Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trouble with a Capital `A'

Chapter 2




        "So, that's what we know," Akane finished up.

         Nabiki sat in the furo with her sister, contemplating all she
had heard. "Wow. You can only have one child with Ranma."

        "Yeah, but it won't be so bad," Akane said. "Large families have
their badpoints."

         Nabiki nodded and tapped her chin. "I'll agree with you on one
thing, there are too many coincidences here and I don't believe in
coincidences." She sighed. "But I have to tell you, I don't have a clue
on where to start researching this."

         Akane sighed in response. "Me either."

         Nabiki giggled. "Nodoka-obasama is right, though. Once you have
kid, you won't have to worry about protection when you have sex."

        "Nabiki!" Akane splashed her sister.

         The other girl wiped the water off her face. "Now you know
you've never beaten me in a water fight before, sis." She returned a
tidal wave unto her sister.

        "We'll see about that!"

         Akane began to dog paddle her hands, sending torrents of water
across the furo. Nabiki retaliated as best as she could, but quickly was
forced to recede under her sister's assault. Shrieking, Nabiki leapt out
of the bathtub and grabbed the nozzle spray, which she quickly turned on
her sister.

         Akane wasn't idle. She leapt out the furo, flipped over her
sister's head, and grabbed a bucket. Nabiki's cold spray met empty air.
Turning around, Akane had already filled the bucket with cold water and
the two girls' arsenals were launched simultaneously.






         Outside the changing room door, Kasumi was assaulted by a pair
of loud female shrieks. <Oh dear. I guess I will have to clean the
bathroom later today.>

         She knocked on the door. "Breakfast will be ready shortly."

         A pair of affirmitive replies greeted her, then they quickly
changed to giggles.

         "Akane!" Ranma cried as he bolted down the hall. "I heard the
scream! Is she alright!?"

         Kasumi smiled at him. "Oh yes, Ranma-kun. Nabiki and Akane were
merely engaged in a water fight. Now if you'll excuse me, I must check
up on breakfast."

         As she departed, Ranma boggled at the fact that Akane wasn't in
danger. "But... the scream..."

         A voice called from the changing room. "Relax, Saotome. Your
fiancee's fine, if a bit wet and naked at the moment. Though if you
wanted to break in here and make sure..."

        "Nabiki!"






         Miyo and Toshi looked back and forth between the two people
sitting across from them and tried to digest the tale they were just
told. Then they both broke out laughing hysterically.

        "Hey, it's not funny!" Ariko-in-Hikaru's-body exclaimed.

        "I'm sorry, but I would've never forseen this," Miyo managed
between fits of laughter.

        "Well, can you help us?" Hikaru-in-Ariko's-body asked.

        "Give me a few minutes," Toshi said, then went back into
laughing his head off, showing more emotion then they had ever seen out
of him. Hikaru and Ariko stewed for several minutes while the
spiritualist got it out of his system. Eventually, he managed to calm
down. "Sorry. I think I can help you. Yubanaga can do a `soul
transference' and exhange two peoples' spirits. We'll need a crystal
ball, which Miyo has."

         Ariko-in-Hikaru's-body looked happy. "Great! When can we
start?"

        "Unfortunately, soul transfers are tricky at best," Toshi
explained. "Yubanaga is at full power on the night of a full moon, so
we'll have to wait the two-and-a-half weeks `til the next one."

        "You mean I have to spend almost three weeks like this?" Hikaru-
in-Ariko's-body complained.

        "Well, you always complain about how no one notices you," said
Miyo. "Well, you can get a lot of attention with that body." That
brought a new round of laughter from the two. "Just use this opportunity
to get to know one another better."

         Hikaru and Ariko groaned and slapped their forheads in unison.






         Kenji sat down under a tree for lunch. He and Ukyo had come to
school today, leaving Yuri at the restaurant to rest. He absently picked
at his food, wondering if Ukyo would speak to him ever again. As if on
cue, a shadow draped itself over him and he looked up to see Ukyo
standing in front of him. He blinked, still getting used to the fact she
had been wearing a girl's Furinken uniform for the past several weeks.

        "Um, mind if I join you?" she asked, tentatively.

         Kenji smiled nervously. "Be my guest."

         She opened her own lunch and began to eat. For several minutes,
neither said anything. Then, Ukyo felt compelled to speak.

        "Kenji-san, I have to apologize. I haven't been treating you as
well as I should have."

         Kenji blinked. "Ukyo-san? It's okay, really I..."

         She put her hand over his mouth and glared at him. "Shut up,
sugar. I'm trying to apologize here." He nodded and she removed her
hand. "My treatment of you has been... less than fair. I mean," she
started to chuckle, "I was actually getting a little jealous of your
date with Yuka, almost like I liked you or something." She started
laughing. "Can you imagine that?"

         Kenji forced himself to laugh with her. "Yeah. Imagine that! I
almost though I liked you, too!"

         The two teens laughed some more as they broke out their
lunches. The laughing died down as they were about to take the first
bite of their okonomiyaki. Then without another word, the two put down
their meals without eating, their cheeks coloring slightly.

        "Okay, maybe I lied a little," Ukyo said at last.

        "Me, too," Kenji answered her softly. "So, what do we do?"

         Ukyo shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't had much luck with
men."

        "You mean, Ranma?"

         She nodded. "Yeah. Until you, the only men who paid attention
to me were Ranma, Tsubasa, and Konatsu, all three being crossdressers.
Tsubasa was just annoying, but Konatsu wasn't so bad. He had a bad life
and I guess I just felt sorry for him. He was also very kind."

         Kenji didn't know what to say to that. The kunoichi  had given
his life for Kenji. They never found a body, but he assumed Konatsu
would show up by now if he was still alive. He looked up.

        "So what about now?" he asked, hesitantly. "Do you want to start
over and be friends?"

         She smiled at him. "I'd like that. Friends."

         He held out his hand and she shook it, matching her smile.
"Friends."

         Ukyo's facial features changed slightly, and her cheeks colored
a bit more. "Well, truth be told...I wouldn't mind being a bit more than
friends..."

         Kenji returned her look and, ever so slowly, they leaned
forward. They're lips were scant millimeters apart, when another voice
jolted them out of there moment.

        "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY FIANCE!"





        "Hey look, Kenji and Ucchan are sittin' with each other," Ranma
pointed out to Akane. "Think we should go say hi?"

         Akane shook her head. "No, I think they need some time alone.
Yuri's been telling me things were getting tough between them. From the
looks on their faces, I think they're working things out. Now, time to
try the lunch I made for you."

         Ranma froze. <Uh oh. What do I do? Mom says she's getting
better, and she's been going through Mrs. Tendo's old cookbook. I don't
want to upset her, so maybe I should...>

         He grinned nervously and accepted the lunch box. Opening it up,
he observed the contents. <Hmmm, looks recognizable, but that's happened
before. Oh well, better get it over with.> He selected some rice to
start, <at least it looks like rice...> and slowly brought the
chopsticks up to his mouth. He placed it inside and began to chew.
<Hmmm... not bad. A little dry perhaps, but certainly edible.>

         Akane had been watching with a hopeful look on her face. She
had worked really hard on it and Kasumi and watched her the entire time,
offering little corrections. She kept her cool and carefully checked all
the recipe steps. When Ranma's look of concentration turned to a wide
grin, she nearly became giddy.

         He swallowed. "Hmmm, not bad."

        "You mean it? You're not just saying that?"

        "It ain't perfect, but it's edible and non-toxic." Before she
could say anything, he ate some more.

         Several emotions flashed through her, but she couldn't pick one
so she was left stunned. "Ranma..."

         That's when they heard the shout.

         They both turned and looked, along with the rest of the school,
at the girl who had just screamed, "Get your hands off my fiance!"






        "Who're you?" Ukyo asked.

         The little girl scowled at her. Her clothes were somewhat dirty
and ragged, as if she had been wearing them for a few days. In contrast,
the deep blue hair that reached her waist made her seem quite pretty for
a girl who had obviously been on the road for awhile.

        "I'm Selah, Lenwith Selah. And he's my fiance." She pointed at
Kenji.

         Kenji blinked. "Me!? I'm sorry, I don't know who you are."

         Ukyo looked at him, surprised. "You got your memories back, you
sure you don't remember?"

         Kenji nodded slowly.

        "Of course he doesn't remember," Selah said. "We were promised
to each other when you were only five." She dug into her pocket and
fished something out. "Here!" She thrust a photograph into Kenji's
hands.

         Ukyo looked over his shoulder at it. "It's definitely you,
albeit a slightly younger you."

         Selah tapped her foot impatiently. "Turn it over!"

         Kenji turned it over and read the writing on the back.
"Soyokaze Kenji. If anything should happen to her parents, he will take
care of Selah Lenwith for the rest of her life."

         They both looked at her her and she grabbed the picture back.
"See! It was my mommy and yours that wrote that!"

         Ukyo frowned. "Uh, Selah, how old are you?"

         She grinned. "I'm 13!"

         They facefaulted at that.

        "Don't you think you're a little too young for me?" Kenji asked,
getting back off the ground.

         She scowled. "Of course not, we're only four years apart!"

        "Listen honey, maybe you should come back in a few years when
you're all grown up, then maybe..." Ukyo was cut off by a geyser of
water that eminated from the little girl and struck the chef, sending
her tumbling into the bushes.

         Kenji blinked in astonishment. "You're a water mage!?"

         She grinned and glomped onto him. "Yep! I was trained by mom!
She was one of the best." Kenji froze, unsure of what to do.

        "WHERE IS THE LITTLE BRAT!" Ukyo yelled as she stormed into
view, moderately damp. She took in the sight of Selah in Kenji's lap and
unslung her battle spat. "Let go of him!"

        "He's mine ya old bag!" Selah said. "Go find someone else!"

         "Old... BAG!?" Ukyo shrieked and raised her battle spat high.

         Kenji leapt to his feet, dislodging Selah gently. "Ukyo! You
can't hit her, she's just a little girl!"

        "Oh yes I can! And who's side are you on anyway!?"

         Kenji stammered. "Uh, yours!"

        "WHAT!?" the little girl screeched. "Kenji-chan, how could you?"

         Kenji turned and stared the little girl scowling at him.

         Ukyo boggled. "Kenji-CHAN!? Are you sure you don't know who
this is?"

         He quickly brought his head back up. "No! Look, I just don't
want anyone to get hurt!"

         Ukyo looked at the little girl cowering behind Kenji and her
anger lost some of it's steam. She replaced her spatula. "Very well, but
we're gonna have a long talk about this."

         Kenji released the breath he was holding and turned to Selah.
"Okay, so where are your parents?"

         She got a sad look on her face. "Mommy and daddy are gone.
Mommy said daddy died to protect us, then she disappeared a few days
ago."

        "So who are you staying with, honey?" Ukyo asked.

         She smiled broadly. "I take care of myself!"

         Kenji shook his head. "What do we do now?"

        "We get married!" Selah exclaimed with a glomp that would've
made Shampoo beam with pride.

         Kenji groaned and Ukyo seethed.

        "Hey Kenji, congratulations!" Ranma said as he and Akane
approached. Everyone looked at him strange. "What? He passed his final
Nerima martial artist initiation: He's got a fiancee!"

         Group facefaults ensued.

        "Ranma!" Akane slugged him. "We should be helping him, not
encouraging things."

        "Gomen." Ranma turned back. "Hey, we heard everything."

        "So what do you suggest I do?" Kenji asked. "I heard you had
unwanted fiancees, so you should know, right?"

         Ukyo laughed. "Yeah, but his solution was to lead us on and
ignore responsibility."

        "Hey!" Ranma objected. "I just didn't want to hurt anyone!"

         Akane sighed. "Both statements are true. Kenji-kun, why don't
you take Selah-san back to the restaurant where you and your sister can
watch her. We'll come by later this evening with Nabiki and discuss what
to do. Don't worry, we'll try to find Selah's mother and clear this up."

        "Why me?" Kenji asked. Then he looked down at Selah's big puppy
dog eyes, full of love and hope, and he sighed. "I guess you won't go
with anyone else."

         She nodded with a big smile on her face and hugged him tighter.






         Nabiki met Ranma and Akane as they were leaving school that day
and she gestured them over.

        "What is it, Nabiki?" Akane asked.

        "I need to borrow your fiance for awhile," she answered. "For a
top secret project."

         Akane cocked her head and Ranma scratched his. The he
remembered. "Oh yeah, there's somethin' she wants me to do. I'll meet ya
at home, okay?"

         His fiancee got a suspicious look in her eye. She knew the two
were up to something, and that it should probably concern her... <Trust,
Akane, trust.> she said to herself. <I've got to learn to trust him.>
"Okay. I'll see you later." Then she kissed him on the cheek and left.

         Nabiki grabbed his arm and began to drag him off. "All right,
lover boy, I know of a great little jewelry shop nearby then should have
some pretty good deals."

        "Thanks Nabiki, I really appreciate this," said Ranma.

        "No problem, you are going to be family, and I always take care
of family."

        "Like you took care of your sister's wedding?" Ranma froze.
"Gomen! I didn't mean..."

         Nabiki sighed. "It's okay, really. I knew my little sister
loved you, but I didn't know if you loved her. I knew my dad was bribing
her with the nanniichaun water, but I didn't know if she was ready for
it. So, by inviting all the crazies, I made sure it was stopped." She
looked up at him. "But now that I do know you love Akane, I won't stand
in the way of your next wedding."

         Ranma exhaled. <Gotta work on thinkin' before I speak.>
"Arigato."

         They arrived at a small, non-descript jewelry store and headed
inside. Nabiki told Ranma to wait while she went ahead and talked to the
sales lady in hushed tones. After a couple of minutes, Nabiki waved him
over to look at several rings in a special boxed case.

        "Anyone of these will work," she said. "These fit both the
criteria of price range and the fact that Akane will like it."

         Ranma tooke a minute to look over the rings. <Which one do I
choose? I don't know which one to get!> He took a deep breath, then
extended his ki senses. He smiled, then picked up a ring. "I'll take
this one!"

         Nabiki looked it over. It was a beatiful 24-carat gold ring
with an inlaid ruby and sapphire yin/yang symbol. "Gotta hand it to you,
this fits you and Akane's relationship perfectly. You're a study in
contrasts." She smiled. "Okay, let's get in boxed up and get home. You
know when you're going give it to her?"

         He nodded. "On our training trip. That way we'll be alone and I
can be assured of no one interferring."

         She scowled as they left the store. "Well, that's no good, how
am I supposed to video tape it?"

         Ranma just grinned.






         She was alone.

        <Yes, that does sum up my life quite nicely,> she thought
blearily. <I've always been alone. Oh, sure, I had family, but they were
never there for me. Mother's gone and father all but abandoned us. My
idiotic brother always chasing after his twin loves. And friends? Not
really. The girls who I hung out with were more scared of me than truely
friends.>

        {It's okay, I'm here.}

        <Who are you?>

        {Don't you know? I've always been here for you. I take care of
you.}

        <You have?>

        {Yes, because I'm the only one who truely loves you.}

        <You... love... me? You do seem familiar. Yes, I remember you
now; you always talked to me and helped with my plans.>

        {Yes, and now it's time for your final plan: Saotome Ranma.}

        <But, he doesn't love me. He loves that vile Tendo woman.>

        {Not really. It's an arranged marriage, remember? You have to
free him from it. In time, he will come to love you as much as I have.
You have already made the preperations, now is the time to strike.}

         Kodachi, the Black Rose, Kuno, rose to her feet. "Yes, I must
have someone to love. Ranma will love me, I know he will. Right?"

        {Of course.}