BattleMage Series

WARNING: While there will be no actual ‘Lemon’ content contained herein, adult situations, language, violence and acts of a sexual nature are strongly implied.

Disclaimer: The rights to ‘Ranma 1/2’ are owned by its creator, Rumiko Takahashi. The rights to ‘Gold Digger’ are owned by its creator, Fred Perry. The rights to characters from other sources, which are likely to make cameo appearances, are retained by their respective creators. This story is for entertainment purposes only and written without expectation of monetary or material profit.

Notes: While drawing primarily from the original ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series, some elements and characters from the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Anime series may also be utilized. This is BOTH a ‘Continuation’ and an ‘Alternate Universe’ fan-fiction in regards to the characters and events of ‘Ranma 1/2’ and ‘Gold Digger’, meaning: the characters WILL be ‘Out-of-Character’ to one extent or another and that canon events the reader is familiar with may or may not have been altered to a greater or lesser degree. This fan-fiction is also a ‘Crossover’, combining elements from the two aforementioned sources. For most of the story, we will attempt to adhere closely to canon, in regards to Fred Perry’s ‘Gold Digger’ series, but at some point, events will diverge from canon and concessions will have to be made for the intermingling of the two base series.

Furthermore, it is ‘presumed’ that the events of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series take place over more than one year of time, as there is little, if any, real indication of the passage of time in canon. Therefore, Ranma and Akane are juniors at the time this story begins, while Nabiki and Kuno are seniors.

Timeframe: Immediately following the failed wedding attempt at the end of the ‘Ranma 1/2’ Manga series; there are several months remaining until the end of the current school year at Furinkan High… (’Gold Digger’ timeframe will become apparent when introduced into the story.)

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BATTLEMAGE

By

Ryan Slicer

(original story concept, writing and guidance)

&

Tai Khan

(general story expander, editor and sounding board)

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Book Three: Love of a Cheetah

Part Two: A Mother’s Joy

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“If there is anything more ferocious, dangerous, and unpredictable than a mother protecting her young from a perceived threat then I’ve never heard of it!”

- Quote attributed to numerous Hunters, Warriors, Adventurers and Explorers throughout history in one form or another.

Tatewaki Kuno stood proudly before his love, his Pigtailed Goddess, glaring down upon the demon-spawn that continued with it’s feigned innocent slumber, expecting it to leap up and attack him with fangs bared at any moment for daring to expose it’s ruse, just like that baby in the movie “It‘s Alive!”. So, needless to say, he was rather startled by the heavy purse that suddenly slammed into his face with considerable force. And the kicks to his shins, hard enough to draw blood, didn’t help him with regaining his equilibrium much, either.

Of course, Kuno’s pain was only just beginning as mallets, baseball bats, shinai, and other instruments of pain-inducing blunt trauma rapidly appeared in the hands of the women now surrounding him. As he was surrounded and the auras of outraged mothers washed over him, he chanced to look upon the enraged and snarling face of his love. For just a moment, he wondered if, just perhaps, he may have acted with unwise haste and uttered a few ill-chosen words. His pondering ceased, and the real pain began, with his love delivering the opening blow… a particularly crushing kick to a highly sensitive part of his anatomy, thereby demonstrating just how truly upset she was.

(It should be noted that it would later be discovered that the Kuno family line would have to be continued via Tatewaki’s sister, Kodachi, as Ranma-chan’s blow, enhanced with her enraged chi, had rendered the scion of the noble house of Kuno completely sterile. Not that Tatewaki would ever accept the doctors’ findings, nor was it likely to stop the delusional idiot from trying to father his own children, in any case.)

-X-X-X-

Ranma-chan frowned, glancing back at the small postal box into which Tatewaki Kuno’s remains had been stuffed, as she and the others continued on towards the next store, now that the delusional idiot had been taught a painful lesson about the consequences of threatening babies in the presence of their mothers. It wasn’t the beating of Kuno that was bothering her, however, but her own response and actions during the whole incident. Never in her life could she remember being so… so… enraged! And… afraid? Not for herself, but for Nyoko. And where she’d first kicked Kuno… that was a move she’d never used before, in either form, and had never intended to use, save as a desperate act in a life-or-death fight. And yet, it had been her first, instinctive, shot at Kuno, intended to bring him down hard, fast, and in as much pain as possible, after he’d threatened her ba-… after he’d threatened Nyoko.

Mrs. Tanaka, noticing the redhead’s distracted gaze, reached over and softly began massaging Ranma-chan’s still tense shoulders as they continued walking. “Saotome-san, is something troubling you? I’d heard that that Kuno boy was pursuing you, and doesn’t know about… your problem, but… I still can’t believe he had the utter gall to say such things. And in public no less! And then to threaten your baby? They need to lock that boy up and throw away the key!”

“I’ll be alright, Tanaka-san,” Ranma-chan said, taking a calming breath and relaxing into the gentle massage a moment before checking on Nyoko, who was still asleep and drooling a bit. “I just wasn’t expecting to react so… violently, like that,” she continued, pulling a tissue from a side-pocket of the stroller and pausing in her walk to wipe away the drool from Nyoko’s chin. “I mean, Kuno’s always spoutin’ off some nonsense and throwin’ insults around. But for some reason… I snapped!”

Mrs. Tanaka sighed, shaking her head as she watched the much smaller and younger girl tend to her baby. Kneeling down beside the stroller, across from Ranma, she lowered her voice slightly and said, “Saotome-san, I don’t even begin to claim any understanding of how your curse affects you. I’m certain that your male-form will be a good father figure for Nyoko, but… after witnessing what just occurred, I can say with utter conviction that your female-form will make a good mother, as well. You may not understand it, but in that form, at least, you have a mother’s instincts and when your baby was threatened you reacted as any mother would to protect her child.”

“But I’m not–” Ranma-chan began.

“I know,” Mrs. Tanaka interrupted. “You’re not her birth mother. And from all that I’ve heard you say and from what I’ve heard from Kasumi, you’re not likely to ever be someone’s birth mother. Much to the disappointment of boys and men the world over,” she said, with a mischievous smirk at seeing Ranma-chan’s frown. “But that doesn’t really matter, in any case. Motherhood is far more than just the physical act of giving birth. Even the lowest forms of life on the planet can give birth to offspring. No, motherhood is about protecting, nurturing, caring for and loving unconditionally. There’s more, but those are among the top of the list. You are Nyoko’s mother, she is your baby, and that as they say is that… At least when you’re a girl, anyway! And even if, or when, you marry some lucky girl, and she becomes Nyoko’s mother… you will still be her mother in that form.”

“Hey, you two!” one of the other women, a new mother herself pushing a double-stroller containing newborn twins, called out from where the others had stopped a bit further down the sidewalk. “We can’t continue this baby shower, late as it is, without the new mother along, you know! C’mon, we’re going to hit the bakery for something to munch on!”

“Sweets!” Mrs. Tanaka said with a grin.

“Coming!” Ranma-chan called back to the others, returning Mrs. Tanaka’s grin with her own as she stood. “We ‘mothers’ have to keep up our energy, after all!”

The rest of the morning passed pleasantly enough and while Ranma-chan was still embarrassed over some of the topics of conversation that came up among the women, she’d long since lost most of her ability to blush. In all, however, she had to admit that she’d enjoyed the time spent among the other women and she’d gotten all kinds of useful information on caring for and raising Nyoko, not to mention purchased nearly everything she could possibly ever need to care for her daughter arranging to have the larger items delivered to the Dojo later. Before returning to the Dojo herself, however, she had one more stop to make.

-X-X-X-

Ranma-chan made her goodbyes, thanking the group for their help, advice and gifts, before turning and pushing the stroller into Dr. Tofu’s clinic. As it was the middle of the usual lunch hour for most people, she wasn’t surprised to find the clinic all but deserted, yet still expected to find Dr. Tofu within as he hadn’t placed up a sign stating that he was out.

“Yo, Doc!” she called cheerfully. “Ya busy?”

“Ranma?” Tofu responded, stepping into the doorway of his office, a steaming teacup in one hand. His eyes widened only slightly at the sight of a female Ranma standing next to a baby stroller and several shopping bags filled with baby things. Not exactly what one would expect to see anywhere near the ‘Wild Horse’. “Well, hello. What brings you into my clinic today?”

Ranma-chan reached down to pick up Nyoko out of her stroller before responding. “If you’re not too busy, Doc, I was hoping to get a check-up for Nyoko here. She seems healthy enough, but I want to be sure. We’re in no hurry and can wait, if you haven’t eaten lunch yet.”

“As a matter of fact, I’d just finished eating and was enjoying a cup of tea while doing some paperwork,” Tofu responded. “If you’ll give me a few moments to wash up, I’ll be more than happy give, ‘Nyoko’ was it, a full exam.”

“Her full name’s Midori Nyoko Saotome,” Ranma-chan said, tickling the baby under her chin. “Or at least, it will be once I adopt her. I… I don’t know what her parents might have named her, and I didn’t even think to ask while…”

“Yes,” Tofu said into the ensuing silence, “understandable considering the circumstances. I’ve, uh… made arrangements for the funeral to be held this coming Saturday, at a nearby cemetery, but I haven’t a clue as to what her religious beliefs might have been. And I need to know what should be placed on the marker.”

“Her name was Xeris,” Ranma-chan spoke softly. “And her husband was named Charon. I don’t know their clan name.”

“Hmm… how about, ‘Here lies Xeris, beloved wife of Charon and loving mother’?” Tofu suggested.

“Sounds okay,” Ranma-chan said sadly, holding Nyoko closer to herself.

“Ranma? Do you know if Nyoko may have other living relatives?” Tofu hadn’t really wanted to ask the question, as he could clearly see that Ranma had grown very attached to the baby in a short time, but he had to.

“I don’t think so,” Ranma-chan responded. “I was told that they were the last of their kind, and Xeris said that their village had been destroyed. Doc… you’ve got to keep quiet about what Nyoko is. Xeris’ people had some powerful enemies, and they’re supposed to be intent on completely wiping out all of her people.”

“All right, Ranma,” Tofu stated. “Why don’t you take Nyoko into the examination room while I wash up, and then you can tell me as much as you can about Xeris and her people. The more I know, the more I can help if something happens.”

“Okay, Doc.”

-X-X-X-

Akane fumed as she sat under one of the trees in the school yard eating her lunch with her friends, Yuka and Sayuri, and grumbling to herself. Despite having vented her frustrations on Kuno that morning, and Ranma’s inability to insult and annoy her due to his absence, things had only gotten worse as the day progressed. Somehow, Ranma’s infidelity to her, his fiancée, had become common knowledge throughout the school and she just knew that everyone was talking about her, laughing behind her back about how she hadn’t been woman enough to keep her fiancé in check… She hadn’t had a moment’s peace all morning with the constant whispering, and the notes that kept piling up on her desk had already gotten her sent into the hall for ‘bucket duty’ three times.

“Tendo-san, is it true? Does Ranma have a baby?” a fairly recent transfer student asked, the girl not having attended Furinkan High School long enough to know better than to approach Akane when she was in one of her moods.

“YES, IT’S TRUE!” Akane exploded, jumping to her feet and glaring at the now frightened girl as her battle aura swirled about her. “The pervert was sleeping around behind my back, just as I’ve always claimed, and he knocked up some gaijin hussy, who dumped their bastard child on him before disappearing. As far as I’m concerned we’re no longer engaged, we were NEVER engaged, and the dishonorable perverted freak can take his bastard child and GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Ukyo grinned at Akane’s shouted declaration, watching as the frightened freshman ran off and even Akane’s two closest friends looked ready to bolt, before turning back to Nabiki’s replacement for information. “So… let’s see if I’ve got this right. A woman showed up at the Tendo place yesterday, dying, Ranma knew her from somewhere and before she died she gave him her newborn daughter, which he intends to adopt as his own. Right?”

“That’s the info Nabiki supplied us, Kuonji-san. Apparently, Akane has yet to ask where the baby actually came from and is jumping to her usual conclusions.”

Ukyo handed over the remainder of the cost for the information, a delighted smile gracing her face. By Akane’s own declaration, publicly no less, she was no longer engaged to Ranma. Akane’s sisters had never indicated any real interest in marrying her Ranchan, Shampoo didn’t have chance as long as she continued trying to drag him back to her backwards little village as nothing more than breeding stock, and Kodachi wasn’t even a consideration. Which meant… her path to Ranma was clear! And once she showed her Ranchan how good of a mother she’d be to his new daughter…

Ukyo was giggling happily to herself as she quickly began cleaning up her portable grill, intending to skip the remainder of the school day and go greet ‘her’ future stepdaughter.

-X-X-X-

Ranma-chan was not looking forward to her return to the Tendo-ke, fully expecting to be confronted by both fathers in full rant mode as she noted a delivery van from one of the stores she’d purchased baby-stuff from pulling away from in front of the gate. As expected, she had no sooner set down her shopping bags and announced her return that she was jumped by the two idiots.

“Boy! What is the meaning of that?” Genma shouted, while pointing at a still boxed play-pen. “And where did you get the money to buy it? I demand that you hand over all of the money you have left, for safekeeping, so you don’t waste it on such garbage! We’ll take the child to Social Services, as you should have done in the first place, and they can take care it!”

“Quite right, Saotome!” Soun agreed. “We have neither the funds nor the room for yet another mouth to feed. However, if you insist on keeping the child, then I must demand that you marry Akane immediately for the child’s own good. It should have a mother to care for it, while you take over the schools.”

Without a word, Ranma-chan stepped toward the two and, with blinding speed, nailed each of the windbags in the solar plexus with a palm-strike, doubling them over as they struggled to get air back into their lungs. Ranma-chan then turned to Nyoko who, surprisingly, hadn’t started wailing at all the noise this time, and actually appeared to be smiling as her inquisitive gaze flitted about. Ranma-chan lifted her out of the stroller, cooing at her and uttering ‘baby-talk’, before turning back to face the Dimwitted Duo.

“Listen up, and listen good,” she growled, giving the two men a hard glare. “Nyoko was given into my care by her mother as she lay dying, and I swore to her that I would raise her daughter as if she were my own flesh and blood. So there will be no more talk of giving her over to someone else to raise. Is that understood?”

“Boy…” Genma began brusquely, having regained his breath a bit faster than Soun, only to be abruptly cut off as Ranma-chan grabbed him by the lapel of his gi and yanked him down to her eye level.

“Is… that… understood?” Ranma-chan growled, her eyes promising immense pain if the wrong answer was given.

Fearfully, Genma nodded his understanding. Despite what many believed, while Genma ‘was’ a fool, he wasn’t a ‘complete’ fool. He knew when his child would not be shaken from a decision and, after witnessing the battle at Jusendo, Genma wasn’t fool enough to believe he could take down his child without some very serious consequences, for himself, afterwards.

“Wh-… What about… Akane?” Soun asked, beginning to finally regain his breath. “Surely you want the child to have a mother. We could call the priest and hold the wedding this very afternoon.”

“There will be no wedding, Tendo-san,” Ranma-chan spoke evenly, her voice still hard. “Especially not to Akane, as she has once again ended our engagement, and I am extremely reluctant to even ‘consider’ being engaged to her again in the future after the things she said this morning.”

“Now, Son,” Soun began seeing his dreams once again on the brink of destruction, “you know she didn’t mean whatever she said. You know she has a bit of a temper. I’m certain that we can work it all out.”

“Not this time,” Ranma-chan responded, brushing past the two and heading for the kitchen. “This time, she lives with the consequences of her uncontrolled temper. If it was just me… maybe, in time… But I have a daughter to think of now. And I have to consider her welfare, first and foremost. And until she can control her temper, Akane’s a danger to everyone around her. I’m not even certain if I should remain living here in the same house with her.”

-X-X-X-

A woman with dark-auburn hair, worn in a tight bun, and dressed in a dark-purple formal kimono decorated with blossoming orchids, made her way carefully down the street. Anyone who was even remotely familiar with Japanese history, dress and customs, would have freely admitted that she would not have looked the least bit out of place in feudal era Japan. Even in modern Japan, her manner of dress, while unusual for day-to-day wear, wasn’t entirely uncommon, although the long, slender, silk-wrapped bundle she carried in her slender hands did raise an eyebrow or two, but nothing more. After all, this was Nerima, and the unusual was fairly common here. This particular woman, however, was none other than Nodoka Saotome, wife of Genma Saotome, and she was making one of her occasional visits to the Tendo Dojo to visit with her husband and son.

She had contacted Kasumi earlier that morning, to both announce her intention to visit the Tendo-ke and to ask if she could pick up anything at the marketplace for that night’s dinner, when during the course of their conversation Kasumi let slip that Ranma was not attending school that day. Something had occurred over the weekend and it had been thought best that Ranma not attend for a day or two, and yet he wasn’t presently at the Dojo. Her curiosity piqued at what new adventure her manly son was taking part in this time, Nodoka had asked Kasumi to wait until her arrival before telling her anything as she wanted to get all the details in the proper order.

As she entered the Tendo-ke she noticed several shopping bags and… a baby-stroller!… sitting in the entryway. Peeking into the bags her eyes widened at their contents. Someone was having a baby! It was the only possible explanation for so much baby stuff. And since it was here… and her manly son was the only potential father of such in the household…

“GRANDBABIES! WAI! WAI!”

Nodoka’s jubilant shout elicited several other sounds from further within the household. One was the sound of a stocky, slightly overweight, martial artist performing a decidedly ungraceful bellyflop into the koi pond. The next was an almost surprised voice exclaiming, “Oh my,” as if having forgotten said visitor was going to arrive. And the last was the wail of a startled baby, quickly quieted, before being followed by contented gurgling.

Nodoka broke several land-speed records in her rush towards the sounds, skidding to a halt just inside the main room of the house. Sitting at the low table was her son-presently-turned-daughter, and she was gently bouncing… A BABY!… in her lap.

“My son is so MANLY!” she cried out, startling the baby into another short wail of protest at the loud noise. In the blink of an eye Nodoka was kneeling next to Ranma-chan, looking the baby over intently. Slowly, her smile began to fade as she noted that the baby bore no hint of Japanese ancestry. The ‘dirty’ blond hair caused her smile to fade even further. That she could find no trace of anything that would indicate that the baby was a product of her son’s manliness caused her smile to fade completely from her face.

Ranma-chan was, at the moment, attempting to calm Nyoko back down after all of the excitement, but she’d spent most of the morning asleep already and was grabbing at everything that caught her attention. Ranma-chan had, however, noted her mother’s collapsing jubilation out of the corner of her eye and was hopeful that it would return once she learned that she ‘was’ a grandmother now, even if Nyoko wasn’t her granddaughter by blood. “Uh… Hi, Kaa-san.”

Nodoka barely twitched in acknowledgement of Ranma-chan’s greeting, as Kasumi joined them at the table with a tray of tea and snacks.

“Auntie?” Kasumi spoke up, drawing the older Saotome woman’s attention to her. “Isn’t Nyoko-chan the cutest little angel?” she asked with a serene expression.

“Nyoko-chan?” Nodoka repeated, looking between Ranma-chan and Kasumi. “Who’s child is she?”

“She’s mine… now,” Ranma-chan replied, her expression turning sad.

“Yours?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Kasumi responded, her angelic appearance never wavering. “And Ranma’s proving to be a very good father… and a good mother, too, actually,” she giggled, making Ranma-chan flush in embarrassment.

Nodoka turned to face her child, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Ranma-chan took a deep breath, noting that the fathers had disappeared but certain they were close by and listening. Giving her mother a warm smile, and silently hoping that she would accept Nyoko as her granddaughter and lay off on her pressure for her son to get some girl in the sack, she formally stated, “Okaasan, allow me to introduce your new granddaughter, Midori Nyoko Saotome.”

“She’s not Japanese,” Nodoka flatly stated, causing both Kasumi and Ranma-chan to frown in concern. If Nodoka refused to accept Nyoko into the Saotome family, it could cause some major difficulties.

Nyoko, meanwhile, having apparently grown bored with pulling on Ranma-chan’s yellow silk shirt, turned her attentions to the other large, colorful object nearby, which happened to be Nodoka. Gurgling and squealing in apparent interest, Nyoko waved her little arms towards Nodoka, her tiny hands opening and closing.

For all her pretense at displeasure over Nyoko’s lack of Japanese origins, and despite her samurai heritage and firm belief in tradition… Nodoka was still a woman.

“Sooo CUTE!” Nodoka squealed in delight and giggled like a schoolgirl as she accepted Nyoko into her own lap as Ranma-chan passed her over.

As Nodoka began to get acquainted with the newest member of the Saotome family, Ranma-chan and Kasumi exchanged glances and silent sighs of relief. Another hurdle had been successfully passed… but even more remained.

-X-X-X-

Ukyo vaulted over the wall surrounding the Tendo-ke, not bothering with the gate, and straightened her uniform as she made her way to the front door. Granted, the boy’s school uniform wasn’t going to help her in presenting an image of herself as the perfect ‘mother’ for Ranma’s new daughter, but… Ranma knew the truth and she hadn’t wanted to take the time to stop off at her restaurant to change into one of the few more ‘feminine’ outfits she’d gotten since coming to Nerima. No, her choice of clothing wouldn’t be an issue. How she interacted with Ranma’s new daughter, on the other hand, would be.

Admittedly, she didn’t she really know all that much about babies, having spent the majority of her life learning how to pass herself off as ‘one of the guys’. Instead of playing ‘House’ and using dolls as imaginary babies, the role-playing games she’d played growing up had been those which boys had commonly learned and none of them had included babies. Still, despite appearances and the games she’d played growing up, she was a girl and therefore, by extension, a natural mother. How hard could it really be? She was fairly confident that her ‘natural’ maternal instincts would come to the fore and allow her to make a good showing for Ranma to see.

Ukyo paused as her hand rose to knock on the door and announce her presence to those inside, as a sudden thought struck her. Just what kind of mother would Ranma want for his daughter? Fawning, doting and indulgent? Strict, firm and demanding? Ranma’s own mother seemed to flit from one to the other, and Ukyo had no memories of her own mother to draw any examples from. Ukyo pondered that question for a few moments more, before setting it aside for later consideration. Right now, all she really needed to do was to show that, unlike Akane, she would welcome Ranma’s daughter as her own.

Her thoughts and plans settled for the moment, Ukyo once more lifted her hand and rapped smartly on the door before her, a confident smile gracing her lips.

-X-X-X-

Ranma-chan watched her mother fussing over Nyoko, while keeping a wary eye on Genma and Soun who’d finally slunk back into the house when it became apparent that Nodoka’s ever-present katana wasn’t going to be unsheathed in the immediate future. She knew for a fact that they weren’t about to leave things as they were for very long… they never could. Sooner or later, one or more likely both were going to bring up the subject of marriage, uniting the schools, and getting a ‘real’ mother for Nyoko, hoping to gain Nodoka’s support in browbeating her into accepting ‘their’ wisdom. As if. Ranma-chan had already committed herself to Nyoko’s well-being, come what may, and if it came down to a choice between Nyoko’s future and disappointing Nodoka…

“Hey everybody! Hi, Ranchan!”

Ranma-chan felt her stomach drop as Ukyo came into the room, escorted in by Kasumi who’d gone to answer the knock at the front door. She’d known that it would only be a matter of time before her fiancées began showing up, but she hadn’t expected it to be this soon. Ukyo had obviously heard about Nyoko, most likely from Akane, and had skipped school to come see for herself. This was confirmed sufficiently enough when Ukyo wasted not a single moment in sitting herself down beside Nodoka and also began fussing over Nyoko, without the slightest hint of surprise at the baby’s presence.

Ranma-chan’s eyes narrowed slightly and her jaw muscles tensed, as Ukyo began attempting to coax Nodoka into letting her hold ‘her’ new stepdaughter. Ranma-chan may have forgiven all of the girls for what they’d done to her mother’s house and what had occurred at the wedding fiasco, but she certainly hadn’t forgotten. And there was no way in hell that she was going to allow Nyoko to become the rope in a game of ‘Tug-o-War’ between them in their pursuit to marry her.

Ranma-chan began searching for a means to retrieve her daughter from her mother’s lap, without overly offending her, and get her out of Ukyo’s reach, when Nyoko provided the perfect opportunity by beginning to gnaw on one little fist, a sign Ranma-chan had quickly learned to mean that she was getting hungry. A sign to be shortly followed by wailing if nourishment wasn’t soon provided.

“Kaa-san,” Ranma-chan said, rising from the table and moving to stand beside her mother, arms outstretched in obvious indication for Nyoko to be handed to her, “I think Nyoko-chan is getting hungry and needs to be fed.”

Nodoka looked up at her son-turned-daughter and frowned, before looking back down to her new granddaughter, very reluctant to part with her for any reason. Granted, Nyoko-chan wasn’t Japanese, but she was just so cute and adorable, and her startling green eyes and oddly spotted blonde hair gave her an exotic quality that was hardly unappealing. Nyoko looked perfectly content to continue lying in her ‘grandmother’s’ lap, gnawing on her little clenched fist happily and cooing like a well-behaved baby should.

“Nonsense, dear,” Nodoka finally responded in her most condescending ‘Mother knows best’ tone, “if Nyoko-chan were hungry, I’d know.”

Not one to pass up such an opportunity to display her own ‘motherly’ abilities, Ukyo quickly piped up, while reaching for Nyoko, “I can feed her if she’s hungry, Saotome-san.”

Neither Nodoka, nor Ukyo, noticed the deep frown that Ranma-chan was now displaying at her mother’s words and tone. Ranma-chan, even in such a short period of time, had been learning a vast amount about what it meant to be a parent, especially of what it meant to be a ‘mother’ having spent nearly the entire morning in that role, and was quickly re-evaluating Nodoka’s past performance in fulfilling that role herself. The results were proving to be far less than exemplary, to say the least. And Ukyo’s repeated attempts to get a hold of Nyoko were also more than a little irritating for Nyoko’s sole parent. Before either woman could even think to protest, Ranma-chan had gently plucked her daughter from Nodoka’s lap and was heading for the kitchen.

“Wha..?” Nodoka exclaimed, suddenly finding herself with an empty lap, while Ukyo just blinked in confusion. With an unusually loud sigh, Kasumi also rose from the table, retrieving the small knapsack from where Ranma-chan had left it, before moving to join her in the kitchen.

-X-X-X-

Ukyo fumed to herself, as she stared toward the kitchen doorway. Not only had she been unable to coax Nodoka into letting her hold the baby, but Ranma had yet to even greet her. And while she knew that Ranma could be exceedingly dense and rude at times, to just snatch the baby from his own mother’s lap like that on the pretense of feeding it, when his own mother, who would be the mostly likely to know such things, had indicated that the baby wasn’t likely to be hungry, was beyond the norm even for him. And even if the baby was hungry, he hadn’t even acknowledged her offer to feed the baby herself. How was she supposed to demonstrate how good of a mother she could be if she wasn’t given the opportunity to do so?

“Ranchan, you jackass!” Ukyo growled as she jumped to her feet and moved quickly to the kitchen doorway. “Why won’t you…” Ukyo froze and blinked as she saw just what was occurring inside the kitchen.

Kasumi was doing something at the stove, and she could see a container of baby formula as well as a baby bottle, but what grabbed and held Ukyo’s attention was Ranma-chan and baby. Ranma had lifted her shirt up, exposing her rather impressive bosom, and was holding the baby up to one of her breasts. Based on the slightly glazed look of Ranma-chan’s eyes and the suckling sounds that the baby was making, it was rather obvious as to what was going on.

A slow grin began to appear on Ukyo’s face as she considered the implications that this sight revealed of her future as Ranma’s wife. Ranma’s curse, it seems, had some unexpected benefits, and she wouldn’t have to worry about being the sole provider of milk for ‘their’ child when a ready substitute was only a splash of cold water away. The fact that Ranma-chan couldn’t possibly be lactating, even with a baby held to her breast, completely escaped her notice. Still, this ‘did’ present some rather interesting possibilities to further her aim of getting Ranma to marry her.

“Ranma-honey,” Ukyo began, reaching up to begin undoing the buttons of her uniform jacket as she stepped into the kitchen, “why don’t you let me do that.”

Of course, the rather husky tone of Ukyo’s voice and her apparently beginning to undress, immediately grabbed the attention of the only two males presently in the house, who rightly interpreted her actions as a threat to their plans for the future. An instant later and they too were bearing witness to the proceedings within the kitchen, although their reactions were decidedly less accommodating and much louder.

“WAH! RANMA’S TURNED INTO A MOTHER!” Soun wailed to the heavens, waterfalls erupting from his eyes. “NOW THE SCHOOLS WILL NEVER BE UNITED! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

BOY! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED? Genma-panda’s sign read as he charged into the kitchen, knocking Ukyo aside, intending to separate the two. He could already feel his wife’s katana on the back of his neck. Stop that RIGHT NOW!

CLANG!

“Father!” Kasumi snapped, lowering the now dented skillet which she’d used to send Genma-panda crashing to the floor. “Cease that noise, this instant! You’ll frighten the baby! And you,” she continued, turning her glare down to a surprised Genma-panda, “don’t you EVER try to attack Ranma again when he’s holding Nyoko, or I’ll have Akane fixing all of your meals for the next month!”

Kasumi didn’t really like making that threat, but she also knew that it was about the only threat that Uncle Saotome would heed.

“That is not a very ‘manly’ thing to be doing, my ‘Son’!”

Everyone turned to see a scowling Nodoka standing in the kitchen doorway, her ever-present silk-wrapped bundle held tightly in her hands.

Ranma-chan’s expression, already in a frown due to everyone barging into the kitchen and their various reactions, darkened further at her mother’s threatening tone, stance and disapproving expression. Just who did Nodoka think she was to judge her? To imply that she knew better on how Nyoko should be cared for? Nodoka may have given birth to her, but Ranma-chan had no memory of her early treatment by this woman. Had Nodoka been a good and caring mother? And yet, this was the same woman that had allowed her husband to take her only child away from her, something Ranma-chan couldn’t even imagine contemplating doing with Nyoko, and on a decade-long training journey that was often little more than exercises in thievery, starvation, and torture in the name of the Art. The same woman who had had no hand in her only child’s upbringing or education, and yet felt that she had every right to judge her every action and word for honor and manliness, simply because she was her birth-mother. What did Nodoka really know about honor, when she all but ignored her husband’s numerous dishonorable actions, passing them onto her only child to resolve, instead of forcing her husband to do so or attempting to solve them herself? What did she really know of being ‘manly’, when a man like Genma was her husband and her ideal of a ‘man among men’ was little more than an honorable perverted womanizer that attempted to bed every female he came across?

“Do all of you mind!” Ranma-chan said coldly, turning her back on Nodoka, much to said elder woman’s astonishment. “I’m trying to feed my baby! Kasumi, is the bottle ready?”

Before Kasumi could do more than turn to check on the bottle being heated on the stove, the Lost Boy himself, Ryouga Hibiki, stepped out of the pantry Ranma-chan was facing, while looking back over his shoulder in complete confusion.

“Ryouga?” Ranma-chan asked in mild surprise, having long since given up wondering how the boy emerged from various odd locations.

“Ranma?” the Lost Boy responded with his own surprise, turning about to face her and… promptly freezing solid, his eyes seeming to double in size as he took note of Ranma-chan’s exposed state. And that she had a baby suckling upon one of her more than substantial breasts.

“Hey! You okay?” Ranma-chan asked, noting that he’d suddenly broken out in a sweat and that a thin trail of blood had begun to seep from one nostril. “Ryouga?” she asked in genuine concern, reaching out to grasp one shoulder, only to have the Lost Boy collapse to the floor in a dead faint.

“Oh my,” Kasumi stated, “I knew he reacted that way to other girls, but I thought… well, he never seemed to have that problem with you, Ranma?”

“Beats me, Kasumi,” Ranma-chan said with a shrug, although she had a strong suspicion about why Ryouga had reacted as he had. She just hoped it didn’t become a problem in the future, as the last thing she needed or wanted was for Ryouga to actually start seeing her as ‘girl’ cursed to change into a guy. “He’s probably just very tired and may be a little sick. He does look like he might have a fever or something with how he’s sweating.”

Kasumi nodded at the possibility, before quickly retrieving the bottle of baby formula from the pot. Once she was assured that it was the correct temperature, she handed it over to Ranma-chan, before proceeding to ushering the others out. Unfortunately, this was more easily said than done. Ukyo wanted to help Ranma feed Nyoko. Genma and Soun wanted to separate mother and child. And Nodoka wanted to discuss her own child’s rude actions towards herself and her child’s ‘unmanly’ behavior, and she wanted to discuss them right now!

Ranma-chan sighed, pulling her shirt back down once Nyoko was nursing on her bottle, and looked towards Kasumi for any help she could offer. Unfortunately, Kasumi had no further abilities to call upon as the demands continued to grow louder and more insistent, until an upset voice spoke loudly from the doorway.

“Would all of you just leave both of them alone!”

-X-X-X-

On the plains of Africa, in the Serengeti, the remains of a once thriving village can be seen, still smoldering from recent fires and with the bodies of the recently slain strewn about. Suddenly, the very air itself seems to rip apart, and a tall man with blonde hair and a beard stepped out from the seeming nothingness to stand alone, surveying the area about him. Dressed in an old, weather-worn leather jacket and a seemingly skin-tight black bodysuit, the figure stood motionless with his eyes closed for a considerable period of time, as if listening intently for the slightest sound.

“Too late… Again,” Theodore Diggers sighed sadly, as he slowly began walking through the destruction trying to piece together what had occurred. His magical senses were telling him that the village attackers had teleported in and back out again, but a mass illusion spell over the village, in addition to the large number of teleportation spells, was preventing him from discerning where any of the teleportation spells had originated from or led to. The identity of the village attackers was fairly obvious from the number of skeletons and the remains of other undead creatures scattered about, as well as the means of the werecheetah village’s demise… sheer overwhelming numbers and silver weapons. But why would creatures from the Undead Realm attack this village? And in such large numbers? Only one answer came to his mind. “Gothwrain,” he softly swore. “It appears that he was successful in wiping out the werecheetahs, just as he wanted.” A soft, sad smile appeared on face, “Except for little Britanny, that is.”

With nothing further that he could do or learn, Theodore Diggers activated another teleportation spell and headed home. He wasn’t looking forward to giving his wife, Julia, the sad news that their adopted daughter was now the last of her kind, the last of the Werecheetahs.

-X-X-X-