"Violent girl, spatula girl, Shampoo know who shoot Ranma."

At those words, nobody took a breath and everybody leaned in to hear better. "You what? Seriously?" Akane asked.

Cologne, balancing on her staff, pogoed forward a little. "Since I can articulate it better, I'll be the one to say what we've found. Although it was Shampoo who realized something vital we missed."

"Who was it? One of the Kuno's? Mousse? C'mon!" Ukyo asked, her hand itching to grab her battle spatula and bust some guilty party's head.

"Neither. In fact, none of the contained suspects are guilty." Cologne said, surprising them all.

"Then... it wasn't Genma?" Nodoka asked. 'Somebody must have beaten him to it then.'

"You see, the biggest clue was that warning card. It was just randomly dropped in the hospital. That meant that the shooter had to have been there to do it. We immediately checked the surveillance tapes at the hospital and saw that before the card had been dropped, this entire class had stopped by as a whole to visit Ranma in his room."

Nabiki looked stunned. While slightly jested that someone said they had figured out they had solved the mystery before her, she would ignore that for now. "So what you're saying is that whoever shot Ranma...," her eyes then gazed over the room like a hawk. "... is in this room."

"Right." Shampoo replied.

'Makes sense.' Nabiki thought. 'If they were going to leave a warning by dropping a card on the floor, doing it among a crowd would prevent them from being singled out right away. And by visiting Ranma, what better way to make them appear innocent?'

The eyes of Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, and Nodoka searched the room for anyone who looked guilty or afraid, their own faces fierce and unforgiving, ready to maim. The rest of the class and Ms. Hinako kept staring at each other turning heads repeatedly, trying to find the same thing.

"Look. Someone left the room." Yuka stated, pointing to the now open door.

"Somebody ran. It has to be them." Ukyo snarled, getting her favorite weapon in her hands.

"Relax. They won't get far." Cologne told the okonomiyaki chef.

"What the hell do you...?" Ukyo shouted before more shouting could be heard from the hallway.

"No! Stop! Let me go dammit!"

Everyone immediately went out into the hall, where they saw several cops already lying in wait, by Cologne's planning, in case someone tried to run from the classroom. It had all been a set-up, the amazons would force their way into the room from outside the school while policemen awaited any escapees by hiding in the halls beforehand. Now, while the amazons had figured out that someone in Ranma's class was the culprit, they didn't know the students well enough to specifically name one of them as the shooter. They figured only the real sniper would try to run if the amazons were right, and apparently they were.

Imagine the looks on everyone's faces as the police officers placed handcuffs on and read the Japanese Miranda Rights to Hikaru Gosunkugi.

It didn't take much to make Gosunkugi to confess to the entire thing, especially after several girls wailed on him in the school. The failed wedding had upset the Akane-obsessive boy too much so he decided to remove Ranma completely. He had gotten close to the Kuno's by claiming he might be able to weaken Ranma for them and thus acquired their family seal without their knowing. Using it, he placed the order for the gun from China and had it delivered to a specific location. With the stamp, the Kuno's would cover the cost and take the fall if caught. Also he used their funds to bribe someone in shipping so the gun could get into the country.

Once he had the weapon, Gosunkugi got some feathers off a random duck and a canteen to leave behind to incriminate Mousse. DNA testing proved the found feathers were not Mousses. In Gosunkugi's eyes, if the police were confused with unmatching evidence, they would focus on everyone in the NWC, but not him. He also would have left behind one of Ryoga's bandannas if he could have gotten one. When he found Ranma on the day of the shooting walking around, he snuck behind the clinic, unnoticed by everyone like he always was, and hid behind the wall that surrounded the estate. He only went on the neighboring roof to plant the feathers and canteen. Back on the ground, he shot at Ranma but the closed window interfered thus reducing the damage. He shot Tofu to try and stop him from getting help in time, but made that shot less lethal since it wasn't personal. Then he fled the scene and got to the Kuno mansion and just threw the gun into an open window. It apparently landed in a room the inhabitants usually ignored so they never knew it was there. When he heard Ranma survived and was recovering, he began planning swiping some of Kodachi's poisons and getting them into his food or medicine once he figured out how not to get caught.

With this confession, the previously contained suspects were let out. Actually, it was only a part of the group. Ryoga and Mousse simply left, but all three Kuno's and Genma were being kept and about to be placed on trial for things brought to the police's attention during this investigation. Things like child mistreatment and theft on Genma's part, and potentially dangerous insanity and harassment on the Kuno's part.

That evening Nodoka, Akane, Ukyo, Konatsu, Shampoo, Cologne, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Soun went to the hospital for another visit. At their request, Tofu and Ranma were placed in the same room for this visit. Ryoga and Mousse might have come along too, if Ryoga had not gotten lost leaving the police station and Cologne forbade the myopic weapon master from getting anywhere near Ranma for the time being.

"Wow. It was Gosunkugi? Why didn't any of us think of him before?" Ranma asked after they told him and Tofu the story.

"I guess the flashier guys just stood out more to us." Ukyo suggested with a small shrug. "Plus, he usually is ignored anyway."

"Guess he actually made use of it here." Akane thought aloud, still itching to hit the shadow-eyed boy some more.

"Well, at least he'll suffer for his crime now. Consider yourself lucky you two. If he had gone for a different gun you might not have survived." Cologne said.

"But if he had, it would have been harder to get it here past customs." Tofu pointed out.

Shampoo shook her head. "Maybe no. After all, Shampoo enter country as cat in box. Persons checking must not do job well."

Nodoka stepped towards the purple-haired girl. "Young lady, thanks to you we were able to find the right man. I don't know how to thank you."

"I think I do, Auntie Saotome." Akane added.

"I went back to my maiden name today. Call me Auntie Takahashi now." Nodoka told the short-haired girl.

Akane nodded to the older woman, then looked back at Shampoo. "Shampoo, to say thank you, I'll agree with your request."

Shampoo instantly brightened and gave Akane one of her patented glomps. Now Akane wondered how in the hell she ever believed Ranma enjoyed these bear hugs before. Ranma was spared since his sides were still tender from the surgery, and said if Akane really wasn't going to be angry over it, then it was the least he could do. Cologne simply bowed her head in gratitude, happy her great-granddaughter could return home without fear. When the others asked just what request Shampoo had made, Cologne told them it was amazon business they weren't allowed to know. Better that then the truth she figured.

"Say, Mom, since Pops is innocent, you still gonna leave him?" Ranma asked.

Nodoka gave her son a sad look. "Ranma, try to understand. Your father and I have grown apart over the years, and I don't think I can trust him anymore. A marriage cannot work without trust, or you'll just be looking for a reason to call it quits." Nobody missed the brief subtle glance she gave Akane as she said that. "I just don't love your father like I used to, not after all I've heard. This is for the best."

"If that's the case, then I'm afraid I can't continue to house you and Ranma anymore." Soun stated, catching everyone's attention. "I did it before because of my friendship with Genma and the vow we made. If you're no longer wed to him and Ranma isn't fit to me to inherit the dojo, then I must ask you to leave."

It looked like Akane wanted to yell at her father. Now Soun was literally throwing Ranma away, all because he couldn't be used at the moment. And odds were likely that once Ranma got used to sparring with half a lung and be a proper heir again, Soun would act like his current attitude never happened and expect everyone else to as well. But before she could give her father a piece of her mind, Nodoka beat her to it.

"Fine. If I'm not welcome I won't impose. But I'm not going to let you change your mind later. That means you cannot encourage or forbid any engagement involving my son anymore."

Soun submitted to the demand, the topic was dropped, and the discussion took on a lighter tone afterwards. Over time everybody went back to their homes and Tofu was placed back in his own room. He and Ranma would be allowed out soon, but Tofu would take longer to regain a steady walking ability since his wound affected his lower back. Nodoka planned on staying in Ranma's room as long as he did and talk with her family the next morning to arrange living conditions for her and her son.

Akane was the last to leave. "Sorry all this had to happen Ranma."

"Me too."

"Can you imagine what Gosunkugi might have done if we actually did get married?" Akane pondered.

"Imagine what wemight have done it we did instead?" Ranma replied.

Akane didn't know what to say about that. "Well, at least you're getting better. Let me know where you and your mother will live."

Ranma nodded. "Sure thing. Gotta admit, it'll be weird not seeing ya everyday."

"Well then, we'll just have to make the time then."

They continued some light conversation for a few more moments before Akane had to leave. A few days later both Ranma and Tofu were released and returned to their normal lives, but would need regular checkups for awhile. Tofu offered Ranma and Nodoka the chance to stay in one of the extra rooms in his clinic so Ranma could continue going to school at Furinkan, as opposed to moving to another city. They accepted.

Ranma kept up his training and learned to handle his new condition despite the occasional pain and lack of breath he would get. Several of his rivals stopped attacking him on sight, out of courtesy or incapability, so he wasn't pushed too hard. The Kuno's were locked away involuntarily in separate mental wards for an indeterminable amount of time, deemed a threat to others on several accounts. The amazons left for China after Shampoo had been given what she asked for and they confirmed the procedure had been successful, promising that Ranma could keep in touch with them and visits could be arranged for them both. Naturally Mousse wasn't happy but was threatened to be shot if he did anything about it. Ryoga spent more time with Akari and claimed fighting Ranma now wouldn't be fun or honorable, at least until he recovered. Ukyo stayed Ranma's friend and even considered giving a relationship with Konatsu a chance. Genma was found guilty on charges for several crimes and had to serve some time in prison. Also all the debts he ran up in Ranma's name were charged to him now, on grounds that Ranma had been a minor at the time of the deals. Nabiki continued on as she always had and succeeded in getting into college. Tofu managed to keep some painkillers around for when his Kasumi-itis would begin to flare up again, but since she continued to see him regularly that habit died down severely. It wouldn't be long before he asked her out.

Ranma and Akane kept up a friendly act in public, with the occasional argument, but no more violent behavior from the short-haired tomboy. It took a lot of self-control at first, but she really didn't want to risk Ranma going back to the hospital. After about two weeks of being released, they went on an actual date, and enjoyed it. It soon became a regular habit of theirs, and it led to them being more comfortable around each other. Around the time they graduated high school, Ranma proposed and Akane accepted. As predicted, once Soun thought Ranma could handle running the dojo he acted like he never had any doubts, but there would always be a rift between him, his daughter, and the young man because of his earlier behavior. Ranma and Nodoka moved back into the dojo before college started and Akane and her sisters started planning the ceremony.

As for Gosunkugi, like always everybody ignored him completely, even as he spent the next ten to twenty years locked up.

The End

Congratulations to the following for figuring out whodunit:

Cat on a Shtick

Andy Wong Fey Hong

SuperLardBucket

Riniko22

Megatyrant

maryjane5000

dothackfan

Thank you everyone who reviewed and put this story as an alert and/or favorite. This might actually be the best thing I've ever written. Ironic since my original intent was very different. I was originally trying to make a 'Ranma gets abandoned by mostly everyone and gets vengeance' fic, but as I wrote it changed into a crime mystery. Obviously that was for the best here, although I still want to write a dark revenge fic. Eitherway, I'm proud of what I've created here. Sorry if the ending seems a little forced, but once the mystery was solved there wasn't much left to say other than a quick wrap up. Maybe I'll write a oneshot or twoshot sequel later if enough want it.