Here is the revised Chapter one, very little has changed yet. This
was originally chapter 1 and part of 2 I think. Mostly this is a repost to
put the next two chapters into context, and for those who have never read
this fic before. Comment freely, I will continue to revise all parts until
the entire story is finished and posted somewhere.. if it ever comes to
that.
Part 2 & 3 to follow when everybody's nice and caught up. ^_^
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Ranma 1/2: Ai no kodomo
Mistakes become experience, experience becomes wisdom. There are
always new generations to make old mistakes and new mistakes for an older
generation, but mistakes can be a relative thing.
Chapter 1 - Kids these days
The Tendo dojo, now known as the Saotome/Tendo dojo, changed little
over the years. Furinkan High managed to become better than ever, keeping
with the technological times despite Kuno Tatewaki replacing his father as
principal.
Ryoga and Akari finally found love, and married shortly after Ranma
and Akane. Without Akane to fight over Ranma and Ryoga eventually became
good friends and somewhere along the line they managed to engage their
children, much to the dismay of their wives.
It was shortly after the wedding of Ranma and Akane that Shampoo
had returned to China, alongside Mousse and Cologne. It was a bit
unnerving to hear of their departure but a relief nevertheless. Ukyou had
closed up shop as well and gone back to her parents.
Ranma sat on the back porch and let his thoughts drift to China,
the people there, and the life he used to lead with them around. He kept
his thoughts silent so as not to invoke the wrath of his wife. It was not
an easy marriage but it was a good one. Akane still had her violent
temper, Ranma was just better about avoiding it.
He heard the front door open and the sound of books tossed hard to
the floor. He could tell by his daughter's eagerness he was in for quite a
workout today. Ranma dismissed his previous thoughts and made his way to
the dojo.
Megumi was already destroying bricks at an alarming rate. At least
what would have been alarming if the dojo didn't receive a massive discount
from the Hibiki demolition company. Ranma could sense training would have
to wait a bit for both their sakes.
"Something wrong Megumi-chan?"
"Stupid! Fiance my Grrrrrrrrrrr!"
Ranma stepped back to the safety of the doorway, sensing what was
about to come. "Aim that way."
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Ranma kept one wall of the dojo open at all times for ki drills,
after the first few years it didn't make sense to keep rebuilding the thing
since it got destroyed on a regular basis. Ranma's ability had grown in
power over the years and even Megumi showed signs she could surpass him in
a few years.
For a second Ranma thought about how his father might have felt
training him so many years ago. He could see himself in Megumi but with
even more potential than he had had at her age.
"Feel better?"
Megumi panted a bit until she could recover her breath, "no."
"Kune?"
"Of course not. If he wants to go ogle he new girl in town, why
should I stop him? It's not like we're married yet or anything."
Ranma tried to conceal a chuckle as he remembered how Akane was at
Megumi's age. Megumi and Kune got along much better than he and Akane ever
did, not that they didn't have problems.
Unlike Ranma and Akane, they didn't mind being engaged. In the
back of their minds they knew the engagement wasn't written in stone, but
it gave a certain sense of security to their relationship.
Hibiki Kune was known to have a wondering eye but it took a brave
girl to stand between Megumi and her man. At 16, Saotome Megumi was
unmatched in Nerima much less the Furinken student body.
"Where's mom? I need to talk to her."
"She's in the kitchen making dinner."
Megumi grimaced. "Can I go have dinner with Kune daddy?"
Ranma smiled, "how are you going to find him?"
"Easy daddy. Kune and his friends were going down to that new
Ramen shop to ooggle the waitress. I mean somebody should keep an eye on
him right?"
"Okay, just remember to bring me back a bowl of ramen.. don't let
mom see it."
"Thanks daddy." Megumi left in a whirl, leaving Ranma behind to
straighten up the dojo. He made sure the cleaning made enough noise to
drown out Akane calling him to dinner.
Megumi reached the restaurant in record time and paused to look the
place over. The run down building had been restored in a matter of days
which drew the attention of the nearby Furinkan crowd. Without fanfare or
fuss the Nekohanten, closed nearly 18 years, was open for business once
again.
-------------------
Kune and his two friends from school sat in the corner table of the
Nekohanten. No one objected earlier in the day when Kune suggested they
eat at the new ramen shop. It was right before Miss Hinako's class someone
mentioned a new Chinese place with a hot waitress and good food.
Whoever said it was right on both accounts. The ramen used the
same ancient Joketsuzoku recipe unchanged after 18 years, and the same
amazon marketing ploy. Why mess with a good thing?
Spice was about 17 and without a doubt took after her mother. She
had long burgundy colored hair which she kept up like her mother did in her
younger days and a number of cat like features not the least of which were
noticable in her eyes and little fangs. Like her mother she had stunning
good looks, and like her mother she could do more than stun you if you
crossed her path.
Spice bounced to the trio, blissfully unaware of the effect she had
on them. "Welcome to Nekohanten, may I take your order?"
Kune was the first to regain the power of speech. "Umm, we're not
ready yet. Could you give us a couple minutes?"
"Certainly." With that, Spice bounded off happily to the next table.
Mousse had to adjust his glasses as he looked out from the kitchen,
right there in the corner sat the spitting image of Ryoga. He was much too
young but the resemblance was uncanny. He made it a point to ask Spice
about him on the next order.
<Spice, take this ramen to the boy in the corner. The one with the
fangs.>
<But he hasn't ordered anything yet, daddy.>
<I know I know. Just give him this and tell him it's on the house,
and while you're at it find out his name for me. He kinda reminds me of
someone.>
<You're the boss dad.> Spice shruged and took the bowl before
heading back, <...and I am just the simple peasant girl slaving away her
childhood for the greater good of the Amazon tribe. Working long hours
without compensation, just to keep a roof over my head and a dinner on the
table. Who am I to question this life of endless toil I lead...>
Mousse grinned as he watched her wonder off. "Good girl."
Spice placed the steaming bowl of ramen before Kune despite his
objections, "No worry cutie. Ramen on house if you tell me your name. I
Spice."
Kune's two friends stared dumbfounded at Kune. He managed to
stammer out "Ku.. Kune.. Hibiki Kune."
"Okie Kune. Enjoy ramen."
The frozen duo imediately started in on Kune the moment Spice
turned back to the kitchen. "You cad! What about Megumi? What about
us?!? That's pretty low Kune, we saw her first!"
"What did I do?!?"
"All that shameless flirting! Must you unleash your worldly charms
on every unsuspecting girl you meet? Think about the less fortunate!"
"I only told her to give us a couple minutes!!"
"What would Megumi say?"
"You're a dead man Kune." Megumi said flatly.
Toshi and Yoshiki began tripping over themselves to escape. This
was not going to pretty, Kune was their friend and all but even friendship
had its limits.
"Darling.. I can explain.. did I ever mention how battle aura
brings out the color in your eyes?"
Megumi decided to take that as his flight papers and threw him
through what was fortunately the open front door. Mousse sighed and
started putting the dinner ingredients away for the night as he saw Spice
approach the red haired girl and the customers start sneaking out.
"And as for you, you hussy.. stay away from Kune!"
"Who hussy? If I not have work I teach you manners!"
"Place looks empty to me."
Spice looked around in sudden realization. "Crazy violent girl
scare away customers!" With fire in her eyes she looked straight at
Megumi, "I Spice daughter of the the Jokegetsu matriarch challange you,
crazy violent girl!"
Without missing a beat Megumi took up her favorite offensive
stance. "I Saotome Megumi, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial
Arts, accept your challenge!"
Mousse's eyes widened with estimates of property damage. He knew
Spice would be upset over this one but they needed the restaurant in one
piece. Stepping from the kitchen Mousse produced a dozen or so chains from
his sleeve, immobilizing Spice.
"Daddy!!! Let me go, I can take her!"
Mousse ignored Spice for the moment and turned his attention to
Megumi, who he noticed offhand looked a bit like her father's female form.
"No fighting in my restaurant please."
Spice hopped up and down, "daaaaady!!!"
Megumi looked about sheepishly, "umm.. sorry bout this."
Spice began chewing on her bindings with little success as Mousse
stepped between the two girls. "That's okay, your father and me used to
get carried away all the time."
"You know my dad?"
"I guess you could say that... could you please tell him to come
by, there are.. important matters we need to discuss."
"Okay, I'll let him know." With that Megumi headed home, Spice
temporarily forgotten.
<Daddy! Get me out of these things! Please?>
Mousse began unwrapping Spice, <promise not to go chase that girl?>
<I promise, but can you hurry? I think I have to use the bathroom.>
Mousse sighed and tried to remember why he ever decided to come
back to Nerima.
-----------------------
Kune managed to make it home after being thrown out of the
Nekohanten, he had learned from experience it was best to avoid Megumi
while she was in one of her moods. Things would cool down and in the end
they'd be the happily engaged couple once again.
Despite being a Hibiki, Kune was able to get close enough to home
for Shirokuro to find him. His parents often worried about him getting
lost so they often let the dogs out to help him home.
Actually the original Shirokuro died many years back but her
grandchildren all possessed her white and black markings which made them
impossible to distinguish from each other. Nobody was really sure how many
of them there were since most wandered the streets at any given time but in
the end it was just easier to give them all the same name and care for
whichever ones got them home.
Whenever Kune or his Father needed to get somewhere there was
usually a Shirokuro nearby to help them out.
Ryouga had formed his own successful construction/demolition
comapany which allowed the Hibikis to live comfortably. Ryouga designed
the house himself off the plans for a studio apartment. It had one main
room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. All rooms were clearly marked to
assure privacy.
Kune began his daily katas in the exercise section of the main
room. He had to work off some steam and regain his focus on his fiancee.
He made it a point to practice whenever a girl caught his eye until he
either forgot about the girl or started thinking about Megumi insted.
About junior high Kune become very good at his drills. Kune and
Megumi were engaged at a young age when they were friends above all else.
Everything was fine right up to the point that Kune started to really
notice girls, it had been mostly downhill from there.
Akari could tell from the look of concentration on her son's face.
"Trouble with Megumi?"
Kune finished a flurry of jabs. "It wasn't my fault mom, really it
wasn't."
"Was she cute?"
"Beautiful.. NO! I mean well umm.. I guess she was kinda cute."
Kune hastily got back into a stance.
It was times like these Akari got annoyed with her husband. She
still loved Ryouga dearly even if he wasn't the most perceptive person in
the world. Even after ten years she wasn't quite sure what to think of the
engagement.
Akari sighed and left her son to finish his drills and went to
sleep. Ryouga found his way home a few hours later and considered himself
lucky to have a son who was so devoted to the martial arts he even did them
in his sleep.
------------------
Mousse checked in on Spice before going to bed himself. She rarely
slept except for occasional naps during the day, but her first day of work
had been a hard one. It made her life back home training seem easy in
comparision.
Mousse tucked her in and gave her a quick scratch behind the ears
which Spice greeted with a low purr. She couldn't help but reminded him of
her mother which brought a sad smile to his face.
Mousse closed up everything else for the night and got ready for
bed. He decided to sleep in the main dining area since the security system
wasn't up yet.
He set up a row of dining chairs off to the side but near the door.
It reminded him of the old days when the restaurant was still new and he
first came to work there. It was awhile before Cologne gave him the
storage room to sleep in. Before that he managed to find a number of
creative sleeping arrangements, not all of which were humanly possible.
As the moonlight came gently through the window he lay there
quietly contemplating... Cologne.. Shampoo... Spice. His past, present,
and future.