Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One: Discovery

She wasn’t sure what the first sign had been.

Maybe it could have been her clothes disappearing from her closet, or all of the extra blankets and pillows going missing, or maybe even her fiance constantly seeming more and more uncomfortable as the week went on, but she never would have expected this.

There, buried deep in the very back of their dojo’s rather large closet, was a nest. All of the blankets and pillows that had gone missing over the past week had been arranged carefully, with the odd sleeve or pant leg belonging to articles of her clothing sticking out in a chaotic fashion from the sides. All in all it looked rather comfortable all things considered.

The nest however, wasn’t what she was focusing on.

There, in the middle of the nest was her fiancé, Ranma, curled up in a ball in his female form asleep, quiet whimpers escaping the small frame of the redhead’s body. Shivers wracked the cursed boy, even under what looked like three of the heaviest blankets her family owned.

Unfortunately, none of the blankets were hiding the most damning piece of evidence. There, sitting next to the nest, was an open bottle of pills, some loose ones scattered across the floor, one she recognized from a box of her mother’s old things.

A bottle of scent suppressants for Omegas.

Ranma, her cocky, arrogant fiancé, was an Omega.

—

Carefully, Akane scented the air, recoiling at the lack of any scent but linen and her own faded smell from the clothes sticking out of the nest.

This was…this was wrong! An Omega shouldn't be scentless, especially not one in the middle of their heat.

A quiet whimper from the nest drew her attention fully down to the red-headed girl, watching as she curled up tighter and let out a full body shudder. 

Not good.

As gently as she could she began peeling off one of the heavy blankets, wincing as her fiancé let out a loud whine in response, weakly pawing from underneath the other two blankets.

“Shhh, you'll overheat under all of these.” She whispered, keeping her voice as quiet as possible. “We need to get you cooled off.”

That was an understatement. She couldn't tell if the girl's flushed skin was a result of her heat or because of all the blankets but either way this wasn't good.

Glazed blue eyes snapped open, glaring at Akane as their owner let out a drawn out hiss as she began to remove the second blanket.

Wordlessly, a snarl left Akane's throat, tapering off into a warning growl as the Omega flinched and drew herself into a tighter ball with a small whimper.

Carefully she removed the last two blankets, setting them to the side next to her shaking fiancé. “I'll be right back.” She murmured, her throat twisting into knots as the girl’s eyes began to fill with tears and their shaking hands reached for her weakly. “It’s alright, I won’t be long. I’m just going to get some help, okay?” Reaching forward, she began to wipe the burgeoning tears away with her thumb, blood draining from her face at just how feverish the red haired woman felt. Crimson blossomed across her cheeks as her fiancé let out a needy moan, pressing against and nuzzling her hand with dazed, barely aware eyes.

She swallowed, pushing past the lump forming in her throat as the Omega rubbed her scent all over their cheeks, shivering as the woman’s hot, shallow breathing brushed against her wrist  before gently pulling her hand free.  “I’ll be back.” She rasped, eyes locked on a bead of sweat that gently trailed down the woman’s throat.

Slowly she stood, walking out of the large closet before closing the door and  slumping to the floor, images of flushed cheeks and needy whimpers playing in her mind. Instinct and reason warred within her, one to claim and comfort the other girl the way their biology demanded and the other to get someone who might know a better way that didn’t involve staking a claim over someone who barely knew what was going on around them.

Ranma, an Omega?

Sure, if she looked at the cursed boy’s previous actions through the lens of a hidden omega some things started to make sense but…Ranma of all people?!

‘How long has this been going on?’ She wondered, thinking back to the open bottle of pills. ‘How long has he been taking suppressants? They only make heats and ruts worse when someone starts building up an immunity!’ Even more worrying, what was going to happen when they stopped working completely and people…found…out.

Wait, how had Ranma even kept this hidden for over two years?! Had he been fooling them all or was there someone who knew?! It definitely wasn't Shampoo, that girl would have marked him in an instant if she'd known Ranma was an Omega. Ryoga was out too, Ranma and him could barely be in the same room for ten minutes without trying to throttle each other, something she had thought was just typical male Alpha and proud Beta bullshit. Ukyo…was a possibility for sure, but her and Konatsu had become a couple recently, despite the two of them both being Omegas, so at least if it were the chef it wouldn't have been for romantic reasons. Still, none of that mattered if Ranma's suppressants weren't working. If his Omega scent, loaded with pheromones, were to come back now during his heat, then whatever reason Ranma had for keeping it a secret wouldn't matter!

Shuddering, she pulled herself to her feet, leaning against the wall as she thanked all the gods she could think of that her father and Ranma’s had been dragged off by Happosai just yesterday to parts unknown, at least for two weeks according to the ancient pervert. There was no telling what nonsense those two might try when Ranma was in this state.

“Kasumi…Nabiki?” She called out, voice rasping against her throat as she made her way into the living room where she could see one of her sisters spread out on the couch with a magazine.

“Hmm? Oh Akane what’s u-holy fuck were you watching porn?!” Nabiki responded, turning the page on her magazine without looking up before cutting herself off with a yelp as Akane’s pheromones reached her nose, covering the sensitive organ with her hand. “Warn a girl before you waltz in smelling like that why don’t you!”

Watching? No. Saw something that was making her underwear more than a little uncomfortable? Yes.

“Nabiki, that was rude,” Kasumi, the oldest of the three, scolded, peeking her head out of the kitchen while holding a rice paddle. “There’s no need to put it quite like-oh!” Flushing, the soft Alpha of their family cleared her throat. “You are a bit…pungent little sister.”

“Never mind that.” She coughed, face burning. “None of that matters, can…uh, can you two come with me for a second? It’s important.”

“I really don’t want to see whatever it was that got that reaction out of you sis. I’m not interested in my sister’s kinks, thank you very much.” Nabiki muttered, turning her attention back to her magazine. “Besides, I’m a Beta, the hell do I know about shit that turns Alpha’s on?”

“I wasn’t watching porn Nabiki, I found Ranma curled up in a nest!” She snapped.

Silence rang out as the objects her sisters were holding clattered to the floor, their eyes growing wide as her words registered. “A nest? Like, an Omega’s Nest?!” Nabiki demanded, sitting upright.

“No, a bird’s nes-yes an Omega’s nest! I saw a bottle of suppressants by it but I think they’re not working anymore, not fully at least. I couldn’t smell him but he was definitely acting like Sayuri did that one time I saw her in heat. He was under the three big blankets, you know the ones mom bought that bad winter when the heater went out?” She explained, blinking in surprise as Kasumi, her normally calm sister, whipped around back to the kitchen followed by the sound of the sink being turned on and either the fridge or the freezer being opened fast enough to bang against the wall. 

“Akane, focus. Did you leave him with those blankets on?” The middle sister demanded.

“Wha-no! I’m not an idiot. I got them off of him and put them to the side-I didn’t take them out of the nest!” She snarled, cutting off the Beta when it looked like she was about to interrupt. 

“Nabiki, get the bucket from the bathroom and bring it here!” Kasumi ordered. “Akane, where is the nest, is it in his room?”

“On it!” Like a rocket her sister was moving, obeying the oldest Alpha in their family like it was second nature despite her status as a Beta.

“Akane!” Kasumi called, demanding her attention as she walked rapidly out of the kitchen, clutching an icepack in each hand. “Where. Is. Ranma?!”

“The back of the dojo closet, the one we used to store all the spare gear in!” She replied, wincing when her sister practically ran past her, shouting for Nabiki to fill the bucket with cool water and bring it to the dojo.

—

Burning, she was burning! Lava coursed through her veins even as ice surrounded her. Where were her blankets, she wanted them back! She wanted the weight, the safety, all of it! The voice said they were bad but it had to be lying because they were the only thing that helped with the pain! The voice had taken away her safety and put her in this cold, burning hell.

Where was the voice, it had said it would be back but it wasn’t back and she was cold and burning and hurting and not safe!

She sniffled, a keening whine leaving her throat as she nuzzled her nest, leaving traces of the voice’s familiar scent on the thinner blankets and pillows surrounding her.

That scent, it soothed some of the fire within her, taking away the heat only to replace it with a need that just made her feel so empty, making her want the voice to come back even more!

But…but the voice had brought her into the cold! It had taken away her blankets, taking out part of her nest!

Whining, she thrashed around, only stopping when her hand fell onto the familiar feeling of her missing blankets, laying on the other side of her. The…the voice hadn’t taken them? She could have them back? 

She whimpered, weakly reaching to pull the blankets over her when the voice’s words ringed in her fevered mind, reminding her that they were bad. 

But…but she wanted them! 

—

“I brought the bucket and holy shit he looks like hell!” Nabiki exclaimed, wincing at the sight of the whimpering Omega, curled up in the tightest ball Akane had ever seen.

“He’s definitely in heat and not a good one at that.” Kasumi muttered. “He must have been taking the suppressants continually for a while if he’s this bad. Nabiki, you’re going to have to do the majority of the care, I don’t think Akane or I should be in there alone with him right now. If those suppressants wear off completely and we’re in the room with him…I’d rather not think about what that would do to his mental state if we were to lose ourselves to our instincts.”

“You know he’s not going to react well to smelling us on his nest when he comes out of this right?” Nabiki asked, taking the cold pack from Kasumi and entering the closet.

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it I’m afraid.” Kasumi sighed, directing Nabiki to put the bucket near the cursed boy’s nest. “Akane, you and I are going to take turns. One of us is going to stay outside and keep an eye on Ranma, the other is going to make sure no-one else comes into the house. Ranma was hiding this for a reason and I want to keep it between us until we find out why.”

—

There were more voices now, different from the one from before and they were so loud! 

She whined, covering her ears with her hands as she buried her face into the blankets-that-helped-but-were-bad. They needed to stop and just leave her alone! 

Ice, colder than anything she’d ever felt pressed against her neck and she wailed, throwing it off of her before trying to bury herself further into the bad blankets. They would save her from the cold! They had to, that’s what blankets were for! 

One of the voices spoke words that made no sense to her before she felt hands start pulling her away from the blankets-that-were-bad. 

No! Not again! She wanted her blankets, she didn’t want the cold, she wanted to be safe! 

She wailed, struggling against the arms and shaking her head over and over, wordlessly begging them to stop! She tried to pry the hands off of her but she was too weak, too tired and hurting to put up a fight.

Something pressed against her lips, hard and plastic and uncomfortable and-

-water splashed against her as she struggled and she drank greedily, whining as the plastic object with the water was taken away and the voices said something.

She didn’t want words, she wanted more water!

She cried, fat tears streaming down her face at the cruelty of the voices, first they put ice on her, then they pull her away from her blankets, and finally they gave her water only to take it away!

Why, why were they being cruel to her!?

One of the voices spoke again, softer than earlier but still too loud, and slowly pressed the plastic container to her parched lips again.

They were…giving her back the water? Was it a trick? She didn’t care, she was just so thirsty!

She drank again, whimpering when the last voice to talk pulled it away when she started to drink faster, only to bring it back to her lips when she slowed down.

Slow?

They wanted her to drink slowly?

She sniffled, mewling as a new-familiar scent registered to her fogged up mind. It was….it was…nice? Not spicy like the first voice that had made her feel that aching, empty, need, but neither was it sweet like her own scent that seemed to have vanished. It was…it was…cool? Creamy maybe? Soothing! That was the word. 

Whimpering she rolled over, pressing her nose into the source of the creamy scent and whining as it yelped, gaining sour, surprised, notes to the delicate smell. 

Maybe…maybe this wasn’t so bad? The creamy smell was nice, but not as nice as the spicy one, that one had made her feel better…more? Betterer? Words were too hard right now…better to just…sleep…

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: Confrontation

It was always strange, coming to when his heat began to die down. The mist that obscured his thoughts beginning to clear little by little as strength returned to his limbs and the burning and aching began to taper off. 

Slowly, he released himself from the tight ball he'd no-doubt been in for far too long, gritting his teeth against what remained of the debilitating cramps.

How long had he been out of it or unconscious this time? Hopefully not longer than a day, two at the max, any longer than that and people might get suspicious and that was the last thing he wanted.

Now if only he could figure out why he always started thinking of himself as a girl right as his thoughts began to fog up.

‘I need to…to clean up, put everything away.’ Slowly, he began to rise, shaking his head in an attempt to clear away more of the heat induced mist that was still making thinking difficult. 

Any future plans of hiding his nest were shattered however, when a delicate arm slid off of his torso.

In an instant, he was on the other end of his nest, back against the three heavy blankets he vaguely remembered grabbing before hiding himself away to ride out whatever the pills couldn’t suppress. 

There, sleeping deeply inside of his nest, his sanctuary, was Nabiki.

No. No no no no no no! She couldn’t know, nobody could know! Fear coursed through his veins, warring with that small instinctual part of him he always had to push down that felt…relieved at the Beta’s presence. On top of that there was this…twisted burning feeling in his chest, like someone had pushed a white-hot piece of metal into him. Fury and shame and humiliation twisted his insides at the sheer…violation of another person inside of his nest. It was hers! The one spot in the entire world that was safe and secure and belonged to her and her alone and now someone else was in it and it wasn’t safe and it was wrong!

Salty tears pooled within her eyes as she sprang to her feet, twisting around and stumbling as her foot caught on the edge of what had once been her only sanctuary. She flung the door open, banging the sliding door against the other side of its track and ran, bare feet pounding against the cool tatami mats beneath her. The familiar walls and furniture of the Tendo house blurred into a mass of color and shapes as she ran, desperation clawing at her chest to get away, to flee from what had once been her only sanctuary. 

There was little warning, just a splash of color amongst others, before she clipped a small table with a potted plant with her hip, sending both it and her to the floor. Pain, sharp and electric, exploded across her face as her nose slammed into the floor and she yelped, crying out as the pot shattered next to her ear in a spray of dirt and ceramic and noise. Panic coursed through her veins like lightning, burning her limbs and draining her of what little clarity her mind had regained. Her hands pushed her off of the floor, she needed to run! Run away! Anywhere was better than here, where it wasn’t safe, where she wasn’t safe!  She whipped around a corner, whining as, instead of finding a way out, she crashed into something soft. 

Gentle hands grabbed her arms and the familiar spicy scent of an Alpha washed over her like a wave, her limbs slackening in response almost the instant the smell registered to her mind, Spicy cardamom, the scent of the oldest Tendo sister pulled a whimper from her throat, only for it to be soothed by the calming notes of vanilla that infused and mixed with the spice the second the sound left her lips.

“You’re okay, you’re safe.” The soft Alpha murmured, emphasizing her words with another wave of that soothing scent.

Safe? This definitely felt nice…and Kasumi had never hurt her but…but! “It’s ruined!” She whined, shaking her head against the older woman. “My nest, Nabiki-”

“Shhhh,” The brunette cooed, gently running their nails up and down the back of her neck. “We can fix it, but you need to relax. Your heat’s not over quite yet and you're going to make yourself sick if you don't rest.”

Not over? But…but she felt better! 

“Everything okay si-wha, Ranma? What are you doing up and why are you covered in dirt?!” 

She knew that voice! That was the other Alpha, the one that smelled of cinnamon!

“I think Nabiki might have messed up his nest by accident, I heard a crash and then the next thing I knew he was running into me.” Kasumi explained, their nails tracing soothing patterns on the back of her neck. “He mentioned something about his nest being ruined and brought up Nabiki so…” Frowning, the taller girl looked down at him, lifting his chin with her forefingers so she could look into his blue eyes with her brown orbs. “Is that what happened?” Shivering, she nodded, the memories of waking up to the intrusion still fresh in her mind.

“That's odd, Nabiki's not the type to do that…well not to an Omega in heat anyway, she knows better. I mean she's a bit too obsessed with money but damaging a nest of all things?” 

Ranma shuddered, her breath coming out in short, quick gasps as another hand reached out and began tracing comforting patterns on her back, moaning as the scent of cinnamon crashed into her like a brick wall, followed by the scent of vanilla and something else, something salty and full of musk. 

“Careful Akane, you don't want to overwhelm him, also next time make sure you take a shower before trying to calm down an Omega if you've been working out or at least try to do it in a way that doesn't involve pheromones.”

“Sorry!”

What….what was she doing here? She felt so…so…she needed something! Something important! 

Slowly, the fingers keeping her eyes locked with the taller Alpha retreated, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind an ear. “Alright, I’m going to get him cleaned up, can you see what happened with his nest?” 

Wait…they were leaving? She didn’t want them to leave! She needed them to…to…

…what was it she needed again? There was something missing, something that was supposed to be inside of her? The two Alphas would know, wouldn’t they?

“P-please,” She whimpered, weakly tugging on the taller Alpha’s top, looking between the two of them as the cold, clingy, desperate need for them to fix this…this aching inside of her that clawed at her stomach and her chest. “H-help? I can’t…I don’t know-”

“-Shhhh, we know Ranma.” Pressure, heavenly pressure, fell on the back of her neck, lightly kneading the tense muscles and sending shivers down her entire body like an electric current. “That’s it, just relax.” Kasumi rumbled, her chest vibrating with a soothing purr that made Ranma mewl and press against the taller woman, her breath coming out in short, quick gasps. “Let us worry about things, you just let your Alphas take care of you.”

That…that did sound nice but, but they were going to leave he-

“It’s okay, we’ve got you. We’re not going anywhere. Sis is just going to get you cleaned up so you can rest in your nest.” A hand, warm and rough from countless hours of martial arts training stroked her cheek, flooding her nose with the scent of spicy cinnamon, soothing vanilla, and salty sweat. 

Gods she wanted more of that scent, no, she needed more of it. She needed it all over her, to envelope and mix with her own until she wasn’t sure where one scent ended and the other began. “I…I need…” The words wouldn’t come, there was nothing she could say, no words that came to mind that could express what she wanted, what she needed from the two Alphas. Language had become a foreign concept to her addled mind, all she knew was the comforting scent surrounding her and the need burning from within her.

But just because she couldn’t find the words didn’t mean there wasn’t a way for her to get the message across.

Shivering, she nuzzled the hand touching her face, letting that wonderful scent cover the scent glands located in her cheeks before taking the other girl’s thumb into her mouth.

A sharp inhale was all the proof she needed that the shorter of the two Alphas understood and she moaned, feeling the thumb press down and push her tongue against the base of her mouth.

More! She needed more!

“Akane, that’s enough.” Like steel, the soothing voice of Kasumi became hard, edged with a warning that made Ranma whimper before crying out as the digit was removed from her mouth as fast as possible. 

Was she in trouble? Was she not supposed to do that?!

“Sorry! I-I wasn’t expecting him to-”

“-I know. I’m not angry, but we need to get him settled before anything else happens.” Slowly, the older Alpha picked her up, sliding one arm underneath her legs and supporting her back with the other, pressing their bodies together. Cardamom and vanilla swirled around her, soothing her worries away with its heavenly scent and she mewled, pressing her face into the place where the scent was strongest, right in the crook of the other woman’s neck.  “When this is over, I think all four of us need to have a long talk about how to help him next time, starting with getting him to see a doctor about how long he's been taking those suppressants.”

—

Safe. She was safe here in her nest, surrounded by the soothing scent of her pack where nothing could hurt her. There were no claws tearing into her, no buckets of water being thrown at her to rip her from her dreams, even the inner fire and pain and need that had consumed her every waking moment for what seemed like an eternity had faded away into nothing. A happy sigh left her lips as she nuzzled her nose into a piece of cloth, reveling in the scent of cinnamon, cardamom, and coconut that made up the base notes of each member of her pack. 

Strangely, their scents seemed stronger than she remembered, like each of them had rolled around in it to make sure it smelled of them. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, her own scent was distressingly missing from the cozy sanctuary but that was to be expected after needing to take a higher dose of her suppressants to make sure her pheromones didn’t alert anyone of her hea-

His eyes snapped open as he jolted upright, looking around the large closet he had hidden his nest in, away from anyone who would discover his secret. ‘Shit! I need to clear this up!’ There was no way anyone who saw him in here wouldn’t be able to figure out his status, not when he had been sleeping inside of a nest, let alone when he was practically drenched in the scent of the three sisters. 

‘Omegas are weak boy! They can’t do anything without being watched over by someone, even a Beta can do more than those weaklings!’

He needed to hide this, take apart his…weakness and pretend it never happened. That was the only way.

The only way he wouldn’t be abandoned.

Still it was a bit weird, he felt…cleaner than he had any right to be after his heat. Normally he would be covered in dry sweat, to say nothing of the slick that would have flooded out of his lower region and…was it him or was the clothes he was wearing different from the ones he’d been wearing when he’d settled into the nest?

‘Maybe the suppressants messed with my heat?’ He had heard that that could happen sometimes and he always had a hard time remembering things when he woke up from a particularly bad cycle so maybe he had been wearing this outfit when he’d hidden himself away?

Either way there wasn’t much time, there was no way of knowing when the Tendo sisters might find him.

Quickly, he scrambled over to where he’d hidden several large trash bags and began to stuff the contents of his nest within each of them. Pangs of alarm and pain at his own actions fought him with every movement and he grimaced, shoving the useless feelings down into the same box he always had, the same one he always shoved the itch that crawled under his skin whenever someone called him a boy.

Little by little he continued his work, destroying his nest, his sanctuary, until not even a single trace of it remained, save for the four trashbags that contained its remains. 

After all, there was no point in keeping a symbol of how weak he was.

—

It was hours before he returned, the moon shining down upon Nerima with its silvery light as he walked through the streets, the trash bags slung over his shoulder with no more effort than it took for him to lift a book. Sure, he was a little tired, and his body still lightly ached from the remnants of his heat, but it was nothing compared to what he’d felt during the training journey with his pops.

 Taking the subway to the Minato ward, cleaning the materials that had made up his nest at one of coin laundry facilities, washing off the scent of the three Tendo sisters from his body at the local bathhouse, using what little money he managed to squirrel away from his father after taking shifts at Ucchan’s to buy more suppressants from his usual supplier, before taking the subway back. All of these tasks were just something he’d gotten used to, having to do it over the past two and half years since he’d presented as an Omega, back before he’d even set foot near Jusenkyō. Sure, the suppressants he’d taken back then were a little…unhealthy, and had had some nasty side effects, but they’d also flat out prevented his heat after the first one.

Of course, the swim to Japan had ruined them so it had ended up a bit of a waste of money but still.

These days things were easier and harder in a way. Sure, he could get more money to buy the pills he needed, and there were a bit more options here in Japan than there were in the middle of China, but on the other hand it was harder to sneak out and clean things up without being noticed thanks to all of the scrutiny he was under from all of his…”fiancées”.

Gods, just the thought of them watching his every move made his hackles raise and he shivered as the urge to run, to hide away from them all bubbled up from within him. If any one of the Alphas found out he was an Omega…well it wouldn’t be good.

Akane had her temper and would probably blow up at him the moment she found out, Kasumi was understanding sure, but there was no way she’d allow him to continue hiding his status, hell she’d probably claim it would be too dangerous to keep hiding like he’d been doing, Ryoga would never let him live it down and would most likely try to force him to submit the next time they fought, and Shampoo…

Shampoo finding out was nothing less than the worst possible scenario.

The moment he’d set foot into the Amazon village had been the most terrifying, eye opening thing that had ever happened to him after the Nekoken.

Omegas walking around with their eyes pointed at the ground, thick metal collars around their necks, Alphas that would backhand Omegas or even Betas for looking them in the eye, hell he’d nearly bolted in the other direction when the sheer amount of dominant pheromones had caught the wind before the village even entered his sight! Three different times he’d heard Alphas use….that, their alpha voice to force an Omega to their knees simply because they wanted to and the only reason Shampoo didn’t do that in Nerima was because the one time she’d tried she’d had the police knocking on the Nekohanten door an hour later to arrest her for assault and battery!

Sure, she’d gotten off with a slap on the wrist due to her being from another country, but it was still terrifying! The only reason he hadn’t instantly obeyed the command she’d given, to get out of her way, was because it hadn’t been directed at him!

Akane had nearly murdered the Amazon for how badly Sayuri’s feet had blistered from running until she physically couldn’t due to Shampoo’s command.

No, there was absolutely no way he could ever let any of the Amazons learn that he was an Omega, he’d either end up dead from Mousse ordering him to stay still as the man killed him or end up with one of those collars around his neck.

To be honest he wasn’t sure which one was more terrifying.

Shuddering, he made his way into the Tendo house, frowning at the odd combination of scents in the air. There was distress, bitter and metallic like an old coin left in the rain, panic, an odd sulfur like smell that reminded him of the time his braid had caught fire by accident, and worry, old and dry like crumbling paper.

What was going on? Had something happened?

‘I don’t smell anyone new, so I don’t think the dojo was attacked by anyone, but I don’t smell Akane or her sisters either.’ He mused, taking the opportunity to put away everything he had washed, save for Akane’s clothes which he left in front of her bedroom door. ‘Maybe I should call Nabiki’s cell? She never leaves the house without it…then again she’d probably just charge me for wasting her time.’ He was already running short on funds after getting more suppressants and there was no way he’d be able to afford the middle Tendo’s rates.

Still…if it were an actual emergency then Kasumi might be able to get her sister to waive the fee, she’d managed to do it before.

Nodding to himself, he went into the kitchen and pulled the landline off of the receiver, beginning to dial the number he’d memorized just in case of emergencies. He'd barely pressed the first three keys when the sound of the front door opening reached his ears, followed by the scent of the three sisters. ‘Well, guess I don’t have to call anymore.’ He mused, putting the phone back before sticking his head out the kitchen doorway. “Everything okay?” He called, his head jerking back as the scent of surprise flooded the area from three different sources, the sharp smell of ozone mixing with the natural scents of the three women.

Yeesh, maybe he should have met them in the living room before calling out?

Three sets of footsteps raced to the dining room, cool minty relief replacing the sharp smell of ozone as the three sisters laid eyes on him.

What was going on?

His stomach lurched as a feeling of cold dread began to form in the pit of his gut. Something was wrong, they were acting weird, almost like-

“Ranma are you okay?!” Kasumi asked, walking up to him faster than he had ever seen the older woman move, looking him up and down.

Was she…was she checking him for injuries?

“What were you thinking, taking off like that?!” Akane demanded, moving closer and glaring at him sharp enough that he had to fight not to duck his head and show his neck.

Oh, ooohhh. They must have been worried about him disappearing for a couple days. He’d been so focused on getting his nest ready and trying not to give himself away he must have forgotten to give them an excuse.

“Ah, sorry about that.” He replied, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck. “I must’ve forgot to mention it, I went out to train for a couple days.”

Silence followed his words as all three women drew back, smokey shock registering to his nose along with…

…was that a hint of hurt?

“A…training trip.” Nabiki repeated, her eyes narrowing sharply as she crossed her arms, the scent of burning herbs replacing the shock and hurt in her scent. “You’re saying you went on a training trip?” 

…okay he definitely hadn’t done anything to make her angry recently, so why did it smell like he’d royally pissed her off?

“Yeah? Like I said I’m sorry I forgot to tell you but-”

“-and when, exactly did you leave for this trip?” The words that left the middle sister’s lips were cold, almost chilling with how they seemed to have sucked away all of the warmth in the room.

The pit in his stomach grew larger. Something was wrong, Nabiki sounded like his lie had angered her, but there was no way for her to know it was a lie unless she knew what had actually happened but that was impossible…

…right?

“A couple days ago.” He muttered, hand spasming slightly as he fought not to flinch at the almost simultaneous look of anger that flashed across each of the sister’s faces.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no!

And then it happened, the middle Tendo opened her mouth and damned him with one sentence.

“That’s interesting, because I saw you just yesterday curled up in your nest.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Three: Discussion

“That’s interesting, because I saw you just yesterday curled up in your nest.”

Those words, those damning words. Every syllable rang in his mind as he took a step back, eyes darting around the room for an escape route. There were no exits behind him, only the kitchen and a singular window that wasn’t big enough for him to squeeze through.

He was well and truly trapped. 

Run! No, can’t run! A way out! He had to find a way out!!

A whine bubbled up from his chest and he had to fight to keep it from escaping his lips, his hands gripping his pants leg tightly between clenched fingers. Then, there was a sound, soft and low and comforting, that made his eyes snap to the oldest sister. He hissed, body becoming as tight as a coiled spring. Without meaning to, he took another step back from the two Alphas and the Beta in front of him, his mind racing to come up with an escape route.

A growl, reprimand and warning all on one, ground out of Akane’s throat as she stepped closer, only quieting when he flinched and ducked his head instinctively.

“Well? Nothing to say?” Nabiki asked, crossing her arms as she glared up at his birth form. “You’re just going to try to play off almost needing to be taken to the hospital from nearly giving yourself hyperthermia and then disappearing on all of us without a word?”

This wasn’t happening, not now, not after all this time of hiding it!

He needed to get out, get away from here and somewhere safe!

Slowly he backed up, a whimper tearing itself from his throat as he felt his back press against the sink counter.

Not safe! Danger! Escape! Runrunrunrunrunrunrun!

A hand shot out in front of the advancing Alpha, stopping the girl dead in her tracks. “Akane stop, you’re scaring him.” Kasumi murmured, her eyes never leaving his retreating form.

“But he-” Furious, Akane whipped around, glaring up at her older sister only for her whole body to stiffen in alarm.

“I said you’re scaring him.” Ice-cold eyes burning with a rare fury locked eyes with his fiancée, pinning the younger Alpha in place as her words resonated in Ranma’s mind. Every syllable was like a gong, vibrating within him down to his very bones. It was easy to forget, what with her kind and gentle nature, but Kasumi was the Alpha at the top of their little pack of siblings. And while she rarely needed to put her foot down…

…not once had a single resident of the Tendo Dojo ever disobeyed her when she did.

He couldn’t stop himself, the force of her words ripped a whimper past his lips as he looked to the side, exposing his neck to the older woman. His body trembled as she slowly moved closer, every step making his body grow tenser until she was standing right in front of him. 

Gently, a soft hand was laid in the back of his neck, squeezing just enough to let him know it was there without feeling controlling. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to use my alpha voice.” Kasumi murmured, pressing her forehead against his own as she massaged his neck, her voice lacking the force of an Alpha’s command. “Why don’t we all go to the living room and talk? We’re just worried, you scared us when you destroyed your nest and left without saying anything.”

Every increase of pressure followed by a release in a rhythm that loosened his tight muscles, creating shivers down his spine at the familiar rhythm.

Ba-thump

Squeeze.

Ba-thump

Release.

Ba-thump

Squeeze.

Ba-thump

Release.

The calm rhythm of his own heartbeat.

—

“Here,” Kasumi murmured, keeping her voice as soft as she could as she offered him a steaming mug. “It’s your favorite.”

‘Amazake?’ It certainly smelled like the sweet fermented rice drink he enjoyed on rare occasions. “Thank you.” He mumbled, accepting the warm drink without looking at the taller Alpha. 

They were all situated in the living room, Nabiki and Akane on one side of the couch with him on the other end, knees drawn close to his chest. They weren’t pressuring him or anything, in fact Kasumi offering the drink had been the first thing any of them had said since he’d relaxed enough to be led out of the kitchen. Still, the way they were watching him was making his hackles raise, like they were just waiting for him to make the smallest slip up so they could put him in his place.

It was only natural. After all, Omegas were weak.

“Now, can you tell us why you hid that you’re an Omega?” It was a simple question, spoken with the same gentleness and kindness that Ranma had always heard from the oldest Tendo. “You know it’s dangerous to go through a heat alone right?”

“S’what I’ve always done.” No-one had ever noticed him sneaking off to ride them out until now…granted that was mostly because he was usually better at swapping out his suppressants when they started to lose effectiveness. With all the stress of being in his last year of high school and his parents and everyone else pushing him more and more to get married he’d just hadn’t had the spare second he needed to figure out which one to switch to. “Never been an issue until now.”

“How long have you been taking those suppressants?” 

“...about six months.” That was technically true, he’d only swapped to those particular ones about a week before Christmas after his last ones had started to lose effectiveness so it wasn’t a lie.

“Six months? You’ve been living here for two years Ranma! There is no way we’d have mistaken you for a Beta that long if you’d only been on suppressants that long!” Nabiki countered, her eyes narrowing. “When exactly did you present?”

“What does that matter?” He muttered, turning his body away from the middle Tendo. “I told you I’ve been on those suppressants for six months.”

“Those suppressants.” Nabiki repeated, eyeing him warily. “The only way your natural scent wouldn’t have returned is if you took them every day but you said you’ve only been taking “those” ones for six months. You’ve been swapping them out when they stop working fully haven’t you?” She asked, leaning forward a little as the bitter, vinegar scent of suspicion mixed with her natural coconut.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Just stop. Stop asking, stop prodding, just leave him alone to deal with things like he always had!

“Every day? But, but suppressants are toxic if taken for long periods of time!” Alarm colored his fiancée's voice as she stared him up and down. “They’re only supposed to be used to help with making a heat easier, not daily use!”

“Ranma, when did you start taking them?” Nabiki pressed. “This is important, your liver could shut down!”

“I’m fine!” He whined, curling up tighter as he pressed his side against the arm of the couch. “It hasn’t been that long, I only started taking them a couple months before Jusenkyō, about a week after my first heat, okay?!” 

“Before Jusenkyō, are you kidding me?! That was almost three years ago! Tell me you haven’t been taking them every day since then!”

He squirmed, taking care not to spill the warm drink in his hands. “I mean…what else was I supposed to do?” He mumbled. “You’ve seen how pops is and the Amazons are worse, the things I saw at their village…” He trailed off, shuddering at the memory of an Omega boy being dragged off by a thick metal collar to gods knows where that flashed across his mind.

“You can’t stay on them. You’re already risking killing your liver after this long, we’ll need to take you to a doctor and get you weaned off of those pills!” Akane exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

Warm porcelain fell from his fingers, spilling the comforting liquid across the tatami mats and couch as his head snapped to look at his fiancée. “No! I-I won’t, I can’t stop!” This was bad, if he stopped taking the suppressants then his scent would come back and everyone would know he was an Omega, that he was weak! He couldn’t stop! Shampoo would drag him off and he would never be anything but a piece of meat to be used and bred and abandoned and-

-Cardamom and Cinnamon slammed into him, washing over his body like a tidal wave of spice and comfort so quickly that, for a moment, he found himself swaying and nearly falling off of the couch.

“A little much there don’t you think?” He heard Nabiki mutter as the middle Tendo helped him get settled back onto the couch, leaving small traces of her coconut scent on his skin.

“I…what was…?” Spicy and creamy scents surrounded him, soothing the panic that had been building like a comforting embrace, like someone had simply plucked the stress from his body. One by one his muscles relaxed against his will until, with a small thump, he fell on his side, laying on the couch helplessly.

“Sorry, you were panicking and we needed to calm you down.” Kasumi murmured, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. Almost immediately he looked away, eye contact just felt…wrong, always had ever since he’d presented. “We’re just trying to make sure you don’t get sick, Ranma. If the doctor says that you can keep using your suppressants then we won’t stop you from taking them.” The oldest Tendo said, keeping her voice nice and level despite the looks of incredulity she got from the other two.

“...promise?” He asked, wincing at how vulnerable, how…weak he sounded.

“I promise.”

—

“I know what you’re doing you know.” Nabiki stated not long after, leaning against the doorframe leading into the kitchen as she watched Kasumi prepare the soup stock for dinner.

“I’m not sure what you mean. I’m doing my job and taking care of the pack as usual.” She replied, tasting the stock and frowning before adding a pinch of salt.

“Bullshit Kasumi. You can’t fool me, I’m not blind like those two. All those calming gestures, using your alpha voice on Akane, getting him his favorite drink to soothe him, you aren’t taking care of anything! You’re courting him.”

“...and what if I am?” She asked, turning around to stare her sister in the eyes with her own brown orbs. “I fail to see how that’s anyone’s business but my own. If he accepts then he accepts, if not then he doesn’t.”

“Are you-you’re trying to make our sister’s fiancée your mate!” Nabiki snapped, glaring up at her sharply. “You know those two have feelings for each other!”

“You wouldn’t understand.” She murmured, turning back to the counter. With practiced ease she removed the skin of the fish she’d set out for their meal, each cut made with the same grace and precision she’d used to have when she’d practiced martial arts before their mother’s passing. 

“Try me. You need to give me a damn good reason for why I shouldn’t go right to Akane and explain the situation to her oblivious ass.”

Carefully, she removed the last of the fish’s skin, sliding it to the other side of her cutting board before using her knife to cut each fish into a pair of fillets. “...do you have any idea how hard it was not to give into my instincts and help him with his heat?” She asked after a moment, ignoring the shock at her words mingling with her sister’s scent as she kept her eye on her work. “To push him down and claim him, to put my mark on his neck just to make it a little easier to bear?”

“Are you kidding me?! That’s why you’re doing it? Because you can’t keep your dick in your pan-”

“-I wasn’t finished.” She growled, cutting off her little sister sharply with a glare. “If it were just my libido we wouldn’t be having this talk. My reasons for doing this have nothing to do with wanting to have sex with him.”

“...then why?” Her younger sister asked, watching as she added the soybean oil into the pan on the stove to heat up.

“...he’s been alone this entire time.” She said after a moment, taking the time to slowly wash the rice. “He’s been shouldering everything, his status as an Omega, the way people in this district treat him, all of the challenges, the death threats, all of it on his own and none of us thought to do anything about it! He hasn’t had one single moment of peace since coming to live with us two years ago Nabiki and I am sick of it! A member of my pack has been suffering and I turned a blind eye! So if I have to court him  to give him one small measure of peace in what might be his entire life than so fucking be it!”

Chapter Text

Chapter Four: Price

“Well? What did they say?” Nabiki asked the next day as Kasumi walked into the house, followed by a swaying Ranma.

“It’s bad. His over-reliance on suppressants scarred up his liver, the doctors said any later and it might have been irreversible, even deadly.” Kasumi stated, using a hand to catch the martial artist before he fell on his face. “They gave him some medicine to help clear the last of the suppressants out of his system but well…”

“Side effects?” Nabiki asked, gesturing at the swaying Ranma.

“Drowsiness and loss of balance. The bigger issue is the return of his scent. Apparently, after so long, there's a chance it could be overwhelming for him and-”

Without warning, the black haired boy fell forward, mewling as two pairs of arms caught him before he slammed into the floor.

“...let's get him settled in his bed first.” Nabiki sighed. “We can talk more after.”

“M’not an invalid.” The swaying martial artist muttered, the smallest hint of a pout forming across his face. “I can take care of myself you know.” 

“We know Ranma, but we want to help.” Kasumi cooed, running her nails across the back of the Omega’s neck. 

“Now that you know I’m not a Beta.” The boy quietly muttered, looking away from the two. Wincing, the two women looked at one another before helping their sister’s fiancé up onto his feet. There was some truth to his words unfortunately, they were treating him differently now that they knew that he wasn’t just some Beta with a chip on his shoulder. The thought of an Omega, especially one that had been living with them for a couple years at this point, having to live with all of the attacks, the rivals, the fiancée's, and not have a single moment of peace for that entire time…it was heartbreaking. The only time the martial artist ever had to himself was in his heats where he hid himself away, suffering under the biological needs of his own body. 

“You’re right.” She admitted, her heart clenching at the brief look of pain that flashed in the boy’s eyes. “We should have started helping you long before we found out and I’m sorry it took us this long to do anything about it.” Denying their failures wouldn’t help the pack member they had failed, it would only make it harder for them to earn the boy’s forgiveness. “But we’re here, we’re trying to make up for it.”

“...just let me worry about myself.” Those words, they were so soft that for a moment Kasumi wasn’t sure she’d heard them right. They weren’t angry, or sad, or tearful, no they were resigned.

Her sister's fiancé truly believed that he had no-one to rely on but himself.

“No, not anymore. You don’t have to like it, but we are going to help from now on.” She insisted, ignoring the scowl that formed on the boy’s face. “You’re a part of our pack, and it’s long past time for us to show it.” 

For a moment, she thought her words might have reached the younger teen with the faint, almost desperate hope that flashed in the young Omega’s eyes, only to watch as the boy looked away, muttering something under his breath that she couldn’t hear. 'He doesn’t believe me.’ She realized as she led the boy to the room he shared with his father. ‘He wants to, but we’ve failed him so much that he can’t trust us to actually help.’ They would have to be careful and show him that he wasn’t alone anymore, that he could rely on them. 

Armed with the knowledge of Ranma’s status as an Omega, certain things in the boy’s shared room began to jump out at her once Nabiki opened the door. The area around the boy’s futon was startlingly clear, almost in a complete circle around the bedding, aside from his pack which was just in arm's reach. Two blankets haphazardly thrown into a pile at the foot of the bed, an attempt to build a nest in a way that his father wouldn’t notice, even the sight of a small pill bottle just barely peeking out from under the boy’s pillow.

How many times had she come into this room to clean and missed what were now obvious signs?

“That empty?” She heard Nabiki ask as her younger sister pointed at the pill bottle.

“They’re for nausea.” The boy muttered, stepping away from them and walking into the room before letting himself fall on his futon with a soft thud. “Suppressants have been making me wanna throw up lately, couple months now.”

‘That would make sense with what the doctor was saying about your liver.’ Really, the amount of damage her sister’s fiancé had inflicted on his body was staggering and the fact that he had even thought it was necessary in the first place…

…they had a lot they needed to make up for.

—

“How bad is it really?” Nabiki asked after Kasumi and her had moved to the living room to let Ranma rest.

“Bad.” Kasumi repeated, pulling out some ingredients for pork cutlets. “His liver has been scarred up badly, his scent glands have started to deteriorate, his white blood cell count is dangerously low and-” She paused, her hand trembling slightly as she reached for the knife to cut into the meat.

“And what? Kasumi you’re starting to scare me.”

“...there’s a good chance that he can’t…with him using the suppressants for as long as he has at the dosage he’s been taking…it’s…it’s damaged his ovaries and uterus in both of his forms.” She continued, carefully grabbing the sharp tool by the handle. “The chances of him getting pregnant are…very low to say the least and even if it does happen…it’s not likely that the child will survive to term.”

For a moment, the only sign that the Beta had heard her was the sharp inhale before a string of muttered curses left her sister's mouth. “There’s still a chance though right, like it’s not impossible for him to-”

“-The doctor recommended several therapists that specialize in treating infertile Omegas.” She interrupted, setting her knife down. “He said that it would be better for Ranma to accept that it wasn’t going to happen instead of holding out hope.”

“That’s…fuck I can’t even imagine how he took that.” Even without looking, Kasumi knew her sister was either running a hand through her hair or fiddling with a five yen coin, she always did one or the other when faced with sudden news like this. “I mean…I know he’s never talked about having kids but…fuck.” 

“Mmm.” She nodded, mixing up the eggs to coat the pork. “He didn’t really say much after that, he just kind of…sat there as the doctor finished the exam.” 

“I’m surprised he didn’t deck the doc, who the hell talks to a patient like that?!”

“A traditionalist.” Her chest rumbled with the low growl that built in her chest, just the thought of that…that man infuriated her. “He didn’t even acknowledge Ranma, he only talked to me. He even injected Ranma with the medicine to clear out his system while he looked me in the eye. It took all I had not to throttle the man.”

“Seriously?! And Ranma had to have him as a doctor right after we found out?!! Tell me you reported his ass!”

“I did, but apparently the man has family on the board so it’s unlikely anything will come of it.” She sighed, carefully placing the cutlet she had just finished breading into a small fryer. “Really, I don’t know how people can still think that Omegas are somehow lesser than Alphas or Betas. This is the 21st century, not the 19th, Omegas haven’t been considered property since 1827!”

“You know how people are with power, once they have it they hate having it taken away.” 

Now that was a lesson she was well aware of, one their younger sister hadn’t quite learned yet.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention as Nabiki moved beside her, grabbing the spare cutting board and the cabbage she’d put to the side. “...you haven’t helped me cook in a long time.” She observed, shifting to the side just a little to give the younger girl a bit more room.

“You and Akane aren’t the only ones whose instincts are going haywire because of him right now.” The Beta remarked, twirling the knife between her fingers before getting to work shredding the vegetable. “Just because I’m not an Alpha, doesn’t mean I’m not getting the same urges to protect and comfort him, as weirdly…not weird as it feels.”

‘And considering that it’s only been a few days since we all found out about him being an Omega, it makes sense that all of our instincts might be a bit strong right now.’ She mused, using a pair of metal chopsticks to flip the pork cutlet. “I’m not surprised, you’ve always been kinder than you let show,”

“At least I’m not trying to make someone’s fiancé my mate.” Nabiki snarked, shooting her a withering look. “Don’t think for a second that I’m just going to let that go Kasumi, it’s a bad idea and you know it.”

“I know.” She wasn’t an idiot, she was well aware her plan was…morally gray to say the least. “But it’s the only thing I can think of. He needs support and can you honestly tell me that you can see him accepting it without the mating bond?”

“Hardly.” The Beta snorted, sliding a bit of the shredded vegetable into a bowl before setting it to the side. “That doesn’t make it right though, especially not-” Nabiki froze, mouth still open as she looked around the room before her eyes snapped to the ceiling. “Is…is that?”

Frowning, she turned to look at her sister, finishing breading the next cutlet without taking her eyes off of her younger sister. “What is it?”

“I…can’t you smell it?”

Smell it? Smell wha-

Apples.

Her eyes widened as she dropped the cutlet she’d been working on into the breading, her eyes darting to the ceiling where she knew Ranma’s room was right above.

There was a new scent in the house now, fresh apples mixed with salt and sandal wood. The latter two she knew well, the combination of salty tears and deep grief wasn’t one she could forget, not after the way the house had smelled like them for months following their mother’s death. 

Ranma’s scent was starting to return.

—

“It’s better to accept that it isn’t going to happen instead of holding out for a false hope that will never come true.”

It wasn’t like he’d never thought about it, having a child grow within him. Going through his heats four times a year made it inevitable that that line of thinking would cross his mind and…if he were being honest, it had sounded…right. To have a child, to have it grow within him, to feel it kick when it became excited, to…to create something with his body instead of destroying things.

Slowly his hand slid down the fabric of his futon until it rested on his toned stomach as his throat grew tight, like someone had a vice around his neck.

“...false hope…”

But…because he had to take those pills, because he’d had to hide that he was an Omega it was…it was…!

“It will never happen!”

A sob tore from his lips as he curled up into a tight ball, salty tears poured down his face only to be absorbed by his pillow.

Why?

Why?!

Why did everything have to be taken away from him, even the things he hadn’t known he’d wanted?!! Why couldn’t he have one thing, just one small bit of good in his life?! No he’d had to hide! To be a coward instead of facing the truth and the reactions of the others and now…and now…!

He’d as good as killed his own children!

Chapter Text

Chapter Five: Ultimatum 

“I'm back!” Akane called as she walked into the house, frowning slightly at the faint smell of…overly sweet candied apples? ‘What in the…?’ No-one she knew smelled like that…though now that she thought about it, Ranma did sometimes smell like apples after a particularly long workout. Was that his natural scent, past all of the suppressants he'd been taking?

It was…actually kind of nice.

“Akane, welcome back.” Kasumi called, smiling at her from the dining table where she was setting down plates of food. “Nabiki and I just finished cooking.”

“Nabiki helped you cook?” That was rare, the last time that had happened it had just been the tree of them and their father, a year or two before Ranma and his father showed up at their door. “Is it because of…?”

“Yep, damn instincts are giving me hell too thanks to Saotome’s little secret.” Her older sister muttered, walking into the room from the kitchen before setting a pot of tea onto the table. “How’s things go at the school and the record store?”

“About as well as I thought.” She sighed, setting her bag down on a small table. “I let them know that we have a family member staying over that recently presented as an Omega and that I might need time off to help you two out with them during their heats.” Technically it was all true too…well “recently” was a bit of a stretch but they didn’t need to know that. “They kept pushing to get more information but I got them to back off by reminding them it was against privacy laws to reveal the identity of an Omega without their consent. I did the same for Ranma, but I’m pretty sure the receptionist and Konatsu know what’s going on.”

“Why do you say that?” Kasumi frowned, looking between her two younger sisters.

She shrugged, lifting either of her hands to the side palm up in a “what can you do” gesture. “This might be Nerima, but people aren’t idiots…well not all of them. I had to tell the receptionist that Ranma was taking some time off for “health reasons” the same time I brought up an Omega presentation, not hard to make the connection there. As for Konatsu…it’s Konatsu.” She deadpanned, sliding her hands back into her pockets. “She might not have a clear grasp on how money works but sniffing out someone’s weakness? She’s got Nabiki beat in that regard. Thankfully, the receptionist’s smart enough to follow the law and Konatsu still thinks she owes Ranma for getting her some Jusenkyo water, so I doubt she’ll tell anyone…other than Ukyo.” She finished, wincing at her last words.

“I’ll call Ukyo and make sure she knows not to blab.” Nabiki grunted, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cellphone. “Kasumi, you wanna let Akane in on some things?”

Well that didn't sound ominous at all.

“Something going on?” She asked, noting the pointed look Nabiki gave their older sister before walking out of the room.

“Nabiki was just talking about the results at the hospital.” Kasumi explained, her shoulders slumping slightly.

That…did not fill her with any confidence.

“To make a long story short, the suppressants have messed Ranma up pretty badly. His liver and scent glands are damaged, he's at a severe risk of getting sick thanks to his white blood cell count being low and…it's…there's a chance that he won't…” Her oldest sister began to list off, wincing and trailing off the more she went on.

“I can't have kids.” A voice rasped behind them, raw and rough like their speaker had been crying for hours.

And, going off of the red puffy eyes her fiancé sported, it was likely that that had been exactly what had happened.

“We don't know that for sure, the doctors just said it was…unlikely.” Kasumi corrected, hesitating at the last words. “There's always a chance that-”

“-If there was a chance he wouldn't have told me to see a shrink about it!” Her fiancé snapped and she had to fight back the part of her that wanted to remind the boy not to interrupt an Alpha.

‘Stop it, he's hurt and lashing out. Besides, you're better than those sick bastards that think Omegas are nothing but toys to use and throw away!’ Slowly she inhaled, holding it for a second before letting it go. “I'm sorry, I can't imagine-”

“-no, you can't!” Anger flashed in the Omega's eyes, a challenge that she had to fight tooth and nail to keep from responding to. Even Kasumi frowned at the Omega before pausing to take a breath.

‘He's hurt and lashing out, he's hurt and lashing out.’ She repeated to herself, gripping her skirt tightly to keep herself from grabbing the Omega by his throat until he submitted. “Ranma,” She ground out, forcing her building growl back down her throat. “I get that you’re upset but don’t take it out on us, we’re trying to help.”

“Help? Help?! How are you going to help me with this?!” The boy hissed, slashing his arm through the air, his faint apple scent becoming mixed with the burnt herb smell of anger. “I fucked up! I messed up my body trying to hide that I’m an Omega and now I can’t even do that  anymore because it might kill me! It’s only a matter of time before people pick up on my scent and realize what I am and even if, gods forbid, one of the Amazons doesn’t order me to die or come with them back to China what do you think will happen when Mom and Pops find out?!”

‘Shit the seppuku contract, I forgot about that!’ That…definetly complicated things. While their fathers might be off doing gods knows what with Happosai, Ranma’s mother could show up at any moment, to make matters worse she never warned them she was dropping by before showing up either!

“They won’t do anything.” A voice growled, startling both Akane and her fiance as they turned to face Kasumi and found a dark, almost primal look on the older woman’s face. “No-one in my pack is getting hurt because of something they can’t control, not if I can help it.”

“And since when was I a member of your pack?! You all have made it pretty clear what you think of me over the past two years.” Ranma snapped, glaring at her older sister as he slowly advanced on the gentle Alpha. “Nabiki only sees me as a piece of meat to make money off of, Akane jumps to conclusions and loses her temper constantly without listening to what I have to say, and you Kasumi, you do nothing!” Another step. “When someone attacks me you do nothing!” Even closer. “When someone uses me for their own agenda you do nothing!” They were just a single step away. “When someone tries to drug me or force me to marry them or anything at all you do nothing!!” In a flash Ranma’s hand snaked out, grabbing the older woman’s top with his fist and pulling her close until their noses were nearly touching. “Well Kasumi?! When did I become a member?!! When did I start actually mattering to anyone?!!!” 

“Let. Go.” Her sister didn’t shout, didn’t use her alpha voice, didn’t even show the smallest hint that she might be upset.

And yet Akane couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine at the sheer fury enveloping her sister’s cardamom scent. 

“I am only going to say this once Ranma.” Her sister continued, reaching up and gently removing the younger boy’s hand from her top. “Yes, the three of us have failed you, myself most of all. I did nothing but watch while you were hurt over and over by people, I didn’t protect you like I should have because I was a fool and thought you didn’t want to be helped, I didn’t step in when I should have to put a stop to it all.” Slowly Kasumi wrapped her arms around Ranma, pressing their foreheads together and holding the Omega, even when he started to struggle and tears formed in his eyes. “That all ends today. I promise, no one will ever hurt you again.”

—

He couldn’t help it, those words, spoken in that voice, made him lock up and he shuddered, feeling them resonate within every bone in his body like a tuning fork.

The alpha voice, he hated it when Alphas used their natural gift to control, to dominate Omegas like him but here an Alpha was using it to…reassure him? That…he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On the one hand his fiancee’s sister was using her alpha voice to make a point, but on the other hand she wasn’t using it to put him in his place so…was it okay or not okay? “I…you can’t just…” This, this wasn’t fair! She couldn’t just-not after everything! 

Why? 

Why?! 

Why?!! 

“Why now?! Why do you only care now that you know I’m an Omega?!” He choked, unable to stop the wet tears that slid down his face. “Why didn’t you care when you thought I was a Beta?! Why didn’t you try to stop it back then?! Before I…before I…” A sound, something between a whine and a whimper, cut off his words as he struggled against the Alpha’s embrace. 

An embrace both Alphas in the room knew the Omega would have no problem breaking out of if he actually tried.

Why? Why couldn’t someone try to help before those stupid pills robbed him?!

—

“...I’ve never seen him like that.” Akane murmured, packing up the uneaten lunch in containers for dinner.

None of them had much of an appetite after watching Ranma, the proud, arrogant boy they had known for two years, break down like that.

“Me either.” Kasumi agreed, taking the container from her younger sister to set in the fridge. “...I’ll be talking to Elder Ku Lon in the morning.” She admitted, glancing at the doorway leading out of the kitchen. “I asked Nabiki to get me that copy of the Amazon’s law book Shampoo handed us when we met and I’ve been looking it over. I think…I might have a way to give Ranma some time to recover from his suppressant use and the news from the doctor without them interfering.”” 

“You think it’ll work? Shampoo doesn’t really listen when it comes to Ranma, and if she finds out that he’s an Omega…” Her sister trailed off, glancing out the doorway herself before returning to her task. “The way he made it sound, their village is terrible for Omegas.”

“It’s worse than what he saw, trust me.” She said, snapping a lid onto a container a bit harder than necessary. “The things I read in that law book…it’s bad, worse than some of the things the traditionalists here keep trying to push into law again. If the police here had known what was in that book when they arrested Shampoo, if they had known what things were like for Omegas in her country then they wouldn’t have just given her a slap on the wrist, they would have deported her back to China.” Even their father, who at times had a more traditional view on the dynamics between Alphas and Omegas, would balk at some of the things she had read.

And that very fact was how she was going to make sure the Amazons never tried to come anywhere near Ranma again.

—

‘Here we go.’ Kasumi thought, taking a deep, calming breath to settle her nerves before opening the door to the Nekohanten. Spices, several she knew were imported from the Amazon’s village, tickled her nose as she walked in, noting the early morning crowd that was already enjoying their food and chatting away. ‘Looks like they’re going to get a show.’ A bit unfortunate, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

“Ah Kasumi! What are you doing here?” Shampoo, the Nekohanten’s resident lavender haired amazon called the moment the girl spotted her.

‘At least she finally learned how to speak Japanese properly, though I suppose not being fluent did help her case a bit when the police came for her.’ She mused, giving the younger girl a small smile. “I was hoping to have a bit of tea and maybe speak with Elder Ku Lon if possible?” 

“Talk with Grandmother? I think she’s got things set up for the lunch rush…why don’t you go sit down at a table over there while I go ask?” Shampoo offered, gesturing to a small open table not far from the middle of the restaurant. 

‘I hope I’m doing the right thing.’ She thought, taking another deep breath as the younger girl walked into the kitchen area. ‘I need to be very careful about my choice of words, the Elder isn’t one to miss a slip of the tongue.’ Slowly she made her way to the table the lavenderette had indicated, sitting down in the chair with her hands in her lap as she waited. 

Of course, even if she managed to succeed there were sure to be some ruffled feathers no matter what.

Sichuan peppercorn greeted her nose as she looked up, spotting Mousse place a cup of tea onto the table in front of her. “The Elder will be with you shortly.” He said, giving her a polite bow. 

She smiled, making sure to thank the man before tasting the tea, closing her eyes at the delicate notes of flavor. ‘It’s such a shame,’ She mused, letting herself enjoy the tea for what might be the last time. ‘I really did love their tea.’

“My granddaughter said you wanted to speak with me?” An elderly voice asked, pulling Kasumi  away from the delicious drink in her hands as she opened her eyes to find the ancient Amazon in front of her, balancing on her staff.

“Yes, I thought it was about time we spoke about some things.” She murmured, setting the cup on the small saucer Mousse had provided with a wistful sigh. “Namely the fact that Shampoo’s incessant hounding of Ranma needs to stop.”

The older woman laughed, sliding into the seat across from Kasumi with a wry grin and a chuckle. “Oh? And how exactly do you intend to stop us? The boy is married to Shampoo by Amazon law after all.”

Here we go.

“But that’s not exactly true is it?” Kasumi asked, meeting the Elder’s gaze. “After all, neither of them have consummated their supposed union, a requirement for the two to actually be considered wed by your laws I believe.”

Silence followed her words as Ku Lon paused mid-motion to take a drink of her own tea, giving her a look that just screamed that the older woman was giving their conversation her full attention. “That is…not untrue.” The Elder admitted, a frown gracing her face. “However as neither have asked for the Kiss of Separation within one year of the Kiss of Marriage that clause of the law is irrelevant.”

“As you say, though I find it a bit…distasteful that your people don’t tell anyone about the Kiss of Separation until after the year has passed.” She stated, meeting the Older Alpha’s gaze. “Many of your laws seem intent on trapping those unaware of them.”

“You are…surprisingly knowledgeable about our laws, however did you learn of them?” Ku Lon asked, taking a sip of her tea without taking her eyes away from Kasumi’s own.

“Oh it’s all thanks to Shampoo, she gave us a lovely little book of your laws when we first met.” A book full of disgusting, vile laws that made her want to hurl. “And it’s those very laws that will make Ranma unavailable to anyone from your tribe for the foreseeable future.”

“...oh?” The Elder murmured, a dangerous gleam entering her eyes. “Be careful now young one, I know our laws far better than you do…still your audacity amuses me, try to convince me our own laws have made taking son-in-law back with us impossible.”

‘I’ll do more than try you horrible woman.’ She thought. “For starters, Ranma is a member of my pack, both in bonds and by your own laws due to him and his father calling our Dojo, one that has been in our family for nearly ten generations mind you, his home for over two years without myself, the head Alpha of the pack, or my father, the owner of the dojo, refusing the claim.”

“Bonds? What bonds?” The Amazon scowled. “Unless your youngest sister decided to mark him then he is still an unmated Beta.”

“Both my sister and Ranma are still unmated.” She conceded after going over her words carefully. “However I was referring to the fact that both Ranma and Akane have fought alongside each other against a common foe more than once.”

“Ahhh a warrior’s bond, that combined with the matter of his place of living would count son-in-law among your pack, how very clever.” Ku Lon laughed, seemingly delighted at Kasumi’s small victory. “Very well child, I concede that the boy is a member of your pack, but that doesn’t change the fact that he and my granddaughter are still wed.”

“You’re right of course, but you acknowledging Ranma as a member of my pack was important.” She said, taking her tea and finishing off the last few sips. “It’s how I’m going to win this argument after all.”

“...now what could you be planning?” The old woman mused out loud, watching her carefully as she gestured for her granddaughter to refill Kasumi’s cup.

“It’s simple. I’m declaring a blood feud between our packs.”

Glass shattered as it crashed to the floor at her words, spreading broken shards and the remains of the delicious tea across the dining area, dark pink eyes staring at her in horror.

“Interesting,” Ku Lon smiled, a cruel, dangerous thing that marred her wrinkled face. “So that’s your game. Tell me, why now?What in the world could possess you to take such a drastic measure I wonder?”

“I could lie and say it was because of your granddaughter chasing Ranma all over China to kill him, or all of the times she’s tried to drug or enchant him, or about a hundred other reasons,” She listed, tapping her finger on the wooden table as she ignored Shampoo and Mousse rushing to clean up the spilled tea and broken glass, the two younger alphas looking between her and the Elder. “But no, the simple truth is that I’ve had my failures pointed out to me in a way I can’t ignore and as a result I’m putting my foot down so this stops.”

“Oh? Now how did that happen?” The Elder smirked, taking a sip from her tea. “It must have been something significant to make you actually take action considering you’ve never done so before.”

“Mmm it was, but then finding out someone I recently started seeing as a member of my pack has a drug problem would do that I suppose.” She sighed. “I admit seeing Ranma with those drugs was a bit of an emotional blow, one I’m still reeling from. Apparently it started as a way to deal with his father’s abuse that got worse when your granddaughter started trying to kill him.”

No one moved, no one breathed as her words slowly registered to those close enough to hear them.

“What did you just say?” The Elder whispered, her old eyes as wide as dinner plates.

‘Good, she’s off balance, now to keep her there.’ It was a gamble, giving a bit of the truth to hide Ranma’s status as an Omega, but she needed to give a good reason for taking action this time around.

Even if it did chaff her to admit her failures in public.

“It’s true, I had to take him to a hospital yesterday because of it.” She admitted, noting Shampoo’s eyes darting to the exit, no doubt wanting to run to where Ranma was and help her “Airen”.

Just the thought of the lavenderette coming anywhere near the currently vulnerable Omega made her want to tear the girl to pieces after everything she had read in the past few days.

“...putting aside son-in-law’s unfortunate situation, I can see why you might take this route.” The Elder mused. “You want to use a blood feud to nullify the Kiss of Marriage and keep the three of us from coming near your pack’s home…that being said, I’m afraid you didn’t review our laws enough.”

“Oh? How do you figure?” She asked, forcing her face into a blank expression.

“In order for a blood feud to exist between two packs according to Amazon law both packs must have inflicted damage to the other, whether through harming the other or humiliating them.” Ku Lon lectured, a victorious smirk taking over her face. “I admit, my granddaughter has harmed your pack through her efforts to retrieve her husband but I’m afraid your pack has done nothing to harm mine.” The old woman finished, gesturing at her granddaughter once again to fill Kasumi’s cup.

Damn, she was afraid she was going to have to play this card.

“...tell me, were you aware that Omegas haven’t been considered property in Japan since 1827?” She asked, holding back the smile at the confused look on the Elder’s face. “Or, more importantly, that certain acts are considered inhumane, especially to Omegas since 1894?”

“...I am aware,” Ku Lon frowned, her eyes narrowing. “But I fail to see what one has to do with the other.”

“Things like forcing a mating bite on an Omega without their consent, using an alpha voice on them to command them against their will…or taking an infant child away from their Omega parent before they have a chance to form pack bonds?” She hissed, eyes flashing in anger. “An act like that would surely have even the Chinese government go looking for your village wouldn’t it?”

That was it, the one law in the Amazon law book that disgusted her more than any of the others.

It had confused her, something about the way Ranma had described the Amazon village hadn’t made sense. He had mentioned male Omegas being demeaned and frankly abused, he had mentioned female Alphas lording their powers over others, he had mentioned the few male Alphas he had smelled…

…but not once had he ever mentioned any female Omegas. 

True, there were generally more Alphas and Betas than Omegas, but for him not to have seen or smelled any female Omegas would have to mean that there weren’t any in the village and that simply didn’t make sense…until someone read the law book. There, hidden within the pages and pages of law were two disgusting, vile, vomit-inducing laws.

All female Omegas were to be banished from the village the moment they present.

All banished Omegas must be observed and, should they give birth, the child removed from their care that night to prevent contamination of weakness.

“Do you know how volatile people’s reactions would be were I to release the information I have about those laws to the public?!” She hissed, just barely keeping her pheromones from raging out of control.

Not yet. Just hold on a little longer.

“Your village would be hunted down and found in moments Ku Lon. Your people scattered to the wind, your culture destroyed, every single thing in your 3,000 years of history you're so proud of obliterated all because you wouldn’t leave one boy alone.” She gripped the table, her nails cutting grooves into the worn wood as she fought to maintain control for just a little longer. “If you don’t back off I will do just that, I will set off your people’s extermination if it means protecting my pack.”

Ancient wood exploded as the Elder’s grip crushed her staff in her hands, her eyes blazing with a rage that seemed just barely held in check. “Little girl. If you think-”

“-I am not done!” She snarled, noting out the corner of her eye as Shampoo returned with more tea. “I am declaring a blood feud and your crusade to claim for Ranma stops now!”

“...say what you want, your words are not enough to start a feud.” The Elder growled.

Quick as lighting, her hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of lavender hair the moment it grew close enough before slamming the Amazon teen through the table, once more shattering a glass pitcher and spilling tea all over. 

“Tell me, is THIS enough?!” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Six: Safe

“Tell me, is THIS enough?!” Her words, enhanced by her natural gift to command, rang out stopping everything in its tracks. 

Conversations were silenced.

People’s enjoyment of the food was halted.

Not one single person in the room let out a single sound at the sight of the lavender haired girl being held down against the ground by Kasumi’s hand, still buried in the girl’s hair.

“Xian Pu!” Mousse cried, a dagger sliding into his hand from whatever space he hid the insane amount of weapons he always carried.

Too bad she was far too angry to let the boy use them.

All at once she released her pheromones, blasting the room with her natural spicy scent as every Omega in the room tensed, pressing against their mate, friends, or packmates, whoever was closest in an effort to gain some comfort.

She was angry at the other pack for hurting Ranma and Akane.

She was pissed that Ranma had felt it was necessary to hide his status.

She was furious the the doctor had been so cruel to the Omega.

And she was apocalyptic that she had helped hurt the boy by her own lack of action.

All of her anger and wrath and guilt flooded the room as she held the younger Alpha against the floor, years of unused martial arts training coming back to her in droves to make sure she had just the right leverage and positioning to keep the girl in place despite her yelps and squirming.

“If you take one step.” She hissed, locking her bloodshot eyes with the young man as he stumbled back from the force of her scent filling the room. “You will end up right next to her.”

No more.

No more would others come after her pack because they believed it didn’t have a competent Alpha. The sleeping dragon had awakened to find its hoard damaged and would make sure it never happened again!

—

Bile rose up his throat, burning like acid as he gripped the sides of the porcelain toilet before expelling the disgusting liquid from his mouth.

'Make it stop, please just make it stop!'

Again he seized, his body locking up as another surge of vomit left his body before leaving him choking and gagging from the putrid smell. 

He could sense them on the edge of his awareness, hovering outside the bathroom as his stomach rebelled against his body, his “fiancée” and her sister. They saw his weakness and were lording it over him, reminding him of his place beneath them like a good Omega should be. Oh they might try to hide it under fake concern and empathy but he knew the truth, that they wanted him like this, weak and vulnerable for them. It was why they had taken away the pills after all!

It was enough to make him want to throw up again.

Shivers wracked his body as he coughed, spitting out the last of the vile liquid from his mouth before using the toilet to pull himself off of the floor. Sour distress, like rotten lemons, surrounded him alongside the too-sweet smell of apples that felt familiar and made his stomach want to revolt again.

It was right wrong! Too sweet, too vulnerable! What Omega could have her own such a disgusting scent?!

Slowly, ever so slowly, he flushed the toilet, wiping away the traces of sick from his mouth with the sleeve of the baggy sweater he wore. It wasn’t the most…tasteful thing, honestly he hated the dark purple color of the garment but…

…there was something about the way it hid his body that he loved, it made the strange….wrongness, the itch inside his skin he’d always lived with, disappear while he was wearing it.

‘Course it was even weirder how the itch completely vanished when he was in his female form.

“Feeling any better?” Nabiki drawled, sounding bored as always…yet there was an odd scent mixed in with the girl’s natural coconut smell.

Was…was that guilt and concern? Why would she be guilty? The Beta had never smelled that way before when she had been one of the ones hurting him with the pictures she had sold.

“Do I look any better?” He growled, shooting the older girl a glare before wincing and clutching his head at the sudden wave of vertigo that nearly set him to his knees.

“She was just asking if you were okay! I know you feel like-”

“-you don’t have any idea how I feel!” He snapped, shouldering his way past the two girls as he stormed out of the bathroom.

His anger did nothing to stop his body from freezing at the low, warning growl that seemed to echo within his mind.

“Ranma.” Akane hissed, a flicker of her explosive temper making its way into the Alpha’s voice. “Don’t. Do that. Again.” 

“Or what?!” He snarled, crossing his arms as he whipped around and stared down the shorter Alpha. “What are you going to do about it?!”

Big mistake.

“Akane! Don-” Nabiki tried to exclaim, but it was too late.

In a flash he felt the girl push him against the wall, her hands pinning his wrists to either side of him as the girl shook, her body rumbling with a deep growl that made every hair on his body stand up.

Danger.

Submit.

Obey.

“Ranma.” The girl rumbled, her hands like iron shackles around his wrists. “I am trying very hard to be understanding right now. I know you're hurting and you’re upset but please, stop fighting us. None of us are trying to hurt you, we're trying to help you.”

He hated this.

He hated the whine that he couldn't stop.

He hated how, despite all of his struggling against the shorter girl, he couldn't break free.

He hated the way his body instinctively wanted to submit, to obey the irritated Alpha.

And most of all he hated how, despite being taller, the look in the girl's eyes made him feel so small and safe.

“Akane, I think he gets it.” He heard Nabiki murmur, gently placing her hand on one of his fiancée’s trembling arms. “Forcing the issue isn't going to help.”

He hated this.

He hated this.

He hated thi-

Bile rose in his throat once more and he clamped his mouth shut, struggling as hard as he could to get free. 

“Akane he's gonna puke!” The Beta in the room snapped, moments before Akane let him go.

Stumbling he raced back into the restroom, throwing open the toilet seat and spewing what had to be the last of the food he had eaten the night before. His stomach clenched painfully as liquid, burning acidic liquid, soon followed. He coughed, hating himself for the whimper that escaped him as his stomach clenched once more, sending painful cramps along his abdomen, cramps that made him want to curl up in a nest where it was safe and warm!

Callused hands, warm and rough and familiar, massaged the back of his neck as the Alpha that had just moments before pinned him against the wall crooned softly in an attempt to comfort him.

To comfort the weak Omega. 

‘Please…just make it stop.’

—

“Let. Her. Go.” Ku Lon growled, the ancient Alpha’s pheromones filling the air in response to Kasumi attack on her pack and territory. Aged Saffron clashed against her own Cardamom scent as she glared at the older woman.

“No.” Her own voice rumbled, holding back her wince as she noticed the various onlookers becoming more and more uncomfortable as the situation escalated.

Omegas buried their noses into others or pressed themselves against walls, shaking at the suffocating amount of pheromones that were absolutely flooding the room. Betas held their noses or did their best to comfort the shivering Omegas and the Alphas…

Even in the center of the clash between Her and the ancient woman she could smell the scents of various Alphas rising as some wrapped their arms around their pack protectively and others stood, ready to interfere if the situation worsened.

It was, in a word, a clusterfuck.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't remove your arm.” Ku Lon growled, the joints in her hand cracking as it slowly formed a claw shape.

“Because I told Nabiki to turn in your law book to the authorities if I don't return, unharmed, in the next ten minutes or let her know I'm okay.” Really, did the woman think she'd come here without any insurance? Beneath her Xian Pu struggled, bucking against her grip until she lifted the girl’s head up just before slamming it back down harshly. “Settle down.” She growled, her voice taking on that special quality Alphas like her were known to have.

A quality she had never used until recently ever since she had gotten control over it in her first year of middle school.

“What is it you propose girl? I doubt you want me and my pack to continually attack you at every opportunity and I will not have my people’s 3,000 years become a footnote in history!" The old woman snarled, glaring at her as the woman’s aged saffron scent grew even stronger.

“You and yours leave us alone and we do the same.” She ground out, her mind struggling to remain clear against the spicy smell of the ancient woman. “I have no doubt you alone could murder us all in our sleep before we even noticed and likewise we could set things up to have the police here receive your book of laws were anything to happen to us.”

“Bah! Mutually Assured Destruction.” Ku Lon scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “What is it with the younger generations, they would rather see both sides be destroyed rather than ensure both survive, even if one has to serve the other.”

“Surviving isn't living.” She growled, choosing to ignore the glare the other woman sent her way. “Now, what's your answer Elder? Will you agree to leave Ranma alone or will you choose to have your people destroyed?”

For a moment the ancient woman said nothing, she just sat there, observing Kasumi as she tapped her finger on her leg. “...tell me child, why are you risking so much for someone who is not your blood?”

Why was she asking that? “Isn’t it obvious? I’m an Alpha and he’s a part of my pack, what other reason do I need?”

“Yes, yes I know,” The woman sighed, waving off her words. “But this level of action is odd for someone like you, even if you discovered son-in-law’s addiction. No, I can’t think of very many reasons why…” She paused, her eyes glancing at the other patrons before a curious light entered the Elder’s eyes. “...very well young Alpha, I’ll allow you to have your victory for now, but this is far from over.”

"Wha-but Old Ghoul!" Mousse protested, jerking his head back as the ancient woman glared at him sharply.

"Be silent boy, I have made my decision." Ku Lon snapped before turning her gaze back to Kasumi, sending shivers down her spine at the way the woman's eyes seemed to dissect her very being. "The Tendo girl will have her victory for now and that is final."

For now...that didn't bode well.

—

Deft fingers shook as he frantically dug into his pack, throwing things out in a desperate search for what he sought.

Where was it?

Where was it?!

‘Come on, come on, where did I put you?’ It had to be here, somewhere buried at the bottom of his pack!

Where, where, wherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewher-

-something hard and plastic brushed against his fingers and he yanked the orange bottle out of his pack, sighing in relief as pills rattled inside.

There, the new suppressants he'd just got! All he had to do was take one and the nausea and the cramping would stop! Just one, he would stop right after but he just needed one more to get through this!

Trembling hands fidgeted with the bottle, only relaxing when the cap stopped fighting him enough to get it off.

There, 90 off-green pills greeted him inside, each one no bigger than his pinky nail. 

Just one, he just needed one!

Quickly he slid out a single pill into his waiting palm, a precursor to the relief that would take away the nausea and the pain and the shaking!

All he had to do was swallow it and-

-the door to his room opened.

“Ranma, I just wanted to say-What the hell are you doing?!” Akane screamed, running inside and smacking the bottle out of his hand. 

Pills flew across the room, clattering as they bounced off of hard objects. Hands once more clasped his wrists as the girl pushed him to the floor, holding him down as he struggled against her grip.

No! He had been so close!

“Nabiki, get in here!” The Alpha barked, holding him down against the floor. 

“Lemme go you stupid tomboy!” He snapped, writhing as he furiously attempted to free himself from her grip. “I need one, just to get me through the day!”

“No, you idiot! You’ve already fucked up your body by taking those things, are you trying to kill yourself?!” Cinnamon crashed against his senses, warm and spicy and comforting like a heavy blanket. “No more suppressants!”

Footsteps thundered down the hallway as the moments before the older beta appeared, wrapping a hand around the doorframe. “What’s going on?!” The girl exclaimed, her eyes quickly darting all over the room before locking onto the scattered green pills. “Shit, I’ll clean this up, you get him out of here.”

What? No! Nonononono! He needed the pills, just one! 

Strong arms lifted him, pressing him against their owner as he thrashed against the embrace, dimly aware of the sour lemon and burnt plastic smell of his distress and desperation leaking into his scent.

“Lemmegolemmegolemmego!” He begged, pleading to the shorter girl who only pressed his nose into her scent gland and stroked his hair. 

“I can’t do that Ranma,” His fiancée murmured, releasing as many calming pheromones as she could. “I’m sorry, but you can’t take your suppressants anymore, they’re hurting you.” 

—

It hurt, hearing the Omega in her arms beg and wail for the poison that had damaged his body, struggling against her hold with the desperate emotions clouding the boy’s natural candied apple scent. 

“Please…please don’t take them.” A small voice begged into her neck, weakly slamming their hands against her body.

They hurt. 

Not a single one of the blows would leave a mark, they had neither the weight or force required to actually injure her and yet…

…every single one of them tore at her heart.

“I’m sorry.” She repeated, moving her hand from the boy’s hair to his back, rubbing small circles as she carried him into the living room. Carefully, she sat down, grabbing the throw blanket Nabiki kept on the back of the couch for the days that her legs got cold from the poor circulation in them and pulled the soft blanket over herself and Ranma.

Warm coconut wrapped around them, soothing her own nerves with the familiar scent of her sister as she cooed at the shaking Omega in her arms. “I know it’s not a nest,” she murmured. “But it’s all I can give you for right now, we’ll see about getting you what you need to build you one once Kasumi comes back.”

“Please…just one.” A muffled voice whimpered, his body shaking against her own. “Just one…I just want it to stop.”

—

Quietly she walked into her home, wincing at the fading scent of distress she could smell radiating from the living room.

Clearly things didn’t go as well as she’d hoped while she was gone. 

A quick check with her nose confirmed that the rest of her pack were still here, unfortunately it also told her that one of them had been throwing up recently, most likely Ranma considering the day before.

‘It’s only been a day, is he already going through withdrawals?’ If so, that didn’t spell anything good for the young boy. ‘I’ll have to make something light for dinner that’ll help settle his stomach.’ She mused.

“Guessing things went well?” A quiet voice whispered as Nabiki came into view, lightly pressing her forefinger against her lips before gesturing to the living room where…

Oh.

There, laying fast asleep on the couch were the youngest members of her pack, underneath the very blanket she had made for Nabiki when she was younger. Candied apples and cinnamon swirled in the air around the two, meshing together so perfectly that, for a moment, she actually thought the two were mated.

“It went…as well as I hoped it would.” She replied, whispering back so as not to disturb the two. “Ku Lon has agreed to leave Ranma be for now…but I don’t think it’ll be forever. I might have just risked all of our lives for just a few moments of peace and made us an enemy in the process.”

“Why do you say that?”

“...I had to threaten to use our insurance policy…and then I might have put Shampoo through a table.” She admitted, flushing at the incredulous look her younger sister sent her way.

“Damn sis, didn’t think you had it in you.” Nabiki muttered, shaking her head with a wry grin before pausing and taking another look at her, her eyes narrowing sharply as her nose twitched. “Or do you?”

Well, fiddlesticks.

“I may have…pushed myself a bit to get the point across.” She said, squirming a little under the Beta’s gaze. “You know I’m not the most…direct person.”

“Bed. Now.” The beta ordered, pointing her finger towards the stairs. “And don’t give me any of that crap about being fine either, I can smell the stress coming off of you. No cleaning, no cooking, nothing. Not until you’ve had a nap.”

“Really Nabiki I’m-”

“Bed.” Her sister repeated. “You’ve done your job to protect us, you’ve given us time.  Now let me do my job and take care of you all.” 

“I…” True a nap did sound nice right about now but…but there was still so much she had to do! “Nabiki I can’t just leave things to you, I still have to gather up some blankets and pillows for Ranma to re-build his nest with, get things ready for dinner tonight and prepare lunch, deal with the laundry, find another doctor for Ranma to see, not to mention I still have to-”

“I will take care of making lunch and getting things ready for dinner, everything else can wait until after you wake up, now bed.” Nabiki said, repeating her command firmly.

“Alright, I’m going.” She sighed, pouting slightly at the fact that she was being sent to her bed as if she were a child by her little sister. “I have to ask though, are you telling me to rest because you think I need it, or are you doing it so I won’t have more time to court Ranma?” She asked, her own eyes narrowing slightly.

“Two birds, one stone sis.” The beta stated, waving her off as she turned to make her way to the kitchen. “Two birds, one stone.”

“...just like mom” She murmured, watching her sister leave before making her way to her waiting bed, unaware of the eyes of her youngest sister watching her every movement.