Disclaimer: Don't sue me. I got Nada. This is a work of Fanfiction, I own nothing but my interpretation of the story.
// Author Notes //
* Thoughts *
[Panda signs]
+ Chinese +
-- Mousse ~ While Ranma and Nabiki are at the temple ~ --
Mousse was scrubbing the tables in the Cat Cafe, it was the period between the breakfast and lunch rushes when suddenly he felt his mana lunge. A particular feeling that only happens when a Gate is used. Either to teleport or to hop over dimensions. Mousse shook his head to try to clear it. There was a crash as the wave caused by the Gate finally reached Cologne. Cologne came running out, afraid that Mousse had found a way to create a portal, even though she can not truly sense Mana, the effect of a Gate on the Chi of the area is also very unique. On seeing Mousse still washing tables, Cologne calmed down, "If not him, then who?" Mousse continued on cleaning, pretending he either did not hear or did not understand. Cologne sighed and went back into the kitchens with a worried look. Mousse smiled and thought to himself, just how silly the old bat was not to realize it was Ranma.
-- Back at the Saotome household --Nabiki had felt a change in Ranma's aura again and then the world become a blur. When it again calmed down she found herself in his room being held. In a way she had known this will happen. That Ranma would take her away to safety if anything happened. But the girl who once was the Ice Queen was shocked at how quickly she was taken to safety.
Ranma knew he had not run home, he saw the energy around him take a pattern he had never seen before, he had seen the hallway between where he was and his room, and he had run down that hallway. But he wasn't sure if he should try to explain it to Nabiki, so he just held her waiting for her heartbeat to calm. When it did not right away Ranma began to hum. Into the melody Ranma put his emotions and his energies followed, charging the notes with emotion and magic. As the song filled the room a spider spinning its web in the corner changed the shape of the web to something that fit Ranma's aura better. In Ranma's arms a girl who had been afraid began to calm, soon enough asleep in his arms.
-- Drowheld ~Time passes faster here~ --T'Pol looked at her son, a man child that was proving the value of his gender even now. Ryoga had found a young drow magess, she was young for a drow at barely eighty. They had spent the last few months together, with her help Ryoga had finally healed the wounds Ranma had given him. In the process Ryoga had somehow wiggled his way into the the young female's heart, and the young drow was feverishly hoping to entice her prince into her bed. T'Pol watched as Ryoga shattered boulders with a touch, saving the drow diggers days of work in digging the new tunnels. Around Ryoga, his little female was acting very undrowish, subservient perhaps. Normally T'Pol would be offended as would the rest of the elders. But here was a man who was doing the work of a hundred, if treating him like a noblewoman enticed him to stay and work longer. The Drow elders were all for it. For T'Pol, this was her son and he should be treated special. There is no reason in her mind why Ryoga shouldn't be a exception to the rule, after all he alone had the power to face the Feared One.
Ryoga being Ryoga didn't even notice that he was treated differently by the young drow. The males had quickly accepted him as soon as his great strength and other skills became apparent. They had even begun to cheer him as a hero when he single-handily saved a large group that was trapped with him in a cave-in. And so it was the Ryoga healed and worked among the drow, earning the respect of the men and the poorly given blessing of Elders and Queen. In the end even the evil Queen had to admit that her grandson was a fine exception to the rule.
A'kira watched Ryoga clear a whole tunnel by himself in half the time it would take a team of one hundred workers. As Ryoga sat down to take a break A'kira moved towards him, stopping when she noticed Princess T'Pol moving in the same direction. T'Pol noticed the girl and smiled, "Come young lady, let us see to my son." With a smile and an bow A'kira followed her princess to Ryoga's side.
Ryoga looked up as he sensed the lifeforce and mana converging on him. With an honest smile Ryoga rose to greet his visitors, his voice a deep whisper in Drowish, "Hello Mother, Lady A'kira." Ryoga hugged his mother and offered A'kira a smile. A'kira pouted tilting her head causing her auburn hair to fall over a light brown cheek, "My Lord R'yoga, please, I beg you not so formal. It causes me fear that we are not friends." T'Pol hid her smile as she watched her son imitate a fish out of water. Ryoga's mouth moved slowly, unsure and perhaps even unable to speak his mind at the moment. Finally regaining some control Ryoga said the first thing that came to his mind, "Of course we are friends A-chan..." For his slip Ryoga earned a tight hug from the young drow and the pleased laughter of his mother.
A'kira suddenly jumped back as the laughter registered on her ears. She looked with fear at T'Pol, "Your Highness..... I.... I am sorry Highness." T'Pol reached out and cupped the girl's cheek, "Do not forget that he is not like normal drow males, and I will allow your suit." Ryoga looked between the two women, "What are you two talking about?" A'kira blushes causing her light brown skin to darken noticeably, "I won't... Thank you." Ryoga looks between the two and coughs, "Hello?" T'Pol smiled and patted her son on the cheek, "Don't worry about it my son, just telling A'kira that she can be your friend, even if you are a royal." Ryoga nodded, "Oh, I keep forgetting Drowheld has customs just as strange as Japan or China." A'kira grabbed Ryoga's hand and dragged him toward where she had been standing watching him, along the way she invited T'Pol to eat a repast with them. T'Pol nodded and followed the whole time giggling to herself at the strangeness of the young couple.
-- Saotome Household --Ranma and Nabiki had changed out of their formal clothes and were waiting for their families. Nabiki has had an angry look on her face since waking after her nerves induced nap, and was rather firmly berating herself. Ranma was looking at her from his place laying on his back on the wooden patio, "Yo, Nabs.. You aren't a coward. That was a physical attack. If it was the normal stuff you were used to I am willing to bet you would react normally." Nabiki smiled and looked at Ranma, "Thank you Ranma." Ranma shrugged, "Stupid old man anyway. How dare he screw with other people's Ki without asking." Nabiki looked at Ranma with a smile, "Aww, and I thought you were mad for my sake." Ranma winked at Nabiki and made sure she noticed by watching for the answering wink before opening his mouth, "Why would I need to be mad for your sake. You're the Ice Queen. Probably have the poor man excommunicated or something by the end of the week." Nabiki giggled softly, since the attack Ranma and herself had spent so much time together, that they had fought over Ranma's teasing nature and Nabiki had learned something new, he only teased those he cared for outside of battle, unable to express himself in a more acceptable way. So they took the time to work out the system of winking so that she could know that he was only teasing. She did the same for him now, between the two of them, they allowed Nabiki to regain her confidence in verbal battle. The strangest thing for Nabiki though was the fact that somehow she has started to be able to sense his teasing mood without the winking. Nabiki leaned closer to Ranma, "Why would I blackmail an old man, when I can take advantage of a young stud like you Saotome?" Nabiki's old shark grin returned but a smile reached her eyes for the first time since Ranma first came to the dodo. Nabiki finally admitted to herself she screwed up with she first met Ranma and the openness had changed the way she interacted with Ranma, mixing with a healthy mix of attraction and a bit of Hero Worship set Nabiki on very unfamiliar ground. Ranma and Nabiki spent a few hours teasing each other and working out slowly in the backyard. Suddenly Ranma stopped and looked toward the door, ducking under Nabiki's arm as she didn't notice the stop in time to change her action.
Ranma rose from his duck and grabbed Nabiki, twisting her around to face the doorway, causing her to fall back against him with her wrists crossing and trapped by his hands at her waist. At first Nabiki struggled to break the hold but she soon realized that it was a gentle and pleasurable experience. Giving in she shifted her weight to lean comfortably on Ranma and looked through the doorway to find Nodoka and Kasumi smiling at her. For a moment Nabiki blushed darkly finding a strange and new feeling of pleasure to be held by Ranma in public like this. Nabiki calmed down and smirks at Kasumi and Nodoka, "What, I think I have the right to be held by my manly hero." Nabiki's joke earned her a calculating smile from her sister and a beaming one from Nodoka, but for Nabiki the most satisfying was the sound to Ranma's surprised choking gasp. Nabiki shifted her hands to interlock her fingers with Ranma's as he moved to let her go, quietly she whispered, "Please Ranma, don't stop..." Ranma sighed and shrugged resigning himself to the embrace and finding it definitely more pleasant compared to the amazon glomp, "Alright." Nodoka tilted her head, "Well it seems my son has decided to draw a Tendo close after all, Kasumi-chan." Kasumi smiled, "Oh my, I don't believe this possibility was what Father and Uncle had in mind, Auntie." Nabiki blushed again her face as red as Ranma's, her emotions released and relaxed by being in Ranma's arms caused her to cuddle closer.
Ranma finally decided to stop blushing and tilted his head to rest his cheek on the top of Nabiki's head. He looked right at his mother and spoke softly, "Could we help you in someway mother?" Nabiki couldn't decide what to do so just stood there, her blush slowly fading as she became accustomed to being seen like this. Kasumi stood there with a sly smile on her face and winked at her little sister. Nodoka grinned at her son for a good five minutes until she coughed, "Dr. Tofu explained what happened to a point. The high priest wished us to convey apologies. But I am still confused my son." Ranma arched his right eyebrow in a very Nabiki like fashion which was made all the more cute in the eyes of his mother and future sister since his left cheek was resting againist the Nabiki's hair. Kasumi giggled softly covering a smile with her hand while Nodoka wondered where she saw that type of motion before, her question was quickly answered as Nabiki's own eyebrow rose. Nodoka just couldn't take it and started to giggle like a young girl. Which caused both Ranma and Nabiki to roll their eyes in sync, even if it did look strange with Ranma's head being sideways. The eye roll set Kasumi off in full blown laughter.
With matching sighs Nabiki and Ranma move to sit against the door, waiting for the two elder women to calm down. Nabiki suddenly gets up and goes into the household. For the first time moving beyond the three to five feet limit she had set for herself. She came back within seconds with two glasses and a liter bottle of lemonade. Nabiki stopped right before sitting back down looks at the floor then Ranma, with a grin she plopped down in Ranma's lap and fills the two glasses, "No reason to be thirsty while we wait." Ranma took a sip and stopped when he noticed that Kasumi and his mother where staring at him, "What? Did I spill some on my shirt, even as he spoke one hand moved to rest on Nabiki's hip protectively, "Women are so weird." Nabiki lightly tapped Ranma on the nose with a forefinger, "Excuse me?" Ranma blinked and looked at Nabiki with dinner plate eyes, "Well you see.... err... that is." Ranma played with his pig tail. "You are not really a woman." Nabiki put her hands on her hips and arched a brow as she stood from Ranma's lap, "Care to explain that."
Ranma forged ahead fast hoping to say something to calm Nabiki down, "Well, you aren't a normal woman, You're a Master of your own Art. Makes you different, You are still weird but its a good weird." Nabiki tilted her head and pushed Ranma back down against the door jam, she then plopped down in his lap facing away from him, her arms crossed over her chest. Kasumi giggled, "Does this mean he is forgiven little sister?" Nabiki shook her head. Doctor Tofu piped up behind Kasumi, "Then why are you sitting like you are?" Nabiki smirked and answered in a tone that made it clear that she thought everyone knew this, "Cause Ranma's lap are the most comfortable seat around. I am trying to decide if he was complementing me or insulting me with that last remark."
Nabiki looked up at the doctor, "That reminds me, how is it you are not being silly, Doctor?" Tofu shrugged, "I haven't totally figured that out but it seems being exposed the the level of Ki, was giving off the night he brought you to the clinic..." Nabiki tilted her head and leaned forward a bit, "Yes doctor?" Tofu coughed into his fist, "Fixed an imbalance I was suffering from." Nabiki nods, "I see, maybe it has something to do with the weird effects Ranma's Ki has been having around here lately."
Next time Tofu's story.