Things are moving very slowly with my writing this thing, so I think I'm
going to slow release of it some (Sorry, people! If I catch up to where I
want to be, I'll change my mind). Chapter 7 won't be available until the
Monday AFTER next, and releases will be every other week from that point
on...
Speaking of Chapter 7, for those of you who I gave the Chapter summaries to
or who I discussed future chapters with, a little update on that. I split
Chapter 7 into two chapters. A number of things you might expect from
chapter 7 are now in chapter 8, and what you should be expecting from
chapter 8 will be chapter 9, and chapter 9 will be chapter 10, etc. all the
way to chapter 13 (which will become 14). If this causes any confusion,
sorry.
Also, about the new attack name I used in the last chapter: I REALLY
screwed it up. Sorry. Special thanks to Joseph A. Kohle and the Eternal
Lost, both of whom helped me straighten it out. From now on, the attack is
the 'Ranma no Koibito Dake Ken,' or 'Ranma's Only Lover Strike.' It isn't
used in this chapter, anyway, so don't worry too much about it. When it
does come into play again (and it will, of course) I'll repeat this, but if
you want to change your copies of chapter 5 accordingly, that's what the
change is.
Also, as I mentioned, I switched the order I was planning to present
chapter 5 and 6 in. Let me know if you think I did the right thing
there...
Now, on with the standard stuff. Previous chapters available by e-mail.
Another story or two of mine can be found on my web page (see .sig). My
disclaimer was sent with the first chapter. Expect Chapter 7 next week-
er, two weeks from now (sigh). C&C of any sort appreciated and encouraged
(read 'begged for'). I guess that's it, on with the story. Enjoy...
-------------------------
Chapter 6: An Addition to the Family
"...and you have aided my cause in the past. For what reason do you deny
the Blue Thunder your assistance now, lowly mage?" Kunou was spouting at a
tree when Hiroshi and Daisuke were passing by him.
Hiroshi turned to Daisuke. "Huh. I guess he's REALLY flipped this
time..."
Daisuke nodded. "Uh huh. Who would have expected, though, that it would
show itself by having him yell at a tree..."
"But, Upperclassman Kunou!" The tree shouted back. "Before, you and I
always had a common enemy- I had a reason for wanting to help you. Why
would I want to help you now?"
Kunou's bokken flashed, slicing through the tree. "You would want to help
me so as to avoid FEELING MY WRATH!"
Gosunkugi fell out of the tree as it came crashing down. "Uh, probably a
pretty good reason," he sighed, wincing painfully as he pulled himself up.
Unlike many of the other residents of Nerima, even a fall as short as the
one off the tree was enough to hurt him badly. "So, what exactly is it you
want me to do?"
"I am in need of a man who can use the arts of sorcery to discern the
father of an unborn child."
"Let me see what I can do..." Gosunkugi pondered the situation. He walked
over to his bag, which he had dropped when he was scrambling up the tree,
and pulled out a book. He glanced through it for a couple of minutes.
"Hmm... there's nothing in my book which I think could help you out... I
don't think there's anything which I could do myself."
"Am I going to have to visit my wrath upon you?!" Kunou cried, waving his
bokken menacingly.
"NO! No..." Gosunkugi began thinking as quickly as he could. "Um, I might
not be able to help you, but I know someone else who might. I buy all my
magical supplies and books from her- I'm pretty sure she would be able to
think of something."
"Very well, then, lead me to this woman."
* * * * *
The storefront read "Tanaka Kaori- Mistress of the Mystic Arts." As Kunou
followed Gosunkugi inside, he noted the incense in the air and the crystal
pendants hanging everywhere. 'Ah, yes,' he thought. 'Indicators of a true
source for magic and sorcery! This must be the right place!'
Gosunkugi motioned for Kunou to enter another room, nodding to the store
clerk as he did so. "Come on, Kunou, the person you're interested never
comes out here."
"Pray tell, why not?" Kunou asked as he passed through the curtain
separating the rooms.
"Because the outside room is for the people who believe real magic can only
be conducted in rooms full of incense and crystals. Crystals don't work
and the woman I want you to meet is allergic to incense." Kunou frowned,
but continued to follow Gosunkugi as he led the way through the store.
"Ah, Gosunkugi!" A female voice said. "Nice to see you again! Do you
want to buy some more of our dolls? Oh, I didn't see you had a friend!"
Gosunkugi bowed his head low to a woman, kneeling in front of a flame, who
Kunou hadn't seen before. "Mistress Kaori, this is Upp-"
"I am the rising new star of the high school fencing world, captain of the
Furinken High School Kendo club, I am Tatewaki Kunou, but you may address
me as-"
Suddenly, Kunou found his voice was no longer working. "I'll address you
as however I want to. Kneel." Mistress Kaori said. Kunou knelt down in
front of the fire across from her. "Gosunkugi, please leave. I wish to
talk to him alone."
Gosunkugi bowed again. "Of course, Mistress Kaori!" He turned around and
scurried out the door.
Mistress Kaori smiled at his departed form and shook her head. "If only he
tried something other than those silly paper dolls..." She turned her
attention to Kunou. "So, what is it that you want, young samurai?" Kunou
tried to speak, but couldn't. "Oh, sorry!" She waved one of her hands.
"Now, speak!"
Kunou frowned. "Oh enchantress, I desire some of thy knowledge so as to
aid the sister of one tha-" Suddenly, he couldn't talk again.
"Quit the elegant speeches. What're you here for?"
"A friend of a... friend is pregnant, but does not know who the father is.
My friend has asked me to ascertain this little bit of knowledge, and I was
hoping that the mystic arts would be of assistance in my search."
"Ah... I see." Mistress Kaori nodded. "Does she know how she was
impregnated? Was she raped or something?"
"Truly, my lady, nothing of the sort has happened to her, but her tale I
will tell thee. One night, with ill humors from her long travels, the
wayward gentlewoman partook of many glasses of strong liquors, and in her
state lay with a man who she did not know."
"Ah... I see." Kaori frowned. Kunou's style of speech was REALLY starting
to bug her. "Has she... 'lain with' anyone else since that night. And
just answer 'Yes' or 'No.' If you give me that flowery language again,
I'll turn you into a toad."
Kunou widened his eyes in surprise. "Uh... not that I'm aware of."
Kaori nodded. "Hmm..." She stood up and stepped behind a curtain. After
a few seconds, she returned, holding something. Curious, she pointed it at
Kunou and looked into it. She giggled slightly, but then pulled herself
together and knelt in front of the fire again. "There is no way for anyone
to see who the father of an unborn child is through magic. Science is
coming close- DNA tests will reveal such things with a high degree of
accuracy now, but I doubt a DNA test would help in this case, as you have
no suspects at the moment." She shook her head. "Normally, I could not
help you. However... since she has not... 'lain with' another, you might
be able to use this. It's the Fidelity Gem. If you point it at someone,
you get to see who the last person was who they were... 'laying with.'"
Every time Kaori said lain or laying with, she had to suppress a chuckle.
It was so easy to tease this guy. "Just point it at the girl, and you will
see who the father is."
Kunou accepted the gem from her hand. "Pray tell, what would happen if I
were to point it at someone who has never experienced such intimacy?"
"I'm sick of your flowery speech," Kaori said, wiggling her fingers and
waving her hands in an intricate pattern. "You may not speak now. I'll
release you from this when you leave, but I shall also place this curse
upon you: Every time you talk in such archaic ways for the next six
months, your ability to speak will leave you for two weeks." She finished
casting her spell, and then smiled. Now that that's over with, I'll answer
your question- sort of. If you want to know what happens if you were to do
such a thing, then simply turn it on yourself." Kunou, enraged, began
mouthing out words of vengeance and wrath, but all that could be heard was
silence. Kaori's smile widened. "And, by the way, you owe me... well,
I'll knock some of the price off because of how much you've been
inconvenienced. I'll only charge you two hundred and fifty thousand yen.
If you ever want to sell it back, you'll get... oh... some of that back, at
least." Kunou, still angry enough to kill but not so angry as to strike a
woman, pulled out his wallet and tossed the money in the direction of the
fire. However, it just floated in mid-air for a moment before heading
straight for Kaori's hands. "Nice doing business with you!" She laughed.
* * * * *
At that very moment, halfway across the Nerima district, Ukyou was ringing
the doorbell to the Tendou home. She'd been having the same nightmare for
a week now- the one where Ranma told her he couldn't trust her anymore.
She needed to talk to someone, and the only people she felt that she could
talk to lived there.
"Hello, who's there?" came a distinctly feminine voice from the other side
of the door. It slid open, revealing the smiling face of Nodoka.
"Hello, Mrs. Saotome," Ukyou smiled half-heartedly. "I... need someone to
talk to."
"Ukyou?" Nodoka blinked in surprise. The young girl standing before her
looked as if she had been crying recently, with the redness in her eyes.
"Of course- do you want to come in?"
"Uh, sure. Thank you..." Ukyou followed Nodoka inside, and was led into
the kitchen. Nodoka started stirring the contents of a pan on the stove
top. Curious, Ukyo asked "Um, what're you doing?"
"Cooking dinner," Nodoka answered plainly. "This is the ozoni soup, and in
the oven I'm making chicken teriyaki." [ozoni soup is a form of rice cake
soup, btw]
Ukyou frowned. "That seems to be a fairly normal dinner. I would have
thought Natsume would be craving something... unusual."
Nodoka laughed. "Cravings don't come upon a woman until about five or six
months into the pregnancy." Her face became serious. "Now, what is it you
wanted to talk about? Surely not my cooking."
Ukyou chuckled, but still looked troubled. "No, I don't want to talk about
that. I'm just... worried..."
Nodoka frowned, still stirring in the pot with her cooking chopsticks.
"Worried? What are you worried about?"
Ukyou sighed. "I've been having these nightmares..."
Nodoka laughed. "I'm sorry," she apologized, still chuckling. "But,
considering how distressed you looked, I thought that it was something more
than a few nightmares..."
"IT IS!" Ukyou broke in. "These nightmares are about... me and Ranma."
"Ah..." Nodoka nodded. She knew the real reason why Ukyou was so upset,
but wanted her to talk it out. "What do they deal with?"
"Well, remember when I said I knew something of the real reason Ranma
didn't want me along with him?" Nodoka nodded again. "Well, the reason he
didn't want me along is... he couldn't trust me. He was worried I might
actually harm Akane while he was gone. I said to myself 'is he kidding?
Of course I wouldn't!' But, he reminded me about the time I had bombed the
wedding... and the time I helped destroy your house... and then I
remembered a time I had tried to hurt Akane when Natsume and Kurumi first
showed up and she needed training... I realized that I WAS capable of
hurting her. I was capable of doing anything to anybody, provided they
stood in my way of winning Ranma. And, because of this, I fear that I've
become one of those things standing in my way."
"Oh?" Nodoka said. "You said you were having nightmares?" She wanted
Ukyou to get to the point.
"Well, yes. In my dreams, Ranma keeps saying 'I'll never be able to trust
you while you still want to marry me.' THAT is what keeps worrying me... I
want to be with Ranma forever. I ALSO want to be his wife, but... if I
keep trying to become that, I'm worried I'll lose him as a friend."
Nodoka smiled kindly. "I doubt that would ever happen. My son has so few
friends he even holds those who routinely try to kill and maim him as
such."
"BUT WHAT IF?" Ukyou cried, desperate. "What if he feels that Aka... uh,
whoever he finally chooses... is threatened by me? He'd avoid me just to
make her happy, and he would fight me if I ever came near her." She
sobbed. "I can't let that happen. I mustn't! I have to do something to
make sure he can trust me again..."
Nodoka sighed. 'Dearest, why have you made life so difficult for those
around you?' she mentally berated her husband. "Well, I have an idea.
I've actually been thinking about it for some time- ever since I had a
little talk with Ranma about how he feels about the three of you."
Ukyou blinked. "You mean he told you how he felt about us?"
Nodoka chuckled. "Are you kidding? My son would never do that. At least,
not with his words. However, listening to how he spoke about each of you,
I could pretty much guess how he felt. He loves you, Ukyou, but not in the
way a husband should love his wife, but instead how a friend should love a
friend- or perhaps how a brother should love a sister."
Ukyou collapsed. "Are you sure? That he would never grow to love me as my
husband?"
Nodoka frowned. "No. I can never be sure of how anyone feels. I'm not
entirely sure dearest loves me, or that Ranma feels the way he does about
you, or... that I feel the way I feel about anyone. But, I believe as much
as I possibly can that I am right."
Ukyou tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes.. "You said you had an
idea?"
Nodoka nodded, though Ukyou wasn't looking at her. "Yes, I do. But... if
I try it, you will NEVER be able to marry Ranma."
Ukyou looked up at her with a defiant expression for a moment. "What?! Do
you think I would give up-" She stopped herself. "I'm sorry... I'm doing
it again." She stood up, dusted herself off, and turned to Nodoka. "Mrs.
Saotome, as the only representative of the Saotome clan here present, I
wish to inform you that I... I am officially breaking off my engagement
with your son, Ranma."
Nodoka smiled. "I formally give you permission to do so," she said. "Now,
about that plan of mine... I'm going to need to talk to your family,
especially your parents."
"Well, the only family I know of is my father, and I can tell you how to
get in touch with him," Ukyou said, puzzled. "But... what do you need to
talk to them for?"
"That is a secret, for now. But meet me here a week from now, and I'll let
you know everything..."
* * * * *
Impatient as always, Kunou was rushing to the Tendou's so as to try out the
fidelity gem. He was running so fast, in fact, he almost ran into Ukyou on
her way from the conversation with Nodoka.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Kunou," Ukyou apologized, sidestepping a near-certain
collision. "I didn't see you coming.
Kunou looked at her, and opened his mouth to say something. The, he
appeared to reconsider, and nodded, merely saying "My fault. Sorry," and
walking right past her.
Ukyou looked at his departing form. 'What's wrong with him?' she wondered
before turning to go.
* * * * *
Kunou knocked on Nabiki's door. A shuffling was heard on the other side,
and Nabiki's voice croaked "Yes?"
"Nabiki Tendo, it is I," Kunou intoned through the door.
Nabiki's grumbling could be heard as he waited. "I'll be out in a minute.
Hold on." More shuffling was heard coming from her room, and about ten
minutes later, she slid the door open, still looking a little unkempt.
"What is it, Kunou-baby?" Her voice promised death to Kunou if he had
awoken her for anything she felt was unimportant.
"I am afraid that I am not able to explain with my usual eloquence, but
some vile sorcery prevents me," Kuno began. He felt a tingling in the back
of his neck, which he had been told by Mistress Kaori was a warning sign
that his speech was nearing the point his curse would come into effect. "I
have... obtained something which may help us determine the father of your
foster-sister's child."
"Really?" Nabiki's interest perked up. "What is it? And how did you get
it?"
"I purchased a magical item from a sorceress. It is called the Fidelity
Gem." He pulled it out of his robes.
"Oh? How does it work?"
Kunou frowned. "If you point it at someone, you are able to see the last
one who that person was... intimate with." On a whim, he pointed it at
Nabiki, and smirked. "I see that you are perhaps more innocent than I
believed; thou hast not- er, you haven't yet felt the pleasures of the
flesh."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Nabiki slapped Kunou, outraged. Instinctively, he raised
his hand to protect his face, dropping the gem. Nabiki caught it before it
fell. She turned it on Kunou herself, and nodded. "Why, it looks like you
as a child... wait a second, you and I are in the same boat, aren't we?
Otherwise, I'd see some woman here, wouldn't I?" Kunou, rubbing his aching
jaw, nodded. "So... what was the point of using that thing on me, anyway?"
Kunou winced. "I wanted proof that it worked. I have yet to see if it
does."
Nabiki, still very angry, grabbed Kunou by the ear. "You want to test it?
Come on!" She dragged him with her over to the living room, where her
father and Genma-panda were playing shogi, oblivious to the rest of the
world. She pointed it at her father and looked into it. "Mommy..." She
wasn't prepared for the clarity of the picture, and suddenly all of the
memories of her late mother hit her hard. She stumbled back, dropping the
Fidelity Gem and almost falling over before Kunou caught her.
"Are you okay?" he asked with some genuine concern in his voice.
"Uh, yeah," Nabiki said, not making any moves to get out of his arms for a
second. "I just... didn't think about what would happen when I saw the
picture of my mother..." She shook her head dazedly. "I just need a
moment."
Kunou, uncertain of what to do, just held her as she recovered, . As soon
as Nabiki realized what was going on, she broke out of his grasp and
started standing on her own. Kunou picked up the gem, and turned back to
Nabiki, worry written on his face. "Perhaps thou needest- er, perhaps you
want to do this tomorrow?"
Nabiki shook her head. "Nah. If we do this now, I can get my mind off of
things for a while..." She led Kunou to Natsume's room, and they went
inside. Natsume was asleep, but Nabiki wanted to try anyway. "The gem
makes no sound when it's used, so let's try it anyway," she said.
Kunou nodded, and pointed the crystalline device at the sleeping girl.
Suddenly, anger flared in his eyes. "Why that... he makes such pretenses
of honor, but... I cannot stand by and let this man get away with this!"
Natsume started to wake up at his ranting while Nabiki ineffectively tried
to calm him down. "I shall not let him! He shall feel the wrath of the
Blue Thunder!" Kunou continued, despite the tingling in the back of his
neck. "You vile CUR! I shall cry 'HAVOC' and let loose the dogs-"
Suddenly, though Kunou's lips moved, his voice no longer said anything.
Nabiki was astounded. No-one had ever shut Kunou up before without hitting
him, to her knowledge. That he wasn't able to speak was shocking. 'Too
bad it's when I want him to be able to speak the most...' She sighed.
"How long till you can speak again, Kunou-baby? Hours?" Kunou stopped his
silent ranting, turned, and shook his head. "Days? Weeks?" Kunou nodded.
"Weeks? How many weeks?" Kunou raised up two fingers. "TWO WEEKS?"
Nabiki sighed, frustrated. 'Well... I don't think I want this written
down, just in case someone else gets their hands on it. And I don't really
feel like using that gem again, after seeing...' She shuddered, but then
turned her attention back on Kunou. "Tell you what, Kunou-baby... in two
weeks, I'll come over to your house, and we can talk about this some more.
Maybe I can advise you on how our family wants to deal with... the father."
Kunou considered for a moment, and then nodded. He bowed to her, turned,
and left.
"Nabiki?" Natsume's voice creaked. "What was that?"
"We're trying to find the father of your child, so that we can deal with
him as you see fit."
Natsume frowned. "You don't need to do that."
Nabiki smirked. "No, but we want to." Natsume opened her mouth to say
something, but was cut off. "I mean, if for nothing other than child
support, we need to find him. We can't afford to support you, your sister,
and your child, as well as Ranma, his parents, and ourselves."
Natsume looked pained. "But..."
Nabiki shrugged. "You don't need to do anything- we'll take care of it."
Natsume still wanted to say something, but Nabiki wouldn't let her. "Hush.
You need your sleep. We can't afford the medical bills if you collapse
from exhaustion." With that she left.
* * * * *
A week later, Ukyou was knocking once more on the Tendou Dojo's front door.
Nodoka came to the door and opened it. "Oh, you're here already," she
said. "I need a minute or two to get ready to go- I finished making the
necessary arrangements for what we're going to do just seconds ago."
"Arrangements?" Ukyou asked, confused. "What arrangements?"
Nodoka smiled. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." She ran into the
bathroom and ran out a few minutes later, her hair freshly straightened and
a fresh layer of make-up put on. She was also wearing a business-like
skirt and blouse. She looked Ukyou up and down and frowned. "I wish you
had worn something a bit more formal, but I guess it can't be helped now."
She opened a nearby closet and pulled out her purse and a sun hat. "Okay,
I'm ready. Let's go!"
Ukyou followed Nodoka out the door and all the way downtown without asking
any questions. Curiousity finally got to the better of her, however.
"Just where are we going, anyway?"
Nodoka smiled secretly. "The local administration center."
Ukyou blinked. "Huh? Why?"
"You'll see when we get there..."
A few minutes later, Ukyou looked up and saw someone she hadn't seen in
years. "D... dad?" Mr. Kuonji ran up to Ukyou and gave her a big hug.
"Hello, my little girl. It's been, what, ten years?" He smiled, and
turned to Nodoka. "You must be Mrs. Saotome?"
"Yes, I am," Nodoka nodded. "Do you have your end of the paperwork?"
Mr. Kuonji nodded. "Right here," he said, handing Nodoka a bunch of
papers. "Can I still visit her when I want?"
Nodoka smiled. "Of course. Though why haven't you visited her more before
now?"
Mr. Kuonji frowned. "Well... I never knew where she was!"
Ukyou broke in. "Hey, what's going on here? Why wouldn't you be able to
visit me?"
"Well, Ukyou," Nodoka answered. "It's simple. You might not be able to
become Ranma's wife, but... you CAN become his sister. I'm adopting you,
Ukyou... welcome to the family."
Ukyou's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
"Unless you don't want me to?"
"Well, I..." Ukyou considered. 'Well, what more would I get from Ranma if
he were to be my husband rather than my sister? Some kisses, some... other
stuff of the like, but... is there anything else I would miss? I...' She
turned to Nodoka hesitantly. "Well, I guess I do."
* * * * *
Nodoka sighed. It had been a very trying day- after taking care of the
formalities required in order to adopt Ukyou, she had rushed home, and had
another encounter with Cologne as she checked up on Natsume. Then she had
heard from Nabiki that she might be able to identify the baby's father in a
couple of weeks, but the only person who could help right now had
laryngitis or something and couldn't talk. Finally, she'd gotten into an
argument with her husband about how intelligent it was to adopt someone who
had caused so much trouble- blowing up her house and stopping the wedding
and all. Nodoka finally won it by mentioning how adopting the girl had
probably eliminated a possible competitor for Ranma's affections.
Nodoka was just about to head to the bathroom when the phone rang. She was
standing right next to it, so she sighed and picked it up. "Moshi, moshi!"
*"Hi, mom! It's me, Ranma,"* came the voice on the other end.
"Ranma?! Hi, son! Will you hold on for a moment while I get the rest of
the family?
*"Sure thing,"* he replied. Nodoka rushed into the other room. "Hey,
guys, Ranma's on the phone!" Genma-panda and Soun nodded, but didn't look
up from their game of shogi. A sign saying 'We'll be there in a minute'
was held up by the panda, however. Kurumi, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Ukyou (who
had stayed over to visit for a little while) were all surprised and rushed
with her back to the phone.
"Okay, I'm back. How are you, my son?"
*"Oh, fine, fine..."*
"Why're you calling?"
*"Oh, I called to let you guys know what we've found out so far..."*
Ukyou tapped Nodoka on the shoulder. "Tell him about me now," she
whispered in her ear.
Nodoka nodded. "Ranma, I'm sure we're all anxious to hear that, but first
let he tell you what's been going on here."
*"Okay, go ahead."*
"Well, first of all, Kunou's promised to help find the father of Natsume's
baby, but then he got laryngitis, and isn't able to help much anymore."
*"Uh-huh..."*
"And Cologne is checking in on her pregnancy regularly. Apparently, the
father is so strong in chi that she thought he was you for a second
there..."
*"Uh-huh..."* He sounded vaguely bored, as if this was territory which had
been covered before.
"Oh, yeah, and Ukyou dissolved your engagement to her so that she could be
adopted. She's now your older sister." Nodoka, though smirking, was just
able to say that as evenly as she'd said all the other lines.
*"Uh-hu- WHAT?"* There was a brief pause with a shuffling sound, as if he
was turning away from the phone. Then, Nodoka heard a muffled *"Akane,
you're not going to believe this one..."* Ukyou, who had been listening on
another extension, put down the reciever when she heard the 'what' and
started laughing. Nabiki might have detected a slight bit of sadness in
the laughter, but it was genuine laughter nonetheless. Nodoka let Ranma
finish explaining what was going on to Akane, and waited for him to start
talking to her again. *"Okay,"* he continued. *"So... anything else of
major importance you have to tell me? Like dad divorced you and married
Cologne, or something?"*
Nodoka shuddered. "No, and don't ever mention that again, even in jest..."
Soun and a damp but human Genma entered the room, their game of shogi over
for the moment. "Anyway, you said you had some things to tell us?"
*"Yeah.... We found out a lot of stuff. First off, their entire family
was almost certainly killed in an explosion except for their father..."*
"Oh, dear," Nodoka exclaimed, looking at Kurumi. The younger girl looked
back curiously. "I hope you have some good news."
*"Yeah, I do. There is a very good chance that the father is alive, and we
now have a name and a possible location where he might be staying now. His
name- and the family name of Kurumi and Natsume- is Desaix. Kenji Desaix.
Last anyone around here heard, he was leaving for Xiquan, a small village
in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China."*
"Their family name is Desaix, you say?" Nodoka asked. Kurumi blinked.
*"Yeah, apparently their grandfather was an American here during the
occupation, and the family took his name. Probably explains Kurumi's hair
color."* Nodoka thought she heard a brief click, and Ranma's voice
returned to the line sounding a little disappointed. *"Well, mom, looks
like I have to go. That was the operator saying that I have to either go
or deposit more money, and Akane and I are almost broke right now. I'll
call again if anything... you ought to know... comes up. Bye!"*
"Bye, Ranma!" Nodoka said, before hearing a click and then the dialtone.
She turned to the assembled people. "Well, Kurumi, most of your family is
gone, but they might still be able to find your father- his name is Kenji
Desaix, and they think he's in the village of Xiquan in the Ningxia Hui
region of China. They-"
Two people broke in at once.
"Desaix? I think I know that name?" Soun pondered.
"NINGXIA? Are they out of their MINDS? We just BARELY escaped with our
lives last time we were there, and they're going BACK?"
Nodoka winced. "Quit shouting, Dearest. Our son can take care of himself,
and Akane is with him and can likely help him along the way." Ukyou
grimmaced and Nabiki's mouth formed a straight line as she struggled to
keep the concern she felt for her sister out of her face, but everyone else
was relieved. Nodoka turned back to Kurumi. "This must me a bit much for
you to handle right now. What do you say Kasumi and I go make you and your
sister some tea, and then we'll go with you to tell her what we found out?"
Kurumi, who looked a little shell-shocked, nodded and left with the two
motherly figure who were supporting her. Nabiki just shrugged and went
upstairs to her room. Ukyou, unsure of what to do, just sat where she was,
glaring at Genma. 'I forgot getting adopted meant that I now have HIM for
a father...' Soun, on the other hand, was contemplative. A breeze from a
nearby open window struck him, and he wandered absent-mindedly to close it.
"I know I've heard that name Desaix before... now where was it?"
* * * * *
On the roof, an ancient man who never seemed to be interested in anything
other than women's underwear was listening in to the conversation going on
below. 'So...' Happosai thought to himself. 'I was right. Those two
girls ARE Desaix's daughters... Will the guilt never stop following me?!'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Kuno is Red, Kodachi is Black,
You've got 4 Fiancee's, You're under attack!
(poor Ranma)
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
desaix@sysnet.net
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872
fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm