Here's a draft of the newest chapters
C&C would be appreciated


Chapter 73

Akane opened her eyes, turned off the alarm, and wriggled out of
Ranma's embrace.  She quietly walked into the kitchen and dialed
Nerima.  It was very early, but Kasumi had probably been awake long
before Akane.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Kasumi."

"Akane?  Why are you calling so early?  Is something wrong?"

"Everything's fine here, but I'm worried about you.  I want you to be
very careful, Sis.  Watch out for Mousse--he can be very dangerous."

"That's what Shampoo said, but I don't think he would harm me."

Akane groaned in exasperation.

"Yes he would!  Don't you understand?  When he was trying to curse
Ranma, he threw the water at him even though he was in a crowd of
children!  When Mousse is angry, he doesn't care who might get hurt,
who might be in the way.  If he gets angry at you, he's not going to
care that you can't defend yourself.  Please, Sis, be careful!"

Akane jumped when the phone was taken from her hands.

"Kasumi?  Listen to Akane.  Remember what Shampoo told us--he's been
fooling her all these years.  He's stronger than her, and she's afraid
of him.  I didn't think Shampoo would be afraid of anything!  I don't
want you wandering around alone.  If you have to go out, take your
father with you."

"But Ranma, Father never goes with me to the market!"

"He's going to start now.  Is he up?"

"He came downstairs a few minutes ago.  I'll put him on."

"Son, what seems to be the problem?"

"It's Mousse.  I think Kasumi may be in some danger from him.  I want
you to watch over her, please."

At first, Soun started to get angry.  What gave Ranma the right to
tell him what to do?  Then he stopped to think.  He'd made Ranma
promise to protect Akane.  Now Ranma wanted him to protect Kasumi.  It
was only right.  A father should protect his daughter.

"I'll take good care of her, Son.  Mousse wants to know where Shampoo
is.  May I assume that the three of you know, ?"

"We do, but we're not about to tell you.  Then you don't have to lie
about it."

Soun and Ranma spoke for several minutes more, discussing the
precautions they felt were necessary in order to assure Kasumi's
safety.  Ranma hung up, and the phone rang again almost immediately.
Shiro was on the other end.

"We were finalizing our plans, Ranma.  The wedding is set for Sunday.
I'll pick up train tickets for the two of you, and send one to
Kasumi."

"Sunday?  We can't come!"

There was a long silence on the other end.

"Why not?"

"The play runs Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and then the next
Friday and Saturday."

Ranma waited, trying to hear what Shiro and Shampoo were saying in the
background.

"Okay, a week from Sunday, then.  I can't get married without my best
friend to help me through it!  After all, I did it for you.  OUCH!"

Akane heard Shiro's exclamation, even though she wasn't the one
holding the phone.  Her questioning look made Ranma laugh.

"Seems Shampoo just hit Shiro.  I take it she didn't care for his
remark about needing my help to get through the wedding."

*****

Mousse spent all of the spare time he had searching for Shampoo.  He'd
asked every shopkeeper in the area if they'd seen or spoken to her,
and had even questioned the teacher of her Japanese class.  Everyone
had been very polite, but none of them had any information for him.
When he went to the train station, the ticket seller recalled seeing
her, but could not remember which train she took.  Mousse nearly
reached in through the window to grab him, thought better of it, and
stalked off.  The ticket seller watched him go, hoping the violent
young man would never find the girl he sought.

Every time Mousse saw Kasumi, she was with her father.  Mousse had
never paid much attention to the oldest Tendo daughter, but something
about this bothered him.  Mr. Tendo was giving him the oddest looks.
After a few days, Mousse was convinced that Mr.. Tendo was
"protecting" his daughter from him.  If that was the case, there had
to be a reason, and he concluded that it must have something to do
with Shampoo's disappearance.  Cologne had been unable to find
Shampoo, and Mousse was growing increasingly impatient with the
situation.  He had to find Shampoo, no matter what methods he used.

*****

Shampoo put on a bibbed apron, rolled up her sleeves, and sat down at
the worktable.  After a few days of idleness, she'd practically begged
Mrs. Hayasuka to be permitted to help out in the greenhouse.  Her
future mother-in-law nodded, took her into the greenhouse, and gave
her into the hands of the head gardener.

While separating seedlings for potting, Shampoo noted that the bruises
on her arms were fading.  When Shiro had seen the results of Mousse's
rough handling of her, he had been furious.  Shampoo concentrated on
what she was doing, trying to put thoughts of Mousse out of her head.
Hopefully, he would never find her.  She hadn't left anything behind
that could possibly give him a clue.

The work that she was doing soothed Shampoo, and after a while she was
so absorbed in it that she didn't note the passing of time.  When the
other workers in the greenhouse got up to take their morning break she
remained behind, unnoticed.  That was when the automatic sprinklers
kicked in.

Shampoo-cat dragged her dress into a corner of the greenhouse and hid
it.  She did the same for the rest of her things, and then stood by
the door, hiding behind a large flowerpot.  Eventually, someone opened
the door and she ran towards the house.

Mrs. Hayasuka set out the tea service and looked at the clock.
Shampoo had agreed to leave the greenhouse mid-morning and have tea
with her, but she was late.  That made her smile.  It seemed that
Shampoo was developing a love for gardening, and that would only make
her and Shiro grow closer.  She went to the front door and opened it
to see if Shampoo was on her way from the greenhouse.

This was Shampoo's chance.  If she could slip into the house before
Mrs. Hayasuka saw her, then she could get to some hot water.
Unfortunately, Shampoo's tail brushed against Mrs. Hayasuka's leg, and
she looked down.  She saw a damp cat, with muddy front paws.  She
would have thought nothing of it, except that the cat had very
familiar ornaments in the long fur at the sides of her head.

The cat was starting to back away when Mrs. Hayasuka picked it up and
looked carefully into its face.

"My God, I don't believe it!  He told me, and I didn't believe him!"

She took a deep, shuddering breath and continued.

"Please, tell me you're Shampoo's pet!  If you're not. . .I have to
make sure."

Mrs. Hayasuka ran to the bathroom, and turned on the shower.  She
placed the cat inside and had to struggle to keep herself from passing
out when Shampoo changed back to human form.  She left the bathroom to
give the obviously upset girl some privacy, and poured herself a cup
of tea with shaking hands.  A little while later, Shampoo entered the
room, and hesitantly approached her.

"Sit down, dear.  It's all right."

"Shiro told me that he explained my curse to you, but I didn't want
you to see it."

"Yes, I can understand that.  It's a little--it will take time for me
to get used to it.  Shiro told me there may be a spring in China that
could cure you?  Are you going to find it when you go?"

Shampoo shook her head sadly.

"It's not there any more.  There was an. . .accident, and all of the
springs ran together and formed a lake.  I'd heard that the man who
lives there drained it, but I don't think the springs came back,
because my father would have written to tell me."

"Do you think that's a possibility?"

"I don't know."

Shampoo hesitated, and Mrs. Hayasuka saw the pain on her face as she
began to weep.

"Maybe now you won't want me to marry your son, Mrs. Hayasuka.  I
would understand if you wanted me to go away."

To her surprise, Mrs. Hayasuka gathered Shampoo into her arms.

"And break my son's heart, and yours?  Never."

Mrs. Hayasuka gave Shampoo a hug, and smiled at her.

"Isn't it time you started calling me Mom?"

*****

"Guys, could you turn the lights back on, please?"

Ranma had just shut down his spotlights, and he wondered why Yoshimi
wanted them back up again.  Then he saw a couple of familiar-looking
people walking onto the stage.  It took a couple of seconds for him to
remember who they were:  members of the Journalism Club, carrying
notepads and cameras.

Yoshimi conferred with them for a minute, and then began organizing
the members of the cast for group shots.  After those were complete,
they began taking individual shots of the cast.  Ranma came down from
the catwalk and stood beside Yoshimi, watching the process.

"Trying to sell more tickets, Yosh?"

The first response he got was a grin.

"You bet.  They're doing a full write-up on the play, with pictures.
I'm hoping for a sellout."

Two days later, when the paper came out, it seemed that everyone on
campus was carrying one.

When Akane opened her copy, she was pleased to see an article about
Mishi's success at the fashion competition in Tokyo.  The article
included a picture of her standing next to Akane's wedding kimono,
which was on a display stand.  Akane was amused to see that there was
a second photo of Mishi in her Sailor Mars costume, with a note that
she had designed all of the costumes for the play.  Between that and
the photos and article about the play, there seemed to be a picture of
Mishi on every page.

As a result of the publicity, Akane and the other members of the cast
were  subjected to a lot of attention on campus.  Akane handled it
better than she had previously, actually laughing about it.  Mishi, on
the other hand, seemed to be very nervous most of the time, and this
made Akane curious enough to question her friend at lunch.

"Mishi, are you okay?  You've been jumpy all day."

Akane watched her normally self-confident friend blush, and look down
at her plate.

"You're going to think I'm really silly."

"Don't worry about it.  Maybe I can help."

"I wish we hadn't dared each other to be in the play.  I like to stay
behind the scenes, and I should have stayed there!"

"Why?"

Mishi's answer was a whisper.

"I get the worst stage fright.  What if I freeze up during the play?"

"You won't!  You've been fine so far.  Besides, there's only one cure
I ever heard of for stage fright."

Mishi grabbed Akane's wrist.

"What is it?  I'll try anything!"

Akane grinned.

"It's called the performance."

Despite Akane's outward show of confidence, she was as nervous as her
friend, and it was getting worse.  Ranma recognized the signs and (for
once) wisely held his tongue, but Shiro was not so perceptive.  When
she failed to respond to one of his questions at lunch on Friday, he
gently teased her about it.  She blew up at him, and stormed off.

"Ranma, what's the matter with Akane?  You two have a fight or
something?"

Ranma just laughed.

"Nah, it's the play.  She's all wound up about it.  Funny thing, I
think this is scaring her more than our wedding did."

Shiro spilled his tea.

"Heh.  Guess I shouldn't say that word in front of you right now."


Chapter 74

Akane set the cookbook on the counter, and read the "rules" again.
She knew them by heart, but today it seemed necessary to read them
again.

*Read recipes carefully and thoroughly.
*Check all cooking equipment and place within reach.
*Arrange all necessary seasonings, spices and herbs on kitchen counter
or within your reach.
*Prepare measuring cups and spoons.
*Prepare all serving bowls, plates and platters near you.
*Put comfortable clothes on and wear an apron, so that you will be
psychologically ready for cooking.
*Prepare plenty of kitchen towels and paper towels.

Akane had made the necessary preparations, put on the comfortable
clothes and apron, and she still felt "off".  She ignored her
uneasiness, and put the wok on the stove to heat.  Ranma would be home
from work soon, and she wanted them to have a nice dinner before the
first performance.

The door opened as Akane was reaching for the oil, and she stopped to
smile at her husband, and welcome him home.  Something about her tone
of voice made Ranma stop short and look at her.  Akane looked
unusually tense, and her greeting made Ranma feel as if he were in her
way.

Ranma looked from his wife's face to the stove, and realized that if
they were going to survive the night he had to prevent her from
cooking.   He put a concerned look on his face, and turned off the
light under the wok.

"Put everything away, Akane.  I'll take you out."

Ranma held his breath, waiting for Akane's reaction.  She looked from
the wok to the counter, where all the ingredients were waiting to be
cooked.  Then she looked up at Ranma, her face full of confusion.

"B-but I cut everything up, and measured it. . .it's all ready.  Why?"

"You've got the play to concentrate on tonight.  Why don't we go out
for dinner?  I'll help you put everything away."

At first, Akane was angry.  She'd worked so hard to get everything
ready, and now Ranma didn't want her to cook.  Didn't he appreciate
how hard she was trying?  She struggled with an intense desire to hit
her husband, and tried to clear her mind.  Ranma wasn't trying to
insult her, he was trying to help.  She smiled at him, and tried not
to giggle when he let out a sigh of very obvious relief.

"Okay, sure.  Where do you want to go?"

"I wanted to go to Ucchan's.  Maybe Konatsu can tell us how Ukyo is
doing."

Akane merely nodded.  Ranma would never change.  Even though he had
every right to dismiss Ukyo from his life after the way she'd treated
him, he was too loyal a person to do so.  A few months ago Akane
wouldn't have understood that, and would probably have accused Ranma
of preferring Ukyo to her.   She was glad that she'd learned to trust
him, at least some of the time.

*****

Ukyo's therapist picked up his recorder, and clicked it on.

"Status notes on patient Ukyo Kuonji.  See notes for previous five
days for reference.  Miss Kuonji had been making some progress.  After
several days of denial, she admitted that the object of her obsession,
Ranma Saotome, has a wife that he loves.  It took another day for her
to be able to state that he does not love her.  Although she said it,
and claims to believe it, I tend to think she was saying what she
thought I wanted to hear.  She seemed filled with anger towards him.

"The very next day, she took a large step backwards.  She insisted
that she was going to give Ranma a child.  When I asked her to explain
herself, she explained that it was a matter of "honor" for Ranma.
This turnaround from anger to desire shows the patient's instability.
The speed of it, however, makes me wonder if the idea came from an
outside source.

"Ukyo has had two visitors that I know of.  The young man Konatsu
comes daily, and seems very concerned about her.  I know she was
visited by a woman yesterday who spent some time with her.  Tomorrow I
will check with the nurses and get her name."

*****

The Saotomes turned the corner, and saw a crowd in front of Ucchan's.

"Ranma, is that a line?"

"Yeah, it is.  What's up?  Konatsu doesn't cook anywhere near as good
as Ukyo does."

"If that means Ukyo is back, we're finding somewhere else to eat."

Ranma was going to object, but the look in Akane's eyes and the set of
her jaw convinced him otherwise.  His wife was tense enough tonight
without adding to it.  Then the restaurant door opened and Ranma
gasped as he saw panda exiting the restaurant, holding up a large sign
advertising the night's special.

Seconds later the panda had been grabbed by both arms and pulled
around the corner.

"Pop, what the hell are you doing here?"

Genma just shrugged, and began pulling more signs out of the air.

**DON'T BLAME ME!!**

**IT WAS YOUR MOTHER'S IDEA!**

Genma then pushed Ranma and Akane into the restaurant.

Ucchan's was full of happy diners when they entered.  Nodoka looked up
from the grill and waved at her son.  The smile she gave Akane was not
quite as warm.  Ranma didn't notice, but Akane did, and her heart
sank.  She was very fond of Ranma's mother, and didn't want Nodoka to
be angry at her; but that wasn't going to make her change her mind.
Ukyo was not going to lay a finger on her husband.

Akane pushed the unpleasant thought aside, and smiled at her
mother-in-law.  She and Ranma started to sit down at the counter, but
Nodoka shook her head and pointed toward a small table against the
wall.  Nodoka motioned for Konatsu to take over at the grill, and
joined her son and his wife.  Ranma stood when she reached them, and
gave her a hug.

"Mom, when did you get here, and why are you working here?"

"We arrived on Monday, Ranma.  Your father and I are going to work,
unpaid, until Ukyo's dowry is repaid.  I also feel responsible for her
well-being, and I'm going to be a mother to her."

Ranma nodded.  His mother's idea seemed to make sense, especially the
part about being a mother to Ukyo.  He would rather see Nodoka take
Ukyo as a daughter than push her at him for a mistress.  Then he
turned his mother back toward the grill, and pointed.

"It will take forever if you let Pop keep eating up all the profits."

Nodoka smile disappeared.  Genma was munching the last of an
okonomiyaki, and had another in his hand.  She ran back to the grill,
and pushed her husband towards the kitchen.

"I'm sure there are plenty of dishes to wash, Dearest."

The restaurant was crowded, and Nodoka was busy.  She didn't notice
that Ranma and Akane had finished eating and were ready to leave until
they stopped at the counter to say good bye.

"You're leaving?  Can't you visit for a while?"

"Not tonight, Mom.  It's opening night for the play.  Can you come for
the matinee tomorrow?  We can leave tickets at the theater for you and
Pop."

Nodoka hesitated, and Konatsu spoke up.

"Go ahead, Mrs. Saotome.  I can take care of things here while you and
Mr. Saotome go to the play."

*****

Ranma watched as Akane applied her makeup.  Normally, Akane's makeup
was rather understated, and the theatrical makeup was quite a
contrast.

"Do you really have to put all that junk on?"

"Yes."

"What for?"

"So the people in the back row can see me."

"Who'd want to look at an uncute girl like you anyway?"

"OUT!!  Get out!!"

A laughing Ranma escaped before Akane could find something to throw at
him.  He walked onstage and peeked through the curtains, noting that
they had a nearly full house.  Tonight was going to be fun.

Akane returned to her mirror, giggling.  Ranma hadn't fooled her, not
a bit.  He'd teased her to help her to relax, and forget her
nervousness.  The funny part about it was that even though she knew
what he was up to, it had still worked.

Mishi clung tightly to Akane's hand as they walked onto the stage.
She could hear the murmurs of the audience coming from the other side
of the curtain, and swallowed nervously.  Ranma's voice coming from
above made the two girls look up.

"Hey you two!  Break a leg!"

*****

The audience watched, spellbound, as the Sailor Scouts battled the
demon.  The stage was in semi-darkness, with spotlights following
whichever Scout was doing the attacking.  At that moment, it was
Sailor Mercury, and Akane was bathed in a blue spotlight.  She raised
her cupped hands to just under her chin, and a ball of reddish-colored
light began to grow between them.  The ball left her hands, and sped
toward the demon, and he was surrounded by a beam of red light.

A young man sitting in the audience nudged his date.

"How did they do that?"

"Do what?"

"That bit with the light.  She had a blue light on her, so how did a
red light come from her hands?  I could see the red spotlight when it
surrounded the demon, but not when it was in her hands."

"Shh!  Stop being scientific and just watch!"

The young men in the front row were being anything but scientific.
They were too busy enjoying the view.

"Look at those legs! Just look at them!"

"Yeah, long legs, and long hair.  God, she's beautiful!"

"Who are YOU looking at?  Mars?  I think Mercury is beautiful."

The young man tore his eyes from Mishi long enough to make a face at
his friend.

"Too bad she's married then."

Three rows back, two other observers made their own comments.

"We should have gotten first row seats.  I bet from there you can see
their panties."

"Want to go again tomorrow?"

"Yeah.  I especially want a better look at Mars and Mercury."

*****

As far as the cast and crew were concerned, it was a completely
successful opening night.  No one forgot their lines, the audience
laughed when they were supposed to, gasped at the appropriate times,
and applauded thunderously at the end.

After the third curtain call, the student playing Tuxedo Mask came out
with a huge bouquet of red roses for Sailor Moon.  She blushed bright
red, and accepted them with a smile.

Akane elbowed Mishi, and whispered to her.

"I think they like each other, Mishi."

"Where have you BEEN, Akane?  That's been going on for weeks!"

A whistle from above kept Akane from replying, and she looked up at
the catwalk in time to catch the yellow rose Ranma tossed down to her.
The brilliant smile she gave him was noted by several young men in the
audience, who fervently wished she would smile at them that way.

*****

Yoshimi popped the cork from yet another champagne bottle, and poured
more glasses for everyone.

"Woderful job, evbody, woderful."

Akane picked up her glass and headed across the room to Kaori, weaving
her way around other members of the cast.  The room was crowded, and
Akane felt a hand brush her where it shouldn't have.  She whirled,
ready to send the pervert through the ceiling, but it was impossible
for her to tell who it had been.  Realizing that revenge was a lost
cause, Akane continued on to Kaori.

"You look like you're ready to kill someone.  Did you have a fight
with Ranma or something?"

Akane looked across the room to where Ranma was deep in conversation
with the other stagehands.  She put her hand up to feel the rose in
her hair, and smiled momentarily.  Then her angry look returned.

"No, it wasn't him.  Some pervert just tried to grope me."

"Who?  Did you clobber him?"

"That's the problem.  It's so crowded in here I couldn't figure out
who did it."

She downed the entire glass of champagne, set it aside, and made a
fist.

"If I ever find out who it was, I'm going to clobber him!  Did you
have any idea this party would be like this?  Not everybody here is
from the cast and crew, you know."

Kaori looked out at the crowd, and nodded.

"Yeah, I don't recognize a lot of those people, especially a lot of
the guys.  I heard that the main reason some people join the Drama
Club is because of the opening night parties."

She paused, and pointed across the room.

"They're setting up the music!  Excuse me, but I want to dance with
Yosh while he can still stand up."

The people talking in the middle of the floor were soon pushed aside
by the couples getting up to dance.  Kaori had succeeded in her quest
to snag Yoshimi and dragged him out onto the floor.  Akane was trying
hard not to laugh at the way Yoshimi was leaning on Kaori for support
when Ranma tapped her on the shoulder.

"Want to dance?"

Akane nodded, and Ranma walked her into the middle of the room.  Ranma
held her around the waist, and pulled her close to him.  After a
couple of quiet minutes of dancing, Ranma's hands began to move,
stroking his wife's back gently.  When one of his hands moved between
them, and touched her breast, she jumped.

"What's the matter?"

"We're in public, Ranma!  Besides, somebody touched me there a little
while ago."

Akane realized she'd made a mistake the moment the words left her
mouth, but the champagne had loosened her tongue.  Ranma was turning
bright red, and his grip on her was almost painful.

"Who was it?  I'll KILL him!"

People were starting to stare, causing Akane to get terribly
embarrassed.

"Shhh!  I don't know, honestly!  It's so crowded in here, and I was
trying to cross the room.  All I know is somebody touched me, and I
don't think it was an accident."

It was evident to Akane that the alcohol had affected Ranma also,
because he was rapidly losing control.  Dancing had become an
impossibility, and they moved to one side of the room.  Ranma scanned
the faces in the crowd, and turned back to his wife.

"It can't have been one of our friends from the club.  The guys all
know we're married.  I'll bet it's one of the party crashers."

"You're probably right, but there are too many of them to know which
one did it."

Akane pulled Ranma towards the dance floor.

"Come on, calm down.  Don't let this spoil the party."

The look of entreaty in Akane's eyes was enough to convince Ranma.  He
pulled her into a gentle embrace and danced with her.  He stumbled a
few seconds later, and stepped on Akane's foot.

"Sorry."

"How much champagne did you drink?"

"Dunno.  Lost count."

Akane giggled.

"So did I."

Though they danced somewhat less than gracefully, many eyes were drawn
to the couple as they moved across the floor.  One young man noticed
the look in his friend's eyes, and elbowed him.

"You're going to have to forget about that one.  She's tough enough on
her own, but I hear her husband is tougher."



Chapter 75

More and more people were beginning to go home, and Yoshimi was
running out of champagne.  He waved a couple of glasses at the
Saotomes, but they shook their heads, and put their coats on.

"Yosh, if I drink any more of that stuff, I won't be able to find my
way home.  I'm not a drinker."

Yoshimi waved a hand, knocking over one of the glasses.

"Aww, thish stuff won't hurtya, you'll be fine."

Akane giggled.

"No more for me, Yoshimi.  See you tomorrow."

When Ranma opened the door and they stepped outside, the cool air
cleared his head a little.  He took Akane's arm and began to walk
through the quiet campus.  Akane stumbled, and Ranma caught her.

"You had too much of that stuff."

"So did you."

Ranma grabbed Akane by the shoulders, and pulled her close.

"Trying to pick a fight?"

Akane's response was to stand on her toes and kiss her husband.

"No."

If Akane had anything else to say, it was effectively smothered by
Ranma's response.  He kissed her until he had to pause for breath,
then he picked her up and ran for home.

*****

"You're leaving, Mishi?'

Mishi paused, hand on the door.

"Yes, why?"

"You're not walking home by yourself.  Wait, and we'll walk you
there."

Mishi was about to object, but it was late, and it wasn't a good idea
to walk around alone.  It was nice of Toshi and her boyfriend to
offer.

The followers kept the three in sight, hoping Mishi would go off on
her own once they left campus, but her companions stayed with her.

"Damn!  I know those two live on campus.  I was sure they wouldn't
keep going."

"Maybe we'll have better luck another time."

Then he spotted another pretty girl, who was walking alone.

"Or maybe our luck has changed."

*****

"Ranma!  Wait `til we get upstairs!"

"Race you there!"

The noise in the hallway woke Mrs. Takai.  She raised her head from
her pillow, and listened to the giggling.  She smiled, and settled
down again.

"Newlyweds.  How cute."

*****

When the alarm went off Akane grabbed the clock and turned it off as
fast as she could.  How had it been set to ring so early on a Sunday?
She snuggled up to Ranma, and was on the point of falling asleep when
she remembered.

In order to be at the theater for the matinee, Ranma had switched
shifts with another employee.  He was due at the hospital in less than
an hour.  Akane leaned over, kissed Ranma's cheek, and shook him
gently.

"Ranma? Honey?  Time to get up!"

All Akane got for her trouble was a groan, so she shook him again.

"You're working this morning, remember?"

This time Ranma shot into a sitting position, eyes wide.

"I forgot!  Do I have time for breakfast?"

Ranma threw aside the blankets and dashed into the bathroom.  Akane
shivered.  Sleeping in the nude was okay when Ranma was there to keep
her warm, but the bedroom was chilly.  She got up, put on a warm robe,
and went into the kitchen to put the teakettle on, and make breakfast.
By the time she was done Ranma had showered, shaved, and dressed.  He
came up behind her as she was standing at the stove, put his arms
around her, and kissed her cheek.  Akane turned around and melted into
his arms.

"Don't tempt me, Akane.  You'll make me stay home, and we need the
money."

Ranma gave Akane an evil look, and continued.

"Besides, you're going to burn my breakfast."

Akane eeped and turned around.  The breakfast hadn't burned--yet--and
she took it off the stove and served it before it could.  Ranma
inhaled it in seconds, kissed Akane goodbye, and was gone.

*****

Ukyo had barely finished her breakfast when Nodoka came in the door.
She immediately got up and hugged her.

"I was hoping you would come today!  I think I said something wrong to
my therapist."

Nodoka settled into a chair, and patted the one next to her.

"What do you mean, dear?"

"He doesn't understand why I want to have Ranma's baby.  He told me
that since I accepted that Ranma doesn't love me, I should put him
behind me.  I tried to explain about the debt of honor, but it didn't
work."

"Ukyo, I don't think you should discuss this with him.  Men just don't
understand such things.  This can be our little secret."

Something in the back of Ukyo's mind made her wonder if she should be
keeping secrets from her doctor, but she suppressed the thought.

"Okay, it's our secret."

*****

The head of campus security sat with his assistants, looking over a
map of the campus.

"We'll need to hire some more people.  I want this area covered
better, and this one."

"That's good, but don't you think we should place some sort of notice
in the campus paper, and on our radio station?  Girls shouldn't be
going out alone at night."

The security chief looked frustrated.

"That's what I said, but Administration wouldn't hear of it.  They're
afraid their precious reputation will be tarnished if what happened
becomes public knowledge.  I did tell them that the women on campus
deserve to be informed, but they shouted me down."

"I don't like this at all.  We can't be everywhere."

*****

Akane was halfway down the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring
upstairs in the apartment.  She continued down and found her
mother-in-law on the porch.

When Nodoka saw that Akane had her coat on, she looked disappointed.

"You're going out?  I was hoping to spend some time with you and
Ranma."

"Ranma's at work, Mother Saotome.  I was going grocery shopping.
Would you like to come along?"

Nodoka watched Akane as she shopped.  After a few minutes, she began
to make suggestions, which Akane politely declined.  Nodoka looked a
little hurt, and picked up yet another item.

"You really should get this, Akane.  It's one of Ranma's favorites."

Akane looked pained.

"I know, Mother Saotome, but I have to stick to my list.  This is
about all we can afford this week."

Nodoka had the grace to blush.

"I shouldn't interfere.  I'm sorry."

Akane had to bite her tongue to keep from saying what she was
thinking.  Nodoka was apologizing for interfering with her grocery
list, but hadn't said a thing about her attempt to interfere in her
marriage.  Instead, she smiled brightly and invited Nodoka to come
back to the apartment for a cup of tea.

*****

Cologne opened the door of the Nekohanten, and looked up and down the
street.  It was obvious from her expression that she was extremely
annoyed.  Mousse was missing, and Cologne couldn't open the restaurant
without anyone to help run it.

"Where is that boy?"

Mousse was miles away.  He had seen Kasumi Tendo and her father leave
their home, and walk to the train station.  Perhaps this meant they
were going to see Shampoo.

Hoping that he would not miss their departure, Mousse had run straight
back to the Nekohanten, and retrieved some of the money he had hidden
in his room.  He ran back to the station in time to see the pair board
a train, and he got onto the next car.

Cologne gave up, and turned out the lights in the front of the
restaurant.  Evidently, Mousse was off searching for Shampoo again.
As long as he was gone, Cologne would take the opportunity to do some
more packing.  She'd already shipped off several boxes to China
without Mousse's knowledge, and within a few days she would be on her
way home.

Cologne sighed.  She wished there was some way of minimizing the
damage Mousse was going to do if and when he found Shampoo.  The only
way she had been able to think of was that of eliminating him
altogether, but she wasn't ready to take that kind of a step--yet.

*****

"I have something for you, Mother Saotome.  These were delivered
yesterday."

Akane put down her teacup and retreated to the bedroom, returning with
a box.  She opened it, and pulled out a photo album and a framed
portrait.

"These are your copies."

Nodoka cried out delight when she realized that Akane had handed her a
wedding album.

"I have to bring these to Genma right now!  He'll be so pleased."

"Won't you stay until Ranma gets home?  I wanted you to have lunch
with us."

"I'd love to, but I have to make my husband lunch, too.  We'll see you
later at the theater."

*****

Soun stopped at the newspaper stand while Kasumi asked directions.
Mousse hovered some distance behind them.  They soon started walking,
and he followed.

The line to enter the theater was long, and the line for tickets was
just as long.  Kasumi pulled tickets from her purse, and joined the
line at the entrance of the theater with her father.  Mousse looked in
his wallet, cursed, and got onto the line for tickets.

Inside the theater, Ranma watched once more as Akane applied her
makeup.

"You look so relaxed today, Akane."

Akane nodded.

"I'm not nervous at all, Ranma.  Couldn't you tell?  I didn't ruin
lunch!"

Ranma laughed.  He'd come home to find Akane cooking what she'd
started to prepare the previous day.  She'd been standing at the stove
with a smile on her face, instead of the haunted look she'd worn the
previous day.

"It was good Akane.  My turn to cook tonight?"

"As long as you're volunteering."

*****

Mousse was steaming.  It looked as though he'd wasted his time and his
money.  Kasumi and Soun were sitting some rows ahead of him, but there
was no sign of Shampoo.  He'd come all the way to Ube to see a play--a
play he had no interest in.  Mousse was tempted to leave the theater,
but since he'd already paid for the ticket, he decided to stay and
watch the show.  The playbill said that Akane was a cast member, and
Ranma was on the crew.  That explained why Soun and his daughter were
there.

A few minutes later, Genma and Nodoka Saotome passed him, and took
their seats.  Mousse sighed, and took off his glasses to polish them.
That was why he missed seeing Shiro walk in, Shampoo at his side.
Shampoo, however, did not fail to notice Mousse.

"Look!  Mousse!"

"What?"

Shampoo pointed, and ducked behind the crowd.

"Right over there.  He doesn't see us."

Shiro looked, and hurried Shampoo down the aisle to their seats.

"Let me sit on this side of you.  Then he's less likely to see you,
especially once the lights go down."

"But after--"

Shiro cut Shampoo off when he squeezed her hand gently.

"We're going backstage to see Ranma and Akane.  He won't see you."

Shampoo nodded nervously, and looked very relieved when the lights in
the auditorium dimmed.  She thought back to the previous day, as Shiro
watched her practicing.  The look in his eyes was admiring, and then
his face grew serious.

"Can you teach me some of that?"

She'd started with the basics, and Shiro tried hard, but it would be a
long time before he would be anything but a handicap in a fight.  This
convinced Shampoo that Shiro would be in more danger from Mousse than
she would.  Cologne had told her that she would try to convince Mousse
to return to China.  Shampoo hoped with all her heart that her
great-grandmother would succeed.

Her attention was brought back to the theater when the music started.


*****

For some strange reason, Mousse found himself enjoying the play.  It
was silly, and amusing, and well-acted.  Then something made him sit
up.

The scouts were fighting the demon, and Akane had a strange glow
coming from her hands.  Mousse had seen than glow more than once, and
he knew exactly what it was.

Ranma had taught his wife a chi attack.  She wasn't using it to attack
now, but was controlling the chi, limiting it to an area just outside
her hands.  That meant Akane had become more dangerous.  She'd never
be as dangerous as her husband was, but she was nonetheless someone to
take seriously.

Mousse shrugged his shoulders.  It didn't matter to him how dangerous
anyone was.  If they stood between him and Shampoo, he would get past
them.

The play ended, and Kasumi clapped enthusiastically.  Her little
sister and the rest of the cast had done a marvelous job.  She got up,
handed her weeping father a handkerchief, and dragged him towards the
front of the theater.  They needed to get backstage before Ranma and
Akane left the theater.

Shiro pulled Shampoo to her feet, and they went down the side aisle,
rather than the one where Mousse was sitting.  They started toward the
front of the theater, meaning to go backstage, but spotted Mousse
ahead of them.  Apparently, he was following someone.  Shiro looked
ahead, and spotted Kasumi and Soun Tendo.

"Come on, Shampoo.  We'll go out the side door, and around the other
side of the theater."

Kasumi and Soun were allowed into the backstage area, but Mousse was
stopped at the doors.

"Sorry.  Family members only."

"But--"

"I said, you'll have to wait for the cast at the side doors like
everyone else."

He pointed to the exit, and Mousse walked that way.

Shiro arrived at the side door, and was relieved to see a friend
there.

"Okay if we go in."

"Sure, Shiro.  Just don't tell anyone I let you in."

The doors had barely closed behind them when Mousse arrived.

"Is this door the cast uses to exit?"

"Yes, it is."

Mousse settled down to wait.  He wasn't alone.  A crowd of young men
had parked themselves there, waiting for the Sailor Scouts.  Quite a
few of them were carrying flowers.

*****

Akane was washing the makeup off when there was a knock on her
dressing room door.  Ranma opened the door a crack, and stared in
astonishment at  Kasumi and Soun.  He waved Kasumi inside, and joined
Soun.

"Akane's not dressed.  I didn't know you were coming!"

"We wanted to surprise you.  The play was wonderful!"

Soun was starting to tear up.

"It's just a play--just for fun!"

"But my little Akane did such a good job."

It looked to Ranma as if Soun was going to turn on the waterworks
again, but fortunately he was interrupted by the arrival of two other
couples--Nodoka and Genma, followed by Shampoo and Shiro.  The women
disappeared into the dressing room, while the men waited outside.
Shiro waited for the door to close before he spoke.

"Mousse is here."

Genma looked mystified when he saw the expressions of Ranma and Soun
become very serious.

"Where did you last see him?"

"He was following Kasumi and Mr. Tendo to the backstage entrance in
the auditorium.  We came in the side door."

Ranma nodded.

"They wouldn't have let him in, then.  I'll have someone check to see
if he's at the side door."

Ranma found Kenji, described Mousse, and sent him to the side door.
Kenji had no trouble spotting Mousse.  All the young men at the
entrance were surrounding the girls who had exited the theater, but
Mousse just stood there, staring at the door.  Kenji went back inside,
and reported to Ranma.

"He's there all right, and he does NOT look happy."

"Then we'll go out the front door.  Thanks, Kenji."

*****

After the initial surprise of seeing her sister, Akane was soon deep
in conversation with her, Shampoo, and Nodoka.  Shampoo had informed
her of Mousse's presence in the theater, and  Nodoka needed to be
filled in on the relationship between Shiro and Shampoo, and the
danger from Mousse.

"That man is too persistent.  Why doesn't he understand that you are
not interested?"

Akane used that question as an opportunity.

"I don't know, Mother Saotome.  I wonder the same thing about Ukyo."

Nodoka flinched, and grew quiet.

When Akane led the way out of the dressing room, she was surprised to
have Ranma take her arm and walk in the direction of the auditorium.

"Why aren't we taking the side door?"

"I had Kenji check outside.  Mousse is waiting there."

That was enough to make Akane walk faster.

Just before they got to the door, Shiro stopped everyone.

"Where are you all headed?"

Ranma responded.

"To our place.  We're going to make dinner, and Kasumi and Mr. Tendo
are going to stay overnight."

"Let us take you out."

*****

The theater manager came outside, and locked the door.  Mousse ran up
to him and took his arm.

"I didn't see everyone come out."

"There are only a few people left backstage.  The rest will go out the
front, and we'll lock up there."

Mousse took off for the front at a run.  He arrived there too late to
see the people he sought walk off across campus.

-------------------------------
to be continued
--------------------------------

Akane's "rules for cooking" were borrowed from Yukiko Moriyama's
"Japanese Cuisine For Everyone", published by Joie, Inc.  They're in
the back of the book, under "Menu Planning - Preparation".  I
recommend the book for anyone who wants to try Japanese cooking at
home.

As always, comments are welcome

karaohki@snet.net, or publicly through FFML

thanks

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