Subject: [FFML][Ranma 1/2] The Cruelty of Truth (Prologue)
From: "Florencio B. dela Merced" <fmerced@pworld.net.ph>
Date: 8/13/1997, 10:02 AM
To: "Fanfic Mailing List" <fanfic@fanfic.com>

Greetings and Salutations,

I 'm posting this because I need some advice...I'm wondering if I should
continue this story coz, well the situations I've come up with are, I
guess...might bother some, or a lot of FFML'ers.  I've tried to make this as
open as possible.  It's not dark (I hope not), and I have come up with a
hilarious story line for it, but the main situation bothers me.

Thanks anyway...


The Cruelty of Truth
---------------------------

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr.

A Fanfic inspired by the Anime Ranma 1/2 created by Rumiko Takahashi, their
respective owners copyrighted all characters.

A project for the Fan Fiction Mailing List
------------------------------------------------------

How do two, incompletely incompatible, individuals caught up in their own
senseless hatred of each other, could ever possibly live under one roof?
They don't.

"Hello Oneechan. Can I please speak to Ranma?" Akane spoke through the
speaker phone that sat on her desk while she was lying on a small lounge
chair nearby. Through the huge glass windows that bounded the room she could
clearly see the high rises and skyline of Tokyo. She had just come from a
huge meeting and now all she wanted was to rest her feet. She looked and
sighed at the half folded handouts and leftover folder reports stacked on
top of her filing cabinet, she had furnished them for the two hour long
marathon presentation she had just went through.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the crackle coming from her desk. "Ranma,
are you there?" She frowned when she realized how long it has been since she
last called her husband. He couldn't still be angry, she thought. "Ranma are
you still angry at me?" She rose and walked up to her desk. "I know you're
there, Ranma. I can hear you breathing." Akane smiled knowing full well this
game the two of them played every time she called home. As she sat on her
chair she turned up the volume and she could now hear Ranma mumbling in the
background. "Ok, Ranma. I'm sorry. I promise to come home tonight. Promise."
Akane hoped that the pleading tone she gave on her last word would do the
trick.

"Promise?" Ranma's voice finally came through.

Akane leaned forward and closed in on the phone and breathed deeply to
respond in order to assure her husband. "You bet. I missed you." Akane then
made a sounding kiss in the air for Ranma. It wasn't like she's been away
too long, but there was truth in what she had just said. Being away from her
husband for a week, which she blamed on work, was almost unbearable. She
recalled how the past evenings was only filled with tons of paperwork, and
hardly any sleep. Things would have been different if she didn't have to
prepare for the presentation today. Though she was quick to point out to
herself that the only difference would have been the lack of the paperwork.
Akane laughed a moment till he heard another familiar voice.

"Mama, come home!" Akane was overjoyed to hear her five-year-old daughter
speaking. "I will, love. How is your sister?" Akane then heard a scream and
some sort of banging, as if the headset had suddenly hit the floor. Akane
knew all too well that her siblings were fighting again. "Eh, Akane....I'll
call back later. The two are at it again. See you tonight. Bye." She then
heard Ranma's kiss just before he hang up. "Bye." Akane said to herself. She
then swung her chair around and looked out the view of the city, paused a
few moments, then closed her eyes.

"So did you call him?" Nabiki sat across the table at the restaurant Akane
regularly eats lunch. "Hai. Right after my presentation." Nabiki was Akane's
constant companion during mid-day breaks, and they would always talk about
home, or each other's husbands, but never work.

"How's your two kids? Fighting again?" Nabiki grinned back at her younger
sister. Akane apparently ignored her by busily reading some news.

"Why don't you do what I do, sis. Hire someone." Akane just smiled back.
"Well, Ranma doesn't like the idea of...having a total stranger taking care
of our childrem, oneechan. Besides, he's doing fine."

Nabiki only had a laugh to offer as a reply. Akane just ignored her again,
knowing how her sister's marriage to Tatewaki Kuno, it would have been
probably the best decision not to let the father reared her children. In
Ranma's case though, she has full confidence in him.

"Sorry guys, I guess I'm late again." A young lady carrying a small boy had
just joined the table of Nabiki and Akane.

"Hello, Kounji-san." Nabiki greeted, "And how is my little nephew?" Akane
greeted Ukyou Kounji and also was delighted to see the small boy. "My,
Ucchan. He's getting so big. Give Auntie Akane a kiss." The kid had changed
hands and is now receiving Akane's tender loving care.

"So, Akane. Have you talked with Ran-chan?" Ukyou asked after giving her
order to the prompt waiter that approached the table. Akane nodded while
making funny faces to Ukyou's son. "I see." Akane curiously looked at her
friend upon noting the remorseful statement. "What's wrong Ucchan?" Then
Ukyou surprisingly cried out in tears, which caught the two Tendo sisters
off guard.

Ranma spent the whole morning running around the dojo after his two kids.
The rampage of the Saotomes didn't spare even Kasumi and her peaceful
kitchen. By lunchtime though things have somehow settled a bit. Ranma still
had trouble separating his two children from grabbing each other's food.
Kasumi only smiled, often remembering how only years ago the same things
happened to two other houseguests.

"Ranma, is Akane coming home today?" Kasumi asked his brother-in-law as she
was cleaning up. Ranma only nodded back, as his attention was concentrated
on his two daughters that he was trying to get to sleep for the afternoon.
Soun Tendo, the father, couldn't stop his crying as he saw how Ranma was
attending to his granddaughters. Suddenly the phone rang.

"Hello, Tendo and Saotome residence." Kasumi answered in her usual
nonchalant way. "Oh, Shampoo..." Ranma glanced at the phone when he heard
but continued up the stairs carrying his kids to bed. "Oh, We'll be seeing
you then, Goodbye." Kasumi then noticed Ranma's quizzical look. "What did
she want, Kasumi?" Ranma had just come down the stairs.

Kasumi never got to answer him as their attention shifted to the front gate.
Ranma opened the door and was promptly greeted by the hug of a young child.
"Daddy!" Ranma, though initially surprised, was delighted to see the
toddler. "Tadaima!" Akane smiled as he saw the sight of Ranma and her
nephew. Ukyou took hold of her son and gave Ranma a cheek kiss as she
entered the household. Nabiki only passed by. Akane on the other hand stood
by, gleaming a starry look at her husband he had not seen since last week.

"Hi, you're home early?" Ranma and Akane felt tensed but soon gave a
exasperated laugh. They hugged and kissed, which Nabiki promptly timed as
she was standing at the doorway. A few minutes later the two finally broke
off. "Are they asleep?" Akane walked with Ranma toward the living room,
passing by Nabiki who was writing something on a notepad. "Hai." Ranma
noticed Akane was nervous. "What's wrong?"

Akane sat on the sofa before she even tried to answer. Ukyou too looked
nervous, Ranma noted. "Ok, what's going on?" Ranma looked annoyed at the two
as his son had jumped off Ukyou and had ran up towards his lap. "Well, its
Shampoo?" Ranma blinked and interrupted his wife explanation. "Shampoo? Why,
she just called. Isn't that right Kasumi? I think she's coming over." His
last statement drew looks of apprehension from the two women, and even
Nabiki frowned a bit at the news.

"Eh, Ranma. Shampoo found out. I'm sorry..." Ukyou grabbed her son back from
its father. Ranma froze a bit, not really comprehending what to make of
Ukyou's statement, and looked at his wife. Akane let out a sigh and leaned
over to him. "What are we going to do now?"

"Did you say...She knows. How?" Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and looked at
Ukyou and his son. "Does Ryouga know?"

"Eh, Actually he's the one that hinted Shampoo...but it was purely
accidental, Really." Ukyou nervously tried to explain her side, clutching
her son closely to her. "Where is he now?" Ranma's was desperately looking
for a solution to his impending problem.

Kasumi graciously open the gate of the dojo. "Well hello there, Ryouga, and
hello there Shampoo, Mousse. Its been a..." Kasumi was startled as Shampoo
stormed inside, while the two with her desperately holding her back but
without success. "Shampoo! Come on, don't do this..." Ryouga had his arms
wrapped around the amazon's waist but still he wasn't able to slow her down.
"Eh, Kasumi. Could you please..." Mousse, who was also trying the same to
Ryouga, pointed out to the three little children that followed them inside.

"Auntie Kasumi!" The three kids cried out in unison. "Oh, my! Hello. Please,
come inside. I think I have some cookies for you. You three like cookies?"
The active tykes graciously applauded in almost the same joyful way.
"Cookies!" The kids ran inside, followed by Kasumi.

"RANMA!" The three shuddered knowing that only one person could only voice
Ranma Saotome's name in such a high pitch and tone.

Ranma stood up and saw the haphazard approach of Mousse's wife, Shampoo.
"Shampoo! Its...nice to see you.." Ranma head jerked back by the force of
Shampoo's hand. Then all of them paused for a moment, till Shampoo broke out
in tears.

-END-