Chapter 4 - Friends
Ukyou walked down the familiar streets, soaking in the what she
could of her current freedom. It felt good to be back. To the world at
large she was just an attractive single lady and she liked it that way.
She kept her hair back with the same simple white bandana and wore
a basic shirt and jeans combination. Even in her thirties she still looked
very much like your average vagabond college student. At least your
average vagabond college student with a giant spatula strapped to her back.
She stood outside of Ucchan's for a moment. The memories flooding
back of her younger days; opening an okonomiyakiya with almost no backing
and making it thrive.
It was a little deflating to actually walk into Ucchan's, but Ukyou
reminded herself just being in business twenty years was nothing to sneeze
at. Konatsu was nowhere to be found, all she could see was the back of one
customer eating away near a pile of empty dishes.
Ukyou noticed the pig-tail first, the muscular build, and finally
the familiar eating technique of swallowing okonomiyaki whole. She
couldn't contain her excitement any longer, "Ranchan?"
Ranma turned, his cheeks full of food and a stupid grin on his
face. It took him a second to swallow the rest of the okonomiyaki before
responding in kind, "Ucchan!"
Ukyou gave him a quick hug before going on, "what are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you the same question, Konatsu told me you were
back."
"Well, I didn't want anyone to know until I finished settling in
but I'm still happy to see you. Where is Konatsu anyway?"
"I got hungry waiting for you so I managed to clean out Konatsu's
entire stock. He went to the store for groceries."
"Same old Ranchan. So how are the wife and kids?"
Ranma winced at the mention of kids. "Akane's good, the kids are
fine too."
Ukyou sat on the closest stool, placing her spatula on the counter.
"Okay, out with it Ranchan. What's wrong?"
"How can I explain it.. before I start can you please take into
account this was a long time ago?" He waited for her affirmative nod
before continuing, " it happened a few weeks before the wedding..."
Ukyou sat there and listened as Ranma outlined what had happened
between himself and Shampoo, about the child he never knew about. As he
finished he looked to Ukyou with desperate eyes in the hopes she had seen
something he had missed, something to replace the security that had been
shattered after 18 years.
She took it all in, her face masked in dull shock. She blinked a
couple times before sharing her thoughts with Ranma, "you're screwed."
-----------------------
Shampoo added the final spice to her mixture. She sat silently for
the hour it took her creation to reach full potential. She poured what was
left into a shotglass and began to stare at the amber liquid. The
combination of over a dozen chinese herbs and rare spices were contained in
that glass. She wondered to herself which herb or spice, if any one of
them, held love in it's grasp.
The only sound she could hear was the beating of her heart. She
couldn't decide if it was the silence of the night or the strength of her
heart that made it stand out so. She could feel the end nearing, the end
of the life she had been leading for what seemed like forever.
Some things would not wait for that, some things couldn't wait for
that. These were the final days and hours, but there was one thing left
she had to do. Something she had to do for herself, something that her
grandmother would never aprove of.
Shampoo made her way silently to the empty lot where Ranma was
camped out. He was in training, everybody had agreed it would be safer for
the bride and groom not to see each other for an entire week before the
wedding. It was Ranma's first chance to be alone with his thoughts since
his return to Japan three years ago.
He rested quietly as Shampoo took the time to watch every line of
his face, every contour of his body. With the memories of his image safely
locked away she found her voice again, "Ranma... Ranma. Please wake for me
Ranma."
Ranma blinked slowly a couple of times before his eyes adjusted to
the light. He was still groggie, but life came backinto focus for him.
"Shampoo? What are you doing here? I already told you I can't marry you."
Shampoo nodded, "Shampoo know... but things must be settled between
Ranma and Shampoo."
Ranma watched as Shampoo produced two shotglasses and filled them
with an amber liquid. He was aware enough to realize something important
was going on. "I suppose that's another Amazon love potion?"
Shampoo smiled a little as she handed him the shotglass, "no. No
tricks Ranma, this is just drink. Bakarudi hyakugojuuichi? Shampoo not
sure. Have this last drink with Shampoo."
Prudence won out as he watched Shampoo take her shot. She looked
to Ranma with sad eyes but knew in her heart he was right not to trust her.
"That's okay Ranma, Shampoo understand."
Shampoo picked up Ranma's shot and downed it herself before
producing a third shotglass. This she filled from another bottle and
swatted Ranma's hand away as he reached for it. The guilt of his actions
had gotten the better of him.
"Not this one. This drink not for Ranma."
----------------------
Ranma let his head rest on the countertop. Ukyou's appraisal
summed up his fears into two words. Ukyou tried with limited success to
mask the amusement in her voice as she comforted Ranma. "Ya never know
Ranchan, Akane might take it pretty well."
"I can see the conversation now 'remember how you always wanted
another daughter Akane?' I dunno, maybe I could just go on a training trip
for the next few years."
"Cheer up Ranchan. Assuming she doesn't kill you immediately I'm
sure she'll understand."
"She doesn't really have to know..."
"Ranchan!" She replied in a stern, almost motherly tone.
"Just a thought."
Seki could think of nothing he would rather do than go home and
sleep. His first day at Furinkan High was both mentally and physically
exausting. It left him with a number of things to think about, as well as
something that felt alot like a concussion.
Twenty four hours ago he was just hoping to meet a cute girl or
two, now all he wanted was to make it to the weekend. He did succeed in
meeting a cute girl. Unfortunately she also happened to be incredibly
violent and very much engaged.
Seki wasn't sure what to make of the other girl, she had left
before he got a chance to meet her. She was cute too, but also apparantly
violent. There was however a good chance that she wasn't engaged.
Most of his thoughts cleared up by the time he reached Ucchan's.
He was too tired to think about it for long. He walked in and immediately
spotted Ukyou talking to someone who looked vaguely familiar for some
unknown reason. He decided to play things safe. "Hiya sis, ready to go
home yet?"
-----------------------
Megumi walked along the fence; her head hung low, lost in thought.
Even if it wasn't an official loss, she knew she wouldn't have won that
battle. That in itself was a failure, one she'd have to face again. Her
fathers words came to mind clearly, 'the fight isn't over until I've won.'
Her parents rarely talked about their younger days, but that never
stopped her grandfathers from retelling the tales. As a child they filled
her head with stories of princes and monsters and curses, always with her
father as the dashing hero. It always left her with a feeling for her
fathers greatness in the martial arts, a greatness she could never quite
achieve.
She would always be skeptical of the wild tales her grandfathers
told, but a quiet nod and a wistful look from her mother was all the proof
she needed.
Megumi had spent the first six years of her training in pure Kempo.
Her father had originally wanted her to study two more years but she was
as impatient to study the true Musabetsu kakutou Saotomeryuu as Ranma was
to teach her.
Saotomeryuu was to Kempo what Jeet Kune Do was to Wing Chun. It
was the acceptance of all styles and techniques pulled together to allow a
greater freedom of response in the face of aggressive force. It was a
belief that every attack had a counter-attack and every opponent had a
weakness.
Ranma had learned under a number of great martial artists and
Megumi had learned under him, but somehow she still didn't feel complete.
There was a certain level she was missing, the edge she didn't have. She
began to pondered the basic theories of musabetsu kakutou until it finally
dawned on her what she had been missing all those years.
Without wasting anymore time she set off to find a master. There
were few left in Nerima with the Saotome school clearly dominating over the
others, but Megumi was determined to find every last one if she had to.
She decided to start with the one that even her father never trained with.
-----------------------
Ukyou smiled at the inside joke, "don't worry. Ranchan is an old
friend."
Ranma wasn't sure what to make of him or Ukyou's comment, but he
bowed slightly. "Saotome Ranma. Me and Ucchan grew up together."
Seki couldn't help but get the feeling that Ranma was staring at
him. He bowed back despite the feeling of uneasiness, "Kuonji Seki." He
decided to save his questions for later, "I'll let you guys talk. I'm
going to check out the bookstore down the street. Just come get me when
you're ready."
Ukyou watched him go with a airy smile, "they grow up so fast.
Don't mind Seki, he's had an.. interesting family life."
Ranma continued to stare out the door, "is he the reason you went
back to live with your parents?"
"Yeah, sorry I never mentioned him but I couldn't tell anyone.
Even he didn't know until a few months ago."
Ranma was getting that sinking feeling, turning back to Ukyou. "Know?"
"That I'm his mother." Ukyou's smile faded as Ranma began to sink
in his stool. "You okay Ranchan? Ya don't look so well."
-----------------------
Mousse let Spice call it a day after the first couple hours. Her
earlier fight had left her fatigued and it showed in her work. It left
Mousse with the job of waiter and cook. Business moved at a steady pace
but it took all his abilities to keep the dinner crowd satisfied.
Right then and there he decided he was going to need another
worker, maybe two. Even in the good old days of the Nekohanten there were
three of them for the peak hours. With Spice in school that left him alone
most of the day. As it was he could only open in the afternoons after
school let out.
Mousse was strangely content as he watched the last of the
customers leave for the night. He kept the restaurant open an extra half
hour for a young couple who came in a few minutes before closing. He
watched them with a certain degree of joy and curiosity.
He 'accidently' gave them the extra deluxes when they could only
afford the basic ramen. He made it a point to apologize with an order of
gyoza and in the end only charged them for the two basic ramen.
It felt good running things, he only wished he could do the same
for all young lovers. Mousse considered a moment while making his help
wanted sign, as a sudden impulse he took his brush to the specials board
and wrote in 'Couple's Special, 750Y'
************
Dang, I was beginning to think I'd never get through this chapter.
Oh well, for better or worse here it is.
1. I'm posting a copy to the AFG as you read this. (Shameless plug)
2. New chapters are going to be slowing down because of the AFG, but I'll
try to have chapter five out by the weekend. (I vaguely remember saying
one chapter a week, and well it's been a little more than a week and I'm
working chapter 5. What a fool I am with too much time on his hands.)
3. I got to the shotglass scene and I couldn't resist, that's why.
4. love gyoza, always room for gyoza.
5. I know this chapter has loose ends, that's what chapter 5 is for.
6. Ukyou's back, the Seki explination will be next chapter.
7. I like flashbacks, I think I'll use more.
8. Ranma and Akane have other kids, no time to put them in yet.
9. As noted and to be noted in the next revisions, events in the past
happened 18 years ago insted of 17. In other words, almost everyone is 17
or about there.
10. This lists are getting too long. visit the AFG at
http://www.pixi.com/~mousse/fanfiction/afg_new.html
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