Ok, this is the last part of Ice Age. It got stuck in my head so I had
to write it down. I don't think I works as well as the other parts. One
day (probably on the same day I do all the other shit I keep promising to do)
I may go back and fix it.
Originaly there were only going to be three parts to this fic. It was
going to end with Mousse finding Ryoga too late. And yes fans of
tragedy, Ryoga gets to hold Kodachi and Shampoo while they freeze to
death. I'm not sure what happened...It could have been that I just
didn't want to write dark and depressing Ranma fics after this, or maybe
I just abandoned the idea of having Ranma wake up and go "Whew it was all
a dream." (Just kidding)[1] Though, I think they got out alive because of
Mike Loader. I think the idea of the two of them being friends appealed
to me. So this other idea formed in the back of my mind...and Shampoo
and Kodachi lived. Well, mostly.
Matthew Trotter, this is it kids, I've exhaused the ole R1/2 fanfic
repository. Hope you had fun...
------
[1] I haven't really abandoned the Idea at all!!!! Its all a dream!!!
Its all a dream!!! Theres no place like home! Theres no place like
home!![2]
[2] Comming soon, Ranma: Over The Rainbow.
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I C E A G E
---------------
Part Four: There Will Come A Day
---------------
You're working like a monkey who's been trained by a sick junkie
on a mission to get money for a new suit and tie to wear to a reception
where they envy your deception and one compliments and praises to the ones
they despise
-Rancid
---------------
He idly thumbed through the shirts. Blue and green flowers or the more
traditional yellow, pink, red, purple, green, blue and white sensory
suicide. Well it was a special occasion, probably best to go
traditional. They would be discussing the division of shares tonight.
There was the definite possibility of picking up a few more shares from
the members who would have to be going home. Home. It just wasn't the
same place. His children were distant. The people he had known acted
differently now. They just couldn't deal with this new look. Well, their
loss.
-----
The banquet had been excellent. All the proper gaudy furnishings. The
sand on the floor had been authentic. Word was it had been specially
imported. His guess was that it had been imported from outside of the back
door. The dancers had been quite good. Now it was time for the real
business at hand. The division of shares of the members who were once
again returning home to visit family and friends. They just didn't
realize the gold mine they were throwing away. He had already made
arrangements to keep his trips to Tokyo from interfering with company
meetings.
-----
The Good Life Corporation. It was what the name promised. It was the
good life. As a share holder you were required to spend time in the
company resort on Hawaii. There was nothing better to soothe the nerves
than a few weeks of company business. It the two weeks of required time
you had one real business meeting. All the other meetings were
volleyball tournaments or sight seeing tours. The more stock you held the
longer you were required to stay. It was a win/win situation. Still
there was the problem of loosing touch with the outside world, but that
was the idea. There were some people who thought the corporate policies
were crazy, but they weren't required to keep their stocks. The
corporations TGLC serviced paid high prices for their employees to live
the good life for a few weeks. You had to be mad to pass up the opportunity.
-----
Things had gone well. The Shelly's had put up two hundred shares of
stock to free up time to go to a grand daughter's birthdays. He had
picked up more than half of that. The next thing up was Milton's five
hundred shares. He was retiring from the company and using the money to
put his nephew through collage.
-----
The phone rang. That meant trouble. There were to be no phone calls
during this meeting. It was the only important meeting. A call wouldn't
even get put through if it wasn't life or death. Chairman Sandburg
picked up. After a moment the chairman looked down the table at him.
"Mr. Kuno, its your son."
.
:
:
.
"Aloh...."
"Father," Tatewaki cut him off, "your daughter is in intensive care
for over exposure to the cold. If you hurry you may be able to see her
before she dies."
The line went dead.
.
:
:
.
Carl put his hand on Mr. Kuno's arm. Kuno just didn't realize that
these things weren't done.
"Mr. Kuno, you can't just walk out on the board meeting! Its our single
most important ..."
Kuno gripped him by the color of his shirt and lifted him up to eye
level. It was odd, he hadn't ever noticed how well built Kuno was until
that moment.
"Mr. Chairman, you will have to excuse me. My daughter is dying and
I am going to her side. Forgive me if this sounds impertinent, but if
you touch me again I will break your arm."
"Mr. Kuno...you realize this will forfeit a good sum of your stock. I
hope you are ready to accept the consequences."
"The measure of a man is not in his wallet, or in his pride. The true
measure of a man is in his loyalty to family, friends and home. I have
neglected these enough in the past. Now I can only hope to be the father
I had forgotten to be in the time I have left. Good bye, Mr. Chairman."
Kuno threw him into the wall on the far side of the table. It hurt.
There would be hell to pay for this display. As he pulled himself to
his feet he caught a glimpse of Kuno's retreating back....the man could
probably break his arm like a match stick...perhaps hell could wait a
bit, say till Kuno was safely off the island....
----------
The plane labored into the sky. It was a long way home. It felt strange
to be wearing a suit again after so long...it had been years since he had
last put on a suit for a business purpose. This wasn't business. The
suit was more than just business. It was a symbol. He was back. He
wanted there to be no doubt. Sasuke would be meeting him at the
airport. He wondered if Sasuke would understand. He wondered what
Sasuke would think.
:
:
It seemed like so many years ago.
:
:
Sasuke was sitting in the drivers seat, "Master Kuno, I am worried about
the children. They hardly know you, you are gone so much."
"Yes. If the company is to keep its edge, I must attend these
meetings. This one I hope will be different. Hawaii is a profitable
island. I think that with a good hand in The Good Life Corporation I can
assure a steady income that will last until Tatewaki is ready to succeed
me as heir."
"A wise choice, if I might say so, Master."
"Sasuke, I know you better than that. What is bothering you."
"I do not like the policies of TGLC. I believe they distance their
members from their families and homes intentionally."
"You are right of course, but I do not think it will be a problem. I
believe I can handle their rules and policies with out too much trouble."
:
:
That had been a joke. The rules and policies were designed so that you
didn't want to handle them. That was how it worked. You wanted to be
forced into an extended vacation. He should have known better, Sasuke
did. Sasuke.
:
:
The Kuno family ninja. It had been a joke thing to amuse the children.
Tatewaki had loved it. All families needed a family ninja. Sasuke had
been more than happy to play along. There was no doubting his skill,
just the profession was a bit off the mark. Sasuke had been hired as a
bodyguard. He had later become such a friend of the family that he was
kept on as the "family ninja".
:
:
How could he ever look the man in the face again? After all he had done
for them? It was hard to even think of. What must Sasuke think of him
by now? After seeing how low he had become, would Sasuke be willing to
call him friend?
:
:
It was a long way home.
----------
Tatewaki sat still. His back was strait as a rail. His gaze was blank.
It was an age old pose. It had no name. Except waiting. She was
in no danger of death now. No, now the real danger reared its head. Now
Kodachi had to find her own way back to the world. They told him the
comma patients were unpredictable. Maybe if he could find a person she
would want to talk to. Someone to bring her out of her inner world.
:
Ranma had almost cried while he begged her to wake up. It had been
painful to watch. Tatewaki had never suspected that Ranma cared that
much about his sister. Ranma would make a good brother in law. He
wasn't nearly as brash and uncaring as he sometimes seemed to be.
:
The room was silent. Nabiki had gone to check on Ranma and Akane, and
to see about the Chinese girl. There was only the sound of Kodachi
breathing. He wondered where she was. Was it a better place? Did she
want to come back? Had he been right to call father? Is that what she
would want to come back to? There was no way to know.
:
The door opened. There were two men out lined by the hall lights.
One was taller than the other. They moved forward, and the door closed.
The darkness enveloped them again. There was a period of time where
nothing moved. Then as his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom once more,
Tatewaki could make out the shapes. One in a suit, and one in
traditional ninja's garb. Father was back.