Disclaimer: What is hers is not mine, what is mine is not hers…for her lawyers are bigger and meaner than my lawyers…so it is written…

Oh yeah, italics=thought

Ranma ½

Heirloom

Part 4: "Return"

By Gray

"So…You're cured?" Nabiki asked curiously, so as to clarify the impossible sight that was in front of her. Doctor Tofu Ono, licensed physician and formerly resident shiatsu master, was sitting in front of her in the living room of the Tendo Home, along with everyone else save Ranma of course, and the Doctor had a subtle smile adorning his lips at her question. This in itself was not odd. What was odd was that he was sitting barely two feet away from her sister, Kasumi Tendo, and was still calm, rational, and in control of himself. As anyone who had the pleasure of being around the good Doctor knew, whenever the eldest Tendo maiden was in sight or hearing range, the good Doctor became the insane, potentially dangerous Doctor capable of causing intense bodily harm to anyone nearby.

"That's right Nabiki. I'm completely cured of the "condition" I used to suffer from." Happiness radiated off of him on an almost ridiculous level. Nabiki was a bit skeptical.

"But how?" She asked. Tofu smiled.

"Well…I had left to find a cure for my problem as you recall, and after several months of travel, I found myself deep in the mountains of China…"

Tofu sighed wearily as he walked along the trail. He had been a lot better at this sort of thing in his younger days. True he was only in his early thirties, but the fact that he hadn't been on a training trip since his teenage years, and that the quiet life of a Doctor had softened him greatly, meant that he was having a little trouble on this journey. He was panting for breath as he finally decided to take a break. Tossing his pack on the ground, he sat and leaned back on his arms, sighing in relief as the pain of his feet faded a bit now that he was off of them.

"Is this really worth it? The only lead I have is from some local rumor that a herbal master that can cure any disease lives up in the mountains here…but I'm sure it's just a myth…I should know better, as a Doctor…" He sighed and took his glasses off; absently wiping them clean of moisture and dirt before replacing them on his nose.

"And yet…how many times have I seen the impossible while living Nerima…Ranma showed me things that I would have never believed…" At the thought of the pig-tailed boy, Tofu sighed, this time in fond remembrance of the place he used to call home.

"I miss them so much…I wonder how they're all doing…I hope Ranma and Akane realized how they felt for each other…heck, maybe they're even married by now…I'm sure Mr. Saotome and Mr. Tendo would be pleased by that…and then there's that crazy old martial arts master, Happousai…and Elder Cologne…and Shampoo, and that new girl…what was her name? Oh yes…Ukyo…Is Nabiki still running the Furinkan betting pools I wonder? And what about…" He stopped himself. Thinking about all of them was making him lose his nerve. He couldn't do that. Ranma wouldn't do that. The whole reason he had decided to undertake this quest was because of the pig-tailed boy. He had seen the way Ranma never gave up. Even when the strength sapping moxibustion had been applied, and a cure seemed out of reach, Ranma didn't give up. He went and he found a way to overcome it. Ranma learned a new technique, and defeated Happousai with it. He needed to do this. He needed to…for her. He wasn't going to return until he could face her like a man, and not a blithering fool. With this in mind, Tofu stood, shouldered his pack, and continued onwards.

Finally, he came upon a strange little house. It was more of a hut really. Barely standing by the looks of it, though admittedly Tofu was no carpenter. Hesitantly, he walked up to the door, and knocked soundly. Some grumbling was heard from within, and after several moments, the door finally opened. Tofu blinked as he saw no one, was the place haunted?

"Down here!" An irritated voice yelled. Looking down, he noted with no small amount of shock, that there was a tiny, shrunken person, who actually bared more then a passing resemblance to Happousai, at least in terms of his height.

"What do you want?" The man was also rather rude obviously. Tofu cleared his throat.

"Um, sorry, but I'm looking for an old herbal remedies master…you wouldn't happen to be him would you?" He asked. The old man snorted.

"Yeah, that's me…" He muttered.

"Though to be honest my remedies are only effective about half the time…" He shrugged.

"Not sure where that rumor about me being able to cure anything came from…" He said. Tofu sighed.

"So…do you think you could cure a condition in which the victim goes into psychotic episodes at the very sight of a particular woman he has feelings for?" He had to ask…

"Hmmm." The old man thought for a moment.

"Come in." He said at last. Tofu nodded, beginning to feel hope blossom in his chest.

"Wow…" He muttered. The hut was filled with shelves and shelves of various herbs, potions, and other ingredients, resembling some sort of witch doctor's abode. Tofu couldn't see a cauldron though…he just hoped that whatever miracle cure the man gave him not only worked, but also didn't kill him in the process…

"Don't touch anything!" The old man yelled. He went into a back room, and after several moments, emerged with a bottle filled with some bizarre mixture.

"The condition you speak of is commonly called "love hysteria" although it really isn't too common to be honest. I've come across it about three times in my entire life, and let me tell you, I've lived a long time…" He trailed off. Tofu decided to confirm something…

"Are you by any chance related to Happousai of the Anything-Goes school of Martial Arts?" He just had to ask…

"Er…maybe…" The old man seemed to look away uncomfortably, and Tofu let it drop. If he were related to that old man, he wouldn't want it to be known either…

"Will this really cure me?" He questioned as he took the bottle. The old man blinked.

"No!" He said as if it were obvious. Tofu face-faulted.

"Then why did you give it to me?" He asked, slightly irritated, after getting up. The old man sighed.

"Mix that with a certain Jusenkyo Spring's water and you'll have your cure…" The old man said. Tofu blinked.

"Which one?" He asked. The old man looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"The spring of drowned playboy of course!" He said as if it was obvious. Tofu blinked.

"Um…okay…but won't that make me a playboy if I'm splashed with cold water?" Tofu asked. The old rubbed his head.

"That's what the herbs in there are for. When mixed with Jusenkyo water, they lessen the magic enough to where it only marginally affects you, and doesn't give you a curse. If you mixed them with the spring of drowned priest for example, you would only experience an urge to go to church or go worship something once in a while…" He explained.

But what if it were say…spring of drowned girl?" Tofu asked. The old man cackled.

"You'd grow certain…extra parts…but remain male" He smirked. Tofu gulped.

"I see…so if I splash myself with this potion mixed with spring of drowned playboy water…" He trailed off.

"Then you will never have trouble talking to or being around any woman again…" The old man finished.

"The root of your ailment is your own innate shyness around the woman you love, so this should cure you of the problem…but without making you a total playboy…" He shrugged again.

"But like I said…my cures are only effective half the time…" He warned. Tofu nodded.

"I see…I'll keep that in mind." He fished around in his pockets.

"Let's see…I know I have some money around here somewhere…" He trailed off. The old man snorted again.

"I don't want money…I want a brassiere!" He demanded. Tofu blinked.

"Definitely related to Happousai…" He thought to himself.

"Er…I don't exactly have one on hand sir…" He said in embarrassment. The old man sighed.

"They never do…oh fine…just get lost." He went back into the back room, muttering about stupid relatives having all the luck. Tofu sighed, bowed, and left, the sense of hope now flaring within him.

"Okay…this is the spring…" Tofu said to himself. The guide had been quite helpful, and now he stood before the fabled spring of drowned playboy, where a suave sophisticated fellow drowned 1,200 years ago. Now all he had to do was scoop some out, and mix it with the herbs he already had. He hesitantly pulled a gourd out of his pack, and bent over to scoop some out, not noticing the guide and his daughter making bets over how long it would take for him to fall in. The ground was slippery, but he managed to get a sufficient amount. Nodding, he stood up, and gasped as he slipped. Thankfully, he managed to halt his descent by grabbing the pole sticking out of the spring, and with a grunt, he pushed himself back onto dry land. Sighing in relief, he held the bottled water up to the sun, admiring his prize. He quickly hurried back to the guide's hut to mix the concoction. He didn't notice the guide cursing and handing Plum a few coins, which the child gleefully took.

"Honored sir…I no think splashing self with Jusenkyo water is such good idea…" The Guide trailed off uncomfortably.

"I understand…but I have to do this…" Tofu said in a determined voice. Nodding to himself, he raised the mixture, and prepared to douse himself. But at the last minute, doubts entered his mind.

"What if it doesn't work? The old man said that his cures work only half the time…Am I really willing to die for one woman? And there's no guarantee that she will even be mine even if am cured. After all, she might have already found someone else to love by now…" These thoughts whirled in his head. Finally, he made his decision.

"I can't give up now, not when I'm so close…" With this in mind, he raised the potion to the air, and upended it…

"…and then I was cured." Tofu finished happily, smiling widely for all to see. Nabiki blinked.

"Just like that? No side-effects of any kind?" She always was a bit too cynical, but then again, nothing ever got cured just like that. Just ask Ranma…

"From what I can tell thus far, no, there are no side-effects whatsoever." Tofu answered. Mr. Tendo nodded his head.

"Wonderful news Dr. Tofu, but I'm afraid things have not been going so well for us as of late…" He sighed wearily and explained the current situation. Akane, Nabiki, and Genma all nodded sagely at the part about it being all Ranma's fault, though one could see that there was a hint of sadness in Akane's eyes. As for Kasumi, she said nothing, giving no indication that she was even listening. Tofu frowned.

"And where is Ranma now?" He asked. Genma snorted.

"That whelp is off hiding somewhere…the coward…" He muttered. Needless to say, it took a great amount of effort for the Tendo sisters not to gag at Genma calling someone else a coward.

"Tell me something Tofu…" Kasumi said after a silence had fallen.

"Why did you go through all of this just to have your odd condition cured?" She asked. Tofu blushed faintly.

"Ah well…" He stood, indicating that Kasumi should do so as well. Akane realized what was about to happen, and felt an old tinge of jealousy, but a much more predominant sense of happiness for her sister. Nabiki whipped out her camera. Genma and Soun just blinked cluelessly.

"Kasumi…I've long admired you over the years as I watched you grow and mature into a beautiful young woman…" He paused to gauge her reaction, and seeing her uncomprehending gaze, he continued.

"And…the reason I used to act so…silly…around you…was for a very special reason. It's the same reason I went through so much in order to be cured of it…" He took a deep breath and forged on.

"The reason is…I love you Kasumi." There, he had said it. Sighing in relief, he waited to hear what she had to say. Kasumi raised a hand to her mouth in shock.

"I…I…" She was caught completely off-guard, and had no idea of what to say. She had never suspected that he might…

"It's alright if you don't return my feelings…" He said hesitantly. She shook her head.

"No…I just…I'm not sure…" She braved a smile.

"I…just don't know…this is all so sudden." She began. Suddenly, a noise caused everyone to turn and face the entrance to the living room. Kasumi gasped. Standing there was none other than Ranma himself, currently in girl form. Tears and rips decorated his clothes, a nasty gash, no doubt caused by a bladed weapon of some kind, adorned his side, which he was holding gingerly, and a large bruise was showing on his left cheek. All in all, he looked like he had been through three kinds of hell. His injured side was dripping blood onto the floor, and he painstakingly limped into the kitchen after meeting the eyes of everyone, not saying a word. Everyone watched him go with mixed feelings. But none were as torn as Kasumi.

"Ranma…"

He let a slight groan escape his currently feminine lips as he managed to make it to a chair sitting by the shelf so that Kasumi could reach the higher ingredients when needed. Sitting with a wince, he sighed wearily and leaned his head back. Coming home had not been very pleasant. First, Shampoo had been on a delivery and had spotted him, which naturally led to an extremely amorous hug, or rather, attempted suffocation, as she seemed to have forgotten all about the urn incident. And naturally, where there's Shampoo, there is Mousse. The blind duck boy had not taken kindly to Ranma being hugged by his beloved. It was just Ranma's luck that he had remembered his glasses for once and had been able to distinguish him. The blind boy had gotten him pretty good as he attempted to disengage himself from Shampoo. Naturally, Mousse had come to the conclusion that Shampoo was helping him, and had fought even more fiercely to prove his worth to her. This was of course when Ryoga wandered onto the scene. Amazing how no matter how lost he got, he always managed to find Ranma eventually. Now, normally, Ranma would be able to handle Mousse and Ryoga with little problem, but the fact that Mousse's lucky shot had hurt his side badly, and a chance splashing had rendered him female, and Shampoo a cat, didn't help matters. Instead of going into the neko-ken, he had managed to get the pink feline off of his, or rather her, back, and just in time to get pummeled by a Shi-Shi Hokodan too. His "good buddy" Ryoga hadn't stopped there though. He had charged another up, and while Mousse was keeping him busy, unleashed it at his side. The only good part was that Mousse had been partially struck by it as well, and was knocked out. Unfortunately, Ryoga's no weakling even when Ranma fights at full strength, and with his side injured via a sword, his other side burned by ki, a nasty strike on his face, a possible concussion, and an even more fired up then usual lost boy about to engage him, Ranma was in a bit of a jam. He had managed to pull off a win though, nailing Ryoga with an Amaguriken, followed by a Shi-Shi Hokodan of his own. He had then limped home, hoping with all his might that everyone would be gone, but knowing that it wasn't going to happen. And then he came home to the sight of Dr. Tofu, returned and apparently cured, confessing his love to Kasumi, which bothered the pig-tailed boy for some reason. Needless to say, today had been one of the worst of his admittedly short life. Right up there with Jusenkyo, and the neko-ken. Ranma sighed again, and noted that whispered discussion was going on in the other room. Grimacing, as he knew what, or rather whom the discussion focused on, he decided to ignore it for the moment in favor of cleaning his wounds. But to do so meant going to his room, where he kept various medical supplies for emergencies, and there was no way he was going to go back into the living room right now. Moving out the back door, he managed to leap onto the roof, gasping in pain at what it did for his injuries, he limped along, cursing Ryoga for igniting a Bakusai Tenketsu right next to his left leg, until he made it to his window. Using his arms, he managed to enter the guest room with only a minor pain from his side. Once inside his quarters, he rooted around in his ever-present backpack, discovering, with no small amount of anger and irritation, that his bandages and other first aid materials were missing. Cursing his old man for being so greedy, he sighed and closed the pack, shoving it to the side.

"Feel…so…tired…" He muttered as he made it to his bedroll.

"Think I'll rest a little…yeah…just for a little while…" He closed his eyes, and darkness embraced him.

Kasumi sighed to herself as she walked upstairs. The others were still in the living room, discussing the situation. Why couldn't they just let things be? She didn't want to be constantly reminded of it forever. Yes, she was still angry, and yes, she was still hurt, but the fact of the matter was, that talking about it and letting the "wound" continue to "bleed" was pointless. Speaking of bleeding…there had been quite a bit of spilled blood in the kitchen. After seeing Ranma like that…A sense of fear had seized her heart, and so, as soon as the opportunity came up, she volunteered to check on Ranma.

"I do hope he's alright…" She thought to herself. Whether it was his fault for the urn incident or not, he had looked terrible, and the motherly instincts of Kasumi cried for her to help him. Reaching his door, she hesitantly knocked.

"Hello? It's me, Kasumi…" She said. Receiving no answer, she tried the knob. Finding the door unlocked, she entered slowly.

"Ranma…?" She scanned the room, and let out a gasp at what she saw. He was lying on his bed, the wound on his side was oozing blood at an alarming rate, and the covers had already been stained crimson. She removed her sweater hastily. Hurrying over, her first aid training took over, and she quickly went about staunching the flow of blood with her sweater.

"Someone! Come here! Quickly!" She cried. Hearing the sound of pounding footsteps, she silently prayed he would be alright.

"Oh Ranma…"

Author's Notes: Probably going to add a little to this soon…still feels a bit incomplete…but hopefully it was okay…This fic is going to be a little longer then I originally intended, as I've gotten some new ideas during the long hiatus it was on.