It had been a fine week at the seaside and a happy party made their way
home to the Tendo Dojo at the end of it. Nabiki was in the lead, reaching
the front door first, Kasumi was close behind and, bringing up the rear,
Soun and Genma came, struggling with the bags.

"Fine idea that, Saotome-kun," Soun said. "With a week on their own together
our children will surely have admitted their love. Why, we shall
be able to have the wedding next weekend!"

The panda walking beside him growf-ed amiably in return.

"That is if Ranma is still living," Nabiki commented. "A week of Akane's
cooking, and the only service that Ranma may need will be the mortician's!"

"Welcome back!" Akane said, fortunately arriving just too late to hear 
Nabiki's comment.

"So, how many holes do we need to repair then?" Nabiki commented, looking
around the house. Surprisingly there weren't that many new holes, far
less than she'd have expected. "Where's Ranma?"

"I don't know where that baka has got to. For the last couple of days he
seems to be avoiding me! How am I supposed to improve my cooking if he
won't taste it for me?" Akane looked frustrated. "It wasn't so bad the
first few days. I sometimes had to chase him down, but I could usually
catch him, but lately I've hardly even seen him. I caught him 'round at
the Ucchan's a couple of times, and the Nekohanten once, but he doesn't
seem to be going there either. He's even been avoiding me at school!"

"I hope he's all right," Kasumi said worriedly.

"Self-preservation -- our Ranma-kun might have a few brain cells after all,"
Nabiki said sardonically.

Akane glared after Nabiki, who went unconcernedly upstairs. Opening her
door she threw her stuff on the floor and lay down on the bed to read
a manga before dinner. Or at least that was the plan. Actually, she was
interrupted by the sight of Ranma rapidly disappearing through her 
window!

"Ranma! What were you doing in my room?!", Nabiki called out of the window.
"Any damage will be added to your bill."

She was just in time to see a brief flicker enter Kasumi's room. What
on earth was Ranma up to? Was this some sick training regime of Happosai's
or something?

Quickly she checked her drawers. All of her underwear was still there, and
nothing obvious was out of place.

Downstaurs, she found Kasumi gently berating Akane in the kitchen. The
reason why was fairly obvious: it looked like a culinary war zone in there!
There were pots and pans all over the place, congealed lumps of who-knows-what
adorning some of them, and hard black plaques of baked on food coating
the bottoms of others. The cooker looked like something had exploded in
there and the transparent window in the front door of the microwave was
quite opaque now.

"Kasumi, Ranma's in your room, I think. I chased him out of my room, and
he went into yours."

Kasumi just looked rather puzzled, but Akane was less amused. "Pervert! I
bet he's learning some new technique off Happosai or something."

"Nabiki, you and Kasumi stand outside Kasumi's room and I'll go 'round via
the garden. He's been hard to trap recently and maybe with your help we can
get to the bottom of this."

When Nabiki and Kasumi got into position they waited for a minute before
Nabiki's curiosity got the better of her. She pushed the door slightly
open and peered in.

Ranma sat on Kasumi's bed. He jerked and looked for an instant at Nabiki
with a hunted expression, before he relaxed and looked embarrassed. That
is until he heard a sound from the window, where Akane had just arrived.

The expression of fear came back, and he jumped off the bed and cowered
into the corner as a puzzled Akane entered the room and approached him.

"What's wrong, Ranma? What have you been up to?!" said Akane. "It can't
be anything good, or you wouldn't be scared!" If anything, Ranma looked
even more scared.

"Stop cowering, boy!" said Genma, who had just arrived. "Akane is your
fiancee!"

Ranma had taken his eyes off Akane for a moment when Genma spoke, and
Akane reached out to grab his arm. All of a sudden, terror blossomed
over Ranma's face and he went totally stiff. A moment later, a strange
noise came from his throat. 

"baaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaa...." His eyes didn't even seem to be
human, and Akane took a couple of steps back, sweating lightly.

Genma was less concerned and made to whack his errant son on the head
to bring him out of whatever state he was in. Unfortunately, he found 
himself implanted in the floor instead with a huge mallet adorning his
skull.

"Panda no baka!" commented Ranma with satisfaction. "I feel like cooking
now." And with that he marched out of the bedroom. Soon violent clanging
sounds came from downstairs and everyone started perspiring.

Nabiki eventually broke the silence. "Saotome-'jisan, I think Akane's 
cooking is as effective as a pit full of starving cats. Wouldn't you
agree?"