Based on responses to the original Part Two, I did this one up to see how it
would fly. There's a Part Three as well, but I'm not sure about how far to
take this. BTW, JL Part One is on my web page.
As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.
All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.
Please Enjoy!
Coutuva.
Junko's Legacy - Part 2 - Version Two
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Akane looked up at the clock, a small smile crossing her
face. Reaching up, she gathered her hair back into it's familiar
ponytail and tied it back with the red ribbon she had left on
the table. It was almost 3:30, and her son would be home soon
from school. That meant supper had to be made, and she had to
move her laptop and papers back to her office.
Rising from her chair, she walked her teacup to the sink
and rinsed it out, then began to set up a new pot. As she passed
the small cabinet beneath the phone, she was reminded that she had
the production team coming after supper, and would have to dig out
her files on the latest production her company had begun.
Just as she removed the tea from the cupboard, she heard
a car pull up outside the house, and stepped to the window to see
who it was. It was far too early for her son to be home, and her
meeting wasn't till seven o'clock. Her eyebrows raised slightly
as she spotted the unfamiliar jade-green '98 Miyata sitting
unoccupied at the end of her driveway.
Just as she tried to figure out who she knew that would
have such a car, the door shook with a firm yet quiet knocking.
Straightening her dress, she turned and walked to the door,
sliding it back with a smile on her face. It quickly dropped
to a shocked gape as she caught sight of her guest.
On the patio stood a five-foot tall red haired girl,
looking to be about 16 years old. She stood demurely with her
hands together in front of her, and her deep blue eyes looking
back at Akane with nervous anticipation. She wore faded jeans
and a denim jacket, and on her feet were a pair of expensive
cowboy boots. Her flame red hair fell unrestrained about her
shoulders, shining brightly in the late afternoon sun. After
a second of mutual silence, the girl bowed quickly and cleared
her throat.
"Tendou Akane desu?" she asked, hesitantly.
"H - Hai." Akane answered, her hand rising to her mouth.
"Hajimemashite. I am Saotome Junko." the girl responded,
smiling nervously.
"Masaka...." Akane breathed, her face draining.
"Ano... did I come at a bad time?" the girl finally asked,
hesitantly.
"Ahh. No. Gomen, Saotome-san. I was just daydreaming..."
Akane replied, embarrassedly. She had been sitting staring at the
poor girl for several minutes, still having trouble dealing with
what she meant.
"I... realize that my presence must be a bit unsettling, but
I had to come." the girl responded, quietly. "I had to meet the
woman that my father still talks about to this day, even though he
has been happily married to my mother, Saotome Akiko, for almost 18
years." she continued, smiling slightly.
Akane wasn't quite certain how to react to the statement.
All at once, she felt flattered, happy, sad and angry, and couldn't
decide which one was more prevalent. All she could muster was a
quiet sigh.
"Is... something wrong?" Junko asked worriedly, concerned
that she may have struck a nerve. Her father had told her many
times of her host's violent tendancies, and she was becoming
nervous.
"Ya... I'm fine." Akane deflected, her face slightly sad.
"I'm just a bit shocked is all... I haven't heard anything about
your father since..." she added, the words still too painful to
say.
"I know. He told me the story about my namesake, and how
when she died, she literally took his life with her. After
everything that he had gone through with his father, then what
happened to him in Nerima Ward, her suicide was all he could take.
It broke him... he almost committed sepukku himself." Junko noted,
lowering her eyes. "It still haunts his memory to this day." she
added, quietly.
Akane was stunned. "Suicide...? Why?" she finally
blinked, raising a hand to her gaping mouth.
"Ano... you don't know?" Junko herself blinked, surprised.
"No... I left Nerima myself a few months later... the rumors
and stories about that made it impossible for me to be seen in
public. I had to leave for my own sanity." Akane explained, shaking
her head at the memory.
"Gomen... I didn't know." the girl stammered, shaking off
her surprise. "It turned out that the other Junko was in love with
Otousan's cursed form... only she didn't know about his curse. He
took her down to the riverbank and showed her his change, and she
couldn't take the thought that the woman she was so in love with
was not real. Later that night, she jumped off a nearby bridge."
the girl explained, sadly.
Akane slumped back in her chair heavily. "Oh my God..."
she breathed, her face paling.
"Hai. He spent a year travelling all over Japan in a vain
attempt to forget the pain. He was never able to though, and
eventually realized he never would. He finally settled just outside
Izumo, which is where I was born." Junko continued, still quietly.
"And I was ready to kill him for leaving me like that..."
Akane blurted, as if not having heard Junko's last statements at all.
"Nani?" the girl replied, finally noticing the strange
look on Akane's face.
"I was ready to kill him... I woke up the next morning, and
he was gone. No word, no trace, no reason. My father and his
father got in a big fight, and hated each other afterwards, even
blaming me for forcing him away." Akane added, a catch sneaking
into her voice. "The kids in the school were just as bad... they
said he ran away, they said he was in love with Junko and killed
himself over her, and some even said he was the one who killed
Junko." she spat, wiping her face. "And I missed him... terribly.
I thought he hated me, and that was why he left." she trailed off
brokenly, covering her face with her hands. Within a few seconds,
a painful sob escaped her cover, only to be followed quickly by a
most unladylike sniff.
Junko bit her lip, lowering her gaze to the tabletop.
Abruptly, Akane wiped her face dry and composed herself,
even forcing a small smile. "Gomen... I didn't mean to put on a
scene." she explained, sheepishly. "Tell me about him, Junko-chan.
Did he make out all right?" she continued, still wiping her face.
Junko couldn't help but notice that her host's mood had improved
somewhat, and took that as a good sign.
"'Hai." Junko began, drawing a breath. "After settling near
Izumo, he went to work at a Martial Arts School, starting as an
assistant. After a time, he started his own school and taught the
Art his way. He was a tough, no-nonsense teacher, and at first l
ost a lot of students to his demanding style. When the ones that
stayed began winning competitions regularly, the school took off.
Today, he is famous for the number of Grand Masters he has trained."
she explained, her eyes sparkling with pride. "He met my mother
when he hired her as a receptionist for his school. She was taken
with him almost from the day she met him, but he wanted nothing to
do with her or any other woman." Junko noted, her voice going
momentarily soft.
Akane gasped quietly, wondering if perhaps she knew the
reasons why. It was about that time that she also wanted nothing
to do with any suitors, and if it hadn't been for pressure from her
family, she would likely not ever have married.
Junko paused as she noticed the distracted look in Akane's
eyes, waiting patiently until she finished her thoughts. Finally,
Akane sighed and looked back toward her.
"Gomen... go on, Saotome-san. I want to hear the rest of
this." she urged, squaring herself in her seat.
"Hai, Tendou-san." Junko responded with a sharp nod, then
continued her story. "My mother somehow knew that deep inside, he
was interested in her... as interested as she was in him. She
persisted with her efforts to get past his stubbornness, and even
though he was very mean to her in the beginning, he started to
accept her. There were several heartbreaks for her along the way,
but she never gave up. Eventually, my father came to respect her
spirit and dedication, and finally allowed himself to love her, as
he had wanted to from the beginning. Three years after they met,
he finally asked for her hand, and they have been together ever
since." she related, pausing once more to smile wistfully.
"That's... wonderful, Junko-chan." Akane replied quietly,
a small smile parting her visage. Inwardly, she felt like
laughing out loud at the absurd irony. She had him; betrothed by
honor and even living with her already, and because she hadn't
taken advantage of the opportunity that had been handed to her, she
was now listening to his daughter tell her what she had missed out
on. As well, it was doubly ironic that he now owned a Dojo.
After she left home and her sisters had married, there was nobody
left to take over the family property, so it was annexed by the city
after her father's heart attack.
"Is something wrong, Tendou-san?" Junko asked, noting the
odd look in her host's eyes.
"Ya... just thinking... "Akane replied, giving herself a
mental shake. "So, I guess your mother must know the Art as well,
ne?" she prompted, wanting to know more about the woman that had
capitalized on her mistake.
"Actually, she has no interest in the Art. She loves to
watch my father work out, but after they married, she left the Dojo
to have and raise me, then followed her own dream... breeding and
training Dressage horses on our ranch." she continued, smiling
at the thought.
Akane sighed resignedly at the smiling girl, not really
suprised by the story she was relating. She had always known that
Ranma would likely succeed in his life, but she found herself
again wishing that she had been with him. After he had left, she
hated him for a long time, feeling he had abandoned her to the
ravages of the rumour mill. As well, his disappearance brought
home to her how much she really had loved him, and how much she
hated being without him. Predictably, she summarily transferred
her anguish to more anger, which she had also directed at him.
After a few years and a failed marriage however, she
calmed down and put her life back together, but only after forcing
herself to forget the first man she ever loved. It had not been
easy, but she had managed to build a 'life after Ranma', something
that at one time she had considered impossible. Junko's arrival
had threatened to re-invoke many of those memories, but to
Akane's surprise, she found herself able to handle it...at least
so far.
"He never forgot you, Tendou Akane-san." Junko stated
abruptly, startling Akane out of her thoughts. "Even though he
loves my mother with all his heart, he still remembers you... and
he still regrets being unable to explain why he felt it
necessary to leave."
Akane sighed once more. "Junko-chan, to tell you the
truth... I never stopped loving him, once I realized that I did.
For several years, I blamed all my problems on him... until I
realized that I was the author of my own misfortune." she
indicated, smirking. "As I sit here and look at you, the girl
that could have been my daughter, I feel both happy and sad...
it's a weird feeling." she stated, thoughtfully. "I'm happy that
Ranma finally found the life he wanted so badly, but I'm also
sad... sad because I let him get away. I had my chance... I
realized that about 10 years ago. It's too late now to worry
about it though... We've both moved on, both found our own lives."
she smiled, weakly. "You're a beautiful girl... and you look
just like your father. He must be very proud of you." she noted,
a catch sneaking into her voice again.
For several seconds, Akane went quiet, and Junko had the
uncomfortable feeling that she was being examined. Eventually,
Akane started to shake her head, a smirk crossing her face slowly.
"I see you inherited the hair, ne? I always wondered how that
would work..." she quipped, raising her eyebrows.
"Ano... my mother has the same hair, and I have my father's
eyes." Junko grinned, obviously amused.
"Oh... then I guess it didn't... oh, nevermind." she
flustered, waving off the thought. "Did he... ever... go back
to China?" she continued, not entirely sure how to phrase the
question.
Junko had to laugh. "No, he never did. He would have, had
things not gone so well at the School. He still changes into a
girl, and we've... pulled a few pranks since we look so much alike."
she continued, still giggling.
"It sounds like you have a wonderful family, Junko-chan.
Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"No." Junko responded, abruptly frowning sadly. "My mother
can no longer have children... I'm the only child. Because of that,
my parents have taught me both the Art and Equestrian Husbandry.
My mother also taught me to ride competitively in both Dressage and
Western Games, so I could teach one day." she noted, sighing
resignedly. "That's why I'm in Nagano today... there's a show
tonight in the Olympic Facility, and I'm entered. My horses are
already there."
"I figured as much. Ranma would have made sure his children
were expert at something." Akane commented, smiling knowingly. At
that moment, the sound of a door sliding open caught the attention
of both women, and Akane's eyes widened. "Masaka...! Kito's home,
and I haven't made supper...!" she gasped, rising from her chair and
turning toward the sound.
"Hiya, Mom... how was your... *..." a tall, handsome young
man asked as he stepped from the hallway into the kitchen, his
question fading off as she noticed the gorgeous redhead sitting at
the table.
Junko gaped back at him wordlessly for a moment, her cheeks
gradually flushing beet red. Akane could only look wordlessly at
the pair, eyes darting from one transfixed face to the other.
"Ano... Kito, this is Saotome Junko. She's the daughter of
an old friend, come for a short visit." she finally interrupted,
snapping the eye-lock that the two teens had on each other.
"Hajimemashite, Saotome-san..." the young man finally
stammered as he bowed, utterly overwhelmed by Junko's presence.
"Hai. I am pleased to meet you as well, Tendou Kito."
Junko responded nervously, wringing her hands together on the table
sheepishly.
"Shimata..." Akane breathed, slumping back against the
counter as she suddenly realized that she wasn't seeing things.
"This can't be happening..." she groaned, shaking her head slowly.
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END - Junko's Legacy Part Two A Ranma1/2 Fanfic by Coutuva
Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com
_____________________________________________________________
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http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/9295/
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coutuva@geocities.com, coutuva@tsbnorth.com
"No, we don't broadcast animation live any more... it
puts too much of a strain on the Artist's wrists."