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Most of the characters within the story are from the Anime Series,
Ranma 1/2 and are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and whoever else may
own the rights. I write this without permission and do so with no
attempt to profit off of the marvelous works. Rather, I do so for
everyone's benefit. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.


Eighteen years have past since the disappearance of Ranma Saotome.
Though it was a hard blow felt by many, life in Nerima moved on. Time
brought many changes, many triumphs and many defeats, but the strange
events that had marked Ranma's initial arrival ceased, until today,
nearly two decades later. A simple chance meeting, between two people
who have never laid eyes upon each other before, can change the
course of many destinies, and, here in Nerima, anything is
possible...

**********************************************
*A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Misery Loves Company*
**********************************************
-Third Fanfiction, following "Vengeance" and "A New Life."
by Ryan Erik


Prelude: Love at First Glance


July 3, 2016

    A countless number of people walked past the black haired young
man waiting in the airport terminal for his sister. Commuter traffic
on the weekends was horrible and the youth simply had to experience
it at the worst time. Being pressed up against the wall while looking
through a vast amount of travelers was one thing, but he had to make
his way across the terminal to find out which gate his sister would
come from.
    Wondering how he let his mother convince him to pick his sister
up in the first place, the teenager shook his head in disgust. He had
just arrived home from his job at the market and was tired from
lifting those stupid crates full of fresh fruit. Simply unable to
deny a female anything, even when he had good reason to do so, he
obeyed her and immediately left to the airport, sulking silently. He
did not even have time to change out of his work clothes!
    While working his way through the crowd, someone slammed into
him, jarring him backwards. While the actual impact normally would
not even have fazed him, any pressure to his still tender ribs was
another story. Holding his sides, he continued cautiously,
maintaining his extremely slow pace through the river of people,
nearly all heading in the opposite direction. Glancing at his watch
distractedly, he noted the time. His sister's flight would have
arrived by now.
    'What kind of mess have you got yourself into now, Kenichi
Tendo?' he thought to himself sarcastically. He could be at home
right now, training with his mother's class or, better yet, enjoying
a meal at Ucchan's with all of his friends. He shrugged off that
train of thought when he saw his sister's sprightly figure literally
bouncing through the other passengers.
    "Maya!" he shouted in an attempt to gain her attention. He cut
his way through people a little more aggressively to reach her
position, receiving more than a few angry shouts.
    "Ken-chan!" she cried back, likewise working her way towards him.
When they reached each other, she collided into him like a freight
train, nearly knocking him off his feet when she pulled him into a
hug.
    "It's so good to see you, bro!" she whispered in his ear,
squeezing the air out of his lungs in a death-grip bear-hug.
    "It's only been a few weeks, sis," he said, but he felt the same.
There were so few people that he could relate to, and his sister was
one of them. Though most siblings do not get along at all, Kenichi
and Mayako Tendo were a definite exception. It might have been the
fact that they were twins or that their hobbies were virtually
identical, but no one knew for sure. Ken liked to think that the best
friends you could have were your family, anyway.
    "Yeah, but I missed you anyway," she replied with a smile. "Is
daddy or mom here?" she asked as they began to walk with the flow of
traffic.
    "Nah, just me," he answered, hoping she would not be upset. One
thing about his sister was that she could be extremely happy one
moment and utterly sad the next. "Mom had to teach the evening class
and dad..." he trailed off, hoping she could figure out why he was
not here.
    "...got lost again?" she finished, nearly breaking out into a
giggle fit on the spot. "Silly daddy."
    "Yeah," Ken said with less humor.
    "Ah, cheer up, poopy head," she teased, putting her arm around
his back and flashing one of her trademark kawaii smiles at him. "He
always finds his way back soon."
    "Most of the time," he said, holding his side in remembrance of
their last meeting.
    "Are you okay, Ken?" his sister asked, concerned. "Dad smack you
hard last session?"
    "Hai," he admitted, biting his lip. He decided to change the
subject. "Grandfather Soun was all worked up about something
yesterday," he informed her. "I couldn't get many details out of him,
though. He was crying as usual, so what he said was very slurred,
something about an old friend's son meeting him about some business
or another."
    "No names?" she asked, probably wondering if she knew him.
    "Nope, but I think he mentioned something about him being from
the States."
    They continued walking slowly through the crowd until they
entered the cafeteria, when Mayako turned to her brother with a
strained look on her face.
    "Can you wait right here, Ken?" she asked, a little bit tense. "I
have to go to the bathroom! The one of the flight smelt bad!"
    He grinned, shrugging. "Sure thing, sis. Try not to take too long
though. I want to get out of here as quickly as possible."
    "I won't," she promised before disappearing into the ladies'
restroom.
    Waiting impatiently outside the door, he slowly slid his eyes
shut, taking a deep breath of the warm, stuffy air. Exhaling quickly,
he coughed, releasing the offending gas from his lungs. Blanching, he
started tapping his foot, unable to spend another minute in this sea
of people.
    When an eerie quiet settled over him, a wave of thick air rushed
past his still form. Goose bumps began to rise on his arms and his
eyes snapped open. As if time slowed to a mere crawl, he watched the
crowds of people continue their snail-like pace across the airport,
but something else felt different. Taking a few tentative steps
forward, he closed his eyes once more and let his body lead him
across the court, drawing closer to whatever called to him, nausea
penetrating his cast-iron stomach.
    Not paying the least attention to his path, he collided into
someone, hard. Surprised, he sprawled backwards onto his bottom.
    "Ouch," someone moaned as Kenichi regained his senses.
    "I am so sorry!" he apologized, bowing his head from his prone
position. "Please forgive me...miss," he said, looking up quickly at
the person in front of him. He only caught a glimpse of her fiery red
hair as he began to help her collect her bags.
    "Forget it," she muttered unenthusiastically.
    The suitcase she had been carrying jarred open, spilling some of
its contents. Among them were a few undergarments, which he let her
pick up, a martial arts gi complete with a rolled up black belt and a
few shirts. He took notice of them as he quickly shoved them into her
suitcase. As he reached for the last piece, their heads collided with
a bump.
    Shying back from her slightly, he looked up and caught her quick
glance. His mouth cracked open slightly and his eyes widened. Before
him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his young life,
bar none. Her sapphire blue eyes caught the light, reflecting back
into his eyes. Her lightly tanned skin was completely unblemished,
with not a trace of make-up to be seen. Parted down the middle, her
crimson bangs hung in front of her eyes, cascading across her face,
and her long red hair spilled over her left shoulder in a loosely
tied braid. She wore but a simple red, knee-length dress, yet on her
it seemed fit to be worn by royalty. Turning her head quickly, she
broke their mutual glance.
    His heart leapt through his chest and he realized he had yet to
take a breath since he laid his eyes upon her. Standing up quickly,
he offered his hand to her, his breath still held, hoping that she
would take it. Sparks shot up his arm when he felt her touch, her
hands feeling softer than silk. Time seemed to freeze as he pulled
her to her feet, their eyes meeting one last time.
    He bent over quickly, retrieving her suitcase and a sealed bag
that he failed to notice earlier and handed it to her. She took it
slowly, their hands touching again as the bag was passed to her
possession once more. The look on her face showed that she wanted to
say something, but instead she smiled.
    "I'm sorry, miss...?" he apologized again, hoping that she would
give him her name.
    "Kimiko," she replied. She turned to leave, but looked at him one
last time. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san."
    His mouth creasing in a broad smile, he watched her until he
could see her no longer. The exchange over, he felt light-headed as
he unsteadily walked back to the door of the ladies' bathroom. Never
in his life had he ever felt like that, his heart beating rapidly,
sweating under his clothes and all together nervous.
    "Kimiko," he repeated, a dreamy look appearing on his face.
"How'd she know my name?" he thought out loud.
    "I think the name tag was a big giveaway," his sister said,
having just exited the restroom. "You really should change out of
your work uniform before you go places." She paused for a moment and
asked, "Who's Kimiko?"
    "The girl of my dreams," he answered, still looking towards the
direction she had departed.
    "Come on, lover boy," his sister said, tugging on his
shirt-sleeve. "Let's go get some grub."
    "Hai," he answered, Kimiko's face still pictured in his head. "I
wish that I could see her again."

        *        *        *

Moments ago.

    The Boeing jumbo-jet performed a near flawless landing, coming to
a stop at its destination, Tokyo, Japan. After a few moments, the
runway crew had the portable stairway pressed up against the plane,
allowing its passengers to depart the craft. As the first people made
their way down the stairs, a gentle rain began to caress the earth.
    A pair of sad, sapphire blue eyes regarded this new event
stoically and the beautiful redhead held out her free hand, catching
a few droplets before returning it to her side. She kept her steady
pace down the stairway with her suitcases in tow. Homecomings were
never easy for her, no matter how short they would be.
    Intent on meeting her brother at the food court, she followed the
line of people into the airport terminal. The crowd in San Francisco
was nowhere near as bad as the one that greeted her here. No matter
how large the Tokyo airport was, there were too many people all
cluttered together into one building. Though she was not exactly
nervous in large groups of people, that did not mean she had to like
being with them.
    Throughout her life, one constant always seemed to be solitude.
Her childhood spent in poverty and traveling, she never had a chance
to grow accustomed to the numbers that big cities held. She could not
wait to cast aside formalities and be back in the countryside that
had raised her. She wanted to surround herself with something
familiar, like a protective cloak shielding her from the chill of her
cold reality.
    Why did it have to be so hard? Here she was, back in Tokyo where
her revenge lay waiting for her to start, yet she needed to pull
herself together. Though she could keep herself from crying most of
the time, she was an emotional wreck, and she knew it. Her anger and
frustration often got the better of her, not to mention the
depression that lay in the back of her soul. Half of the time she
could barely contain all her dark emotions, poised and ready to
attack her conscious.
    The fact that her sleep, for the past week, had been restless at
best did not help the matter. Nightmares of her past, present and
future all led up to the decisive moment that she would soon face,
but she could only wonder if she was ready. Akane would be near, and
Kimiko needed to decide whether or not she would face her love now,
or later, after she had better prepared herself. Unfortunately for
her, fate made the choice for her.
    Pressing conscious thought away for later, she mindlessly joined
the slow moving crowd. Jarred in every direction, she sorted through
the people, paying little attention to where she actually was being
led. She looked up for a moment, not expecting to see anything worth
her time, yet she saw something that completely took her breath away.
Her eyes transfixed upon...her.
    Standing nearby the ladies bathroom door, a youth dressed in a
dark blue shirt and gray slacks apparently waited for someone.
Kimiko's knees trembled, standing close enough to see the face - the
face of the one she loved.
    "Akane," she whispered under her breath, unable to move. She
stood there for no more than a moment when Akane began to walk toward
her, her eyes closed. With a growing prayer, Kimiko wondered if Akane
could feel her presence.
    Taking a few tentative steps forward, Kimiko changed her
direction, heading straight towards Akane. A long overdue smile
appeared on her face as she walked to meet her love. Their distance
closed, but Akane did not see her and they crashed into each other.
    "Ouch," Kimiko moaned, her eyes still locked on the fallen form
in front of her. Something was different about her...she was a he?!
    "I am so sorry!" the young man apologized, moving to gather her
bags. She could only stare at him dumbly. If Akane had a younger
brother, this would be him. From the short black hair parted down the
middle and hanging over his ears, to his cute, heart-shaped face and
large brown eyes, she did not feel stupid about mistaking him for
Akane.
    "Forget it," she muttered to him, very disappointed that he was
not who she wished him to be.
    She shied her gaze from him the instant he looked up at her and
began to assess the condition of her fallen bags. She blushed
slightly, seeing her underwear scattered across the smooth, tiled
floor. As she began to return them to the proper suitcase, she leaned
over too close and their heads collided, rather hard. After she
quickly returned them to their proper suitcase, she looked at him
again. This time, he returned the gaze, forcing her to quickly shy
her head once more.
    He then stood and offered his hand to her. She debated his offer
for a moment, but could not see the harm in it, her legs still
feeling a little wobbly. His hand were warm and easily enclosed her
much smaller one.
    He looked like he wanted to say so much, as if in their short
encounter, he knew her. Smiling casually, she looked at him intently,
desperately wanting to ask him of his relationship to Akane.
Unfortunately, nothing good would come from the public knowledge of
her return.
    "I'm sorry, miss...?"
    "Kimiko," she answered mechanically.
    With nothing left to say, she turned her back in preparation to
leave. There was more to this than a chance encounter with an Akane
clone, and she turned back to him again, noticing a name tag on his
shirt. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san."
    She began to walk away from him as fast as she could without
unnecessary attention. Seeing the food court, she located her older
brother, Kiyoshi, and sat down next to him, dropping her suitcases on
the floor.
    "Hey," she greeted.
    "It's about time, Kimchan," he said, putting his hand on her
slender shoulder. "I was beginning to worry." He took her suitcases
and stood up. "Shall we be off?"
    "I have something that I really have to do, Kiyo-kun," she
informed him, using Amanda's nickname for him. "I'll call a cab and
have him take me to...where are we staying?"
    "The Hilton," he responded. "Try to finish it up as soon as
possible. When you're done, ask at the front desk and someone will
show you to the room. Be back by dark?"
    "I'll try," she promised, standing up. "I'll probably get there
before you, knowing how slow you drive."
    "Just be careful," he said. "Later."
    Without further notice, she quickly slipped back into the crowd.
She truly wished that she had worn pants instead of a dress, but with
Amanda dropping her off at the airport, she had her outfit for the
plane ride picked out for her. Of course, she knew she did not look
bad in it and she had acquired a limited tolerance for them, but the
mobility of pants far exceeded that of most dresses.
    She quickly discovered her target, being half-dragged by a girl
roughly his height. Keeping a safe distance away, she followed the
young man out of the airport and towards the parking lot. A bit of
panic started to fill her when she realized that she probably would
not be able to keep up with them if they took a car.
    She grinned when she saw them unlock a pair of bikes and begin to
leave the airport's parking lot. She could easily follow bicyclists.
While she was running to keep up with the couple, the distance
between them began to grow until they entered a residential area.
    Taking to the rooftops, Kimiko glided effortlessly from one to
the next, easily keeping up now. Though the rooftops were still quite
wet from the rain, she had little trouble maintaining her balance.
They were all very similar, tiled in classical Japanese fashion,
slanting downward from the center.
    Drops of rain silently began to fall from the heavens, at first a
light mist and then an all out downpour a minute after it started.
Kimiko scowled and jumped from the roofs onto the sidewalk. It was
simply too dangerous to travel over slick tiles in the rain. She
would have to keep to the other side of the road to not be seen.
    She watched the two teenagers dismount from their bicycles,
chaining them to a pole in front of their destination before entering
it. Kimiko crossed the street again, reading the name of the shop,
"Ucchan's." She wondered whether Ukyou would be there or not, since
this was not the original building the restaurant occupied. With the
hopeful notion of seeing her old friend again, she entered
cautiously, avoiding the boy she had followed here.
    Taking a seat in the back with a view of the bar where they sat,
she plopped down in a padded chair with a sigh. She looked around at
all the people, wondering if she knew any of them in her past life.
With a good view of the teenagers she had followed, she quickly
recognized their distinctive appearances. She knew for a fact that
those two were twins, both looking like younger versions of Akane.
The girl's hair was much longer than her brother's, but that was
probably the only difference other than their clothing. Just seeing
them sent chills up her spine.
    "Hello!" a cheerful, young waitress, popping out of nowhere,
greeted. "Welcome to Ucchan's! I'm Mai and I'll be your server." The
bouncy girl in front of her seemed vaguely familiar, but Kimiko could
not place her. She was very beautiful and probably no older than
thirteen or fourteen. She was dressed in a makeshift outfit,
consisting of white blouse, light blue skirt and an apron. She smiled
at the redhead warmly, showing her thin elfin features. Though her
beauty might have made her stand out, the purplish highlights of her
hair further did so.
    The waitress placed a menu in front of Kimiko and said, "Can I
get you anything to drink?"
    Making sure she had some yen on her, she responded, "Water will
be fine."
    "Okay, just tell me when you're ready to order!" With that said,
the girl skipped away, leaving Kimiko to herself again. Who could she
be? She pondered for a few moments when her eyes opened wide. Cooking
okonomiyaki behind the bar, stood someone who was very familiar and
made the identity of the waitress click into her head. Shampoo must
have had a daughter.
    Shampoo, though definitely showing signs of age, looked very good
for being thirty-six. She looked much more mature and wore a style of
clothing that Kimiko had never seen her wear before, modest. When she
had been pursued by her, all Shampoo had worn were skin-tight outfits
which were anything but modest. Her long, purple hair was styled very
differently, cut much shorter than Kimiko remembered it to be.
    Pretending to glance through her menu, her eyes shifted between
the twins and Shampoo. This was simply too weird. She watched Mai go
over to the twins and start a conversation, apparently knowing each
other. Maybe she would ask her if they were related to Akane, but if
she was Shampoo's daughter, it might be wiser not to.
    Returning to Kimiko's table, Mai asked, "Have you decided yet?"
    "I'll have a plain and a special," Kimiko told her. As Mai turned
to tell the cook of her order, Kimiko quickly asked, "Can I ask you a
quick question?"
    The waitress turned back curiously and responded with a nod.
    "Do you know who those two by the bar are?"
    "Hai, they're Kenichi and Mayako Tendo," Mai answered. "Why do
you ask?" Placing her hands on her hips, the girl stood, smiling.
    "No reason," Kimiko said, staring between the two. "They're
twins, right?" Mai nodded. To dispel any further curiosity on the
waitress' part she explained, "They just look familiar - that's all."
    Tendo. That was not a name she expected them to bear. Either Soun
remarried and had more children or one of the Tendo girls got
pregnant without a husband. The second option seemed very unlikely,
since the three girls were much too smart to do so. She doubted Akane
would have done so, and Nabiki was much too clever to put herself in
a position like that. Kasumi probably married Dr. Tofu and she would
not have sex without marriage anyway. Soun must have been the father.
    Eighteen years was too long of a time to be away. She desperately
wanted to run up to Shampoo and throw her arms around her, but she
knew much better than to cast off her identity. The consequences
would be more than she was willing to pay. Her mind further
wandering, she wondered how all of her friends would react to her
being back. Considering her current condition and appearance, they
might mistake her for her own daughter, but hopefully they would not
even make that much of a connection.
     Ranma was dead and Kimiko felt the need to keep it that way.
Bringing him back would only sully the Saotome name. She did not
deserve to be one anymore. Holding her head in her hands, she knew
that what Ryouga did to her was the worst thing that could possibly
happen to her, the loss of everything she held dear. He did not even
put her out of her misery. No longer able to contain them, tears
started flowing down her cheeks.

        *        *        *

    "The usual, Ken?" Shampoo asked him for the third time.
    "Hai," he muttered. His mind was definitely not on eating right
now. Up until he bumped into that girl in the airport, he did not
believe in love at first sight, disregarding it as nothing more than
a creation of cheap romance novels. It was too bad it had to be at
the airport where she probably was going to take a flight out of the
city, and he would never see her again.
    "You okay, Ken?" Mayako asked, concern evident in her voice. She
put her hand to his head. "You look out of it. You're not still
thinking about that girl from the airport are you?"
    "Who is she, Ken-san?" a curious Mai asked, startling him.
    "I don't know," he told them truthfully. "She was the most
beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life." He sighed, resting his
head on his hands.
    "What did she look like?" Maya inquired further.
    "To even begin to describe her..." he began, sighing again. In a
poor attempt at poetry, he began his oration, "Her hair was bright
red, like the setting sun seconds before it passes out of sight. Her
eyes were like brilliant sapphires. Her skin was flawless, unmarred
by trials. What more can I say? She was absolutely perfect."
    "He's really got it bad," Mai muttered to his sister. Ken paid
them little attention, his focus still on her image. "I've never seen
him like this, even with all the girls at school after him."
    "No kidding," she whispered back. Turning back to Ken she teased,
"I was starting to think you were gay."
    Letting the remark go, he simply stared forward at nothing.
    "Hey, I think I've seen that girl you're talking about," Mai
said, gaining his full and complete attention. "She asked about you."
The last was followed by a giggle.
    "W-what?" he stammered in complete incomprehension. "You've seen
her?!" More of her words clicked in. "She asked about m-me?" Had his
wish come true? Could she actually be here, or was Mai teasing him?
    "Hai, she's sitting right over there," Mai said, pointing towards
the back.
    "If you're kidding me..." he trailed off, leaving the threat
unspoken. He stood up, getting a grip of his senses, and with all the
calm he could muster he walked towards the direction Mai indicated,
his sister close on his tail.
    No more than five seconds later, he stood before her, just as
beautiful as he remembered. Her head rested on the table in her
hands, tears fresh on her cheeks. Her hair was still wet with rain,
falling over her face. He heard a muted sob sound from her and became
determined to find out what was wrong.
    "Mind if we join you?" his sister asked for him, he silently
thanking her.
    Looking up at them, the girl stopped crying instantly, her face
full of unreadable emotions. Her eyes, still bright red from her
tears, danced between them. He stood there waiting for her answer in
suspended animation, nothing moving and no one speaking. He could do
nothing but stare at her, the closest thing he had ever see to an
angel.
    "Suit yourselves," she finally told the twins, wiping tears from
her cheeks with her bare, right forearm.
    They sat down, Mayako across from her and he next to Mayako.
    "What's wrong, sugar?" his sister asked, offering the redhead a
napkin, which she took. "You look like you needed a friend."
    "More than you know," she mused, chuckling sardonically. "I'm
Kimiko Nishiyama," she managed to say between sniffles.
    "I'm Mayako Tendo," his sister began, introducing herself. Then
she continued, indicating towards him, "And this is my brother
Kenichi, whom I think you've met before."
    "Hi," he managed to say, still shocked at meeting her again. Fate
must be beside him, he decided. There was simply no explanation to
bumping into her twice, neither knowing the other before the events.
"You can call me Ken."
    "Do you come her often?" Maya inquired, trying to spark
conversation. "I've never seen you before."
    "I don't live in Tokyo," she told them. "I've never been here
before."
    Just as Kimiko finished talking, Mai strode up to them, their
okonomiyaki in her hands. She calmly placed them in their prospective
places, smiling knowingly at Kenichi. "If you guys need anything
else, just holler." With that, she left them to their conversation.
    "Where in Japan are you from, then?" Ken asked, hoping she did
not live too far away.
    "Actually, I'm from California," Kimiko said, beginning to pick
at her food. She did not quite look Japanese and her accent sounded a
little strange, but she definitely had learned it in Japan. "How
about you guys?" she asked, in between mouthfuls.
    "We live here in Nerima," Maya answered. "How long are you
staying?"
    "I'm not really sure," the redhead answered, solemnly. "Probably
no longer than a week."
    Kenichi's brittle heart of glass shattered into thousands of
shards. He had found his dream-girl...only to find that she would be
leaving soon.
    "Ever been to Japan before?" Ken asked, trying to get more
information out of her. She nodded to his question, her mouth full of
food.
    "Did you want to talk about it?" Mayako suddenly asked the girl.
    "Talk about what?"
    "You know, what you were crying about," Mayako clarified. Kimiko
stopped eating, putting her chopsticks down, her eyes downcast. "I'm
sorry. I shouldn't have been so nosy."
    "Don't be," she replied nonchalantly. "I was just a little bit
upset, that's all. Nothing to worry about."
    "If you're sure," Mayako sighed. "It is nice to have someone you
can talk to if you need, though."
    "I appreciate the offer," Kimiko said, her face softening. "I
really don't know you guys, but if you want to talk, why don't you
tell me about yourselves?"
    Kenichi, waiting for a moment to speak, deemed it time. "What
would you like to know?" With his gaze unwavering from her, he wanted
to know everything about her. Nothing escaped his eyes, especially
not the way she looked at his sister and him, as if she knew more
than meets the eye. Something about her simply *called* to him,
begging for the release of her sadness. Her simple presence was more
gratifying than any novel he had read, sport he had played or
technique he had learned.
    "Anything," Kimiko said. She hummed and her eyes lit up. "Do you
know martial arts?"
    "Hai," he replied evenly. That in itself was an understatement,
or so he figured. His parents, since he was old enough to walk, had
been teaching him and his sister to be the successors of the
Anything-Goes style of martial arts and the Tendo dojo. Both of them
were the best fighters in their school, not to mention in their age
group at tournaments. Though he openly admitted his sister was
better, he more than *knew* martial arts. "How about you? I couldn't
help but notice your black belt when your suitcase broke open."
    Her face visibly reddened as did his, remembering some of the
*other* contents that spilled from her suitcase. "Sort of," she
responded. "You two any good?"
    "We've been practicing since we were little," Mayako said,
grinning at him. "We enter lots of tournaments and win most of them."
    "Oh, so modest," Ken teased, elbowing his sister playfully.
    "Maybe we can get together before I leave and spar or something,"
the redhead suggested, picking up her chopsticks.
    "That'd be great," he replied enthusiastically. He turned to his
sister and asked, "Does mom have class tomorrow?"
    "Nope," she replied. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Why, what's up?"
    "How about we set up a date for tomorrow?" When Maya grinned at
him deviously, he added, "Just the three of us at the dojo?"
    "I don't think I have plans," Kimiko said.
    "Works for me, bro."
    They continued to converse, talking about nothing important. Ken
had few moments in his life that were this happy, but tomorrow would
exceed them all. If she would only be here a week, he would try to
make the best of it. His heart soaring, they left Ucchan's for home
after Mayako reminded him that Kimiko did not know the location of
their dojo.


    As they had finished eating at Ucchan's, Kimiko smiled inwardly.
Luck could not have been better for her. Here she was, expecting to
have to follow them and eavesdrop to figure out who they were and
other information, but now she was talking to them freely and invited
to their house.
    While this was good news, she could not help but feel a little
scared, not that she would admit it of course, but she knew she had
to face it sometime. Though she may be leaving in less than a week,
she might as well take a look around the place. If Akane was there,
she would take it like a...well she would act for all she was worth.
She had to know Akane's fate and she now had the chance. Nothing
could cause her to back down now.
    As they exited the building, she looked up at what few stars were
visible, silently thanking whatever gods existed that she had a
chance to see Akane again. Her unhappiness forgotten, she followed
the friendly twins to their home.
    "Kimiko?"
    "Nani?" she asked, embarrassed that she had been so deep in
thought that she missed what they were saying.
    "You feeling okay?" Ken asked her, much concern evident in his
voice.
    "Hai," she replied. "I was just thinking."
    "Yen for your thoughts," Mayako said with her head arched back so
that she could view the heavens.
    Kimiko thought about a response for a second before answering. "I
was just thinking that the whole time I was in California, I made
only one friend, but I've been here for a single day and I've made
two."
    Her answer made Kenichi beam. She wondered if he did not have
many friends, either. He had not exactly been acting strange all
night, but his behavior stood on a fine line in between. Although,
she figured that she was the last person who should be judging other
people, considering her situation.
    Mayako had acted like she knew a joke that no one else quite
understood. Though she was undeniably joyful like her brother, her
good mood was more directed towards her Kenichi than towards her, or
so it seemed. Maybe Kimiko's first assumption was right in that he
did not have many friends.
    The trio arrived at the gates of the Tendo residence, looking
exactly like Kimiko had left it so many years ago. As they began to
walk through the gates, the heavens picked that moment to began to
rain once again.
    "Let's get inside quick!" Mayako exclaimed, pulling Kimiko and
Ken towards the house.
    Up until this point, Kimiko did not think about what would happen
if someone recognized her. Her heart skipped a beat as they entered
the house, removing their shoes. Who would be here to recognize her?
    As if answering her unspoken question, someone very familiar
waved to them as they entered the living room. Soun Tendo, his hair
as white as a sheet of paper, smiled at his grandchildren. Still
wearing his off-white, disturbingly old gi, the elderly man stood and
walked up the trio.
    "I'm glad you two are back," he told them. "It seems you have
brought one of your friends."
    "Hai, Grandfather Soun!" Mayako said cheerfully, hugging him with
the same enthusiasm. "Grandfather Soun, this is Kimiko Nishiyama."
    "Greetings elder," Kimiko replied with a deep bow, praying he did
not recognize her.


    Leaning forward, Soun shifted a pair glasses to the bridge of his
nose and looked at the redhead thoughtfully. His mouth creased
slightly, and his eyes narrowed, but he quickly regained his
composure and smiled broadly. "It is good to meet you, dear." After
being released by Mayako, he calmly turned and walked back to his
chair, sitting down and pretending to read the newspaper.
    Casting nervous glances at the children's retreating figures, he
tossed the paper aside, rushing into the kitchen. Lifting the phone
receiver, he quickly dialed a set of numbers and waited.
    "Hello?" a high-pitch voice piped on the other side.
    "Hello, Eiji-chan," Soun greeted, his voice audibly shaken. "Is
your Uncle Genma around?"
    "Hai, Grandpapa!" Eiji replied enthusiastically. "I'll go get him
right now!"
    Hearing the receiver drop and slam against a hard surface, Soun
smiled nervously. Weakly sucking cold air into his lungs, he warily
closed his eyes, placing his hand to his brow. Pulling up a kitchen
stool to his position, he quickly sat before his legs fell out from
underneath him.
    "Yes?" a deep, male voice exhaustibly asked.
    "It's me, Saotome," Soun replied quickly, removing his hand from
his sweaty forehead and wiping the perspiration on his gi pants.
    "Ah, Tendo, my friend. What is the matter?"
    "I may have met someone who is related to...him."
    The silent sound of static responded to his statement in addition
to Genma's heavy breathing.
    "Are you sure?" Genma asked finally, copying his friend's shaky
voice.
    "Not totally," Soun admitted. "But the girl my grandchildren
introduced me to looked exactly like your son's cursed form did when
we last saw him...but a bit younger, I believe."
    Another dramatic pause filtered through the receiver, praying
upon Soun's nerves.
    "Anything else?" Genma asked slowly, breathing heavily against
the receiver.
    "Yes," Soun replied, nervously adjusting his belt with his free
hand. "She gave her name as Kimiko Nishiyama."
    "As in Nobukazu Nishiyama, and his adopted son?"
    "That might be, Saotome. I'm meeting the boy in a few days, so we
shall see by then."
    "It has been too long," Genma stated solemnly.
    "Aye, it has."
    "Would you like to talk to your daughter?"
    "No, let's leave her out of this for now."
    "Good thinking, Tendo. Find out what you can."
    "I will, Saotome. Ja ne."
    "Ja ne," Soun heard Genma reply as he placed the receiver on its
hook.


    Relaxing a bit as the trio left the living room, Kimiko sighed.
She figured that Soun knew something was amiss, but besides her
appearance, she had no connection to her old personae. The thought
that bothered her, though, was the fact that the twins had addressed
him as "Grandfather Soun," and not father. One of the other Tendo
sisters must have had them. She dreaded the answer to that mystery.
    "Let's go to my room," Mayako suggested.
    Not having anything better to do at the moment, Kimiko simply
shrugged, and Ken followed the two girls as they made their way
through the hall and up the stairs. They passed the room that Kimiko
had used with her father and walked into Kasumi's old room. As they
entered, the room was dark but Mayako quickly flipped the wall
switch, lighting up a small globe on the ceiling.
    The room was furnished brightly, reminding Kimiko of Amanda's
taste in decoration. Her dresser, on the immediate left, seemed to be
the only plain furnishing in here, most likely a hand-me-down. The
bed across the room had sky blue sheets with matching pillow cases. A
vanity mirror and a shelf, holding a stereo and various music items,
were against the right wall across from the bed. Next to the bed, a
night stand with dozens of trophies stood. The walls were completely
covered from ground to ceiling with every type of poster one could
imagine, from athletes to bunnies. The window on the left wall and
far wall were shaded with sky blue curtains, matching the bed.
    "Wow," Kimiko said, kneeling by the night stand. Some of the
trophies were for soccer, while the others were for martial arts
competitions. The trophies themselves did not impress her much, but
if they represented half the talent they hinted at, the girl might be
a half-way decent martial artist. "I guess you're pretty good then."
    "She is," Kenichi said, sitting next to Kimiko.
    Mayako jumped onto her bed, bouncing a few times before sitting
down near them. "I'm okay, I guess." She lay back, putting her hands
behind her head.    
    "She can beat me," Ken admitted, resting his back up against the
wall. "Mai-chan's mother, Shampoo, taught us a lot of martial art
techniques that really enhanced our abilities."
    Kimiko pondered what Shampoo could have taught them. There were
many amazonian techniques that they could have learned from her, from
the Breaking Point to the Chestnut fist. If Shampoo was here, then
Cologne might be too and that scared the redhead more than discovery
at the hands of her old friends. In her thoughts, she completely
missed Mayako glaring at her brother.
    "Shampoo?" Kimiko asked with feigned ignorance. "That's someone's
name?"
    "Hai," Maya answered. "It sounds that way, but it's really
Chinese for Xian Pu. So, Kimiko, what do you want to be when you
finish school?"
    "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I've been so
preoccupied with the present that I've never really thought much
about the future." What would she do with the rest of her life?
Beyond training and revenge, there was *nothing*. She could not
sponge off Kiyoshi forever, nor did she want to. She would need a
job, an education and who knows what else. She could always teach
martial arts, but she had no idea if anyone would hire a female
sensei. "How 'bout you two?"
    "I'm going to be a professional artist," Ken told her sheepishly.
"It's been my dream since I was a kid."
    "I wanted to be a professional soccer player," Mayako replied,
averting her eyes from both of them.
    "Unfortunately, one of us has to take over the dojo," Ken
solemnly told her. Nudging his sister with his elbow, he finished by
saying, "Probably going to be her, too."
    "Maybe," Mayako said seriously. "Unless I can figure out a way to
get out of that stupid promise Grandfather made with Uncle Saotome."
    That caught Kimiko's attention. A promise made between Soun and
Genma could only mean one thing:  they had yet to give up on the
joining of their the families. Did her father have another child?
    "What kind of promise?" Kimiko asked in an attempt to gain more
information from them.
    After a few seconds of silence, Ken answered. "A long time ago,
when they were students of the arts, they made a promise to join
their families. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to because the
Saotomes' children weren't old enough to marry my mom or her sisters.
The oldest, Rintaro, is a year older than us now though, and because
Maya is the only female grandchild who knows martial arts with any
proficiency, they expect her to fulfill their promise." Mayako nodded
along with his story.
    "Do you like him?" Kimiko curiously asked Mayako.
    "I don't really know him too well," she replied. "The only times
we ever see each other is when our families get together every other
Sunday. He seems to resent the agreement more than I do, since he
never even tries to talk with me."
    "From what I've seen, he's a good martial artist," Ken added.
    "Let's talk about something else," Mayako said, a little upset.
"I don't like to talk about that much." She sat up from her prone
position and turned to Kimiko. "How about you? Have a boyfriend?"
    It was her turn to feel like she was in the spotlight now. Her
cheeks reddened a little bit, and she shook her head. "I've been too
busy training for the last year to have any...relationships." She
wondered what she would tell them if they asked about why she was so
upset earlier. To give away too much of her past would probably raise
suspicion amongst the Tendo clan, and until she was prepared for such
an event, Kimiko would have to be careful what she told them.
    "What were you training for, Kimiko-san?" Ken inquired. She
turned to him, a thoughtful expression on her face.
    "You can call me Kimchan, if you like," she said. "I had
an...accident a while back." Carefully wording things, she tried to
tell them about her problems without giving too much away. "I had to
retrain my body to get back in shape, but I'm well now."
    "I'm sorry to hear that," Mayako whispered. With slightly raised
volume, she added, "But I'm glad you got better."
    "Me too," Ken said, smiling. Changing the subject, he asked, "Did
you arrive with your parents, or are you here alone?"
    "I'm with my brother," she replied nervously, hoping that they
did not delve any further into the subject. Careful not to volunteer
too much information, she added, "After he finishes business of some
sort, we're heading to China."
    "Cool," Mayako stated, grasping her knees with her hands. "You
going to see the Great Wall?"
    "Probably not," she answered. "Kiyoshi has business in China too
also. He offered me the chance to accompany him and I accepted. Not
like I have anything better to do with my summer."


    Kenichi quietly listened to his sister and Kimiko talk about
China, since his sister had visited twice before and he had not. The
subject mildly interested him, but he really had no reason to
traverse outside of Japan. His interest laid within martial arts,
books and art, none of which, he figured, China could help him with.
    Merely listening intently to Kimiko's voice, he silently sat
back, relaxing in her presence. He watched her lips move as she spoke
with her light, thoughtful voice. Recognizing an intelligence beyond
her age that she held within the depths of her eyes, he stared at her
as if paying attention to their conversation.
    He continued to look at her, the best thing ever to happen to
him, with unrelenting interest, failing to take notice to the fact
that they were trying to address him.
    "Wake up, zombie-boy," his sister said, knuckling his forehead.
    "Hey," he shot back. "Why'd you do that?"
    "I asked you a question, dopey," she informed him. The twist of
her lips and the slant of her brows denoted her obvious amusement,
threatening future teasing.
    "What is it, then?" he sighed.
    As Mayako only continued to smirk, Kimiko answered for her.
    "She asked if you were ever going to leave Nerima, or if you
would rather stay here and be a hermit?" the redhead repeated for
Mayako, the edge of a smile hinting on her lips.
    If his sister had spoken the question, he would have had a witty
remark or just ignored it, but he could not very well think of a
reply to Kimiko.
    "Well," he began. "I don't have any reason to leave yet, but I do
plan to see Italy someday."
    "Yeah, yeah," Mayako teased. "He's always jabbering about Italy,
and the great artists and stuff like that, but he never takes the
time to go out and see it!"
    "Like I have that kind of cash, Maya," he replied icily.
    "All you have to do is ask Mom," she told him neutrally. "It's
not like we're starved for money, or anything."
    "Whatever," he said. Diverting the conversation from his personal
business, he asked, "So, Kim, what's California like?"

    Grasping his sides wearily, Kenichi shook with laughter as Mayako
finished telling a joke. Wiping a moisture from his eyes, he quickly
glanced at Kimiko was giggling uncontrollably.
    "I needed that," Kimiko mused, gaining control of herself. She
paused for a moment, solemnly looking between the two of them. "I
really ought to leave now. It's late."
    "If you want to do anything before you leave to China, Ken is
here most of the day, besides when he works," Mayako told her,
smiling casually. "I'm here from five or six on, unless I'm having
friends over, or something. You're welcome to just drop on by
anytime."
    "I will," Kimiko promised. "What time should I meet you here
tomorrow?"
    "We're earlier risers, so whatever time is good for you is good
for us," Ken told her.
    "Okay, I gotta go now," she said sadly. "Can I use your phone?"
    "Sure," Mayako answered, pointing to the phone on the wall next
to her bed.
    Kimiko stood up and sat on the bed, grabbing the phone and
dialing. She waited, receiver to her ear. "Hello? Hai, this is Kimiko
Nishiyama. Great, I'm at the Tendo Training Hall. Know where that is?
Cool, I'll do that. Bye." She put the receiver on its stand and stood
up. "The cab will be here in ten minutes. I'm gonna go wait out front
for'em."
    "I'll wait with you," Ken offered quickly.
    "I've got some stuff I have to do," Mayako said reluctantly.
"I'll see you tomorrow though!" With that she nudged him with her hip
and winked, then waved to Kimiko.
    The redhead nodded and calmly walked out of the room, Ken
following close on her heels. They walked down the stairs. "I want to
say good-bye to your Grandfather," Kimiko told him, and he nodded,
following her into the living room.
    "It was a pleasure meeting you, Tendo-sama," Kimiko told the
elder Tendo, bowing low. "To meet one of the masters of the
Anything-Goes School of martial arts is a great honor."
    The old man smiled, and bowed to her. "It was a pleasure meeting
you, Nishiyama-san. If you ever need a place for instruction, you're
welcome here." They turned to leave, but Soun put his hand on his
Kenichi's shoulder. "I need to talk to my grandson for one second."
    "I'll meet you out in the front, Kimchan," he told her. She
nodded and left.
    "What is it Grandfather?"
    "Did she mention who her parents were?" he inquired seriously.
"This is very important."
    Seeing his grandfather deadly serious startled Ken, since it was
totally unlike his usual behavior. The old man usually wore his
emotions on his sleeve, allowing all around to know his current
emotional state. Right now, his eyes were filled with determination
and he wore a poker face that rivaled his Uncle Genma's.
    Warily, Ken shook his head. "I don't think so. Is there a
problem?"
    "No, no," the Tendo patriarch denied, shaking his head. "I was
just curious. She looked familiar, and I thought I might know them."
His neutral expression shifted, forming into a sly grin. "Well, at
least you have your grandfather's taste in women, son. She's
beautiful."
    Bashfully turning away, Ken's face turned a bright shade of red.

    "Sorry about that," Kenichi apologized when he met Kimiko outside
the front gate.
    The illumination from the electric lamp across the street lit her
face eerily, distorting her features as it flickered, slowly dying.
When she lifted her hands from the back of her head, her beautiful
red hair swayed loose from its braid, spilling over her back and
shoulders. The bottom of her red skirt ruffled slightly against her
knees, and its dirty hem seemed to have seen better days, for a few
loose strings hung from it.
    "No problem," she said, leaning up against the wall. "It's too
bad there are so many street lamps around here."
    "How's that?" he asked, going up next to her and doing likewise.
    "Can't see the stars," she whispered. "The sky is so beautiful at
night." He looked up at the dark, empty night's sky. "I used to spend
so much time under them, that I sort of took'em for granted. They
were always there for me."
    "I know what you mean," Ken said, looking at her, her features
hypnotizing him. "Whenever my family goes camping, I always sleep
outside the tents, under the stars."
    "I almost can't wait," she whispered back.
    "Wait for what?"
    "Remember how I told you I was leaving for China in a week?" He
nodded to her question. "Well, my brother and I are going to travel
the countryside. You can see millions of stars there with no stupid
lights to wash them out."
    "Why almost?" he asked.
    "Huh?"
    "Why can you almost not wait?" he clarified.
    She looked at him, her face expressionless. "Mainly because of
you."
    His heart skipped a beat. Could she be feeling the same for him?
"M-me?" he stuttered, hoping against hope.
    "Well, you and Mayako. I've never really had many friends, and
you guys seem so nice. It's cool to have people your own age to talk
with."
    "Oh," he sighed, turning back to the sky. "I'll be sad to see you
go, too." He would be sadder than she could ever know.
    "Really?" she questioned, her breath on his shoulder, shooting a
tremble down his spine. "You're not just saying that to make me feel
better?"
    "Of course, I'm not. I mean it," he told her. "I know we just met
and all, but I feel like I already know you well." There, he got it
off his chest, somewhat. Though he made it sound much less intimate
than the feeling really was, he at least told her.
    "Me too," she whispered to him, shivering a little bit. "I hope
this taxi arrives soon."
    'I don't,' Ken thought to himself. He was enjoying his time with
her. He looked over at her, her teeth chattering and arms clenched
together for warmth.
    "You cold?"
    "N-no, of course n-not!" she denied, sounding silly as her teeth
began to chatter even more. "Are you?"
    "Kind of," he whispered. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his guts
together and reached around her, placing his arm on her shoulder.
Wondering how she would respond, his heart fluttered nervously.


    Readily comfortable with his friendship, Kimiko allowed Ken to
drape his arm over her shoulders. Regardless of his gender and her
usual attitude towards overly friendly males, she had actually been
much closer with Sally, and she instinctively knew that she could
trust him like she had with Sally.
    The warmth his arm provided cascaded down her body, but she still
rubbed her chilled, exposed arms. Warm puffs of steam spurted from
her mouth as she exhaled, evaporating in the frosty air. Still on the
verge of freezing, she wrapped her left arm around his waist, basking
in his warmth.
    "I'll make sure to bring a jacket next time," she said to
herself. "Thanks for waiting with me. It's taking longer than ten
minutes."
    "Don't mention it," he whispered. "No need for you to wait alone
and freeze yourself to death." He laughed nervously, placing his free
hand behind his head, and she giggled lightly. "When will you be back
from China?"
    "Who knows," she replied, shrugging. "A month or two, more or
less."
    "What are your plans for afterward?"
    Her mind elsewhere, she said, "I'm not sure." Something about him
made her feel completely at ease, much like Kiyoshi and Amanda. Her
eyes slowly slid shut with sleep threatening her consciousness. It
had been a long day with the draining plane trip, the long run from
the airport to Ucchan's and not to mention all of the emotional
stress she had been under.
    Opening her eyes, she looked up at to his face and smiled. He
looked so much like Akane. A few tears began to well up in her eyes
and she took in a deep, shaky breath. He was Akane's height, build
and pretty much had her hairstyle, though it was slightly shorter.
God, how she missed the romantic nights with her love.
    "It's not fair," she whispered softly to herself, but apparently
not quiet enough.
    "What's not fair?" he asked, turning to face her. "What's the
matter?"
    Mentally cursing at herself for letting her emotions slip yet
again, she dried her damn face with her hand. "Nothing," she replied
quickly. "The cold air is bothering my eyes; that's all." She turned
her head away, not wanting him to see a few more tears streak down
her face. Silently gritting her teeth, she wiped her face again,
barely able to hold back sobs.
    "Oh," he whispered. "I'm sure everything will turn out all right,
Kimchan."
    Pausing for a moment, she turned to him again. "I hope so."
Hearing the sounds of a car approaching, Kimiko looked over her
shoulder. "That's my ride."
    The red taxi cab pulled up in front of them and stopped.
    "You take care of yourself, Ken," she whispered.
    He walked over to the door, opening it for her. "You too, Kim."
She smiled, squeezing his shoulder as she walked past him and sat in
the cab.
    "Later," she said, as he closed the door for her. They waved to
each other as the car departed, leaving behind Kenichi, the Tendo
residence, her past and future, just for a single night without
worries.


    He sighed, letting out a deep breath. He opened the gate and
walked silently toward the house, pausing at the front door. He put
his hand on his shoulder, still damp from her tears. She was so
emotionally torn, and so vulnerable. He wondered what could have done
this to her.
    "Hey, honey!" he heard someone yell out from behind him. He
turned around and faced his mother, his little brother grinning
happily on her shoulders as they approached him. She was dressed in
an informal kimono, and her long, black hair was pulled into a
ponytail ending half-way down her back.
    "Hi, Mom," he greeted, smiling.
    "Sorry I got back so late," she apologized. "There was so much to
do at the Saotome's! Did you pick up your sister?"
    "Of course, Mom." He wondered if he should tell her about Kimiko.
Deciding to tell her later, he took his little brother, Eiji, from
her shoulders, putting his feet down on the floor. "How's it going,
little bro?"
    "Rintaro taught me and Shintaro some cool martial art moves!" he
exclaimed, his voice full of vigor. "I bet I can beat you up now,
Ken!"
    "It can wait for tomorrow, Eiji-chan," Akane told her youngest
child. "It's time for bed." She opened the front door allowing him to
run through. She then turned to Ken. "How was your day, love?"
    "Great," he replied. "I'll tell you about it later."
_____________________________________________________________________

Prepare for the next  generation of
Nerima's  favorite characters where
we will look deeper into the  lives
of Kenichi and Mayako Tendo and the
fate  of the  rest of the  original
Ranma 1/2 cast. Until we meet again
in the  first part of  Misery Loves
Company, farewell.


Ryan Erik
ICQ: 2561463
ryanerik@xoommail.com
http://members.xoom.com/RyanErik