A/N: This story was re-released on 6/2/15. The last section of Chapter 2 and the first section of Chapter 3 were re-written to correct some flaws that were bothering (oh all right - make that "bugging the hell out of") me. To sort of make up for it, I've added a bonus chapter featuring Sayuri, Daisuke, Yuka, and Hiroshi - just a little character development for them. Onwards:

The usual disclaimer: Ranma ½ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

While this is story is part of the Bindings ("Kasumi's Fate") continuum, it's not necessary to have read any of the previous stories. You do need to know a few things to enjoy the story:

1) Ranma and Akane are (very) happily dating now.
2) Kasumi and Tofu are formally engaged.
3) Ryoga and Akari are formally engaged.
4) Ranma and Ryoga have buried the hatchet (and not in each other's skull).
5) Ranma has made a conscious decision to keep his shape-shifting abilities/curse.
6) Tofu is a powerful mage and only three-quarters human.
7) Tofu is teaching Ranma and Akane Martial Arts and more Arcane Arts as well as the teenagers have proven to be a Wind Mage and a Fire Mage respectively. Ryoga is an Earth Mage, but he has another teacher. Kasumi is also learning Magic from Tofu, but her power is somewhat of an unknown.

Anything else isn't important to enjoy the story (although, please feel free to read the other stories). There is one little paragraph hooking into the other stories, but feel free to ignore it (it's dead obvious and skipping it won't detract from the story).

For those following the Continuum, the story occurs a month or two before "The Destruction of Ranma Saotome" starts and well after "Genma's Job", so Ranma is considered a "Master" by everyone.

So let's join Ranma and crew during the August vacation…

Chapter 1: The Beach

Akane was "over-the-moon" happy when she came back to the beach blankets with Ranko. "I did it!" she burst out. "I actually swam on my back!"

"That's wonderful, honey!" Soun said. "I knew you could get the hang of it. Now, why don't you change and we will get a nice lunch? We should have missed the bulk of the crowds by now."

"All right, I'll be back soon!" Akane replied. Nabiki and Akari got up wordlessly to join her and Kasumi grabbed their bag. Meanwhile, Ranko took out a thermos and poured hot water on herself. Ranma now stood there in his shorts and T-shirt.

Tofu got up and motioned for Ranma to help him fold up the large beach blanket. They stepped a small distance away from everyone and began to shake it out. "What's wrong, Ranma?" Tofu asked quietly. "Any time Akane is not looking at you, you have a 'concerned' face."

"Doc, she can't float by herself," Ranma told him. "She's doing everything right. When I hold her, she feels as light as a feather. As soon as I let go, she turns to stone."

"So how did she swim?" Tofu asked puzzled.

"I swam with her and held her hand," the shape-shifter said with some exasperation.

Tofu stopped cold for a second and looked at Ranma. "If you hold her hand, she can swim?"

"If I hold her pinky, she can swim," Ranma clarified. "I had her do a dead-man's float in shallow water. If I let go, she sank to the bottom. When I reached down and touched her ankle, she floated to the top." Ranma's eyes looked a little wild. "Doc, I didn't do anything other than touch her!"

Now Tofu looked concerned. "Are you sure about this?"

"YES! Yes, I'm sure. I'm also confused as hell! Something is up, something not normal. The water doesn't react the same way to her as it does to other people, it loses its…" Ranma stopped while looking for a word.

"'Buoyancy'. The word you are looking for is 'buoyancy'," the doc supplied.

"O.K. fine," Ranma agreed and then he went on: "We got into several splash fights. Even how she splashes changes. If she's standing on the sand in the water, or touching me, it's normal. As soon as she leaves the ground or let's go, the water might as well be air – it acts the same!" Tofu stood stunned for a second. Ranma asked: "Does this have anything to do with her Fire Magic?"

Tofu shook his head. "If it does, this is a first. I'm a Fire Mage and I can swim."

"You're also part-Kitsune. Maybe that has something to do with it?" Ranma pushed back.

"No," the doc said firmly. "I've met many other Fire Mages, and one of them is a fisherman. He can swim like a dolphin – I've seen him do it."

"So what is going on?" Ranma challenged.

"I don't know," Tofu admitted. "Let's just keep an eye on her for now. You weren't planning on letting her swim alone anyhow, were you?" Ranma just shook his head. "Good enough. I'll warn her that she should be careful."

They rejoined the others and waited for the ladies to come back, and then everyone headed to the boardwalk for a seafood lunch. As they walked, Kasumi moved close to Tofu and held him back a little to ask: "Is everything all right?"

"Some unusual physics is breaking out around your little sister again. It seems she can't swim unless she's touching something other than the water. I don't understand why. Maybe her 'death-experience' altered how she reacts to water," he answered.

"But Akane has never been able to swim – even before Jusendo," Kasumi pointed out with a worried face.

"That's true," he replied.

"Is this a result of her Fire Magic?" Kasumi asked.

"I told Ranma 'No', but really, I'm not sure," he answered. He nodded at the knot of teenagers ahead of him. "The normal rules don't seem to apply. That lot has only had a few months of formal mage instruction, but they are already much stronger than people who have been practicing for decades. Akane was able to generate physical light in grade school; Ranma is the youngest ever to learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha by a wide margin; and Ryoga was already able to tunnel like a mole – something not even Hideo can do. Something is up, but I don't know what. It's like those three were marked since birth…" he trailed off. After a moment, he shook his head. "Never mind, we are on vacation – all of us. Let's just keep an eye on things and make sure Akane doesn't swim alone. C'mon – let's catch up."

As they neared everyone else, the couple heard Ranma say to his mom: "By the way, in case I don't say it later – Thanks."

"You're welcome, but this is my vacation too. I've never had a chance to really enjoy one with my family," Nodoka responded. "It's a novel concept for me." She looked at her son with her eyes twinkling and teased: "Just remember, you and your fiancée are not to vanish for the whole week. I expect both of you to spend some time with me."

Ranma smirked and said: "Oh come on, Mom. You don't really think I want to spend any time with this Tomboy?"

Akane thumped her fist against Ranma's shoulder. "I heard that, idiot," she said, but there was no anger in her voice. She then bumped shoulders with him. Ranma smirk became a smile and he put an arm around her shoulders. "See if you get a good night kiss tonight," she threatened mockingly.

"Ah, ah, ah," Nodoka scolded just as mockingly. "I expect both of you to be on good behavior."

Akane looked at her mother-in-law-to-be with a half-smile. "And if we can't argue with one another, what do you expect us to do the whole time?" the teenager said.

"You are on Nanki Shirahama Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Japan. Something will dawn on you. Heaven forbid – you may even try a little romantic moon-lit walk!" Nodoka said with mock exasperation.

"Forget it," Ryoga chimed in from just in front of them. "It's totally lost on them."

"Oh, and like you're such an expert, pig-brain," Ranma retorted.

"Hey, at least I managed to actually formalize my engagement," Ryoga shot back. "Akane's still waiting on a ring." There was a smack heard and Ryoga said "Ow!"

"Behave," Akari scolded him. In a sweeter tone , she said, "Thank you for inviting us along, Mrs. Saotome. I haven't had a vacation in years either."

"You're welcome, dear," the mother answered. "I'm sorry it's a small place though – only the three bedrooms."

"It does just fine," Akari assured her. "I'm amazed you managed to get such a lovely condo though. Things are usually booked up months in advance."

"I got lucky," Nodoka replied. "It does us good to get out of Nerima for a little while too."

"It is wonderful," Akane said. "No Amazons, no Kunos, and no Ukyo. Ranma and I can actually have a date without the secrecy.

"And no repair bills," Soun called back from the head of the group where he walked with Nabiki and Genma.

"Trust Daddy to get to the heart of the matter," Nabiki smirked. Of course, Nabiki was smirking for many reasons – not least of which was the bit of misinformation she and Tofu had set in motion last week…

Meanwhile, at Onjuku beach, over 400 kilometers to the east:

"Where the hell are they?" Ukyo burst out.

"Mistress, isn't that Ranma's and Akane's friends over there?" Konatsu pointed out. Unusually, he was dressed in a simple T-shirt and shorts with sandals at Ukyo's insistence. The generic outfit did nothing to hide that he was male, much to his embarrassment.

Shampoo moaned: "Shampoo think Airen trick us again."

"No surprise," Cologne said. "Well, we are here, and I see some pleasant company sitting in a good spot. Let's ask if we can join them."

"But we have to find them!" Ukyo burst out. Cologne ignored her and walked over to where Sayuri, Daisuke, Yuka, and Hiroshi were sitting.

"Why, Grandmother!" Daisuke grinned. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Stow it, sonny boy," Cologne told the young man. "I'll admit to pleasant, but this is not a surprise. Do you mind if we join you?"

"Pull up a blanket," Sayuri told them, while looking appreciatively at Konatsu and Mousse.

Mousse dropped his burdens with a relieved sigh. "Thanks. That load was heavy." Konatsu helped him set up the beach blanket and umbrella. Cologne hopped into the beach chair they opened for her and started to put on sunscreen, looking like a queen with her subjects.

Ukyo and Shampoo looked at the three in shock. "What are you doing?" Ukyo nearly shouted.

"Why, I am enjoying a day at the beach with some friends," Cologne said. "Sit and relax, gentlemen," she instructed Mousse and Konatsu, who were standing behind her chair.

"But we must find Airen!" Shampoo insisted.

"Well, I suggest you start looking at this beach. It will only take you the day. Then you can move clockwise around Japan checking all the other beaches. It will only take a few months or so," Cologne answered. "Unless you four happen to know where Ranma is?" she asked the four friends whimsically.

"Sorry," Yuka said with a small smile. "We can't tell you what we don't know."

"For all we know, Ranma and Akane are here somewhere – or maybe on the boardwalk," added Hiroshi. "Or maybe not."

Cologne settled back in her chair, with a half-smile. "Thought so," she said with satisfaction. She motioned again for Konatsu and Mousse to sit again. They complied this time.

Ukyo stormed away from them and began scanning the beach. Shampoo joined her. Cologne just rolled her eyes. "It's over Granddaughter," Cologne muttered out loud. "I keep telling you that and you will not listen. Oh well." The six teenagers around her just shook their heads and began to chat among themselves, sitting to one side of Cologne. The Elder added bits and pieces to the conversation as it amused her.

Some hours later, Shampoo and Ukyo returned to the party having searched the beach thoroughly, but not the Boardwalk yet. The seven were surrounded by the lovely lunch Cologne had packed. Shampoo noted darkly that her Grandmother had seemed to pack more than enough for everyone. She also noted that the Quartet had also packed extra provisions. With a huff, Shampoo sat on the other side of Cologne, away from the rest.

Ukyo stood for a moment and ground her teeth. The others had not acknowledged her return yet. Instead, they were watching Konatsu demonstrate how to give a proper Kunoichi backrub while applying more sunscreen using Sayuri as a demonstration subject. He was coaching Hiroshi through the motions. Yuka was Hiroshi's practice dummy. Cologne was commenting on what pressure points Konatsu was utilizing. Mousse and Daisuke where caught somewhere between fascination and jealousy (but the former was winning). Ukyo could feel her own unwanted jealousy rising. The only thing that kept her from exploding was the professionalism in Konatsu's motions. Hiroshi's motions were a lot more intimate on his girlfriend. Sayuri and Yuka did not care either way. Judging from their smiles, both young women seemed to be in heaven, not even caring that the back straps on their bathing suits had been undone so as to not interrupt the motions of the massage.

"No, no, no," Konatsu scolded Hiroshi. "Your gestures are too lingering. You don't do it like this," he said as he duplicated Hiroshi's movements on Sayuri's back. Sayuri's eyes shot open and she bit her lower lip. "You do it like this! Nice sharp motions," Konatsu corrected. Sayuri's face seemed to melt again and the smile came back. Sayuri wasn't too sure which gesture she liked more, but the incorrect one would definitely lead to trouble before too long. Cologne did her best to control her laughter and not fall out of her chair.

"The goal is to get the patient to relax and maximize their Chi flow, not seduce them!" Konatsu continued. Yuka half-debated telling the male Kunoichi to shut up. Ukyo stormed away unnoticed.

Ukyo stood staring at the sea by the water-line for a long time and debated her next move. Cologne was right, it was pointless to search for Ranma. Once more, he and Akane had escaped her. "Why am I bothering with him?" she wondered. "But he can't be in love with Akane – I'm the cute one; I can cook. This is just his sense of honor getting in the way, isn't it?" She continued to look out at the waves for a while.

"Does waitress-boy know trouble he is causing?" a voice asked behind her after a bit.

Ukyo turned to look beyond Shampoo back at the group. There were now four couples under Konatsu's tutelage. Yuka was now working on Hiroshi, Sayuri was working on Mousse, a new girl was working with Daisuke, and there was a new couple. Konatsu and Cologne walked among the couples.

"Actually, he does," Ukyo said. "He's not really causing any trouble. Watch!" She then pointed out a quick gesture Konatsu made to Daisuke's back. Daisuke relaxed further. "Konatsu is very naïve about some things in society – like money, but he is a genius Kunoichi. He is very knowledgeable about people and how they tick, especially their Chi flows. With a touch, he can raise or lower the sex drive in either sex. Right now, he owns all of them. It's a good thing his heart is in the right place. He'll keep everything under control. When he's done, there will be eight happy and relaxed people."

"Hmph. If Mousse wasn't there, Shampoo would join them. Would like to relax," Shampoo said. Ukyo only sighed in response. Shampoo then asked: "Shampoo thought that Akane's other friend was dating Ranma's other friend?"

"Daisuke and Sayuri?" Ukyo questioned. At Shampoo's nod, Ukyo answered: "No, they are just good friends. Both know the other is trouble, especially for one another – they are both a little wild. When they pair up, they work to keep it platonic although they do enjoy each other's company. They are sort of proof that men and women can just be friends."

Now Shampoo sighed. "Wish dumb duck would see that…" she said.

Akane awoke in her bed listening to the strange music that filled her head. It almost sounded like a whale song, but the notes were softer. The piece was very compelling – it seemed to wind into her thoughts, wiping the sleep away and sharpening her mind. She sat up and looked around, trying to pinpoint the source. She was sharing a room with Nabiki, Kasumi, and Akari, but none of them stirred in their sleep. A glance at the clock told her it was a little after 2AM.

She remembered her lessons with Tofu and deliberately shielded her mind against the song, causing it to vanish. "O.K.," she thought. "It's not a physical song." Very carefully, she opened her mind and listened again, guarding against a hypnotic suggestion. The song was definitely an invitation, but there was nothing threatening there. It was actually a bit like a shot of caffeine – it seemed to wipe away the fog and leave the listener very clear headed.

Akane got out of bed and went to the open window in her room. There was definitely a directionality to it. Normally, she would have followed her impulses and gone outside to follow it, but Tofu's cautions over the last few months were starting to have an effect and she knew Ranma would go through the roof if she went by herself (she would have been equally mad if he did the same). Oddly enough, the song changed slightly and seemed to encourage her to be careful. She decided to wake Kasumi.

Kasumi came awake quickly as Akane shook her. Akane placed a finger to her sister's lips as Kasumi looked at her. Akane whispered: "Do you hear anything?"

The elder sister looked confused for a moment and then her eyes widened. "Music just started up as soon as you finished asking that question," Kasumi answered.

"Good. I'm not going insane," Akane replied.

Kasumi listened for a minute and then said: "It sounds like someone wants to talk to you."

"But it's all right if I have a guardian go with me," Akane agreed. "Are you up for a walk?"

"All right. But we should wake Ranma and Tofu." Kasumi responded.

Akane was about to argue, then thought about how the men would react – it wasn't worth the fight. "Yeah," she reluctantly agreed.

The two women changed into shorts and T-shirts. Then Kasumi left Akane in the hallway while she went to wake up Ranma and Tofu. After a few minutes, Kasumi came back followed by Tofu. Ranma was tossed over Tofu's shoulders, fast asleep. "I'll wake him in the kitchen," Tofu said softly. "Ranma doesn't wake up quietly."

After a few cups of water in the face and some shape changes, Ranma was finally conscious. "What gives?" he demanded with some annoyance.

"There's magic afoot," Tofu said. "The women are hearing a special song. I can't hear it, but I feel a Summoning. It's not strong, but it is insistent even if it is polite. Something wants to talk to Akane. I think we need to find out what."

"A song only women can hear? Like the Stone Oni?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

"It's a lot less compelling, Ranma," Kasumi told him. "The song doesn't create a hypnotic trance. But it does create curiosity. It also sharpens the mind and senses though. I don't think it's a trap."

Ranma thought for a second and then went to the sink and splashed cold water on himself. Ranko appeared and stood quietly for a second. "I don't hear any song –" she started to say and then stopped. After a moment, she said: "It started as soon as I said the word 'song'." Ranko listened for a moment and added: "The weird part is it sounds familiar. I've heard this before."

"What do you think?" Tofu asked. "Should we pay a visit?"

"I think it's an ally, and it wants to talk to Akane. Let's go," Ranko answered.

The four people left the condo and followed the song to the seashore, then they turned north and walked uphill for a little ways. The hill crested and overlooked a large cove. There was a pathway leading down to a pebble beach. However, the water in the cove was filled with a mass of glowing blue-green jelly. There were two enormous eyes in the mass.

"Oh my!" Kasumi said softly.

"What the hell is that?" Tofu asked.

Akane clasped her hands to her mouth in astonishment, but there were the edges of a smile twitching on her lips. "The Jellyfish King," Akane whispered.

Ranko just held a hand to her head and said: "Yeah, that's when I last heard something like this. He was singing when he tossed Akane in the air and while holding her." Ranko looked at Akane in frustration and added: "Sure, even here we can't get away from your admirers."

"You're not one to talk," she shot back.

"C'mon," Ranko moaned. "This can't be comfortable for him. Let's go see what he wants…"

A/N: For those interested, the Jellyfish King is a canon character that appeared in Volume 36, Chapter 1: "The Conspiracy of Jellyfish Beach."