , unhurried pace . " Come back when you're done , there's more ." Tofu called to him as he left . That remark made him pause for a moment . But the appearance of his alleged father in the hallway decided his course . " Hey ! What's the news bo-" Was as far as Genma got before his jaw what shut by three hundred punches . The beating that followed after he dragged a dazed Genma into the street was something that shocked even the hardened denizens of the Tendo dojo . He left the twitching mass of a man in the street and proceeded without word or much of an expression aside from a small smile of release back to Tofu . Even Nabiki was too shocked to utter 'what the hell ?' . Again the doctor locked the door . This time he also pressed a few pressure points on him before retaking his position by the door . " Alright , what else ?" He asked . " I've been tormented by an asshole fer ten years that ain't even my blood . What else ?" " Saotome Nodoka is your real mother ." Tofu assured , but then looked away in preparation for further news . " I would like you to take a moment to prepare yourself for this ." He nodded and prepared as best he could . He cleared his mind of all current emotion and employed all he had learned from the 'Soul of ice' training . Once he was sure he was as ready he opened his eyes and nodded . He was ready even if he was to be told he had only moments to live . " Apparently your genetic father got around somewhat ." Tofu stalled . " I rechecked the results over and over until there is no more doubt . Ranma , I'm afraid that Akane is your half sister ." All that preparation meant nothing . He sat completely motionless for a full second before exploding in screaming fury . Only to find that all his speed and strength had left him . Still , he tore at all about him , howling like some wounded animal . The hidden admissions of love he had made to himself in private . All the rescues . The fumbling attempts he had made . The crazy attempts of Genma and Soun . All were meaningless . He had fallen in love with his own sister . He beat his own body in wild thrashing against everything . He wasn't even aware of his own screams or the tears streaming down his face . Nor did he hear the pounding at the door . The shouts of the doctor and the returning shouts from the door's other side were not in his world . His world was collapsing . After a few horrifying minuets the incoherent screaming from the room died down into sobs before silencing completely . They had all stood back in dreaded silence as Tofu exited the room . Inside , Ranma was curled into a fetal ball on the examination bed . Tofu shut the door quietly . His eyes downcast . " Ranma will need his rest now . I had to let him get it out before I put him to sleep ." He walked through most of the assembled crowed before placing a hand on Nodoka's shoulder as he passed her . " I need to speak with you , also in private ." He led her into another examination room . Again they were all locked out , a quick check confirmed that Ranma's door was also locked . " What news could do that to Ranma ?" Nabiki wondered aloud . She held similar thoughts . They each listened to the door , but the thick wood yielded little more than faint voices . Until Nodoka started shouting . The door was thrown open by an indignant Nodoka . Indignant until her gaze met her own . The woman's false anger shattered , and she fell to her knees in tears . " I'm so sorry , Akane ." Nodoka sobbed . " I'm so sorry ." " Akane ." Tofu held his hand out to her like an unwilling executioner . Too bewildered and afraid to do otherwise , she took his gentle hand and began to follow him into the room . Before they heard the door to Ranma's room shut . Ranma stood in the hallway , his body slumped and radiating grief . The young man lifted his weary head and locked eyes with her for an agonizing instant . In that flash of time she watched his bottomless gray eyes shift from weary sorrow to emotional anguish at the sight of her own . Then he was gone . She never even saw him leap over them and run away . He moved with speed she had only seen from Cologne or Happosai . Tofu gripped her hand a fraction tighter . He put an arm around her . She missed the small pauses on pressure points . " Let him go for now . He needs to be alone ." The older man whom she once idolized reassured her . " I'm sorry you have to know this , but I suppose it's best now ." Tofu muttered , locking the door . " Much better than finding out by birth defect years from now ." " What's wrong ?" She asked with nothing but dread . " Years ago there was a man who aided Genma and Soun . As they cavorted around Japan he maintained their Dojo's . I'm afraid that his man had a brief affair with Nodoka , Ranma was the result ." " That's not so bad ." She said hopefully . " Ranma never did look like the baka anyway ." " I'm afraid there is more ." Tofu took his head in his hands as he spoke . This was taking it's toll on him as well . " This man , who died in a car accident a number of years ago ," Tofu continued his story . " also had an affair with your own mother . I understand he had some sort of curse related to his attraction to women . So I'm afraid that the fact of the matter is that you were the result of that affair . Ranma is your half brother ." The took the news no better than Ranma had . [Despite fairy tales , romance novels , and such ilk may say about it , love is an emotion . In defiance of our wishes it's not a force of the universe. Sadly , people do fall in love with the wrong person from time to time .] She thought she had problems . Her self image had taken a serious blow from the news of her true ancestry . But that was nothing compared to the horrible revelation of Ranma and her own sister's parentage . Akane had come close to marrying her own half brother . The thought both sickened her and brought tears to her eyes . She loved Akane dearly , the truth of her genetics did nothing to alter that . But when she thought of it all . All the effort she had put into getting them closer . The hopes that her sister had found someone to complete her . The fresh memory of Akane screaming and screaming for half an hour after the news . She had told the ice queen persona to go screw itself so she could freely weep in her room . No one had seen Ranma since he had left the clinic . They had found Genma , mangled further , but not a trace of Ranma . Genma was in the hospital and looked to be staying there for perhaps a month or more . It had only been hours since the horrible truth had been revealed . Akane was still asleep from Tofu's sedative , but Kasumi insisted on holding her sister even as she slept . She had spent the past two hours crying into her pillow . Her father was weeping in the living room . Nodoka was most likely in the kitchen , attempting to cook in-between her own bouts of grief . The woman claimed that she had never been sure , and had hoped that Genma was Ranma's true father . In her humble opinion , the only good thing about Nodoka was Ranma . He was far from a stranger to pain , in all it's forms . But the more callous or steeled he became to it the more life inflicted upon him . Now seemed to be the killing stroke to end his lifelong duel with fate for control of his life . After beating Genma further he had fled . Simply fled in blind instinct . Nothing mattered anymore . His purpose was gone , a man no more , not even a fiancé . By the time he had come to his senses he found himself atop a eight story office building on the inner section of Nerima . From the looks of his clothing and hands he had been in a fight . With concentration he could vaguely recall fighting Ryouga and his own voice shouting 'Shishi Hokoudan' . Then there was nothing until he had opened his eyes to find himself here . For over an hour he had sat there and thought . What now ? He could never marry Akane . Did that solve any problems ? No , he loved her . Kami-sama help him , he knew she was his sister yet that did not dispel his love for her . Even without her he would still be honor bound to marry Kasumi or Nabiki . If anything he had just traded fate one fiancée for two . In the end he had stood and leapt off . His legs taking him where they would , where no longer mattered . For another hour he raced himself across the rooftops of Nerima . His aimless race took him across all his old haunts and over many a place he had never been . But it was the end that surprised him . The final roof of his short journey was the roof over the Tendo Dojo . Letting his body guide his numb mind he entered the empty room . Shutting the door behind him he shucked his already sweaty shirt and began to practice . Free of the distraction of his mind he practiced harder than ever . His form was the best it had ever been , speed , power , balance , all past the normal limits they once obeyed . That night his body preformed like it was the avatar of the art . After finishing the longest , most complex kata he knew he stood . Sweat poured off his body , he ached , his muscles burned , his veins flowed with fiery acid . He stared blankly into space . He knew he normally should be ecstatic about his performance . He had just surpassed his limits once again , this time on his own and in a spectacular fashion . Only , he felt nothing . So what was there for him now ? Duty . He did not deny that . He would do his duty as he must . Pain . Yes , always pain . The art . Since he first made a fist . That would always be the one constant in his life . Himself and the art that ruled him , brought both pain and joy to his life . He and the art he practiced were now and forever , intertwined . He took a ready stance despite the protests of his exhausted body . Again he launched into the kata . Once more seeking to meld with whatever was the source of the pain and joy the art brought . Seeking to find his own truth behind it . He practiced until his new limits were breached . He did not allow his body to faint until after the final motion of the kata . In sleep , his tears mingled with the sweat pooled about him , falling unnoticed and unknown . * * * It had been three days since the news . Only Nabiki went to school until the weekend . Akane had to be practically led from room to room , all she would do is sit wherever she was and despair . She hadn't eaten much in three days . Ranma , to her knowledge , hadn't exited the Dojo in those three days . All day long he would practice until he fainted of exhaustion . She had tried to talk to him , but he never even noticed her . Once she had even jumped in the path of his kata , hoping to get his attention . He never missed a beat , only altered the moves just enough to miss her completely . Now she sat next to her youngest sister , arms around Akane's shoulders , slowly rocking her back and forth like a young child after a nightmare . She was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost missed Akane's first words to her in days . " It's just not fair is it ?" Akane asked in a whisper . She almost stopped rocking but thought better of it . " No it's not . It sucks ." Under other circumstances Akane might have been shocked at her eldest sister's use of something approaching profanity . " So now I guess either you or Nabiki gets him ." Akane's tone remained softly neutral . She only hugged her sister tighter . " Whoever gets him better make him happy or else ." Akane said with no heat in her voice . " I still love him Kasumi . It's wrong , but I can't stop ." " It's not wrong . You didn't know , none of us did ." She began to softly stroke her sister's hair . " There's nothing wrong with loving Ranma . Never tell yourself that ever again ." " But he's my brother ." Akane stated . " So ? You'll just have to love him as one ." " But I don't ." Akane shook her head slightly . " I want him , I want him as my lover , my husband , everything but a brother ." " There are no easy answers ." She fought down the moisture in her eyes . " I wish there were , but you'll just have to change how you think about him . Change how you love him ." " I don't want to . I want him ." " I know . I know ." She sighed deeply . " But you can't have him in that way ." Neither spoke for a long time . Until Akane broke the silence once again . " What about him ?" " I wish I knew , Akane-chan ." She knew that under regular circumstances a person could go a three or two days without water , two weeks without food . However , that was not the case for someone practicing until total exhaustion every day . She was still amazed that he could still practice . Currently , his performance had degraded due to dehydration and starvation . Even if he drank from the ready buckets in the Dojo his body was still giving back only diminishing returns . She hadn't trained in a long time , but she still held some minor prowess with Musubetsu Kakuto Ryuu . Minor , only when compared to the other marital artists of Nerima . So she knew Ranma must be near the end if he's down to her level physically . " You'd better stop before some organ gives out ." She warned . Ranma continued his kata . His breath came in controlled deep breaths , but his body shook and showed it's weakness . Only will was powering him now . " Ranma , this is your last warning ." She stepped out into his path . He started to alter the kata to go around her . Thinking that two could play that this game she took a fighting stance . He fell into his own and faced her . She took an experimental swing . He slapped it aside easily . She followed up with a snap kick at her full speed . To the shock of both it connected . Ranma blinked in shock . She followed up with a roundhouse aimed for his head . He caught her leg and sweeped her foot out from under her . Twisting she broke his grip and turned her fall into a sharp roll . Knowing her position , she reached behind her covertly . Ranma saw it coming and tried to dodge the splash of water from the bucket . He couldn't . Now she had the size and mass advantage . But that became inconsequential after Ranma tried to regain her footing . She had always suspected the change took more out of Ranma than the cursed boy ever let on . Why else did it snap him out of something like the Neko-ken ? She was proven right when Ranma suddenly had nothing left and fainted into her arms . An hour later Ranma awoke in her bed . None too happy about it either . " Why'd ya bring me here ?" The red head asked hoarsely . " Drink , then we'll talk ." She handed the girl a small glass of water . Ranma drank greedily . Now out of the Dojo perhaps she would be more reasonable . " Why were you trying to work yourself to death ?" She snorted . " Why not ?" Ranma shrugged , handing the glass back to her . " Because , like it or not , you have to live ." She refilled the glass but set it on her dresser for now . " You have obligations , so do we ." " So I guess you're my fiancée now , huh ?" Ranma stared at the ceiling . " Nope . That hasn't been decided . I guess you get to pick this time ." " Wonderful ." Ranma drawled . " Thank you for the compliment ." She snorted in good humor before sobering up . " Ranma ," She began . " I know you love Akane still . I know you don't love me or Kasumi . But that's the way it has to be ." " So why don't I go off an kill myself then ?" " Your mother spent ten years yearning for you . Do you want to crush her for good ?" She pointed out . " Then of course there's our dammed family honor ." " Yeah , honor ." Ranma snarled . " Honor used to be a good thing before Genma screwed everything up ." " At least now you have one less fiancée , Ukyo ." Pointed out . " Genma , not being your real father , technically had no right to engage you ." " Then the deal with your dad is junk too ." Ranma pointed out in return . " Nope , because your mother is in on that one ." She countered . " Damn ." Ranma said tonelessly . " So I just have you and Kasumi , Shampoo and the Loony ." " Shampoo , you can deal with , and Kodachi doesn't count ." She stated . " Great ." Ranma replied in a soft monotone . " yatta ." She had wondered if she should ask , had decided not to . But she still found herself asking . " Would life with Kasumi or me be that bad ?" She asked in a hurt tone . " No ." Ranma sighed . "But that's just salt in the wound ." [Strength can be found in many things . Few of them are pleasant . But the power and strength that can be found at the darkest moments is something to behold in respectful awe . Power it may be , but who would trade happiness for it and not regret the barter ?] She was a bit surprised to hear that Ranma and Akane had not been attending school as of late . So for over a week she was puzzled by the mystery , wondering if it was worth prying . She was downright shocked to receive a letter from the boy yesterday . 'Cologne Meet me in the lot near the McDonalds at one . I'm gonna end this . -Ranma' So now she sat atop her cane in the vacant lot and waited . She was unsure of Ranma's intentions and had not told Shampoo or Mousse of the nature of her errand . She hoped her instincts were wrong this time . " Ready ?" The boy walked up to her with a even measured stride . The lack of his usual cocky demeanor did not sit well . " For ?" She still hoped she was wrong . " To end this . By law if I challenge you , an elder , and win I can void Shampoo's duty to marry me ." " But that stands only for a.." She watched as Ranma brushed her hand through a puddle . " .woman ." She finished with a frown . " As the book said , after I defeat you in a direct challenge I gain roughly the same standing as you have ." The presently female Ranma straitened again to her now diminished height . " You'd be counted as an ally to the tribe . With the same standing as an army or country ." She forced a confident grin on her face . " But you'd have to actually defeat me to do it ." " I know ." The red head nodded gravely . " Elder Cologne ! I challenge you to a duel to release my bond to Shampoo !" She called out . " Very well ." She hopped down to the earth and raised her staff . " I accept ." Her words had not died in the air before Ranma was charging . In female form Ranma's speed was even greater . However , she was much faster by far . Ranma's initial charge was easily dodged . However , Ranma had anticipated her . She actually had to block the passing kick . That fact irked her somewhat . This was a fight she had to prove her superiority in . She noticed that Ranma had a tanto hidden up her right sleeve . It seems that finally her best pupil had realized how useful weapons were as an option . On the next pass she was further shocked . Ranma had reached a new level , now the speed gained from Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken training was extended to her entire body's movements . She had to actually try in order to deflect all of Ranma's attacks . The odd thing was , Ranma was only getting faster . Deciding to end this futile exercise now she began to lead the furiously attacking Ranma into the spiral . Only at the moment she thrust upward , Ranma did likewise . The twin whirlwinds mingled , their combined might tearing everything not moored into concrete from the ground . Ranma faded through her own dissipating whirlwind before she could move from her own epicenter . In the instant the wind dissipated she could see Ranma bounding off a wall from the far side of the lot . Oddly , Ranma was spinning in her horizontal leap . She held her ground . This would end soon . She did not realize her folly until Ranma struck out with her fist . The wind was instantaneous , her animosity fueling the horizontal blast . She impacted the wall hard enough for even her meager mass to crater the thick ferroconcrete . Intentionally caught in her own blast Ranma slammed into her an instant later . She caught Ranma's raised knee before it could impact her sternum . She opened her mouth to roar in outrage . Only to feel a prick of pain on the roof of her mouth . " I spare your life . The fight is mine ." Ranma stated before withdrawing the tanto from her open mouth . " How ...appropriate ." She actually found herself smiling despite the tang of blood in her mouth . " I am humbled by my former pupil . I once defeated my predecessor by playing on her arrogance as you did me . It is fitting ." " Tell Shampoo she can go back to China with her honor intact . She has brought her village an ally for the future ." Ranma sheathed the tanto . " Because I will only have dealings with the village through her , or you in the event of her death ." " Well planned , I must say ." She hopped onto her staff to get a better look at Ranma . " Honored Ally ," She began , finding she liked Ranma's new title almost as much as son-in-law . " may I ask what brought about this change in you ?" " I found out Akane is my half sister and Genma ain't my Oyaji ." She replied bitterly . " I see ." Such a shock would change almost anyone . " My condolences , Honored ally , may I offer any assistance during this time ?" Speaking to Ranma as a near equal was an unusual feeling . However , though Ranma might not be much now . She knew that years from now , perhaps in much less time , Ranma would surpass her and become a force to be reckoned with . Perhaps he might even become like the masters of old ? " Until she gets used to the idea could you keep Shampoo away ?" Ranma asked , pausing before adding . " Honored Elder ." " Of course ." She nodded . " I must say , I never did think to lose a Son-in- law only to gain an Ally for the tribe . It is , perhaps , a better trade ." " As an Ally , do you think I will be called upon soon ?" Ranma continued as they walked away from the ravaged lot . " I doubt it , not for at least five or ten years . We have no wars to fight , but I fear that someday the Republic will seek to conquer us again ." " Again ?" She couldn't help but laugh . " When the reds took over they tried to squash us . But they found it disturbing to have their tanks shattered with a touch and to fight warriors who did not die after simply being shot a dozen times . Years later they tried a missile . We sent the chopped metal back to them in one hundred separate packages . But some day they will forget these warnings . We may be strong , but with billions of soldiers against us ....I fear we'd be simply overwhelmed . Or perhaps Serin gas , a nuclear device , a virus , or something I'm not aware of . That is why we keep a very low profile now ." " Don't you have some unspoken treaty ?" Ranma inquired after a moment . " A live and let live policy that grows more strained each year ." She confirmed with a nod . " However , with the Musk Dynasty quietly growing in power once more I hope we may win their good will by allying ourselves against the Musk ." She could feel more worry build in the young warrior beside her . " But that is for the future , the distant future for you ." At the street corner they parted ways wordlessly . She watched the young warrior leap off towards the Tendo Dojo . Life might be harsh to that one now , but willing or not , pain would see that warrior grow in power . In her three centuries she had met many . A handful like Ranma included . She knew what fate had in store for him . Yes , someday he would be a singular force that entire armies would tremble at . Today she had inadvertently secured that that force would not be against the Amazons . * * * She would never know what called her out of the house suddenly , she never questioned it even years later . Quickly disengaging herself from Kasumi's comforting embrace she bolted for the front yard . Ranma had just touched down from his final leap . She froze at the sight of him . His hair was still damp from recently changing back from his female form . He stood there , frozen just as equally at the sight of her . For a moment that seemed to last the entire time they had known the other each remained transfixed . Ranma was the first to regain himself . He stood , relaxed in form , but his voice was strained with tight control . " Ironic ain't it ?" He began . " We denied loving each other enough to all but admit it . Now...." " Why ? Why does it have to be like this ?!" She wailed at him . " That's the punchline ." Ranma spat bitterly at the ground . " It always was like this . We just didn't know ." " No.." She shook her head slowly from side to side . " It's not fair .." She found herself walking up to him . " ..now that we can admit it ..it's just not fair .." His arms embraced her without reservation . " No , it's not ." " Please .." She looked up at him , wrapping her arms about his neck . " Just once ..before we have to accept this .. just so we could have kissed once ..." His answer was to lower his head to meet her lips . Their first true and last kiss was impassioned , brief , expressing raw emotion . All too soon for either of the two intertwined it ended . The respite given by reality was over . Ranma straitened to his full height and shifted his hold on her to a brotherly embrace . " It's time to go home , sis ." Ranma sighed . " Hai ... Bro ." She nodded , silently crying on his shoulder .