Permanent
Part 22
The deal.
Ryoga Hibiki stood up from his seat in shock as the words sunk in slowly. 
"What?!"
Ranma merely ignored the discomfort of Ryoga and Akane while she exchanged 
pleased looks with Soun. "Well, that should take care of any possible problems 
later on," thought the pigtailed girl to herself.
"You can't do this to me!" screamed Akane in shock as she backed away from the 
table and Ryoga.
"Why not? You two seem to like one another just fine," said Ranma as she gave 
them a surprised stare.
"You don't have any right to do this to me Saotome!" screamed Ryoga as he 
grabbed the girl by her shirt and lifted her off the floor.
"Cut it out Mr. P, you know that I do," replied the girl coolly from his grip.
The boy froze and slowly placed her on the floor as a comprehending and 
frightened look crossed his face. Akane looked at him and stepped forward. 
"Ryoga, are you all right?"
"I'm fine...it seems I have no choice but to accept this," he said coldly as he 
glanced between Ranma and her father. He seemed dazed almost as if he wasn't 
there anymore.
The pigtailed girl settled back into her seat calmly and turned back towards 
Soun. "How long do you think we should wait?"
"Give them a little time to get to know one another, a few months of him living 
here with us should do it," replied the man sagely. Ryoga sat calmly beside the 
girl with a completely serene look about him.
Akane turned and grabbed Ranma by her collar in anger, "What did you do to him?" 

"Nothing," replied the girl with an icy edge appearing in her voice for a 
moment. She pushed the Tendo girl away gently and returned to her seat.
"I'm fine Akane, really," said the boy mechanically.
"You're making him do this aren't you?" screamed the girl, she was terrified 
beyond belief. If Ranma could do this to him, what else was she capable of 
doing? "If she wants me to marry him I might not have any choice!" screamed her 
mind in desperation.
Ranma looked between them and frowned as she began to understand what was wrong 
with the girl. "Akane, I'm not controlling Ryoga. He is just accepting what he 
cannot change, it is too late for me to go back on my word."
Soun seemed puzzled by the conversation and said nothing.
"Ryoga say something!" cried the girl in shock as she took him by the shoulders 
and shook violently.
"There's nothing I can do Akane," he replied simply before turning away from her 
in shame.
"How can she do this to you? She's not even related to you! Do something!" she 
pleaded with him.
"Akane, I belong to Ranma, he can do with me what he wishes," replied the boy as 
he continued to sit calmly despite her shaking him.
"What?" gasped the girl as she scooted across the floor away from him.
Ranma merely stood and turned towards the door, "You're staying here now Mr. P, 
don't think you can be late for work because of it."
The boy nodded dumbly and continued to sit with the exact same expression on his 
face. "See you later Ranma."
Soun watched this coolly and placed a neatly folded piece of paper into his 
sleeve. He had not been expecting this sort of reaction from his daughter, she 
seemed to like the boy a lot. Ranma had explained to him why she had the right 
to do this for the boy, but Soun decided that it would be best if she explained 
it to her; or the boy himself could do it. He didn't really see the need to 
involve himself in the matter.
Ranma walked down the street with an icy air about her, she pulled the cloak she 
had draped around the kimono tighter and shifted the katana in her arms, it was 
bundled up in a long cover that kept it hidden from prying eyes. Gently as if 
carried by the breeze a few words floated into her head.
"Do I love her? Or is it just you Ranma?" she turned and gave a quick glance 
back at the Tendo home pulling the hood further over her head. 
"I wish I knew Mr. P," with that said she started towards the Cat Café once 
again, all the while thinking that maybe she had made a mistake. She forced the 
thought out of her mind and grit her teeth, "So what? If I love her, so does he! 
What difference does it make? I sure as hell can't marry her!"
"Saotome," said a familiar voice from behind her. Ranma turned slowly and 
noticed Kuno standing there with a thick book in his arms. "You seem troubled, 
are you well?"
"Hello Kuno, I'm fine; just sorting through some family business," she replied 
calmly.
"I see, the best of luck to you, Gosunkugi asked me to give this to you," he 
held out a small amulet to her and placed it in her palms.
"Hey, not bad! He's improving," she replied with a small smile on her face. 
"Still hasn't figured out how to fix his arm yet though."
"And you do?" asked the boy in surprise.
"Not off hand, I'm sure I could look it up though. I want him to do it himself 
though, an incentive to work harder." She looked up at him and snorted when she 
noticed he was wearing his kendo uniform again.
"I had a match today," he replied noting her gaze.
"I see, watch yourself," she nodded at him cautiously.
"I have no intention of becoming that again, I assure you of that," snapped the 
boy a little impatiently.
"I see, you and Gosunkugi have been spending a lot of time together," Ranma 
switched the topic quickly and started walking again with the boy keeping up 
beside her.
"We get along well, and our experience in the house of Kuno..." he trailed off 
still unwilling to converse much about it, but it was a drastic improvement none 
the less.
"Someone to speak with if you have to right?" said the girl with another knowing 
smile appearing on her face. Kuno noted that she seemed strangely reserved 
keeping her face hidden in the shadows of the cloak almost intentionally and not 
looking directly up.
"That is part of it. Tell me something Saotome, why do you seem so tense all of 
a sudden?" he asked looking her up and down.
"Something is coming Kuno, I don't know what it is," she replied simply.
"This is not good, I've felt a strange darkness lately. I feel cold, as if a 
dark presence was there, like in the mansion." He returned from his thoughts and 
noticed the girl had stopped.
"I was hoping it was just a dream myself, but if you can feel it as well..." she 
looked up at the dark rain clouds that hung over their heads.
"Once someone feels evil that potent it is easy to recognize," replied the boy 
simply.
"You're being awfully loose tongued about this lately. Finally feeling better?" 
she smiled at him again causing him to stop and frown slightly.
"I have accepted what I cannot change," was his answer. Ranma nodded and 
continued walking.
"I wouldn't worry about this presence too much Kuno. It is an evil presence, but 
there is no doom or dread in the premonitions I've been getting. Perhaps it will 
not even involve us." The boy nodded and they parted ways.
Ranma's face returned to a scowl as soon as she was away from the boy. She was 
not so foolish as to believe this evil would not involve her. She looked towards 
the sky again as it roared angrily with a flash of light appearing inside the 
clouds over her head. The evil was potent indeed, she would have to deal with it 
when the time came and she knew that very well.
"Ranma! You come back already?" asked Talcum as she walked through the door and 
saw her two Amazon sisters working at the tables.
"Yea, my business is finished," she replied removing her cloak and hanging it by 
the door.
"How did it go?" asked Cologne as she bounded from the kitchen on her staff.
"Not as well as I'd hoped, neither one of them took it well," she replied flatly 
as she tied an apron around her waist.
"That's too bad, I'd halfway expected those two love birds to jump on a chance 
like that," said Ko li as she walked by the group with a tray of food in her 
hands.
"To be honest so did I," replied Ranma coolly. 
"Give them time child, they'll come around after spending a little time 
together. We'll send over his things tomorrow," the old woman returned to her 
place in the kitchen and continued to cook while Ranma started waiting tables. 
She was glad for the distraction. 
Cologne stuck her head out of the door and frowned. Ranma seemed rattled and 
disturbed still, the girl did not shake easily and it must be something 
important if it caused her to act this way.
"This does not bode well," she said simply as she turned away again.
Ryoga sat with Akane on the back porch of the Tendo home, he was calm and 
reflective while Akane just fumed with anger.
"I don't believe her! I can't believe she had the nerve to do that to us!" cried 
the girl angrily.
Ryoga merely turned his head slightly and sighed. "She had every right to do 
what she did Akane; we don't have to like it, but we do have to accept it."
"What are you talking about? I thought she was using some sort of mind control 
on you!" growled the girl, "I think you gave up a little too easily!"
Ryoga looked at her and chuckled to himself. Akane's scowl deepened and she 
glared at him. "You had this planned in advance didn't you! Pervert!"
"No, I didn't, I don't have a choice Akane," replied the boy simply.
"Of course you do! What are you talking about?" replied Akane in frustration.
"Akane, Ranma owns me," he said simply as he laid on his back and gazed into the 
stars with a wistful look on his face.
"What?" said the girl in surprise.
"The contract I sighed when I became Ranma's familiar, basically I'm a slave," 
his face didn't seem pained or troubled, it was almost as if he was remembering 
a pleasant memory.
"Ryoga that's terrible!" said the girl as she tried to imagine Ranma doing 
something like that to someone. It surprised her when she did it quite easily.
"It was necessary, ask me about it again sometime and I'll tell you the story 
about how it happened," said the boy wistfully.
"What do you mean necessary?" cried the girl in shock.
"I did it of my own free will Akane," snapped Ryoga almost too harshly.
Akane jerked back, but calmed considerably.
"It happened in China just before we came back. We ran into some pretty strong 
evil force, she just didn't have the strength to beat it. We almost died that 
day, all three of us." The boy paused and took a deep breath as he remembered.
"Three?" Akane noticed the look on his face and did not press the matter. "One 
of them must not have made it."
"By becoming her familiar Ranma was able to use my soul to strengthen her own 
magic, basically boosting the amount of energy she could handle by letting her 
use mine. In order to do magic you have to use your own soul to control the 
energy, you can't use anyone else's. That's why I can't do magic, even though I 
know how to." Akane still didn't comprehend what he was saying and he smiled. "I 
sold her my soul Akane, gave it to her. Since it is her soul now, she can use it 
to do magic with. In a sense I'm just loaning it."
The girl's eyes just about popped out of her head as the boy told her this. 
"Ryoga, that's terrible!"
"If it was someone besides Ranma it would be, she'd never force me to do 
anything; I trust her completely," replied the boy with a shrug.
"What would you call this?!" screamed the girl in frustration.
"Ranma isn't going to hold my hand when I walk down the isle, I could run and 
she wouldn't stop me; I'd have to sacrifice my own honor, but I could get out of 
this pretty easily," replied the boy .
Akane felt tears fall down her face, she wasn't sure exactly what she was 
feeling right now, but whatever it was just would not stop. Her left eye glowed, 
it was bright enough that she could see it with her right eye.
Ryoga seemed to ignore her as he lay stargazing. "Do I love her? Damn you Ranma, 
this is all your fault!" There was no real heat behind the statement, but the 
question was still there. He had yet to receive an answer from Ranma. Experience 
had told him that it was very possible that his master's feelings for the girl 
could be spilling over on him, especially since they had used the link recently 
in the battle with that demon in Kuno's home. "I can't even tell what I feel 
anymore, is it really mine? Or does she belong to you?"
Akane was having troubled thoughts of her own. She started to seriously wonder 
just what Ranma Saotome was capable of doing. She wasn't sure how she felt for 
the boy she now called a fiancée, but it was damn sure too soon for marriage to 
be even considered. Another thought entered her mind, "What is Ranma to me 
anyway? Friend, sister, or lover? She definitely had a real love for her, but 
how serious was it? It disturbed her how often she thought back to that kiss she 
had received from her that day. It seemed so long ago now, but the feeling was 
still there. The warmth and safety she had felt was far too strong to be 
ignored. She had never thought of herself that way before, but Ranma had forced 
her to think about her own sexuality; she couldn't say she liked the way it was 
going either. Even if it was true, what would she do? Probably marry the boy 
sitting next to her anyway, that's what her mind told her; but her heart was 
another matter entirely. Uncertainty flooded her mind as she stretched her back 
across the wooden floor and joined her fiancée in stargazing.
Somewhere in a forest just outside Tokyo a small shadow dashed through the woods 
breathing heavily as it struggled with the rough path ahead of it. A single word 
escaped it's lips as it crawled slowly towards the city limits. "Akane!"
TBC...
 
This chapter was mostly to address a lot of questions I've been getting and to 
lay some emotional groundwork for later, it also got some things out into the 
open that I wanted done before hand. 
The evil so prominently foreshadowed in this chapter will probably make his 
appearance next time. Don't expect Ranma to have an easy time dealing with him 
either.
C&C to: Carrotglace@juno.com 
URL: Http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/fountain/3203
 
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