The Cruelty of Truth
---------------------------

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr.

A Fanfic inspired by the Anime Ranma 1/2 created by Rumiko Takahashi, their
respective owners copyrighted all characters.

A project for the Fan Fiction Mailing List
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PROLOGUE


Seven Years Ago


Soun Tendo couldn't help recall the last time a wedding took place in the
dojo. As things turned out, it was a total disaster. He would often get
nightmares from that first attempt of his daughter, Akane, and her fiancée,
Ranma Saotome in getting married. Not only did the wedding not push through,
but the place itself was wrecked by the interventions of friends and rivals.
Soun was smiling this time though, he confidently thought nothing was going
to stop this one.

It was nothing short of a miracle, that everyone responsible for ruining the
first wedding to be present now and showing no animosity towards the couple
themselves. For this he had to thank the miracle worker of the family,
Nabiki. No one else had found a way to get every man, woman, panda, and
pervert to agree on an arrangement that would eventually penultimate with
this wedding.

In simple terms though, everyone was tired of chasing after Ranma all around
Nerima. Ukyou Kounji had become Akane's best friend in the two years after
she almost killed the bride during the first wedding. Shampoo was finally
beaten by Mousse, without having the idle help of everyone. And Kodachi,
well no one has heard from her since she had been sent to a foreign school
to learn french cooking.

"How do I look?" Ranma straightened himself out in front of a mirror. Ryouga
inspected him and after removing a few loose threads gave a satisfactory
nod. "Thanks P-chan." Ranma grinned as he saw the grimacing reaction from
his friend and once rival. "Don't remind me...I still have bruises in my
ribs from Akane, Ok." Ryouga and Ranma left the room and as they passed by
Akane's room they heard laughter from inside. "What do you suppose they're
doing in there?" Ranma could only chuckle at Ryouga's curiosity.

"You look awesome." Shampoo nodded in affirmation to what Ukyou had just
said. "Thanks, I don't know if I could do this without you." Akane sighed as
she saw her reflection beaming in a beautiful white bridal gown. "Shampoo
happy. And of course you all come to my wedding, Ok." The three women
laughed and hugged each other.

Everything was set, Nabiki thought. She checked her little black book again
if she had missed an important item, but soon she showed satisfaction. The
planning and implementation responsibilities went to her and if this pushes
through, the Tendo dojo would finally receive some peace and quiet, she
hoped. There was only one thing that was bothering her. It was that old
Chinese amazon, Cologne. She was the only unknown variable in the equation
for her. She recalled how everyone else found something in return to let
Ranma and Akane marry at last. Shampoo was the first to concede, after
everyone's insistence that she marry Mousse after she was beaten by him.
Ryouga was easy, especially after Ranma saved his neck from Akane when she
discovered his piggy secret. Ukyou, though was something else. She only
asked to continue to be friends with them. Who could refuse that? Nabiki
loved how things fell into place.

"Cologne?" Genma Saotome looked distraught when she saw Shampoo's
great-grandmother entering the dojo carrying a small package. "What is she
doing here? Isn't she suppose to be in China or something?" Soun whispered
to his old friend. Quickly they drew Nabiki's attention. "Darn, she can't be
here." Nabiki quickly faced the uninvited guest.

"Hello there, I've got a wedding gift for Akane." Nabiki was surprised, as
she never expected Cologne to even give a gift, let alone approve of the
wedding. "Er, Thanks...Please come inside..."

Nabiki quickly ran with the gift into the kitchen where Kasumi was caught
surprised by her barging in. "What's wrong Nabiki?" Without hesitation she
had opened the package and discovered a small white bowl and card attached
to it. "Special Wedding Sake. What the hell is that?" Nabiki was about to
throw the gift away when Kasumi stopped her. "You know you shouldn't do
that, Nabiki. It's a wedding gift, and it's for Akane and Ranma." Nabiki
wanted to argue with her sister but Kasumi quickly took the package away
from her. "Kasumi...don't..." Too late, as Kasumi took a small taste of the
liquor. "Hmm. It's wonderful, try it Nabiki." Nabiki declined but her
troubled mind was put to rest since her sister was still alive.

It was not until Shampoo's wedding that Akane learn about the ill effects of
the special sake. The Nekohaten almost turned into a battle zone. Akane went
after Cologne like a woman possessed and old ghoul didn't stand a chance.
Shampoo was so angry with her great-grandmother that she took her into the
mountains and hid her in a cave somewhere and sealed her inside.
Unfortunately the damage was done.

Akane cried for days & was depressed for months and Ranma couldn't do
anything to cheer up his wife nor did he know why she acted so. The cruel
truth was that the special sake took away all of Akane's abilities to give
birth. And their parents never knew. Nabiki was so distraught when she
discovered the curse Cologne had brought that she couldn't tell her eldest
sister. But Kasumi somehow knew something was wrong with her after she got
married with Dr. Tofu. In severe guilt, Shampoo spent a whole year in China
looking for a cure. Unfortunately, when she returned, only half a solution
to the problem was available.

"I don't know..." Akane weakly answered Shampoo after being offered the
cure. "But Akane, you'll get to have kids. Don't you want kids?" Shampoo
pleaded. Akane spirits was rejuvenated by the news that she could bear
children if she takes Shampoo's cure, but the consequences troubled her.

The problem with the cure Shampoo had brought was the consequences. If Akane
was to give birth, it will turn to be either all girls or all boys and it
was left to chance what situation will occur if Akane takes the cure.
Unfortunately for this to work also, she will need to share the curse with
another. Shampoo volunteered to receive half of the treatment, but Akane
hesitantly couldn't bring herself to get Shampoo to befall the same curse as
hers. But she took the chance and gave birth to Ranma's first child.


Five Years Ago


"Congratulations, Ranma. It's a girl again." Dr. Tofu greeted the new
father. Ranma was delirious and quickly rushed to Akane's side carrying his
daughter to meet the new baby.

"Hi." Akane still felt weak, but more so saddened by the fact that she kept
a secret from Ranma for so long. "I'm so happy, Akane. When do you want
another?" Ranma jokingly asked Akane. "What?" Akane couldn't believe it, but
she still couldn't bring herself into telling her secret. "Well, we should
try again for a boy." Ranma cuddled the new girl of his life in his arms.

Akane couldn't believe what she's doing now. She had asked, no in fact
begged Ukyou, her best friend, to cut her hair like hers. At first Ukyou
didn't understand why she had let Akane cut her hair since it wasn't like
out of fashion or something. But soon even her soul trembled at what Akane
proposed to her.

"You want me to do what?!" Ukyou almost dropped the hand mirror she was
using to look at herself with. Akane, breath deeply before repeating her
simple request. "No way, Akane. I could never do something awful like that
to my best friend. And besides..."
Akane stopped her from saying anything more and just told her to listen to
her sad story about her curse. "Are you sure, you know Shampoo might just be
pulling your leg." Ukyou couldn't believe that Akane was only capable of
bearing daughters, and that Shampoo had a similar problem. But realizing
that Shampoo had just given birth to her third son just recently erased all
her doubts. Ukyou asked herself, What could a friend do in such
circumstances?

That night of deception, Akane hid in Nabiki's room. Nabiki argued for her
little sister not to proceed with this lunaacy. But Akane, only wanted the
best for her husband. Although her heart was tearing itself apart after
every moan and rustle she heard through the wall, she willed control of
herself. She only hoped that Ranma would find it in his heart to forgive
her.

Ranma did find out, after recovering from a heavy hangover, and it took him
a long time to forgive Akane and Ukyou. Although he never shunned the door
to his son, he couldn't gaze again to his wife's loving stare in the same
way, until recently.

Ukyou, somehow too ashamed of her own weakness, went on a brief hiatus back
to her parents. Ryouga tagged along and pretended to be her wife. The
arrangement didn't work smoothly the first few months. Though, like moths to
a flame, they found a mutual understanding between them and it grows a bit
everyday.

It was about a year ago that Ranma visited her wife at the advertising
office. Akane was so aghast that at first she surprisingly slammed the door
at him when he arrived. He had brought great news and that was the beginning
of the healing because ever since that time they have found it in their
heart to accept whatever happened and drew concessions not to let anything
like that to happen between them again. They truly loved each other, and no
curse, no work, no deceptions and lies should keep them apart.

That was also the same time when Dr. Tofu, Kasumi's husband, decided to go
on a personal journey into China and the Middle East, to find a cure for his
wife.


Chapter 1


Present Day

"Hello Oneechan. Can I please speak to Ranma?" Akane spoke through the
speakerphone that sat on her desk while lying on a small lounge chair
nearby. Through the huge glass windows that bounded the room one could
clearly see the high rises and skyline of Tokyo. She had just come from a
huge meeting and all Akane wanted to do now was to rest. She looked and
sighed at half folded handouts and leftover folder reports stacked on top of
the filing cabinet. They were furnished for the two hour long marathon
presentation she had just concluded.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the crackle coming from her desk. "Ranma,
are you there?" Sadly she realized how long it has been since she last
called her husband. Could he still be upset, she thought. "Ranma are you
still angry at me?" Akane rose and walked up to her desk. "I know you're
there, Ranma. I can hear you breathing." Akane smiled knowing full well this
game the two of them played every time she called home. As she sat on a
nearby chair, she turned up the volume and she could now hear Ranma mumbling
in the background. "Ok, Ranma. I'm sorry. I promise to come home tonight.
Promise." Akane hoped that the pleading tone she gave on the last word would
do the trick.

"Promise?" Ranma's voice finally came through.

Akane leaned forward and closed in on the phone and breathed deeply to
respond in order to assure her husband. "You bet. I missed you." Akane then
made a sounding kiss in the air for Ranma. It wasn't like she had been away
too long, but there was truth in what she had just said. Being away from her
husband for a week, which she blamed on work was almost unbearable. She
recalled how the past evenings was only filled with tons of paperwork, and
hardly any sleep. Things would have been different if she didn't have to
prepare for the presentation today. Though she was quick to point out to
herself that the only difference would have been the lack of the paperwork.
Akane laughed a moment till he heard another familiar voice.

"Mama, come home!" Akane was overjoyed to hear her five-year-old daughter
speaking. "I will, love. How is your sister?" Akane then heard a scream and
some sort of banging, as if the headset had suddenly hit the floor. Akane
knew all too well that her siblings were fighting again. "Eh, Akane....I'll
call back later. The two are at it again. See you tonight. Bye." She then
heard Ranma's kiss just before he hung up. "Bye." Akane said to herself. She
then swung her chair around and looked out the view of the city, paused a
few moments, then closed her eyes.

Later in the day, in a plush, open air, restaurant just across the office
where Akane worked, she was having her usual lunch date with her sister
Nabiki.

"So did you call him?" Nabiki sat across the table. "Hai. Right after my
presentation." Nabiki was Akane's constant companion during mid-day breaks,
and they would always talk about home, or each other's husbands, but never
work.

"How's your two kids? Fighting again?" Nabiki grinned back at her younger
sister. Akane apparently ignored her by busily reading some news.

"Why don't you do what I do, sis. Hire someone." Akane just smiled back.
"Well, Ranma doesn't like the idea of...having a total stranger taking care
of our childrem, oneechan. Besides, he's doing fine."

Nabiki only had a laugh to offer as a reply. Akane just ignored her again,
knowing how her sister's marriage to Tatewaki Kuno, it would have been
probably the best decision not to let the father reared her children. In
Ranma's case though, she has full confidence in him.

"Sorry guys, I guess I'm late again." A young lady carrying a small boy had
just joined the table of Nabiki and Akane.

"Hello, Kounji-san." Nabiki greeted, "And how is my little nephew?" Akane
greeted Ukyou Kounji and also was delighted to see the small boy. "My,
Ucchan. He's getting so big. Give Auntie Akane a kiss." The kid changed
hands and is now receiving Akane's tender loving care.

"So, Akane. Have you talked with Ran-chan?" Ukyou asked after giving her
order to the prompt waiter that approached the table. Akane nodded while
making funny faces to Ukyou's son. "I see." Akane curiously looked at her
friend upon noting the remorseful statement. "What's wrong Ucchan?" Then
Ukyou surprisingly cried out in tears, which caught the two Tendo sisters
off guard.

Ranma spent the whole morning running around the dojo after his two kids.
The rampage of the Saotomes didn't spare even Kasumi and her peaceful
kitchen. By lunchtime though things have somehow settled a bit. Ranma still
had trouble separating his two children from grabbing each other's food.
Kasumi only smiled, often remembering how only years ago the same things
happened to two other houseguests.

"Ranma, is Akane coming home today?" Kasumi asked his brother-in-law as she
was cleaning up. Ranma only nodded back, as his attention was concentrated
on his two daughters that he was trying to get to sleep for the afternoon.
Soun Tendo, the father, couldn't stop his crying as he saw how Ranma was
attending to his granddaughters. Though he often wondered why until now the
two haven't followed a son to their two daughters. Every time he mentioned
it to his daughter and son-in-law, they quickly changed the subject. He was
about to ask it again to Ranma so he followed him upstairs. Suddenly the
phone rang.

"Hello, Tendo and Saotome residence." Kasumi answered in her usual
nonchalant way. "Oh, Shampoo..." Ranma glanced at the phone when he heard
but continued up the stairs carrying his kids to bed. "Oh, We'll be seeing
you then, Goodbye." Kasumi then noticed Ranma's quizzical look. "What did
she want, Kasumi?" Ranma had just come down the stairs after avoiding Soun's
marital questions again.

Kasumi never got to answer him as their attention shifted to the front gate.
Ranma opened the door and was promptly greeted by the hug of a young child.
"Daddy!" Ranma, though initially surprised, was delighted to see the
toddler. "Tadaima!" Akane smiled as she saw the sight of Ranma and her
nephew. Ukyou took hold of her son and gave Ranma a cheek kiss as she
entered the household. Nabiki only passed by. Akane on the other hand stood
by, gleaming a starry look at her husband she had not seen since last week.

"Hi, you're home early?" Ranma and Akane felt tensed but soon gave an
exasperated laugh. They hugged and kissed, which Nabiki promptly timed as
she was standing at the doorway. A few minutes later the two finally broke
off. "Are they asleep?" Akane walked with Ranma toward the living room,
passing by Nabiki who was writing something on a notepad. "Hai." Ranma
noticed Akane was nervous. "What's wrong?"

Akane sat on the sofa before she even tried to answer. Ukyou too looked
nervous, Ranma noted. "Ok, what's going on?" Ranma looked annoyed at the two
as his son had jumped off Ukyou and had ran up towards his lap. "Well, its
Shampoo?" Ranma blinked and interrupted his wife explanation. "Shampoo? Why,
she just called. Isn't that right Kasumi? I think she's coming over." His
last statement drew looks of apprehension from the two women, and even
Nabiki frowned a bit at the news.

"Eh, Ranma. Shampoo found out. I'm sorry..." Ukyou grabbed her son back from
its father. Ranma froze a bit, not really comprehending what to make of
Ukyou's statement, and looked at his wife. Akane let out a sigh and leaned
over to him. "What are we going to do now?"

"Shampoo! Stop it!" Ryouga pleaded as he was trying to evade most of the
broken chairs Shampoo was throwing all around the Nekohaten. Mousse,
Shampoo's wife was in one corner protecting his three sons from the wrath of
their amazon mother.

"It's not fair!" Shampoo finally heaved the counter top, sending it crashing
through Ryouga. She then settled a bit and then busted out of the place in a
hurry. Ryouga and Mousse could only run after her and with the three tykes
following them really having no clue why their mother suddenly wrecked the
restaurant.

"Did you say...She knows. How?" Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and looked at
Ukyou and his son. "Does Ryouga know?"

"Eh, Actually he's the one that hinted Shampoo...but it was purely
accidental, Really." Ukyou nervously tried to explain her side, clutching
her son closely to her. "Where is he now?" Ranma's was desperately thinking
of a solution to his impending problem.

Kasumi graciously open the gate of the dojo. "Well hello there, Ryouga, and
hello there Shampoo, Mousse. Its been a..." Kasumi was startled as Shampoo
stormed inside, while the two with her desperately holding her back but
without success. "Shampoo! Come on, don't do this..." Ryouga had his arms
wrapped around the amazon's waist but still he wasn't able to slow her down.
"Eh, Kasumi. Could you please..." Mousse, who was also trying the same to
Ryouga, pointed out to the three little children that followed them inside.

"Auntie Kasumi!" The three kids cried out in unison. "Oh, my! Hello. Please,
come inside. I think I have some cookies for you. You three like cookies?"
The active tykes graciously applauded in almost the same joyful way.
"Cookies!" The kids ran inside, followed by Kasumi.

"RANMA!" The three shuddered knowing that only one person could only voice
Ranma Saotome's name in such a high pitch and tone.

Ranma stood up and saw the haphazard approach of Mousse's wife, Shampoo.
"Shampoo! Its...nice to see you..." Ranma head jerked back by the force of
Shampoo's swinging hand. Then all of them paused for a moment, till Shampoo
broke out in tears.



Chapter 2


Kasumi Tendo didn't mind looking out for children. She loves them, and often
she would cook her best snacks for these children of her sisters and
friends. Although her own chance to have some was ultimately destroyed by a
wickedly cursed accident that happened seven years ago, she didn't show her
own sadness.

"Hey, that's mine!" Like any kitchen where children are left to roam around
with food, it becomes a sort of combat zone. Kasumi sat down with the kids
and handed out more cookies. "Don't fight please. Auntie Kasumi won't give
anymore if you do." That did the trick, as the children quietly went on
eating.

In the adjacent room, three couples had suddenly found themselves in a
familiar situation. Ranma was sitting on one sofa clutching his wife Akane.
The sulking Shampoo was being restrained and comforted by her husband, while
Ukyou was lambasting a few angry words at her own husband Ryouga on how he
was restraining Shampoo a while ago. Nabiki then decided to initiate the
peace talks.

"Ok, what's wrong with this picture." Nabiki was trying to inject a little
musing on what everybody knew was a boiling pot that was due to burst at any
moment.

"It's not fair!" Shampoo had stopped her sobbing and let out an angry glare
at her once true love and another angry look at Ukyou. "Hey, remember who
started the mess, Shampoo!" Ukyou blurted out. Everyone was tensed, as if
old deep feelings where again being awaken. Ranma looked at Akane who had
her eyes closed, and a glint of tears about to flow out of them. "That's
enough!" Ranma had never raised his voice in years, especially in front of
Akane since the ordeal that happened when he found out about his son. He
turned back at Akane, who was surprised as everyone else in the room. "We
all agreed not to talk about what happened." Ranma shot an angry look at
Ryouga, evidently the culprit for mentioning that he has a son with Ukyou.

"No...Shampoo want a son too." Shampoo helplessly tried to appeal. "But you
already have three." Nabiki jested but no one found her amusing. Just then
Akane cried in Ranma's arms.

"I hate myself...I hate what had happened to me! I want to ki..." Ranma
quickly pressed his finger to her lips, muting her. "Don't ever say that
Akane." Ranma then wiped the tears from her eyes.

Just then a crew of active children bursted into the scene, running up to
each of their parents and jumping up to their waiting arms. Kasumi entered
carrying a tray of cookies and glasses. "My, isn't this a lovely reunion.
Cookies anyone?"

The room fell silent for the adults. Although the cries and screams of the
kids around them didn't really made them stop the conversation, it was
Kasumi herself that curtailed the hostility. Shampoo looked at the eldest of
the Tendo sisters. Remembering how Kasumi must be feeling right now. Guilt
then crept into her head. "Shampoo...am sorry." Shampoo cowardly bowed her
head. Kasumi blinked at Shampoo's curious apology. "What do you mean?"

"Daddy!" The little tyke jumped up and was quickly grabbed by Ranma. Ranma
saw the happy face in front of him and quickly drew resentment with the way
they could have been arguing about this little child. "Look, Shampoo."
Everyone who by now was carrying a child in his or her lap looked at Ranma
and his son. "Our children are innocent, lets not drag them into our
troubles, Ok." Shampoo only nodded in affirmation, then tightened her hug on
her own son.

"What's this, are we having a party?" Soun Tendo had down the stairs to
investigate all the noises he'd heard. Everyone in the room nervously looked
up. "No, Daddy...we were just discussing something." Acting as the fireman
dousing the flame of curiosity, Nabiki knew that her father doesn't know
anything about the problem. "We were only discussing Ranma's son." Kasumi
didn’t fully comprehend what she just said, but everyone that knew was
dreaded by her revelation.

"Son? Ranma doesn't have a..." Soun Tendo then stared at the young boy Ranma
had on his son-in-law's lap. Well the young lad did somewhat look like
Ranma, he thought. "No, that can't be." The boy was Kuonji-san's child, Soun
rationalized. His mind was racing with unspeakable ideas. Ranma hurriedly
let the little boy off his lap upon noticing the stare. But that was the
worst thing he could have done, as the boy returned to him crying out
'Daddy'. "Oh, oh." Ukyou said to herself. Her own attempts to attract her
son's attention failed.

"Ranma!" Soun was thinking of the unspeakable, and his anger was growing
exponentially. "No, don't tell me..." Soun had advance and was looming above
Ranma. "Ranma! Is...that yours?" Soun prayed that Ranma had an explanation
to put to rest the ideas that had just brewed in his mind. But unfortunately
for everyone, the child confirmed the sins of his parents. Soun, shocked out
of his wits, fell on the floor unconscious. "Daddy!" cried three women.


Chapter 3

Akane was now in the children's room. She was stroking the lush dark hair of
her youngest. "I'm sorry, Akane...I didn't mean to..." Shampoo stood beside
her and so was Ukyou.

"No, Shampoo...I'm the one who should thank you." Akane held her friend's
hand and that of Ukyou. "You’re the reason I have my precious daughters."
Shampoo was caught unexpected by Akane's statement. "But..." Akane smiled
and again looked at her daughter.

"You know what..." Ukyou felt uneasy with what she had to say. "I feel awful
for Kasumi. I don't know how she could..." Akane look back at Ukyou,
effectively interrupting her.

Before Akane spoke she sadly sighed. "Actually she can't, but she's pretty
strong. At nights I'd hear her cry in her room. But whenever I try to
comfort her, I would only cry along with her."

"If only I had known what great-grandmother was up to after your wedding, I
would have stopped her." Shampoo dejectedly confessed and hesitantly looked
at her friends.

"I'm still grateful, Shampoo."

Downstairs his two daughters were attending to the semi-unconscious figure
of Soun Tendo.

"Come on Daddy, it's not that bad." Nabiki chided her father.

"Not bad!" Soun cried. "This is a disgrace."

"But Father, my husband is looking for a cure." Kasumi handed her father
some of her baked cookies and a glass of juice. "Delicious. Well, I guess it
isn't that bad. I just hope Mrs. Saotome doesn’t learn about this."

Then the three heard a knock on the gate, and someone opening it.

"Mr. Tendo, Mr. and Mrs. Saotome are here." Ryouga happily announced through
the doorway. Soun tried to hide but her two daughters have suddenly
disappeared.

"Hello Tendo. It's been a long time." Genma happily hugged Soun and and
greeted his old friend. Soun nervously showed delight in the unannounced
arrival. "Hello Soun," cheered Nodoka Saotome, "And how is our two children,
and grandchildren." Soun backed-up nervously and had really nothing to say.
Just then a burst of children rampaged across the room. "Panda!!!" The
little kids just overwhelmed the elder Saotomes. Frantically following the
troop was Ranma and Mousse. "Eh,...Hi Mom, Pops."

"Oh, Akane...Mr. and Mrs. Saotome are here." Kasumi announced through the
opened doorway. Akane jerked up and felt uneasy on the news her sister just
gave her. "Do they know?" Ukyou nervously asked. Akane swung her head and
rose from the bed carrying her daughter. "Grandpa Panda is here?" The eldest
of the Saotome sisters asked her mother. "Want to see them, honey?" The
child only screamed in delight and chanting "panda" as she hurried off out
the room. Shampoo and Ukyou followed Akane out of the room, closing the door
behind them.


Chapter 4

The whole troop of kids was busily wearing out Mr. Saotome in his cursed
form. Genma would always remind himself to be very careful when his
granddaughters and the other children played with him. The kids often jumped
on his back, pull on his sore ears, and just roll him over and around.

"Are you staying for dinner, Auntie?" Kasumi asked Nodoka while she was
looking out for the children. "Yes, Kasumi. We were hoping to catch up on
what's happening here." Nodoka smiled and then returned her gaze to intently
guard her granddaughters safety.

"What do you want Shampoo to cook?" Shampoo was already pre-heating the wok
and had a cute pink apron on when Kasumi entered the kitchen. "Oh,
Shampoo...I didn't..." Kasumi then noticed that Akane and Ukyou was also in
the kitchen sporting similar outfits. "Eh, Can we help, oneechan?" It was
clear that the three were avoiding the guest outside but Kasumi didn't mind
the extra help. Nabiki thought of helping too, but she knew all too well the
role she had to play in keeping Mr. and Mrs. Saotome uninformed about the
predicament his father had just learned.

"Hello, Kasumi!" Dr. Tofu was knocking on the gate of the Tendo dojo. Ryouga
again opened the doorway. "Hibiki-san, it's been a while since I saw you."
Ryouga and Tofu stared a few seconds before laughing out loud. "That's
funny, Tofu-sensei. We just saw each other last week." Ryouga let Dr. Tofu
enter but didn't walk with him inside. "Aren't you coming inside, Ryouga?"
Ryouga sighed when asked. "Gomen, I have to stay here or i'll end up lost
again. It happened to me last week and I ended up in China, remember."
Ryouga chuckled recalling how his wanderings last week led him into China
and meeting up with Kasumi's husband.

Dr. Tofu was about to enter the household when he was stopped by the sudden
presence of Ukyou. "Dr. Tofu...you're back?" Ukyou face was filled with
mixed emotions. "Yes, I am Kounji-san." Ukyou then dragged Ryouga inside
escorting the doctor that was about to cure all of the family's problems.

Everyone had already gathered at the table and was only waiting for Ukyou to
call her husband. Ranma was nervously avoiding topics that concerned about
his children when his mother started asking for updates these past years
they've been away. Imagine the surprise on everyone's faces when Kasumi's
husband appeared through the doorway.

Kasumi was so surprised that she accidentally dropped a pitcher of cold
refreshments. Unfortunately for Ranma the sudden coldness turned him to his
cursed form.

"Kasumi..." They met and hugged each other. Jubilantly Ukyou whispered to
Akane and Shampoo the magnificent news, and it quickly spread to their
husbands as well. "Dr. Tofu you are going to cure my daughters! Are you?!
Hmm?" Soun couldn't hold back his grave anticipation. Unfortunately Nabiki
knew that her father's outburst blew their cover.

"Is something wrong with Kasumi?" Nodoka quizzically looked at the eldest of
Soun's daughters. Nabiki desperately tried to manage the delicate situation.
"There's nothing wrong, Auntie?" Unfortunately someone else's words broke
the illusion. "I've found the cure, my wife." Dr. Tofu's announcement
sparked jubilation among the couples though it had a different reaction from
Genma and Nodoka.

"Let me see. Seven years ago Cologne brought sake that took away all the
ability of Kasumi to give birth." Genma was trying to comprehend the short
and discontinuous explanations Ranma and the rest of the family was giving
them. "How dreadful." Nodoka exasperated in disbelief. "But why would she do
that to Kasumi?"

Nabiki was eagerly listening to the conversation, noting if anything her
sister and friends would say would lead to the discovery of Ranma's son.
"Enough of this small talk." Nabiki clearly was trying to change the topic,
but as it looks like the hype of the news of a cure had caught up with her
friends and family.

Dr. Tofu brought out several things from a travel bag and laid them on the
table. "Oh, Akane...you mean that..." Nodoka again showed distraught when
she discovered another truth. Nabiki could only grimace knowing any time now
the real cruel truth would finally be revealed. "Is that the cure?" Ranma
anxiously asked Dr. Tofu.

"I've got something to tell everyone." Dr. Tofu divulged after setting up
what everyone thought was the cure for Kasumi, Akane, and Shampoo. "We've
got a small...problem." The mood swiftly changed inside the room and
everyone turned and looked at each other then at the doctor. "What do you
mean?" Soun nervously asked. "Well, in the years I've been searching, I've
only been able to gather enough of the cure for...only one person."
Everybody that knew enough was stunned.

"Then what are those?" Akane and Shampoo dreadfully asked Dr. Tofu.
"Nyannichuan." The sound of bodies falling to ground then was heard.


Chapter 5

Nabiki left the living room and wanted to look out the porch and into the
evening sky. Ryouga was already there and was also starring at something.
"Ryouga?" Nabiki casually stepped in and stared at him. Ryouga, though, was
thinking and didn't notice the question. Nabiki then turned around and
looked toward the inside of the dojo. "What do you suppose are Ranma's
chances?" Ryouga's thought was broken and quickly glanced at Nabiki. "What
do you mean?"

"You know, being pregnant for nine months." Nabiki giggled knowing how
impossible the thought might be. Ryouga drew a deep breath before answering.
"I don't know. I wouldn't mind though." He turned back looking at the dark
horizon. Nabiki blinked, as she didn't comprehend Ryouga's statement. "I
would do it, if only to have a child with Ukyou." Ryouga then silently
walked away.

"Mom, please!" Ranma pleaded under the katana blade positioned precariously
above his gaping nape. Nodoka had tied up Ranma and was now about to heave
her sword up into the air. In the background was Akane's screaming pleas to
her auntie not to execute her husband. "You have...disgraced your father and
me for the last time Ranma!" Nodoka raised her blade. "Ok, I'll do it."
Ranma finally conceded to a ludicrous idea and his mom immediately withdrew
her sword. "Ranma, what are you saying?" Akane freed Ranma and tearfully
hugged him. "If it’s the only way, Akane. I'll do it." They then lose
themselves in their kiss.



Nine Months Later

"Congratulations Mrs. Saotome. You've got a healthy baby boy." The doctor
happily announced to Akane who was waiting for that news with her two
daughters. She hurriedly left the rest of the family just as another doctor
was giving news about her sister's giving birth.

"He's so cute! Just like his father." Akane took into her arms the third of
her siblings. Ranma, though still weakened by the whole experience, happily
hugged his two other children. "How are the others?" Ranma lay back on the
hospital bed and was still nauseous about the whole birth process he had
just gone through. "Oneechan just gave birth to a baby girl. Ucchan said
Ryouga won't be due until tomorrow." Akane giggled recalling what her
husband and Ucchan's Ryouga had to go through these past months.

"Where is Shampoo, Mousse?" Ranma was closing his eyes as his body was
in need of rest. "I think she's in the nursery, Ranma." Mousse was lying in
an adjacent bed inside the same room.

"Remind me never to do this again, Ok." Ranma jested to Akane. "I second
that!" Mousse added and Akane could only laugh and smile at her new son.



-END-



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Andrew M. Petalik - For convincing me to lose sleep on this one.
David Johnston - For all his constant valuable comments
David Lerman - For pointing out possible conflicts
Eric McGinnis - For thinking the same way as I did to come up with the
ending
TekkaKnight WarHammer, Hunter Kid, Tom Schauer, Zen - for their criticism
and apreciation
The moderators and subscribers of the FFML
and
Rumiko Takahashi - of course