A/N: Sorry I haven't written in so long, I've just been stuck. You know that bit in the story where you know what happenes BEFORE that bit, and AFTER that bit, but not what happens during it? Well, this was one of those- the in-between bit which has to be written if you plan to get the story out in a chronological order. I plan to work some more on this and Tokens, switching as the mood hits me.

DISCLAIMER:Most of these characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, creator of Ranma 1/2.

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Who the hell is Kalia? I wondered, strolling next to Akane along the path from Dr. Tofu’s clinic to the Tendo dojo. It brought back a lot of memories- sixteen year old Akane confessing her crush on Dr. Tofu to me, her long hair hiding her downturned face; short-haired Akane giving my girl form a piggy-back ride, after I’d sprained a leg; Me carrying Akane on my back after she’d fainted outside Dr Tofu’s office one day when she’d been feverish; the two of us, just talking and walking home from school, in those few precious minutes when Shampoo and Ukyou and the other crazies were busy with other things.

I watched the present day Akane, with her short hair, long legs and confident walk. Her colorful wraparound skirt and clogs made her look even taller. She looked around, studying the things that had changed. A new park here, a sushi stand there. Something painful moved in my chest, and I couldn’t help feeling slightly nostalgic for those days gone by.

“Feels strange, doesn’t it?” she commented suddenly.

“Yeah,” I shrugged, unable to explain what I was feeling. “Bound to happen. Haven’t been back in a while, so…”

Akane sent a sideways glance at me, and said nothing further. I wondered if Kalia was someone she knew back in America. Did he work with her? Mulling over these questions, I nearly didn’t realize we’d arrived at the dojo. It looked almost like it always had. We walked through the gateway, and into the well-swept yard. The koi pond glittered at the edge of my vision. Akane and I looked at each other.

“You first,” I said cheerfully.

Akane took a deep breath. “Hey, at least I was invited.” With that parting shot, she went up the three steps and rang the bell. We waited. My heart, at least, was thundering loudly, and Akane looked as though she wanted to bite her nails.

After a minute, we heard footsteps approaching, and the door slid open. Mr. Tendo, dressed in a gi, stood in the doorway blinking against the light. He too, looked almost the same, except there were more streaks of grey in his long loose hair.

“Hello…ah…” He paused. He looked at Akane, and gasped, a huge smile forming on his face. “Akane! You’re home!” She smiled and stepped into his arms. “How did you…?”

And then he saw me. He froze halfway through hugging Akane and took a step around her. His skin turned a shade of pale. “Ranma Saotome?” He looked me up and down, noting the greater height of my frame.

I raised a hand carelessly, the other hand in my pocket. “Hi, Mr. Tendo. Long time, no see.”

Soun Tendo’s face began to turn red. “How dare you darken my door after all these years, Ranma?”

“Daddy!” Akane interrupted, a cheery smile on her face. “He’s my GUEST. Don’t be so rude. C’mon, can we come inside? Where is everybody?” Chattering, she pushed him backwards until we were well inside.

Mr. Tendo looked from Akane to me, and back again, speechless. Finally, he found his tongue. “You two…came TOGETHER? How…?”

“Oh, Dad, it’s the most amazing thing,” Akane chirped, walking into the living room and dropping her bag on the low table. “Ranma’s boss is our client. Believe me, we were really surprised to see each other after all these years, but…”

“But he left you!” Mr. Tendo was never one to mince words.

Akane waved all that away. “That’s all water under the bridge now. And then I found out that Nabiki is getting married!” How deftly she changed topics. It wouldn’t have worked with anyone but Mr. Tendo.

It succeeded in distracting her father for a moment, and he turned to her with a smile. “Yes, isn’t it wonderful? I’d nearly given up hope that Nabiki would ever get married, let me tell you.”

“But the wedding is only a month away, Dad,” Akane protested. “How can you plan it in such a short time?”

“Oh, Nabiki will take care of everything,” her father reassured her vaguely, as though he weren’t quite sure himself. “And Kunou’s paying for everything she wants.”

Akane lost her smile at the mention of his name. “Anyway,” she continued more sombrely. “I invited Ranma to attend the wedding. My boyfriend couldn’t make it.”

“You have a boyfriend?” Mr. Tendo looked even more delighted. “Who is he? What does he do? Does he practice the arts?”

“Yes, he does,” Akane replied, sidestepping the other questions neatly by answering only the last. “His name is Kalia.”

“Why isn’t he here instead of…him?” Mr. Tendo nodded at me disapprovingly.

“Just lucky, I guess,” I drawled. Mr. Tendo glared at me. So did Akane.

“Kalia was away on business when I got the invitation, and I expect him to be gone for a while. Luckily,” she glanced at me, “Ranma was free.”

“Yeah, luckily,” I echoed sarcastically. “My girlfriend is away on business as well.”

“YOU? You have a girlfriend?” Mr Tendo demanded. He paused, and an odd look crossed his face.“The world really has moved on. Well, I suppose as Akane’s guest at least you are welcome, and for old times’ sake. Please wait here, both of you. I’ve just made some tea.”

We'd just had tea with Dr. Tofu's assistant, but it would have been rude to refuse.

“I’ll get it, Daddy,” Akane exclaimed, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Mr. Tendo and I sat down at the table, uncomfortable in the ensuing silence. I folded my legs and wondered what to say.

“You still practice the arts, I see,” he observed after a moment.

“Yes, I do.”

“Heard from your father?” he asked.

“No,” I said shortly.

Soun grunted. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here until the wedding…”

“Sorry, Dad, we’ve taken rooms at a hotel close by,” Akane interjected, entering the room loaded with a tray of tea cups and cookies.

“You won’t stay with your father?” Soun queried sadly.

“Now, Dad, you know as well as I do that I had no idea what was going on here when we landed,” Akane exclaimed sweetly. “Besides, the rooms are a business expense, so we don’t have to pay for them. If you like we can move in here a little closer to the date of the wedding.”

“Yes, that would be nice,” he conceded, sighing. “It’s quite lonely here nowadays.”

“But you’re teaching students?” I prodded.

Mr. Tendo brightened at that, and sat straighter. “Yes! I have six new pupils who are learning the art from me. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“That’s great, Mr. Tendo,” I remarked, genuinely glad for him. If only he’d stuck with Akane’s training when she was a teenager, but well, ya can’t have everything.

The doorbell chimed, and Akane rose to get the door. I heard her slide the door open, and then a squeal, another one, womanly voices in the hallway.

“Look, it’s Nabiki!” Akane came into the tearoom, followed by Nabiki Tendo.

I took an involuntary breath, trying to see what the years had made of Nabiki. She looked sharp, was the first thought that crossed my mind. Then a whole host of impressions crossed my mind- from the high gloss of her brown hair, to the deep black of her well-fitted suit, the ‘o’ of surprise her mouth made when she saw me, the quick recovery in the glint of her smile, and the tilt of her neck.

Then she was coming towards me, arms slightly spread in a welcoming gesture. “Ranma! What a surprise! A delightful surprise! How are you?” She looked as though she was about to hug me. I casually moved into the hug, embraced her briefly, and stepped back. She looked slightly startled, as though she’d been trying to bait me, and it hadn’t worked.

Well, if she expected me to be the old Ranma, shy and skittish, she had another think coming.

I smiled at her. “Hello, Nabiki, it’s been a long time. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.”

“Thank you,” Nabiki grinned. “Unbelievable, huh? And to Kunou of all people.”

Akane frowned. Nabiki caught it, and grabbed Akane’s hand. “I know he was awful when we were younger, Akane, but he’s changed. Really.”

“If you say so, Nabiki,” Akane demurred. “How’s Kasumi?”

“She’s at Kunou’s place right now,” Nabiki answered. “She loves it there. Why don’t you two come over right now? She’d love to see you.”

Akane sent a quick look to Mr. Tendo. “Is that all right, Dad?”

“Of course, Akane, go ahead, and…er…take Ranma with you.”

I snorted under my breath. Guess Mr. Tendo didn’t want me hanging around more than necessary. That was all right. Standing under the Tendo roof was bringing back way too many memories for me.

Nabiki had left her sleek pearl Mercedes Benz idling at the curb. A chauffeur dressed in sharply pressed uniform held open the back door, allowing Nabiki and Akane to slide in. Akane murmured a ‘thank you’. Nabiki didn’t bother, I noticed. I squeezed in with them. The car was spacious, and comfortable.

“Company car,” Nabiki explained. The chauffeur slid behind the wheel, and released the parking brake. “Home, Masao,” she ordered.

“Yes, ma’am,” the chauffeur replied quietly.

“Dad seems happy, if kind of lonely,” Akane ventured.

Nabiki shrugged. “Oh, I’ve asked Dad to move in with me many times, but he’s quite stubborn about staying on at the old place. Say’s he’ll stay there until he’s trained a real successor.” She gave me a sidelong glance from her sloe-shaped eyes. “You still practice the arts, Ranma?”

I realized she was baiting me and ignored her question.

“What do you do now, Nabiki?” I asked over the smooth purr of the engine.

Nabiki laughed. “I play at being the CEO for Kuno’s company,” she replied, stroking the smooth scarlet lacquer finish on her nails. “The last time Akane was here,

I was the financial manager for Tokyo 324.”

“That was just a few years ago,” Akane interrupted, surprised.

“That’s right,” Nabiki said. “Then I met Kuno again at one of those corporate parties. I was bored out of my mind, and there he was. I hadn’t seen him in so long, and…”Here she glanced at Akane. “I didn’t have the best memories of him, of course.”

“He tried to…!” Akane burst out.

“I know,” Nabiki soothed. “He was…sick then. He’s been in therapy for a while. Not anymore of course. He’s much better now, really, Akane.” She glanced at me, trying to gauge how much I knew of the time Kunou had tried to blackmail Akane and Nabiki, the main reason I’d left Nerima for eight years. Akane had told me everything, but Nabiki didn’t know that.

“Listen, Akane, just wait till you meet him,” Nabiki continued. Akane still looked as though she had reservations. Smart girl.

“I guess we’ll see,” she said doubtfully.

By now, we were nearly at the Kuno mansion. The car drove up to the wrought iron gates, and was buzzed through. I remembered something.

“What about Kodachi?” I asked. “What’s she up to?”

Nabiki’s head swung around. “Kodachi? Why, she…”

“Oh, look! It’s Kasumi!” In her excitement, Akane leaned forward, blocking my view of Nabiki. She was looking through the windshield. I turned to see, and there was Kasumi, slightly older, but not noticeably different. Her long brown hair still hung neatly down her back, and she wore a pretty dark blue dress. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she watched the car as it progressed up the drive to halt in front of the marble stairs that led up to huge walnut double doors.

Nabiki opened her door and stepped neatly out of the car, allowing Akane to stumble out of the car in her rush to greet her older sister. I followed more slowly.

“Akane!” Kasumi greeted her with a smile. Akane hugged her sister. Her added inches brought her closer to Kasumi’s height, something that didn’t escape Kasumi’s notice. She held Akane’s upper arms, examining her. “You’ve grown, Akane!”

“I know, isn’t it great?” Grinning at her older sister, Akane seemed almost like a kid again, not someone who’d fought against ninjas beside me.

I closed the door of the sedan, and even though I did it quietly, Kasumi turned to look at me. “Ranma,” she said quietly. “You’re back.”

She released Akane, and walked toward me. “Hiya, Kasumi,” I responded a trifle nervously. I towered over her now, but if she frowned at me, I didn’t think I could take it. I’d never had a beef with Kasumi, and had remembered her motherliness with fond regret over the years. Miraculously, she smiled instead.

“You’ve grown so much. I knew you’d come back one day,” she exclaimed. “I told Tofu…” She faltered.

Nabiki slipped forward. “Kasumi, Akane and Ranma are visiting for the wedding. I have to run for a meeting, but wouldn’t you like to show them the house?”

“Yes! Of course, Nabiki-chan.” Kasumi clasped her hands together, smiling in anticipation. “You go ahead, I’ll take them in.”

“Thanks. See you guys!” With a wave Nabiki slipped back into the car, and Kasumi pulled me forward.

“Come on, now, you must come inside. You too, Akane.”

Kasumi took us on a tour through the house, which admittedly was large and well furnished. Every so often, I’d look around in a room and remember how Kunou had booby-trapped it. I covertly checked around for levers and tripwires, but there were none that I could see.

Finally, we were in the kitchen, still Kasumi’s domain. “This is my favourite part of the house,” she confided in us.

“You’ve got everything here,” Akane said admiringly, looking around at the gleaming counters and ultra-modern appliances.

Kasumi smiled. “Yes, it’s quite lovely, isn’t it? I felt a bit odd, at first. Nabiki won’t allow me to do any housework. All I can do is cook. She equipped me with a wonderful kitchen. The maids say all the implements are so up-to-date!”

Akane touched a small white box. “An electric dish dryer? That’s so cool, Kasumi.”

Kasumi led us into the parlour, where she seated us on low futons around a black ebony tepoy. "Let me bring you some tea."

"Oh, no, we already had teaat home,Kasumi," Akane refused gently. "Please don't bother."

"It's no bother, Akane," Kasumi replied, getting up. "Besides, I've just made some minced meat buns. I remember Ranma used to love those."

She disappeared into the kitchen and I looked at Akane. "She's right. I did love them."

Akane groaned. "I'm still stuffed from Dr. Setsune's red bean buns."

"Just sip your tea," I whispered. "And tell Kasumi you're dieting."

Akane whacked me. "I can't tell her that!" she hissed. "She'd be insulted!"

"Well, then, I guess you shouldn't have pigged out on the redbean buns, huh?" I proclaimed cheerfully.

Akane raised her hand to whack me again, but Kasumi reappeared with a tea try. She quickly lowered her arm.

“It’s wonderful that you were able to make it for Nabiki’s wedding, Akane,” Kasumi laid out the buns and poured tea for us. “We thought the invitation might not get to you until next month. We sent it out rather late, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, I was shocked when I found out that Nabiki was getting married.” Akane sipped her tea, and looked questioningly at Kasumi, who blushed.

“Well, Nabiki wanted very fancy invitations, you see, and they took quite a long time to do, so…”

“I see,” Akane sipped her tea again, and continued to catch up on news with her sister, very carefully not mentioning Dr. Tofu. I looked around, trying to be inconspicuous. I felt uncomfortable in Kunou’s house. It wasn’t a place with a lot of pleasant memories for me. I looked out through the gap in the wooden doors to the pond outside, and shuddered.

Yes, I had vivid memories of chasing Midorigame, Kodachi’s pet alligator, around in that pond.

“Of course, Nabiki and Kunou won’t get married where Tofu and I did,” Kasumi continued blithely. Akane and I froze. Kasumi noticed. “Oh! Don’t look so scared, you two. I’m perfectly all right talking about Tofu.”

“R…Really, Kasumi?” Akane asked nervously.

“Of course, Akane!” Kasumi smiled brightly and patted Akane’s knee. “He’s gone. I’ve had to accept that. I’m still Mrs. Tofu, but as a widow I…”

“A widow?” Akane squeaked. I choked on my second bun. Since when was Dr. Tofu considered dead?

Kasumi’s eyes widened. “Well, of course, Akane. Tofu’s been missing for years now. Of course he’s dead. Nabiki agrees as well. We considered every possibility. The police searched everywhere, followed every lead, and came up with nothing.”

“What do you think happened to him?” Akane had the look of someone who was eyeing a plate they knew was too hot to touch.

“Well, I’d gone to bed that night already. So I was fast asleep throughout the whole thing. From what his assistant told the police, Tofu had a mysterious visitor that night, who required tending. Miyaki- his assistant- went home. We all think the man killed Tofu.”

I blinked. “But…er…you’ve never found his body?”

“You never called me home for a funeral,” Akane wondered softly.

Kasumi shrugged. “It was all very quick, once he was declared dead. “ She looked into her teacup, and then looked up. “And, I never told you this, but…I suspect he was cheating on me.”

“Dr. Tofu?” If Akane’s voice had gone any higher, it would have passed out of the range of human hearing. “That’s impossible!”

“Yes, don’t ask me how I found out,” Kasumi said. “Turns out he was visiting this…place…on the side. Called the Gilded Lily, or some such name.” She gave a brave little shrug. “Well, it’s all over with now. I’m happy, really.”

“Really?” I asked, studiously avoiding Akane's eye.

She smiled brightly. “Of course, Ranma. I think of it as life after death.”

“Huh?”

“Now that he’s dead, I have a life.”

Akane clapped a hand to her mouth, as though a madly inappropriate giggle was about to escape. I had a feeling that was the case. I felt the same feeling rising up within me. Was this Kasumi? Something was really warped here. Sounded like she was still in shock, or something.

“Well, uh…that’s too bad, Kasumi.” Akane finished her cup of tea, and looked at me. “Ranma and I have to run some errands for my boss. I managed to fly in on my company’s expense but I do have to finish a job for them before the wedding starts.”

“Are you still working for the export business, Akane?” Kasumi inquired.

“Yes, absolutely,” Akane replied with a straight face. She rose. “C’mon, Ranma let’s go.”

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A/N: Looking for another chapter? Well, I'm looking for another review. Which do you think takes longer to write? ;) Cheers!