The cast of Ranma 1/2 was the brainchild of Rumiko Takahashi. I am only writing this story for entertainment.

[]: Thoughts
{" "} Telepathic communication

Chapter 9
Broken Promises and Shattered Dreams

     Ranma Red and Ranma Blue awoke on a cloudy morning. As they got up from the futon they were sharing, they began to recall the events of the previous night. They smiled as they recalled their mother's words.
     "The matter is settled. My sons shall marry Ukyo Kuonji and Shampoo. I hereby give my blessings."
     Ranma Red turned to his brother and smiled. {"Man! I can't believe that we got Mom's blessing!"}
     Ranma Blue was also excited. {Yeah! Things were pretty much touch and go for a while! Now that Mom's on our side, Pop is going to have to back down!"}
     {"Things are finally looking up!"} Ranma Red then paused as he remembered something. {"Hey! Soren and Taron are supposed to contact us today!"}
     {"That's right boys!"} Taron said.
     {"Hey Taron! Everything all right?"} Ranma Blue asked.
     {"Everything's fine you two. I can tell by your expressions that you managed to convince your mother to accept what's happened."}
     {"You bet! Thanks for sending that goddess over! She was big help!"} Ranma Red said.
     {"That's good. Now the reason I've contacted you is to inform you that the Contract between the Earth and the Dark World will be expired in two weeks. As such, after you have finished up your business at the dojo, we must move you forward in your training."}
     {"We're going to be going up against these guys soon?"} Inquired Ranma Blue.
     {"That's right. We have to get you prepared for the coming battle. It won't be easy, I assure you."}
     {"Don't worry about it Taron! We can handle it!"} Ranma Blue's brother said.
     {"For the sake of the Earth, I hope so."}

     Later that morning, the Saotome family, Ukyo Kuonji, Shampoo and her great-grandmother were walking down the street toward the Tendo dojo. As they ambled along, both boys told their mother of their experiences over the last ten years. It wasn't long before Nodoka began questioning her sons about the members of the Tendo clan.
     "I had not yet gotten acquainted with Soun Tendo or his daughters. Since the two of you have been living there for almost a year, perhaps you can tell me about them."
     Ranma Red decided to start filling his mother in on the members of the Tendo clan. "Well, Soun Tendo is the head of the household. He and Pop trained together and are really good friends. He's not a bad martial artist, but we never saw him practice that much."
     "Oh?"
     "Yeah." Ranma Blue agreed. "He's very emotional about a lot of things. I mean, he's really excited about uniting the Schools of the Anything-Goes, despite our protests about being railroaded into a marriage that we didn't consent to. Whenever something upsets him, makes him happy, sad or gets him angry, he tends to let loose his feelings at full bast. He's not very subtle."
     "Does he have a job or teach any classes? How does he support his family?" Nodoka inquired.
     "I don't think he could teach a class, considering how emotional he gets. He's also a little too high-strung." Ranma Red admitted. "As for regular income, all the time we've been there, we've hardly ever seen any students. So far, all we've seen him do is read the paper, and play shogi with Pop all day. He doesn't look like he has a job."
     "How does he pay for food and bills then?"
     "The way we figured it out, it may be because of Nabiki." Ranma Blue stated.
     "Nabiki, his second daughter?"
     "Yeah." Both brothers nodded as Ranma Blue continued. "Not that I'm insulting her, but she's a bit of a mercenary."
     "Mercenary?" Nodoka became very surprised at this statement.
     "Well, that's what we call her." Ranma Red admitted. "You see, Nabiki is the one to see when a person wants to obtain information or 'favors' for a price."
     Nodoka became horrified. "You mean…"
     Both Ranmas began waving their hands as Ranma Red added, "No! No! No! It's nothing like that! She doesn't do anything that might compromise her honor or her family's. What she does is ferret out secrets about people in school, set up betting pools on fights and events, sell pictures of Akane or us in our girl form to a certain pervert named Tatewaki Kuno or anyone else who is interested and sometimes involves herself in some… blackmail."
     "That still does not make her a saint." Nodoka declared.
     "Well, yes." Ranma Blue agreed. "However, the money she makes from these endeavors does help keep the household afloat." He then bowed his head. "Also, we kind of added to the problem."
     Nodoka looked over to her other son, who also bowed his head shamefully and said, "Yeah. We were freeloading on them for a long time. Pop and us ate a lot and well, that made it even harder for Nabiki to support us all. In addition, the dojo became even more prone to damage after we arrived. Constant fights between Akane, Pop, numerous enemies and fiancées did more than their share of wear and tear on the place. The repair bill was unbelievable!"
     "In the end, we think that Nabiki was the only person that kept that place from going into bankruptcy."
     "Yeah. Even though we didn't like her sneaking around and taking pictures of us as a girl and selling them to jerks like Kuno. I guess it was for a good cause."
     "I see." Nodoka became deep in thought. "What about that other girl, Kasumi? She seemed nice enough."
     Both of the Saotome brothers nodded. "Now that we'll admit to." Ranma Blue said. "She is as nice as she appears. After her mother had died, Kasumi took over all the duties of running the household. She's a great cook. She does the laundry, the cleaning and she always seems to be smiling."
     "For a while," Ranma Red added sheepishly, "she was the closest thing to a mother that we had at the time."
     "So you cared about her?" Nodoka smiled as she asked.
     Both twins nodded as Ranma Red added, "She was like the older sister that we never had. However, we only saw her as just that."
     "You two already have my blessings for your engagements to Ukyo and Shampoo. However, I am curious as to your feelings toward Akane Tendo. Last night, you had specifically told me that you did not want to marry her. Are there some difficulties between you?"
     "Difficulties would be an understatement Mom." Ranma Blue.
     "I'll say!" The other Saotome twin agreed.
     "What happened?" Nodoka asked.
     The two brothers looked at each other, shrugged and began their story.
     "It all started back when we were still in one body and cursed." Ranma Red began. "It was a couple months after we fell into the pools at Jusenkyo."
     "Pop had sent a postcard to Mr. Tendo to expect us. Of course he never told us anything about the engagement! In fact, Mr. Tendo hadn't informed his daughters about it either. It was a big shock to all of us!" Ranma Blue added.
     "Yeah, but when we got to the dojo, our appearances were even more shocking to them! It was raining that day and Pop had dragged us kicking and screaming into the dojo. You can imagine what it would be like if a giant panda was hauling a small red-haired girl into the place!"
     Nodoka nodded as she waited for her sons to continue.
     "When we introduced ourselves as Ranma Saotome, Mr. Tendo was glad to see us. He didn't notice that we were a girl, but it wasn't long before his daughter Nabiki pointed it out. That's when he fainted dead away!" Ranma Blue said with emphasis.
     "Oh dear!" Nodoka remarked.
     "Things went downhill from there! Everyone thought that we were a girl!"
     "Well, didn't you try to explain your situation?" Nodoka asked.
     "By that time it was too late." Ranma Blue supplied. "It was embarrassing to watch a grown man cry. Nabiki was really ticked off that we weren't what she expected. Kasumi was too busy trying to console her father and Mr. Tendo was drowning his pillow with tears."
     "The only person who wasn't upset that we were a girl was Akane. Of course, she wasn't very happy about being roped into an engagement either."
     "What happened?" Ranma's mother queried.
     "She started acting nice toward us at first." Ranma Red started. "She asked us if we wanted to be friends. After ten years on the road, we were glad to have anyone who we could talk to."
     "We ended up sparring with her. She wasn't as good as we were and she kept telegraphing her moves. After we beat her, she told us that she was glad that we were a girl. Apparently, she seemed to have a big hatred of boys."
     "Why? When I met her, she seemed like a sweet little girl."
     "Appearances can be deceiving mom." Ranma Red said. "You see, before we arrived in Nerima, Akane had all these boys chasing after her. Some guy named Kuno had his eye on her and declared that the only way a guy could date her, is to defeat her in combat. Until we arrived, she had to fight them off every day. And when I say fight them off, I MEAN FIGHT THEM OFF! Those guys just couldn't take no for an answer, especially Kuno. Akane had to literally pound them into the pavement."
     "Oh… I see." Nodoka nodded.
     "Anyway, after the match between Akane and us, Kasumi invited us to take a bath. We were very sweaty from the match, so we accepted. Akane later walked in on us, assuming that we were still a girl."
     "And I take it you weren't?" Nodoka said knowingly.
     "That's right." Ranma Blue sighed. "We had just gotten out of the hot water when Akane came in without her clothes."
     "And…?"
     "She freaked." Ranma Blue continued. "She ran out of the room screaming and threatened to bash us over the head with a table."
     "Even after Pop had explained everything, Akane was still angry at the fact that we were really a guy." Ranma Red shrugged. "She started accusing us of being a pervert, even though she walked in on US!"
     "She called you a pervert?" Nodoka asked bewildered.
     "She also used other such descriptions such as dummy, pig, lecher and so on." Ranma Blue sighed. "In the end, Kasumi and Nabiki volunteered her as the fiancée, which made her madder than ever. We ended up getting bashed over the head with the table. Ever since then, it became a long series of fights. It was very rare that we'd ever get any measure of peace."
     "Of course, we shouldn't have insulted her about her figure." Ranma Red admitted.
     "Yeah." His brother admitted. "Although, we never went any further than name calling."
     "True, and when all those other girls came along, she really went ballistic!"
     "Oh?" Nodoka said.
     "Kodachi Kuno, Shampoo, Kaori Daikoku and Ukyo Kuonji. They could all cook, sew and fight a lot better than Akane could. That was something that Akane could never take too well. Every time one or more would show her up or display affection toward us, she'd go into a rage and we'd end up being accused as a pervert and get smashed into orbit." Ranma Red shook his head.
     "But I thought she was against the marriage."
     "Oh she'd say it all the time. Of course, whenever there was a misunderstanding, she'd never give us a chance to explain. We had never done anything to those girls, but Akane would assume the worst and…" Ranma Blue sighed again.
     "She would never give us the benefit of the doubt." Ranma Red added.
     Looking at her sons' long faces, Nodoka felt their sorrow. "It sounds like you two cared a great deal for her."
     Both boys looked at each other and then gave their mother a wan smile.
     "I guess we did." Ranma Blue admitted. Ranma Red nodded also. "It never would've worked though. On rare occasions, she could be very caring and understanding, but…"
     "In the end, Ukyo and Shampoo were the only ones who believed in us. Akane never gave us a chance. She tended to be abusive, short-tempered, violent and she hardly ever admitted to her mistakes."
     "She tends to jump to conclusions and she does not take any criticism about her personality or skills."
     "She is very impatient, headstrong and doesn't want to face reality."
     "What do you mean she doesn't want to face reality?" Nodoka asked.
     Ranma Red replied, "Well, she doesn't want to admit that her martial arts and cooking skills need a lot of work. It was made even worse whenever Shampoo or Ukyo showed her up. I guess we didn't help matters either when we refused to hit her during our sparring sessions or not eat her cooking."
     "As time went on," Ranma Blue continued, "Akane's skill in cooking didn't improve that much. She always tried to make the food without consulting the recipe, use too much or too little ingredients, or try to add her own improvements to the recipe. Sometimes she would just grab anything without even checking to see if it's the right thing. She doesn't realize that she needs to take the time to read over the recipe. Patience was never her strong point. The end result was usually inedible and we'd end up flat on our backs in pain, either from the food or from the injuries that she'd inflict on us when we refused to eat her cooking."
     "Her impatience also reflected in her martial arts. Over the last few months, all we've seen her do is exercise to keep fit. We know that she's got some potential, but she isn't very interested in developing it. However, whenever she loses a fight to someone else, she gets mad at her opponent because he or she was better. That was one of the main reasons why she never got along very well with Shampoo and Ukyo. They could fight a lot better than Akane could and she would always complain about it."
     "There was one time when Shampoo beat her at arm-wrestling. She got so mad that she was willing to do anything to beat her!"
     "What happened?" Nodoka asked.
     "She accidentally ate some soba noodles that gave her super- strength." Ranma Red answered. "I guess we were jealous that she was stronger than we were, but Akane got carried away. She wanted to beat Shampoo so badly that she wouldn't even listen to us when we tried to give her the antidote! That Super Soba had some bad side-effects."
     "Taking something like that just to beat someone is really no better than taking steroids." Ranma Blue agreed.
     "Afterwards, every time she suffered a loss, she would try to train to improve. But, her impatience and anger always got the better of her and she improved very slowly. She would never go through the correct motions and usually would wear herself out without any significant improvement. She keeps telling people that she's a trained martial artist, but she doesn't seem to have much patience or discipline. Come to think of it, we were a lot like that too before we got split."
     "Well," Ranma Blue said tentatively, "I guess we were. But not as bad as Akane!"
     "Yeah, we do learn from our mistakes. Akane doesn't really take the time to think about her actions, whenever she acted out of anger or frustration. Worse yet, she usually took it out on someone else. Mostly us."
     "I see. She seemed such a sweet little girl when I met her." Nodoka remarked.
     "Akane always such a violent girl."
     The two brothers turned and saw their fiancées walking up to them.
     Nodoka looked at her future daughter-in-law with a disparaging eye. "Shampoo-chan, I would prefer that you keep such opinions to yourself."
     Shampoo bowed her head and said, "Sorry, Mother-in-law. Shampoo just agrees with future husband and brother-in-law. Akane always no trust Ranma. Thinks Ranma is always chasing after girls. Ranma no do that! Not his fault that he is too, too good catch!"
     "That's right sugar." Ukyo added. "Ranma honey is the best thing to happen to any girl. He's not perfect, but who is? Akane treated Ran- chan like she owned him, but she always gave him a bad pounding every time one of us acted nice to him."
     "Shampoo happy that she get Ranma as loving fiancée!"
     "Same with me! Akane doesn't know what she's losing!"
     The mother of the Ranma twins smiled as she heard her future daughter-in-laws list all the good points about her offspring.
     "Ranma is strong!"
     "He's nice!"
     "He gentle!"
     "He's no coward!"
     "He brave!"
     "He thinks I'm cute!"
     "He stood up to great-grandmother!"
     "He's the best fiancée that any girl could ask for!"
     "Best of all…"
     "HE LOVES ME!!!" Both girls said simultaneously.
     [My sons are so manly if they have two such devoted girls at their sides! Now all I have to do is deal with Genma!] Nodoka's expression darkened at that last thought as they approached the Tendo dojo. She began fingering the cloth-wrapped bundle that she had been carrying in her arms.

     Inside the Tendo home, Soun, Genma, Akane and her sisters were all sitting at the breakfast table. Ranma had been gone for five days and they were all wondering where he was. It was soon discovered that his backpack and all of his belongings were gone as well. Akane had spent half the time worrying about him and the other half fuming at him. She was still upset over the condition Ryoga had been in two days ago. [How dare that jerk cause us this much trouble! When I see him, I'm going to make him wish he stayed missing!]

     Outside the Tendo compound, the Ranma twins and their group stopped as they prepared to face the impending chaos that was sure to erupt.
     "Well brother." Ranma Blue said as he turned to Ranma Red. "You want to go in first?"
     "Why not?" Ranma Red shrugged. He then turned to the others. "You all better wait outside. We'll call each of you when we need you." The red-shirted martial artist then calmly walked up the pathway and entered the house.
     As soon as Ranma Red entered the house, the Tendos and his father immediately spotted him. Before he could get a word in, Genma was already in front of him and shouting.
     "Ranma! Where the HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
     Soun was also very upset at his sudden appearance, but he was secretly relieved that the future of the Anything-Goes Schools was safe and sound. He also noted that he seemed healthier than before. He had more muscle mass and moved with more grace. He did not have the cocky attitude that he usually had. He was serene and controlled as he faced his father's anger. In fact, he didn't seem the least bit concerned at Genma's tirade or the glares that he was getting from Akane. Something was up.
     "…furthermore, you have jeopardized the future of the schools with your disappearing like that! Have you no honor?!" Genma finished.
     Ranma Red was still as calm as ever as he waited for his father to stop. He then took a deep breath and said, "Pop, you are the last person to be lecturing to me about honor! In any case, I couldn't care LESS ABOUT MERGING THE SCHOOLS! I've learned that this whole thing just isn't worth it! In fact, I've learned a great deal about you POP! And I've learned even more about myself!"
     "What are you talking about?!" Genma asked.
     Ranma Red gave a telepathic signal and a moment later, Ranma Blue entered the house. The Tendo family and Genma did a collective facefault.
     Ranma Red smiled triumphantly as he gestured to his sibling. "Allow me to introduce my twin brother, Ranma Saotome."

Twenty minutes later…
     Both Ranmas were sitting beside each other at the table as they finished their story on how they became separated. Soun and Genma were flabbergasted. Akane was between amazement and disgust as she realized that there were two Ranmas now. Nabiki was already formulating on how much income this development would make, and Kasumi was…Kasumi. She said her trademarked, "Oh my!"
     Soun became very excited afterwards, "So you are saying that there are now two of you?"
     "Well, yeah…" Ranma Red started.
     Soun began jumping for joy as he pounded Genma on the back. "Saotome! Do you realize what this means? We can now have TWO of my daughters married and doubly ensure that the future of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts!"
     "Your right Tendo!" Genma joined in on his friend's revelry. They began shouting and laughing with glee. Genma took out a bottle of sake and both started to take long pulls of the stuff. Nabiki and Kasumi became understandably shocked as they realized that one of them was about to be engaged to Ranma's twin.
     It was at this time that both Saotome brothers decided to end this display. Sitting straight up, the twins emitted a loud 'ahem' which caught the attention of the two cavorting fathers.
     "We hate to burst your bubbles, but my brother and I are NOT marrying ANY of the Tendo girls!" Ranma Blue stated.
     "What?!" Both Soun and Genma turned suddenly as they heard Ranma Blue's declaration.
     "That's right!" Ranma Red agreed.
     "Foolish boys!" Genma roared. "It is a matter of honor that the two of you wed the Tendo girls! The promise stated that any children I have will marry any of Soun's children!"
     "Hmpf!" Ranma Red snorted. "That promise doesn't mean squat to us! We've had enough of your stupid promises, which we had no say in! I'm not going to do it!"
     "Ditto for me!" Ranma Blue added. "Besides, we already have fiancées!"
     "WHAT?!" Both men roared.
     Ranma Red and his brother sent telepathic signals to their future wives, who then entered the house and took their places beside their respective Ranma.
     "Ukyo Kuonji had just consented to be my bride, not only because of that okonomiyaki cart, but because she loves me and I love her!" Ranma Blue said as he embraced a smiling Ukyo.
     Ranma Red followed suit by taking Shampoo into his arms. "I'm going to marry Shampoo. We love each other and since I beat her, by Amazon Law, we have to get hitched."
     Needless to say, Akane did not take this news any better than her father did. Her temper began a fast boil as she saw the two pigtailed boys hug Ukyo and Shampoo. She then exploded as each gave their fiancées a tender kiss.
     "RANMA, YOU JERKS!!!" Akane then whipped out her hammer and swung it at the heads of the twin Ranmas.
     Both Ranmas had expected this reaction. Without even breaking off the kiss, Ranma Red put up one finger and stopped the hammer with apparently no effort. Ranma Blue followed up by launching a chi blast, which reduced the hammer's head into atomic particles. Akane was left staring stupidly at the handle of her now useless weapon.
     The two Ranmas then broke off their kisses and turned to an enraged Akane.
     "Just what we expected from you Akane." Ranma Red started.
     "You bet! We've had to put up with your temper tantrums for almost a year!" Ranma Blue said.
     It was then that Akane exploded. "You're both perverts! Pigs! Lechers! You'll grab any bimbo that comes along!"
     "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIMBOS?!" Shampoo and Ukyo shouted.
     "I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" Soun roared.
     "I AGREE!" Genma added. "You two will marry a Tendo girl and that's final! For the honor of our two families and the future of the schools, you both will follow through!"
     "I DO NOT AGREE!!!"
     As soon as Nodoka's voice was heard, Genma stiffened and turned white. He began to quiver and tremble uncontrollably as his knees began to knock together. He began to slowly turn around to the direction of the voice. The Tendo family also turned their heads toward the sound of Nodoka's shout. Near the doorway which led to the hall, stood Ranma's mother and Cologne.
     Nodoka was standing in a classic dueling pose. In both of her hands, she gripped the hilt of a katana. Before entering the building, she had unwrapped the sword from its cloth bindings. The curved blade glinted with a deadly light as she leveled it toward her husband. Her face had a dark look and her eyes seemed to glow with a fiery light as her rage began to be felt in the room. Beside her, Cologne balanced on her staff and also looked at Genma with a disparaging eye. The appearance of the two women would have made Kami-sama himself think twice about making them any angrier.
     "N-N-No-Nodoka!" Genma stammered, his voice was barely more than a whisper.
     Before he could say anything else, Nodoka charged with unbelievable speed and delivered a downward slash at her spouse. The Tendo daughters screamed. Genma also screamed and shut his eyes, expecting to die at that moment. He then heard a splash and the sound of breaking glass that was hitting the floor. When he opened his eyes, he looked down and saw a puddle and the bottom of the sake bottle he was holding on the floor in front of him. He then looked at the hand that was still holding the bottle's neck. The katana had sliced the bottle cleanly into two pieces. It was apparent that Nodoka knew how to use that sword!
     Nodoka then lifted the sword and had its tip less than a millimeter from Genma's exposed throat. She then gritted out a greeting through clenched teeth. "Hello Genma. It has been a long time." Her voice was practically dripping with venom.
     Cologne hopped over to her great-granddaughter's side and said, "It seems that your wife wishes to discuss something with you, Genma Saotome. I would advise you to choose your words with care."
     No one in the room could anything more than stare at the scene. All the matriarch of the Saotome clan had to do was push forward slightly and Genma would no longer be counted among the living. Seeing this, Genma tried to reason with his enraged wife.
     "N-Nodoka! It's good to see you again. I would have called s-sooner, b-but…"
     "Silence!" Nodoka commanded. "I want none of your excuses!"
     Both Ranmas came up to their mother. As they approached her, they tried to calm her down.
     "Mom?" Ranma Red tried to put a hand on her shoulder.
     Without taking her eyes off Genma, their mother said in a stern voice, "Stay out of this my sons! This is between your father and I!"
     The Saotome twins knew that this was one of those times to back off.
     Nodoka then addressed her husband. "How dare you arrange a marriage for Ranma without consulting me?"
     Genma swallowed hard as he responded, "It was a matter of honor that Ranma be married to a Tendo! The schools of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts were to be united!"
     "HONOR?!" Nodoka roared. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT HONOR WHEN YOU HAVE NONE OF IT TO BEGIN WITH?!"
     "W-Wh-What do you mean?"
     Nodoka calmed down a little before continuing. "My son was no more than a few months old when you SOLD him for a FISH!!!"
     "B-But dear, I was starving and h-he did throw in the rice and two pickles."
     Nodoka whirled and sent a diagonal slash at one of Genma's arms. Genma was too shocked to even flinch. When he looked down at his arm, he saw that she had cut the sleeve of his gi clean off. The material fluttered to the floor. His arm was untouched. The tip of her sword was back at his throat in an instant.
     "N-Nodoka, please listen…" Genma tried again, but he was cut off as her sword lightly touched his skin.
     Ranma's mother was clearly becoming angrier. "I would have thought that you had learned your lesson after that, Genma!"
     "I-I-I did dear! The girl that was engaged to Ranma had renounced her claim!"
     "YOU DID NOT!!!" Nodoka slashed off the other sleeve of her husband's gi, then returned the blade to its position at Genma's Adam's apple. "When Ranma was six, you engaged him to Ukyo Kuonji! YOU STOLE HER DOWRY AND ABANDONED HER!"
     Ukyo flinched at the memory.
     "But Nodoka…" Genma meekly said.
     She would have none of it. She then began slashing at Genma's gi, taking care not to cut her husband, at least not yet. With every stroke, she shouted out each of Genma's crimes.
     "PORK CUTLETS!!!" Slash! "FIVE BAGS OF RICE!!!" Slash! "AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BUFFET!!!" Slash! "AND KAMI-SAMA ONLY KNOWS HOW MANY MORE YOU WOULD HAVE DONE!!!" Slash! Slash! Slash!
     By this time, Genma's gi looked like Swiss cheese. He trembled so hard from the near misses that he fell to his knees. Nodoka suddenly stopped in her attacks and held her sword high. It looked as if she was preparing to lop off her husband's head.
     "MOM!!!" Both Ranmas shouted.
     Nodoka began to compose herself as she replied, "Do not worry my sons. I am not going to kill him…today. There is still the matter of your engagements to settle." Leaving Genma to grovel on the floor, she turned to Soun, who was still in shock at her display. After a long moment, Soun shook himself out of his stupor. His family listened intensely as their father tried to set their future.
     "Madam, I-I-I was unaware that your husband had done these things. However, as a matter of honor…your sons must still marry my daughters. Akane is already engaged to one of them so now we must…"
     "No." Nodoka said in a firm, yet expressionless voice.
     "I beg your pardon?"
     "I said no."
     "Mrs. Saotome! It is a matter of honor that…" Soun did not finish as she half-raised her sword.
     "As of now, the promise that my idiot husband had made to you has been invalidated. Genma has already proven himself incapable of keeping his word. He broke his vow to your family when he started using Ranma as a means to fill his fat belly!"
     "But…"
     "I will tolerate no objections to my decision! Furthermore, I have already seen how unsuitable Akane is to either of my sons! She was about to strike my sons, when all they did was give their fiancées a kiss! I had already given them my blessings for their engagements to Ukyo and Shampoo!"
     "Now see here…" Soun started.
     "No, you see here Mr. Tendo! My sons had already told me what had been going on in this house for the past several months! After seeing Akane's behavior today, I tend to agree with their assessment of her!"
     "But…"
     "Also, I do not like being LIED TO!"
     "What are talking about?" Soun asked nervously.
     "THIS!!!" Nodoka pointed to her husband. As if on cue, both Ranmas understood what their mother wanted and grabbed their father. With a mighty heave, they tossed the still sniveling martial artist out the door and into the koi pond. The Panda came up sputtering and held up a sign.
     "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO YOUR FATHER?!" signed the Panda.
     Nodoka turned her attention to Soun. "You told me that my husband was with my son on a training trip yesterday, when in fact he was behind me in his CURSED FORM!"
     "Y-You know about the curse of Jusenkyo?" Soun sputtered.
     "My sons came to me yesterday and explained everything. They also informed me that you were still intent of forcing Ranma to marry Akane, even though Kaori Daikoku and Ukyo Kuonji had arrived with legitimate claims on my son!"
     "But the promise made between myself and Genma was made before Ranma or my girls were born! It has the right of seniority!"
     "No it does not!" Nodoka affirmed. "Akane still retains her dowry! The Tendo dojo has neither been given nor spent! Ukyo's dowry has already been taken and spent! In addition, my husband had taken food from other families, while carelessly engaging my son to their daughters! He has caused much dishonor to several families! It was then, that I had decided to disallow ALL engagements that Genma had made on my son's behalf!"
     "But, that would mean that Ukyo…"
     "I said ALL the ENGAGEMENTS that GENMA had made! I said nothing about any engagements that my SONS had made."
     "Your…SONS?" Soun sputtered.
     Nodoka nodded. "Ranma Blue had proposed to Ukyo three days ago, while Ranma Red has promised himself to Shampoo! Since they had made their decision of their own free will, I consider their engagements to be valid!"
     Akane became shocked as she heard these words. Although she would never admit it, she had become rather attached to Ranma over the past months. Now both Ranmas had proposed to her rivals. This revelation had hurt her both emotionally and physically. Now Ranma's mother had declared that her engagement was invalid. She could do nothing but stand like a zombie as the adults argued. [He…he doesn't love me! I… thought he cared about me! I…] Akane was just about on the verge of tears.
     "I protest!" Soun declared. He could not believe that his lifelong dream was being destroyed before his eyes.
     "As their mother, I have far greater authority!" Nodoka looked at him dangerously. "The matter is settled!" As Ukyo and Shampoo became overjoyed with her announcement and began hugging their future husbands, she then turned to the Panda, who cowered under her intense gaze. "As for you Genma, count yourself lucky that I do not demand that you commit seppeku now! I may still demand you to commit it later!"
     The Saotome matriarch turned back to Soun, who was now bawling at the situation.
     "Oh do be silent Mr. Tendo! The matter is settled! Act like a man of your age!"
     "Waaaaaaahhhh!!! Now the schools will never be joined!" Tears came down in buckets as Soun paced aimlessly around the room.
     Nodoka watched the man with pity. After five minutes of his constant wailing, Nodoka sighed and turned to her sons, who were still being affectionately hugged by their fiancées.
     "Come my sons. It is time we all took our leave."
     Both boys stood up with their future wives and turned toward the door. As they headed out of the house, their mother and Cologne followed them. Before exiting, Nodoka turned back toward the Tendo family. She addressed Akane while Nabiki and Kasumi were busy trying to console their father. Genma was still in his panda form as he patted his weeping friend's back. Their mutual dream to unite the school had been torn apart.
     "Akane Tendo. Although this engagement did not work out, I bear no malice toward you or your family. I had wanted to get to know you all better, but I'm afraid that the only way to settle this situation was to end it. I apologize for any distress that I have caused you."
     Akane did not seem to hear her. She was still standing in shock as her thoughts whirled in her head. [Ranma's leaving! He's not coming back! He…doesn't…love…me!]
     Nodoka noted the expression on the youngest Tendo and then sighed. This was not how she wanted things to end. However, she could think of no other way. She bowed silently and was gone.
     It was then that Akane sank to her knees and began sobbing. Kasumi and Nabiki noticed her and went over to console her. Soun, on the other hand turned to his friend in a rage.
     "SAOTOME! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
     The Panda backed away as Soun's Demon Head filled up the room. In the corner, Akane sobbed quietly with her sisters crouched down beside her.

     Shampoo and Cologne, after bidding the Saotome family goodbye, headed toward the Nekohanten to open for business. Ukyo had also left the group as she too had a business to run. The twins and their mother began heading back toward their home. As they walked, they began asking Nodoka some questions.
     "Mom, what about Pop?" Ranma Red inquired.
     Nodoka took on an intense, but thoughtful look. "Your father may either stay with the Tendo family, or come home to us. If he does return, I assure you, he will be under my strict supervision."
     "Are you going to make him commit seppeku?" Ranma Blue asked.
     Nodoka paused for a long time before answering, "No. For now, I am going to let him think about the crimes he has committed over the last ten years. I'm sure that Soun Tendo is venting his rage on him right now. That will give him added incentive not to do such foolish things in the future. However, he is still my husband and your father. Killing him so soon, after not seeing my family in over a decade does not set well with me."
     Both Ranmas nodded. They both knew that their father was a slow learner, but now that Nodoka was aware of his failings, they could now have hope that Genma would not cause any more difficulties for them.
     {"Well guys, I'm glad to see that the matter of the engagements has now been settled!"} Taron said from the Realm of Infinity.
     Nodoka perked up when she heard Taron. She then relaxed as she remembered who it was.
     {"Hey Taron! Where's Soren?"} Ranma Blue asked.
     {"I'm right here."} Soren answered. {"Now that you've gotten everything cleared up, it's time for the both of you to continue with your training."}
     {"Right now?"} Ranma Blue asked.
     {"Yes, I'm afraid that the training must go on. We need you to meet us at the park."}
     {"But what about Mom?"} Ranma Red looked at his mother.
     Nodoka smiled as she said, "Go ahead you two. I'll be going home now."
     {"If you'll allow me Nodoka, I can get you home in an instant."} Soren offered.
     "Just a moment." Nodoka turned to her sons and hugged them both.
     "Take care you two. I expect you back by dinner." She then released her sons and said, "I'm ready now."
     She was suddenly enveloped in a bright flash as Soren used his magic to teleport her to her house. As the light faded away, the Saotome twins began heading for the park.
     Nodoka suddenly appeared in front of her house. She was slightly disoriented at being instantly transported across Tokyo. However, remembering what her sons had told her about Soren and Taron, she quickly got over it. She headed into her house to make preparations for her sons' return.
     Although she was still amazed at what had happened to Ranma in the last few days, she found that she could get used to the fact that Ranma was now twins. She had TWO SONS! They had proven themselves as men among men. They had become excellent martial artists. They were honorable. They were engaged to girls who loved them and most of all, they still loved their mother dearly, despite her ten-year absence from their lives. She couldn't ask for anything more.

     At the park, Soren and Taron were waiting for their pupils to arrive. On the other side of the city, dark clouds began to form as the time of the Contract Renewal drew near.

To be continued…


AUTHOR'S NOTES:
     Phew! Chapter 9 is finally done! I've had a lot of trouble with this installment since the business of having two Ranma Saotomes caused me to have writer's block. Now that their business with the Tendo clan is finished, our twin heroes must now deal with coming back to school. I'll also add Mousse into the plot and introduce the first of the Dark World villains. I know I should have introduced them sooner and I may do some revision to the previous chapters later. Right now, I have to go with the flow of my creative juices as they hit me.


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