My first Ranma fanfic, based mostly on the animated series. Please criticize constructively! I promise chapter two will be better, if you tell me how I can make it better. Timeline is five years after the failed wedding. Enjoy! Or, not…

"Ugh…now what?"

He awoke to the sound of heavy equipment. He'd been living in this abandoned factory for five years now, and it seemed it was time to move on, or else the whole factory would be demolished with him still inside.

Luckily, Nerima's industrial district was full of abandoned warehouses and factories; so new digs wouldn't be a problem. He packed up all his belongings into his sleeping bag and walked until he couldn't see any signs of demolition taking place. The building he found was an old warehouse, and was in much better shape than the abandoned Honda plant that he previously called home. The same plant, which by now; was most likely missing at least one wall.

"Well, this'll do fer now,"

He went inside and unpacked his belongings, including a kerosene camping stove, a beat-up tea kettle, a moldy piece of paper proclaiming Ranma Saotome Grand Master of Anything Goes martial arts, and a bunch of scratched and fated Polaroid photos of himself with a blue-haired girl. He also had his ever-present bottle of whiskey, which was his medicine that helped him cope with everything that has happened since his father left the Tendo training hall after Ranma's ruined marriage to Akane Tendo.

-Flashback-

"Well, Tendo, I guess there's nothing left for me here. I'm going back to live with Nodoka now,"

Now, Saotome, you are welcome to stay, if you like,"

"No, Tendo, until this craziness blows over, I'm going to lay low. Let me know when the boy has gotten his act together."

"Will do, Saotome. I do hope to see you soon,"

"Same here, Tendo," And with that, Genma Saotome left the Tendo dojo to be back with his wife.

-Flashback: Six months later-

"Old ghoul, I need your help,"

"What is it, son-Ranma? Sorry, but old habits die hard, ya know,"

"Whatever. I need to beat Happosai, once and for all. Can you take me on a training journey, and teach me some Amazon techniques that the old pervert might not know about?"

"I'd be glad to, Ranma," Kon-Lon replied with a smile.

-Flashback: one month after that-

"Ranma, I can't believe you beat me! As promised, here is your certificate stating that you are now Grand Master in the Anything Goes school of martial arts! You are now certified to teach our techniques to whomever you deem worthy! I wish you well,"

"Ranma, you JERK! How can you play with my feelings like that?"

"Akane, I swear, it's not like that! Really, you have to believe me!"

"So, what? You actually LOVE me?"

"Well, I, uh…"

"You know what? I never want to see you again! I HATE YOU!"

"Son, I know how Akane is…she didn't mean it…please see reason, son…don't leave…you have no place to stay!"

"I'll FIND someplace! I am SO outta here!"

-End Flashback-

"Oh, well…time ta go ta work!" Ranma walked outside, slightly buzzed from his whiskey binge the day before, and dove into the aqua duct. She climbed out, and headed for Nerima's red light district. She went in the back of a club called The Green Room.

"Hey, Ranko! How are you today? Party a bit too hard last night?" Asked Sakura, the owner of a few clubs in the red light district, including The Green Room.

"Yeah, but I'll be okay…where's my outfit for tonight?" Ranko asked.

"I have it right here. We're going to need Ranma to come in at 9pm…our male revue starts at 9:30, and I want him to be ready!"

"Geez, Sakura! It only takes a second to change, and another ten minutes to switch outfits! You know that!" snapped Ranma.

"Yeah, but I like agitating you. Now, let me do your makeup, and you'll be all set to get out there! Hope you make some money tonight," Sakura smiled.

"Ah, last time it was a bunch of broke college kids. They don't have any money. I ended up with a bunch of 100 yen coins in my bra! College nights are always a bust,"

Sakura laughed, and Ranko went to work.

"Not bad! 50,000 yen as a girl, and 40,500 as a guy! Think I'll buy a few more bottles of Jim Beam, an' head back to the warehouse!"

Back at the warehouse, Ranma sat with a bottle of whiskey, and poured over his pictures.

"Akane, I don't want you to see me like this. I hate what I've become. I was happy as a prizefighter, before they discovered how good I was. After that, I had to throw fights to make, what? 10,000 yen? Not worth it. Now look at me…a common whore! A stripper of all things! Twice, even! I have nothing but my body…oh, of course I haven't given up the art…I still practice to keep in shape…but that's all! I dunno what I'm gonna do. I'm 23 years old. I'm not gonna have these good looks for long. I just wish I could do things over, starting with Furinkan High. I LOVE you, Akane! I wish I could have told you before you kicked me out of the dojo, but I was too scared! I was scared of rejection, scared of my feelings, just…scared. I'm sorry, Akane,"

Meanwhile, halfway across town, Akane Tendo was doing some of her own reflections before bedtime.

"Oh Ranma. So much has happened since you left. Kasumi married Dr. Tofu, and they have a beautiful 2 year old baby boy named Matsura, Master Happosai passed away a week after Matsura was born, Daddy has fallen deeper into his shell…almost like he was before you and your dad came here, and Nabiki? Well, some things never change. I miss you so much! If only I could have shared my feelings with you. If only I'd let you explain yourself. I know you aren't good with words. I just want to see you again. It's not like all your crazy suitors are running around. Xian Pu and Kon Lon decided to count their losses after destroying our wedding, and have gone back to China with Mu Tzu, and Ukyo is busy running two Ucchan's franchises in Tokyo and Hokkaido, in addition to the Nerima establishment, now called The Original Ucchan's. She gave you up long ago…I just miss you so much, Ranma. Please come back to me."

Ranma, on the other hand, had a date with a whiskey bottle.

"Ya know? This stuff ain't so bad…I just wish three shots was enough to get rid of the pain, like when I first started. Now, I need half a bottle to do what three shots use ta. *Gulp* Ah, oh well," Then, after a couple hours of drinking, consciousness left him.

Ranma awoke the next afternoon, still drunk from the night before, when he heard a familiar voice he hadn't heard since his failed wedding nearly six years ago.

"Argh! Where am I NOW?"

Ranma stumbled across the room to where the only exit in the whole warehouse was, and to where he heard his old rival scream. "Ryoga? Izzat you? Innit kinda early fer ya ta be gettin' lost in Nerima's warehouse district?"

"Ranma? I…I can't believe it! What happened? Why are you drunk? Where's your pigtail? When was the last time you had a bath?" Ryoga was stunned, to say the least.

"What do ya want, Ryoga? You usually only find me when you want ta fight, or somethin'…what's up?" Ranma was irritated. "At least come inside, maybe have a drink, or somethin'. I got plenty of whiskey. The sun hurts my eyes."

Ryoga sat on the floor as Ranma slid the door shut. As the lost boy looked around, he saw puddles of water in various places on the floor, broken whiskey bottles in one corner of the room, some pictures taped on a wall in the corner, almost like a shrine. A filthy sleeping bag lay in the center of the floor next to some large whiskey bottles, maybe twenty feet from the entrance to the structure, and a furnace sat across the room, looking abandoned. The only light coming in was from several small holes in the ceiling and from two large fans on each side of the building.

"Umm…Ranma? How can you afford whiskey, if you can't afford at least a motel?" Ryoga asked, concern in his voice.

"Oh, I could afford a motel, if I really wanted to. I make pretty good *hic* money, ya know. But then it'd be too easy ta track me down, and I don't wanna be found. I'm not ready ta face my past, especially with my present the way it is," Ranma replied.

"But Ranma…this is no way to live. You can't expect me to believe you're happy here?"

"No, you're right, Ryoga. I was much happier in the Honda plant. At least there were machines an' stuff I could practice my martial arts with. Speaking of which, wanna spar?"

"Ranma, do you have any idea how worried we've been? Akane and Mr. Tendo, even Nabiki's worried sick! Kasumi and Doc Tofu have been hoping for your return! I guess you were the Doc's best patient. Ukyo shut herself down, and opened up two new locations hoping to forget about you, and Happosai died about two years ago, saying as his last words, 'At least the Anything Goes school is in good hands,' And now, I find you living in a moldy old warehouse, lamenting about the loss of a moldy old factory because you miss your mechanical sparring partners, and…I just don't believe you! You're such a jerk!"

"Oh, really, P-chan? I'm a jerk? Does Akane know your little secret yet? At least I ain't afraid of people finding out about this," Ranma held up a half empty bottle of whiskey, "I ain't afraid of what people might say about me! I don't care anymore! The only thing I care about is something I no longer have a claim to! I am worthless as a person, and readily admit it! I can't even blame my Pop for this! This is all me! This is what I've had to become to survive! And YOU have the nerve to call ME a jerk? Really? Go run to Akane, P-chan!" Ranma yelled and kicked a bucket of water in Ryoga's direction. Ryoga got wet, and standing there, was a wet Ryoga.

"What the hell? You…you're…cured?"

"RAAANNMA! PREPARE TO DIE!"

Ranma stood at a ready stance, and prepared himself for the oncoming attack…that…never came.

"Ryoga? I thought you wanted ta fight me?"

Ryoga's fists were clenched and he looked to be on the verge of tears,

"Ranma, I went to Jusenkyo…I got cured…but the price I paid was too much. Akane was with me…she didn't understand why I wanted to go to Jusenkyo so badly. When I jumped in the Spring of Drowned Man, she was confused…she didn't get it! I had to tell her the truth at that moment. And when I did, she was so angry. She had every right to be, of course, but a couple years later, she saw me outside Furinkan High School, and apologized for her behavior. She's changed, Ranma. She's become a beautiful woman, inside and out. She's not as quick to anger anymore, and she hasn't made a single poisonous meal…not since after you left. Not since you've become…this,"

Ranma looked at the puddle by his feet and sadly said, "Ryoga, thanks for visiting. Feel free to get lost here sometime again. I missed havin' ya around. But, I think you should go. I've got a lot ta think about,"

"Ranma, I hope the next time I see you…things will be better. Goodbye for now, old friend," As Ryoga was leaving; Ranma crumpled to the floor on his knees and wept.

A few hours later, Ryoga was arriving at a particular dojo, when a blue haired girl opened the gate and bumped right into him.

"Ryoga! What happened to you? You're…wet…and…filthy. Where have you been? I was just going shopping, so I could make dinner. Would you like to join me?"

"Uh, sure Akane!" Ryoga said, with a smile on his face.

"I, uh, saw Ranma today…" Ryoga started.

"Oh! How is he?" Akane excitedly asked.

"Well…he's changed. Not for the better, either. His hair's no longer in a pigtail, it just kinda goes all over the place, I don't think he's had a proper bath in weeks, and something's missing in his eyes…like the flame has gone out. He's not the same Ranma, Akane," Ryoga sadly explained.

"Where is he?" Akane pressed on.

"I, um, dunno. I was lost when I found him," Ryoga sheepishly explained.

Akane was exasperated. "Whatever, Ryoga. Just tell me…is he…happy?"

"I don't think anyone could be more miserable than Ranma Saotome," Ryoga sadly stated.

Akane frowned, "Oh, I see. Let me get these groceries, and I'll cook some nice food for you, Ryoga!"

"Thanks Akane. Let me help with the bags," Ryoga smiled.

As the pair walked back to the dojo, Nabiki was waiting for Akane.

"Oh, hello, Ryoga. What's it been, a whole month?"

"Ha ha, yeah, something like that," Ryoga laughed.

"Well, why don't you come inside. Akane will cook dinner, and you can spend the night in the guest room. We have a lot to catch up on," Nabiki grinned.

On the other side of town, A lone figure was practicing some complex katas in a mostly empty warehouse.

"Stupid Ryoga. Why did he have to show up here after all this time? Haven't seen 'im in years, an' the only thing he has to say is, 'everybody's worried about you. You can't live this way,' Like he's my mom, or something. I can live however I want, do whatever I want, and be anything I want. This is MY life, I chose it, and NO ONE can take it away from me! RANMA FIRE BUUUURRST!" Ranma threw an oddly familiar firecracker into the old furnace on the other side of the warehouse. Of course, the furnace was transformed into a misshapen pile of sheet metal.

One day later, back at the dojo, Akane was preparing dinner, while Nabiki and Ryoga were sitting at the dining room table. Akane was the first to speak.

"So Nabiki, you wanted to tell me something?"

Nabiki grinned, "Ryoga, if you want to hear this, it'll cost you 1000 yen,"

Ryoga glared at the elder Tendo. "Fine, here"

"Pleasure doing business. Anyway, your friend Yuka called, Akane. Apparently, a couple days ago, she was at a stripper party with her friends at some club uptown. She claims they have a stripper who almost looks exactly like Ranma, except he doesn't have a pigtail,"

Ryoga face faulted. "What? Ranma's a STRIPPER?"

Nabiki looked at the lost boy. "I didn't say that, now did I?"

Ryoga stared at Nabiki, "I met up with Ranma yesterday. The man looks half alive, if not half dead! He no longer has that pigtail! I can't believe it…the shame that must torment him!" Ryoga started crying.

Nabiki stared at him for a second then looked away, "Anyway, as I was saying, Yuka went to the after party at Sayuri's house, but half way through, they ran out of beer. So, she went to the liquor store, and who do you think she saw?"

Ryoga was getting mad, "RANMA!"

Nabiki stared at Ryoga, somewhat annoyed, "The stripper, Ryoga. Yuka saw the stripper. He bought three 1.75 liter bottles of Jim Beam, and remarked that he'd be back in a couple days for more whiskey. Not even Happosai could go through THAT much whiskey,"

"Ranma probably could. He was surrounded by empty Jim Beam bottles when I saw him,"

Nabiki glared, "And WHY didn't you tell us this sooner?"

Akane started sobbing uncontrollably. "Ranma, you JERK! Why are you doing this to yourself? Don't you know you have people who care about you? Why?"

Ryoga looked at Nabiki, pointed to Akane, and said, "THAT'S why I didn't tell you sooner. How about this? After dinner, we'll go to the liquor store Yuka went to, because I'm sure Ranma will be there today, and you can see for yourselves?"

Nabiki smiled, "THAT is a great idea, Hibiki. Sometimes you surprise me,"

Ranma was cooking dinner, as well. He found a chicken wandering around a nearby parking lot, and was now cooking it on a makeshift spit on his camping stove.

"Man, this is going to be so good! I haven't had chicken in a while! I think its almost done…just wish I had some vegetables to go with it! Uh oh, looks like I'll need more whiskey, too. I'll go to the liquor store after dinner,"

After Ryoga and the Tendo's finished their dinner, and after Akane went to her father's room to bring him his dinner, Akane and Nabiki headed to the liquor store. Ryoga had no intention of seeing Ranma again, so he left to attempt to find Akari. "Thanks for the hospitality, Akane. Nabiki, it was nice seeing you again. Akari is probably worried about me, so I'll be going now,"

Akane smiled. "Don't be a stranger, Ryoga. Thanks for finding Ranma for me. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you soon!"

Nabiki asked impatiently, "Shall we be going, now?"

In the liquor store, Ranma was in the Imported Liquor section trying to decide what he wanted to drink for the next couple days. He never saw the two young women walking in.

"Excuse me, sir. We're looking for someone who looks like the guy in this picture. Have you seen him?" Nabiki asked the clerk.

"Well, I'd recognize that face anywhere, but the hair kind of threw me for a loop. You might wanna try aisle 17, about halfway down," the clerk replied.

"Thanks!" Akane enthusiastically replied.

"RANMA!" Akane shouted.

"Hello, do I know you?" Ranma asked calmly.

"Ranma, it's me…Akane…"the girl replied sadly.

"Akane, huh? When did ya get so pretty? I never would have recognized ya had ya not said somethin'. How are things? I saw Ryoga yesterday, ya know…it's been like a class reunion of sorts," His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Nabiki interrupted, "Ranma, hurry up and make your purchase. We ALL need to sit down for a chat. Preferably back at the dojo. Nothing has been the same since you left, and I think you owe everyone an apology,"

Ranma grabbed two huge bottles of Jim Beam white label and a bottle of Jim Beam black label, and paid for them at the counter.

"Umm…I need to drop this off at home…"

But he didn't get to finish, because Akane interrupted him saying, "No. You need to go wherever home is, and bring everything back to the dojo. Nabiki and I will follow you to make sure you don't stay there,"

"Ranma, Akane's right. We're taking you with us. Don't try to argue the point, because I can see you about to start an argument. You just spent 12,000 yen on whiskey, and you don't look very happy to see us. So we all need to sit and have a family meeting. I have an idea of what you've been up to these past five years, and none of us are happy about it. So let's get your stuff, and go back to the dojo,"

Ranma just grinned evilly and replied, "Fine. Let's walk,"

The group walked down a pothole filled road and stopped at a rundown warehouse. Ranma looked at the two girls' shocked faces and laughed.

"C'mon, it's not that bad…you shoulda seen the place I was staying until a couple days ago," He pulled open the door, and led the girls into a dimly lit room.

"Let me just gather my stuff here, and we can go," Ranma took all the pictures off the wall, grabbed his martial arts diploma, threw it all into his sleeping bag after checking for mice and rats, or anything else that may have gotten into his sleeping bag, tossed his tea kettle in, and grabbed his stove. He picked up the bag with the three bottles of whiskey.

"Ranma…why did you run away?" Akane asked, quietly.

"I did it to make you happy. The same reason I saved your life from Saffron, the same reason I always came to your aid when you needed it most, and the same reason I ate your awful cooking! You wanted me gone, so I left! I had nowhere to go, so I came here after you told me to leave! I thought that's what you wanted! I worked as a prizefighter for a couple years, but I was making more money THROWING the fights than WINNING them! You think life has been easy for me? It's been sheer hell since I left the dojo! Not enough whiskey in THE WORLD can make me forget you, and trust me, I've TRIED!" Ranma sat on the wet concrete, and cried. Nabiki was also crying. Akane put a hand on Ranma's shoulder.

"You dummy. After I kicked you out, I was so sure you'd come back…but you never did! Nabiki had the police out looking for unusual activity, but this is Nerima! So, one lead after another failed to show any trace of you. Then the Amazons left, and Ukyo stopped coming around, and even Kuno and Kodachi stopped coming by. They thought you and the Pig Tailed Goddess had eloped together! The Nerima Wrecking Crew is no more…and now that I've seen you, and what you've become, it breaks my heart. I just wish things could go back to the way they were," Akane was now crying.

Ranma got up, grabbed his stuff, and said, "Let's go. There's a lot I want to say, and this isn't the place for it,"

A few hours later, the group arrived at the Tendo dojo. Ranma noticed how little it had changed. Ranma dropped his stuff outside, as it was all very dirty. He removed his pictures and his diploma along with a small black velvet box from his sleeping bag. They went inside, and Nabiki told Ranma to take a bath, and he did. For an hour. When he came back out, he decided to put his hair in a pigtail. It had been so long since he was here, and it felt like coming back home.

Soun, hearing the commotion, came out of his room. He saw Ranma.

"Son, you're back! You had everyone so worried about you! Lets all sit down and have a talk!" Soun had pulled Ranma into a bear hug and started crying.

"Let go of me Miffter Tendo. I can't breaffe!"

"Sorry about that son. Lets talk over some tea,"

Nabiki started the conversation. "Ok, Ranma, the first thing I want to ask you is, what did you mean when you said you don't wish things were the way they were before you left?"

Ranma pretended to think about it for a second, "Well, gee, I dunno. Maybe getting chased by a bunch of crazy girls and getting pounded on in a daily basis by the girl you're supposed ta marry isn't my idea of a perfect life. Maybe getting dragged all over the place by my Pop and getting into trouble isn't my idea of fun. Maybe having to hear, 'PREPARE TO DIE!' every day gets old. Maybe not being man enough to tell a special someone how you truly feel about them takes a toll on your emotions. Maybe being told to do something you aren't ready for, then being forced into it anyway wears on the psyche. I dunno WHY I said it, but it's the truth! The most painful moment of my life was when I was thrown out of this house and told never to come back. My world was shattered. I had gone through six months of great trials and tribulations ta get Master Happosai to sign this, and it's meaning was lost in an instant! Not only that, but I still had the Amazons to deal with, and other unwanted suitors, but did ANYONE want to hear MY side of the story? No! Everyone wanted to blame ME for everything! Why would I want to go back to that?"

Akane was very taken aback by Ranma's speech. Nabiki just smirked, knowing that this should have been delivered a long time ago. Soun listened intently.

"Ranma, just what is that foul-looking piece of paper Master Happosai supposedly signed?" Soun inquired.

"You mean you don't KNOW? Well, then, here! Have a look!" Ranma tossed the paper to Soun.

Soun gasped when he opened it. "I don't believe it! You ACTUALLY got Grand Master Status from the pervert?"

Ranma smirked, "Amazing what a month of Amazon training will do for ya, ain't it, Mr. Tendo? Yeah, I beat the old man, alright. Seven months after my Pop went back to Mom's place. I was ready to take on the training hall, an' start classes an' stuff, but SOMEONE" he glared at Akane "was too ungrateful to allow me to stay here. Apparently, it's MY fault if a girl with purple hair decides to tackle me to the ground to ask for a date!"

"You know, father," Nabiki started, "I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner. I mean, for how many years did Ranma put up with the physical and verbal abuses my dear sister dished out? How many years of training did he endure for the Art? You're always talking about honor and sacrifice for the Art, but how often did YOU have to sacrifice anything? Ranma is deathly afraid of cats because of his training! Did YOU study any forbidden techniques, father? And Akane, I know that you endured a lot of very difficult anger management classes after Ranma left, and you no longer use violence to solve your problems, but if you really cared, why didn't you do it sooner? Did you not see that you were part of the problem until Ranma was gone?"

Akane started to cry. "I-I did know bef-before Ranma left. B-but I always thought that…I never realized…how much I was actually hurting him until that day…Ranma, the look on your face…it was so devoid of emotion…it was like your entire soul was shattered…and now…as I see you sitting there, y-you really do look like an empty sh-shell,"

Soun finally spoke, "Son, is it true that you are a stripper?"

Ranma glared at the three people in front of him, "No." Sighs of relief "I'm TWO strippers!" Gasps of horror "Ranko opens the show, then, when the male revue starts, I come out and do my routine. Anyone care for a demonstration? No? Good, because you couldn't afford a semi-private dance with me, ANYWAY! Am I proud of what I've had ta do ta survive on my own? No! I hate every minute of it! It's degrading! But I do it ta survive! For a few hours a week, I feel like someone special! I'm caressed, kissed, and, yes, fondled by men and women alike! Of course I prefer the male revue, but Ranko's never had an easier job! It makes working at the Cat Café look like work in a coal mine! Why don't ya'll close yer mouths before ya start gatherin' flies?"

Everyone's jaws snapped shut. Akane was the next to speak.

"Ranma, what are those pictures?"

"Just memories of happier times, Akane. Times like when we went to the beach, an' had the Christmas party, an' went skiing…ya know…here, have a look!" Ranma handed the pictures to Akane, who gasped.

"Ranma…these pictures look like they've been through a war! They're all scratched and faded!"

"Well, excuse me fer not puttin' 'em in an album! When you live in factories an' warehouses that don't have heat or air conditioning, an' have holes in the roof, pictures tend ta get damaged! An' sometimes, I'd throw an empty whiskey bottle at 'em…that's why they got scratches and stuff," Ranma retorted.

"Son, I notice that Akane is in the center of most of these pictures…why is that?" Soun pressed.

"Gee, I dunno, Mr. Tendo…maybe because she's standing in the middle of all the pictures? Ok, fine, I'll admit it. Akane, I liked you back then. I didn't know how to say it, but I did. I would have gone through with the wedding, not just for honor's sake, but because you were my best friend. We were always there for each other. I loved you once, ya know. I never said it, but I did. Maybe I still do, I dunno. Neither one of us are the same people we were back then. I'd like ta get ta know ya again, if that's ok with everyone here…" Ranma looked around the table, and seeing no reactions, said, "I'll be in the dojo if ya need me,"

After Ranma left, and sounds started coming from the dojo, Soun said,

"Akane, how do you feel about all this? Do you think I should call off the engagement?"

Nabiki interrupted, "Daddy, you mean you never called off the engagement? Even after five years of Ranma disappearing?"

"No, Nabiki, I always had hoped someday, he would return, with all of his baggage gone. He seems to be a bit worse for wear, but after seeing him today, I feel that if Akane agrees, we can start planning another wedding,"

Akane nodded her head, "Daddy, I want some time to get to know this new Ranma. I want him to get to know the new Akane. Give until tomorrow. It IS almost time for bed, after all,"

"Alright, so around this time tomorrow, I want your final decision on the matter, Akane. Is that fair?" Soun inquired.

Akane bowed her head, "Yes, Daddy,"

Ranma came back into the living room, where everyone was watching the news.

"So, where am I sleeping tonight?"

Everyone shouted, "The guest room! Where you ALWAYS slept!"

"Fine, geez, glad to be back," Ranma mumbled

Soun stood up and handed Ranma one of his bottles of Jim Beam.

"Thanks, Mr. Tendo. But I don't think I'll be needing it tonight," Ranma said, before heading to his room.

The end