[A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction]
Yellow
[-Kiroi-]
By Joseph Palmer
"Kasumi, do we have any yellow thread?" Akane rushed
into the livingroom and began rummaging through the sewing
basket.
"There should be some under the tray, on the right. Is
there something you'd like me to mend?"
"Ah, found it. Thanks, no, it's just a simple thing."
"But I've finished so I'm not busy right now."
"Thanks sis, but I can handle it."
"Okay." Kasumi sipped her tea quietly while Akane raced
back upstairs. In a moment more footsteps were heard
rushing back down.
"Kasumi, which of these do you think would be better?"
Nabiki held up two swimsuits, a practicle brown one piece
and a far less modest white bikini.
"Brown is a good color for you."
"Mmm. Okay...." Nabiki paused, biting her cheek.
"Thanks!" She bounded back upstairs.
"Kasumi! Oi! Kasumi!" Soun entered from the back.
"What is it father?"
"I can't find my overnight bag, do you know where it
is?"
"It's in the front closet, I'll get it."
"No, no, don't get up, I'll get it!" He rushed out,
leaving Kasumi with her tea. He returned in a moment.
"Swimsuit?" he asked.
"Stacked with your other clean clothes. I did laundry
today." Soun stood motionless. "I put it in your room."
"Oh, okay." He rushed off back to his room.
Kasumi wrapped her teacup in both hands, the warmth
soaking into her fingers and palms. She sipped the last of
the tea and put the cup down in front of her. She smiled.
Tomorrow is going be a lot of fun, she thought.
-+-+-+-
"Ne, brother, How about her?" 16 year old Mariko Tanaka
was engaging in her favorite activity, matchmaking.
"Where?" 18 year old Souichi Tanaka was engaging in his
least favorite activity, fending off his sister's attempts
at matchmaking.
"Red boots and purse".
"Her,...but, she must be at least 20."
"Mmmm?" Mariko hummed. It was both a question and a bit
of an admonishment that her brother should be more open
minded. Mariko and all her friends had picked up the
'Mmmmm', and become surprisingly proficient at conveying a
wide range of information with it. "That's not too old for
you, you know."
"Sis..."
"Okay, Okay." Mariko sulked.
First a trickle, the a flood of passengers poured down
the steps from the tracks above. Mariko scanned the crowd
for prospects, but that train had been full of salery men
office ladies.
"Brother, you've got to help me here. What kind of girl
are you looking for?"
"I'm _not_ looking."
"Hmmph. Looking is all you ever do."
Souichi kicked firmly at stone floor under him. There
was more than a little truth in what she was saying.
"Look, brother, we're on vacation. You should just
relax, and have a little fun. Flirt a little. Show off
your nice smile."
Souichi turned to his sister and gave her a menacing
grin.
"Stopit."
They stood silenly watching the crowds come and go.
"Where did our parents go?" Souichi asked.
"Last I saw them they were headed for the shops, we
still have twenty minutes before the train leaves, do you
want to go poke arround?"
"No, I'm going to save my money for Hakone."
"Me too. Lets just watch the people for now."
"Hey, sis, how about you? Maybe we should find a boy for
you."
"Mmmmm?"
"Aha! There, that one, yellow and black bandana."
"Oh, he is really cute, nice muscles, but he has that
'lost' look"
"You think?"
"Yeah, that's the third person he's asked directions
from."
"Oh."
The crowd thinned out, then another rush appered.
"Ne-chan, how about him, long hair, white robe."
Mariko watched the boy for a moment. "He keeps talking
to the posters, besides, what about that girl with him?"
"The one with the purple hair?"
"So is purple hair your type?" Mariko nudged her
brother.
He watched as they crossed the room."Keba-keba." [Too
showy (fluffy)]
"Mmmmmmm." Mariko hummed.
"Stop that."
"Mmm?" Mariko replied, then laughed.
"Here's one. He's perfect for you, red shirt, pony
tail." Souichi nodded across the room.
"Where?"
"Just comming in. He's with the big guy in the Judo gi,
and the pretty woman in the kimono."
"Mmmmmm." Mariko looked over the group.
"I translate that to: 'he's cute, but there's something
about him...'"
"Yup." She nodded knowingly. "He's taken. It's the way
he keeps looking around. He's waiting for someone."
"Mmmm?" Souichi asked.
Mariko elbowed her brother. "Do you have any idea what
you said just now?"
"No, What did I say?"
"It's... It's... Well... It's just not something you
should ask your sister, thats all, okay?"
Soichi gave his sister a confused look.
Mariko pouted, then a smile broke across her lips. She
began to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Brother, you are _SO_ gulible."
"And you...." Souichi began, but his attention was drawn
over his sister's sholder.
Mariko ducked, waiting for her brother's reprisal. She
looked up, but he was looking past her, so she turned to
see what had so captured his attenton.
A tall man with long hair and a neat mustache was being
pulled up the hallway by three young women. Mariko looked
at her brother, he was clearly captivated by one of the
three. The tallest was wearing a serine smile and a
simple blue dress. She carried a patterned overnight bag.
The next wore a gold blouse over tight designer jeans, and
carried a small backpack. The last was wearing a red
sundress and carried a large and apparently very heavy
athletic bag.
"Ne, brother, what's wrong?" she whispered. Her brother
did not answer. "Brother?" she asked again.
"She's so cute!" he answered dreamily.
"Which one? Which one?" Mariko asked.
"I'm not teling you. You'll have to guess."
Mariko looked over the three. "Hmm." Her brother usually
prefered the shy reserved type. "Blue dress, with the long
pretty hair."
"Mm-Mm." He shook his head.
Markio looked at the others, The one in the red sun
dress was having trouble with the heavy bag, and the one
in gold top was shaking her head in disaproval. As they
came closer she could overhear some of their conversation.
"Sis, I told you not to pack so much..."
"But I couldn't decide what to bring..."
"Now you'll have to carry that huge thing all
over..."
"Daijyobu! [it's okay], you'll see. I don't have to
carry it much farther..."
Mariko nudged her brother, "You like the one in red
don't you...," she began, then stopped, because the girl
in red had stopped and began to wave across the waiting
room. The boy in the red shirt with the pony tail smiled
and waved back, then rushed out to meet her.
"Oops, looks like your deam girl knows my boy." Mariko
whispered.
When the boy reached her there was an embarrased pause
as they both became aware of the public surroundings, and
thier families' watchfull gaze. The girl in red offered
the bag and the boy took it, then nearly dropped it. He
made a show of complaining about the weight, but then
flipped it over his shoulder as if it were empty.
"Poor, poor brother," Markio began. "You must be
crushed. To find love at first sight, then it's.." she
snapped her fingers dramaticaly "...snatched away.
Still, it's better to have loved and lost, than..." Mariko
noticed her brother was not paying attention to her.
"Isn't she cool?" he asked.
"Huh?" Markio followed her brothers gaze. He was eyeing
the girl in the gold top. "Her?"
"What do you mean, 'her?' she's cute."
"Mmmmmm?" Mariko replied.
"And just what do you mean by that?"
"You want to meet her? I could just go over there
and..."
"Nooooooo! I'd die of embarassment."
"Poor brother. It'd just be saying hi. Hmmph. Anyway,
what does it matter, they're going to get on a train, and
go one way, then we're going to get on a train and go
another, you'll probably never see her again."
At that moment the group headed for the stairs, lead by
the woman in the kimono who walked with the tallest girl,
followed by the men, who were laughing and carrying on
together like school boys, then came the couple in red,
the boy carried both bags, and lastly, the girl in the
gold top. She took a couple of steps then stopped and
looked right at Mariko and Souichi. He blushed and looked
away for a moment, when he looked back, the girl smiled at
him, then turned and left.
Mariko looked at her brother. "Oh, you've got it bad."
-+-+-+-
Ranma and Akane took the seats behind their fathers,
already deep in a game of shogi on a portable game board.
Kasumi and Nodoka took the seats across the isle, and
Nabiki had two seats to herself across from her father.
The train smoothly accelerated away from the station
exactly on time for the 41 minute trip to Odawara.
Ten minutes out of Tokyo station Nabiki poked her head
up over her seat, "Auntie, what kind of room do we have?"
she asked.
Nodoka pulled the reservation sheet from her purse. "We
have two ten-tatami rooms, with a door between them."
Nabiki frowned, then smiled. "I think we should put our
two 'lovebirds' in one room, and the rest of us can all
jam into the other."
"Nabiki..." Akane hissed.
"But don't you two deserve a little privacy? You know,
it'll make up for when..."
"NABIKI!" The hiss turned to a growl. Akane glared at
her sister, and blushed.
"Auntie, I really don't think that putting Ranma and
Akane in their own room a very good idea," Kasumi pleaded.
Nodoka thought a moment. "You're right, Kasumi, for one
thing, if we left the lovebirds alone in one room, why...
why... then the rest of us would have to share one
bathroom."
Rama picked himself off the floor.
"Mother..." Ranma hissed, then blushed.
"So.. I think we'll have one girl's room, and one boys
room, that splits it up three and four, and this way you
girls won't have to put up with my husband's snoring."
"Or the funny noises from the other room." Nabiki added.
"That's it Nabiki!" Akane jumped to her feet. "How
would you like to walk the rest of the way?!" Nabiki
shrieked and ducked down in her seat.
Akane plopped angerly down in her seat. "Jeez."
For the remainder of the trip Kasumi and Nodoka made
plans, pouring over vacation pamphlets. Nabiki stayed out
of sight and Akane cooled down, though an ember still
glowed.
-=_=_=_=_=_==
Mariko sat next to her brother.
"She's in the next car." She said non-chalantly.
"Who?" Souichi asked.
"WHO?" Mariko mocked. "Just Ms. gold top, that's who."
"Stop joking."
"I'm not joking. She's on the this train."
"Sister, if you're making this up..." Souichi gripped
his armrests.
"There's an empty seat next to her..."
Souichi glared at his sister for ten seconds and then
made for the back of the car. He returned a minute later.
"Told you."
Souichi slumped in his seat. "She's so cute." he said
in a daze.
"Maybe they're headed for Hakone too."
"If only she would... oh, never mind." He burried his
head in his hands. "I'd never get that lucky."
"At this rate, you may never 'get lucky'".
"And just what do you mean by that?"
"Brother, didn't your friends ever tell you that before
you can get to 'A' with a girl you are going to have to
actually meet her and talk to her first?"
['A' = first base, kissing]
Souichi stewed in his seat. "I know, I know."
The train slowed, then swiched to the platform tracks
with a gentle rocking. A prerecored voice announced Odwara
Station in Japanese and English, and the train glided
smoothly to a stop.
Souichi rushed to the back to get thier bags, and to
take another peek into the next car. His heart pounded
when he saw her pulling on her backpack. The notion of
meeting her both thrilled and terrified him. Mariko
joined him at the passgeway.
"Lucky!" she whispered. " It looks like she's stopping
here. Now we need to plot a way for you to meet her."
Souichi turned his attention to the bags. "Sister,
please don't..."
"Nabiki, do you know her?" Soun nodded to the front of
the car.
"Mm?" Nabiki turned and looked. The girl waved. Nabiki
looked around the car, but the wave could be for no one
else. She turned back to the girl and waved tenatively.
"Ahhh!" Souichi grabbed his sister by the arm and
dragged her away from the doorway. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
he shouted.
"I'm just being freindly"
"Well, stop it."
"Don't you want to meet her?"
"No. Souchi frowned at his sister. "Yes. Anyway you
shouldn't..."
A North bound train thundered past at nearly 200 KpH.
"BUT BROTHER YOU SAID..." Mariki shouted over the
passing train.
"SAID WHAT?" Souichi shouted in reply
The end of the train flashed past.
"SHE'S - SO - CUTE!" Mariko's words echoed in the now
silent car.
Nabiki froze.
After a moment Akane leaned over Nabiki's sholder. "Are
you thinking what I'm thinking?" She whispered in her ear.
"No, what are you thinking?" The annoyance was plain in
Nabiki's voice.
"I'm thinking you have an 'admirer'."
"A what?" A chill went through Nabiki. She watched as a
red faced boy dragged the girl out onto the platform. "No
way!"
"It's okay, maybe she's rich." Ranma whispered in her
other ear.
Nabiki shivered, then followed the others out the back
of the car in a daze.
End of Part 1.
Notes:
1) Normally I don't send unfinished stuff to the list, but
what the heck.
2) I don't think Talswapr will like this much since I'm
breaking two of his general rules: "annoying new
characters" and "a love interest for Nabiki"
So what do you think?
J.
________________________________________________________________________
Joseph Palmer "Never join a titanic battle unless
CEO, VideoS2 you get to be the iceberg." --- J.
Video Storage Systems Personal Web page:
http://www.VideoS2.com http://www.best.com/~jpalmer