In a message dated 00-01-21 02:45:23 EST, you write:
<< As usual, C+Cing as I go along.
=Yay!!
RaeMowse wrote:
-
>Kuonji Ukyou smiled sadly at her daughter. She was both a blessing and a
>curse to the 27 year old woman. A joy to have, but a painful reminder of
>Kiko's father.
Hmm. Sounds like backstory there. Especially since she seems to have kept
the Kuonji name.
=Definitely a back story to it. Shorter than I would have liked it, but
that's how it ran with me.
> she and Kiko were traveling back to Nerima form
from
Kansai
>to see Ranma and Akane. She hadn't heard from them in over seven years
now;
>she wondered how much better than her they were faring.
That almost seems foreboding there with the way you word it.
=Well, compared to her, they would almost certainly be better off than she.
>
>
>"Some old friends of mine, Kiko-chan. We're going to pay them a visit."
>
>"They have cookie?"
Heh. I like her. She reminds me of a niece of mine.
=Heh. She sounds more like me in that manner. Have food, will visit.
>
>
>"Okay....you teach lady make good cookie. I judge!"
Very amusing. Nice to see Kiko wants to help out so much. ^_^
=[grin] That's my Kiko!
>
>"Coming!" a voice shouted from the other side. Footsteps rapidly
approached,
>then the door was sucked in, startling Ukyou into a defensive stance in
front
>of her daughter. A woman started in a high-pitched, bubbly voice.
"Hello!
>Welcome to the-"
>
>Ukyou's eyes bugged out at the sight of the woman, her eyes ignoring her
>attire and going directly for her indigo hair, then locking onto the
reddish
>irises. "Shampoo?!"
Now that's a surprise.
=No, it isn't; that's a Shampoo. What Jokey's carrying, that's a surprise
(anyone who knows where this reference came from, 106 blue points).
>
>Shampoo stopped her introduction, squinting at the woman before her. "Who
>are you? You look familiar..."
After all they went through, both against one another and together, I'm
surprised Shampoo doesn't remember.
=Well, it's been ten years and the past had to take a backseat for a while.
>"Uh huh. I like chocolate chip."
"Or any other kind of cookie. Except for okonomiyaki cookies. Those are the
ones my mom always makes and I hate them." Kiko stuck out her tongue in the
universal *yuck* gesture that all children instinctively know how to give.
=Eerie how they can synchronize that....
>
>
>"Yes, don't you remember? She was your other competitor for Ranma years
ago."
>
>Shampoo suddenly remembered in a flash of clarity, then she spun wildly to
>Ukyou with wide eyes.
"Rose girl!"
A spatula met Shampoo's head. Hard.
[Kuno] (coming out of nowhere) Pig Tailed Girl!!
(A spatula met his head. Extremely hard.)
[Ukyou] Wrong fanfic, jackass.
[Kuno] That hurt, you know... (passes out)
> "Spatula Girl?!"
>
>"Uh, yeah..." she said, rather embarrassed now. Had she changed that much
in
>ten years?
Aside from dyeing her hair, putting on two hundred pounds, and having a sex
change, she hadn't changed a bit.
=Couldn't tell the difference myself. ^_^
>
>"She same Amazon in story you tell me at bed?"
>
>"Mm hmm. The very same."
Kiko: Why there no horns sticking out of her head and she not breathing
fire, like you say in the stories of demon girl Shampoo?
[Shampoo] What did you say?
[Ukyou] (bigsweats, then covers Kiko's mouth quickly) Oh it was nothing you
know how these childrens imagination goes whoops we overstayed our welcome
gotta go bye!!
>
>Kiko turned to the purple-haired woman. "Hello, Shampoo-san."
>
>She smiled a little. "Please, call me Saotome-san, or-"
Oh my.
[Kasumi] Excuse me, Sommer-san, but that is my line. Please allow me to say
it.
>
>Ukyou would have choked if she was eating anything.
Given the unexpected results from this visit, I'm surprised she isn't
choking on air.
[Ukyou] Sorry, I'm in the "blanking out" stage
>
>Shampoo was very taken aback by the reaction. "You didn't know? Ranma
and I
>have been married for almost two years."
>
>Her mind boggled. "You're kidding, right?"
"Of course..." Shampoo began.
Ukyou breathed a sigh of relief.
"...We've been married for three years. I just wanted to trick you,"
Shampoo finished.
[Ukyou] Ranchan! Say it ain't so!
[Ranma] It ain't so.
[Ukyou] Oh, thank heavens...
[Ranma] It was five years ago. Geez, Ucchan, you're so easy to fool.
>
>Slowly, her turquoise eyes drifted down till they met the stone-gray-green
>eyes of Kasumi. Ukyou's vision expanded to take in everything else. The
>thirty-year old woman hadn't changed that much in ten years. She still
wore
>conservative clothes, dresses that reach
reached
past her knees, modest and plain
>blouses, even her hair was pulled into a ponytail, secured with a big,
white
>bow. There was only one small detail: she was in a wheelchair.
Oh dear.
[Kasumi] That is better. Sommer-san, arigato.
Motorized,
>it was, but it was a wheelchair. Ukyou gasped. "Kasumi, what happened to
>you?!"
Kasumi: I was involved in a major drug deal that went sour a while back.
But I capped the bitch that shot me.
=All of a sudden, I have images of Kasumi screwing Coke bottle caps on top of
Shirokuro's and her puppies' noses.
>
>She let the words sink in. The expression on her face was one of
incredulous
>horror. "Tofu-sensei did this to you?!"
Now that's a surprise.
=No, that's...well, now that you mention it....
>
>"Maybe a cookie make her smile?" the little girl smiled, showing off her
>little teeth.
Ah, the naivete of youth.
=Kids, such precious things...
>
>"He discovered alcoholism.
interesting way of putting it.
=Well, it certainly wasn't walking around the streets of Nerima asking for a
Dr. Tofu, though none of the neighbors would be very surprised if it did
happen.
>
>"He was fine, so long as he didn't drink. The only thing is, he liked the
>taste of liquor, and he would often pick up something after hours.
In other words, he almost always drank.
=In a nutshell.
>"For two years, it went on. I didn't tell anyone because I thought it was
my
>fault, that I made him angry, or I wasn't good enough if he had to hit me.
An all too real reaction.
=[nod] And a reason why I won't show this to a couple of people in my life.
>
>"Tofu got even worse," he began, rubbing her shoulders lightly. "Business
>went belly up, he drank like a fish almost everyday, and he began
following
>Kasumi all around the place. One night, he must've saw me kiss Kasumi on
the
>forehead after me and Akane spent a few hours teaching her some
self-defense
>since she could get him help.
I have no idea what's missing out of the sentence, but it's more than one
word.
=It was the contraction form of "not" that was supposed to be attached to
could.
>in support, and he released the painful tension he was feeling in his
throat
>and chest. "...he didn't survive the ride...so much anger he put
out....it
>was unreal..."
Ah. That makes sense. More hot chi involved in the move, the more power to
it.
=Yep. And boy! was the doc ever pissed off at the time.
>
>"Ah..." He looked rather confused and embarrassed by the sudden change in
>the conversation, but also a little shamefaced. "I...I thought so,
too..."
>He sighed, withdrawing his hands from Kasumi's shoulder, and sat down on
the
>floor. "Short story, things, things just didn't work out like we thought.
>We had some good times and all, but getting married so young, and all the
>pressures, and fights we had...we got divorced about six years ago. She
>asked for it, and I really couldn't disagree with it, you know.... It was
the
>hardest thing we ever had to do...." He propped his head up on one arm.
"We
>should've waited till we were ready, like after college..."
Sad. But frightening realistic since so many couples that marry young do
break up after only a few years.
=Learned that from Sociology and many real live examples at college. Advice:
if you happen to get a girlfriend in college who is married, but divorces her
perfectly fine husband for you, chances are, the relationship will not last
very long.
>
>"You, you still love her, don't you?"
>
>He sighed. "Yeah. She wanted to get back with me a year later, but
things
>fell back into the old pattern after the first month, and we called it
off,
>cause we knew what would happen again."
A mature decision on both of their parts for this point of their lives.
Shows how much they grew up over the years.
=It's a natural growth. Once bitten, twice shy sort of thing.
He looked up to his best friend.
>"Then Akane...she got killed in an accident a few days later."
Geez. Tragedy on top of tragedy.
=Little known fact. The first time I wrote this, she was doing well and just
landed a big part in a martial arts movie opposite of Fei Long (of SSF2
fame). After reading it, I junked it; it screwed up the entire feel of the
story, plus it somehow made her look selfish to me.
>Ranma nodded slowly, almost painfully. "Yeah." He swallowed. "She and
>Tendo-san both. Some guy ran a red light going about 140 kph. Akane was
>just driving across, and he rammed them.... She...she died
>instantly....Tendo-san passed away from grief shortly afterwards...."
And the hits keep coming. And Ukyou thought she had it bad.
=...and it hasn't even begun.
>
>
>"Thank you..." Her fingers gently took the little gift and brought it up
to
>her mouth. She took a bite and chewed. "You're such a sweet and kind
child,
>just like your mother and father.
She knows Kiko's father? That doesn't make sense since Ukyou hasn't seen
any of them in ten years.
=Remember, this is Kasumi we're talking about. She knows everything; she
just chooses to dole out the information in cleverly-crafted,
innocent-looking phrases.
>
>"Yeah, Kiko-chan."
>
>"Ah...he...he's gone now...been gone for a long time now. I didn't even
know
>I was pregnant until a few weeks later after he...left...."
Oops. Does 'he' even know he's a father?
=Nope. He'll find out soon enough, though...
>Changing the subject abruptly, Ukyou shifted into a more relaxed position.
>"So, how did Mousse take you two getting married? I'd imagine it was a
>battle royale, Ranchan..." She noticed how Shampoo's smile fell and
suddenly
>felt self-conscious, as well as a little stupid. "I must have really
missed
>a lot in ten years...." she resigned.
'resigned'? Not sure if that's the word you're looking for there. Not sure
what else you would use, though.
=I don't know myself. Since it doesn't seem to be drawing attention to
itself too much, I guess I'll let it stay there.
>
>"You can say that again," Ranma said offhandedly to no one in particular.
>Shampoo chided him gently. "Sorry..."
>
>"Nothing to be sorry for, Ranchan. I should have kept better tabs on your
>all." Before anyone else could ask why, she changed the subject again.
"So
>whatever happened to Nabiki and the rest of the gang?"
At this point I'd be afraid to ask with everyone's history so far.
[Ukyou] Well, it can't be as bad as what I've heard, can it?
>
>Ukyou supressed a smile. "Somehow, I always expected that..."
>
>"She also cleaned him out of at least half the family's fortune and
divorced
>him six months later," Ranma added.
And the hits keep on comnig.
[Kunou] (wakes up from his spatula-induced nap) That hurt, you know....
>
>"...and that to happen..." she said, a little less amused. "I'm no fan of
>Kunou, but he really didn't deserve that to happen."
Agree.
=Well, to Nabiki, it was for a good cause. Had to take care of her older sis
somehow, nevermind that the methods practically destroyed a man or two.
>
>"You're welcome, Kiko-chan." Kasumi picked up where she left off. "Now,
she
>is doing very well with a corporation she has based in the United States.
>She helps us out with the finances every month, sending about seven
hundred
>thousand yen a month. Most of it goes to utilities, food, and insurance,
>while the dojo helps cover everything else."
Well, it is nice to see Nabby is watching out for them, at least.
[Nabiki] Well, I'm not completely a coldblooded, heartless bitch. Besides,
I've already liqudated all of the "good" doctor's assets and applied then
towards Kasumi's medical bills. Somebody's has to watch out for her, you
know, and I don't trust Ranma to guard a cup of warm piss (15 points to the
last person who figures out where that reference came from).
[Ranma] Hey!!
>* * * * *
>"It's amazing how she can be so optomistic and happy, even with all the
stuff
>that she's been through. You'd think she was na�ve, or just an airhead,"
>Ukyou said, holding a sleeping bluish-haired, baby boy in her arms.
Well, at least the kids seem all right.
=They're like Kasumi; no harm can befall them.
[Kasumi] (pointing farther up) But Rainman-san, you have Tofu-sensei making
me into a paraplegic.
(sweatdrop) Er...forget I said anything, then...
>
>"She wasn't always like that, Ukyou. It took a few years for her to ever
>feel safe again. Several times, she woke up screaming in the middle of
the
>night, and Ranma, Akane, or I had came running to try to calm her back
down."
> Shampoo finished feeding a little baby girl with burgundy-brown hair a
>bottle of juice before putting her back into her crib. Ukyou did the same
>for the boy, and both women slipped out of the nursery, quietly closing
the
>door behind them.
>
>"You?" Ukyou said curiously. "What were you doing here then?"
Ah, and here I had thought you worded that awkwardly in the paragraph
before.
>
>"I moved in with Ranma and Akane a few months after they got married."
Naturally.
[Akane] We're married, Ranma, so I feel we should bring in the girl that
tried to wipe out my memory and tried to kill you last year to live with us.
[Ranma] Okay. Afterwards, how about Kodachi? We haven't seen her in a long
time, you know.
[Akane] That wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. Later, we can do live
remakes of La Blue Girl parts 1-6.
[Ranma] Yatta! I get to be the demons!
Yes. I was being sarcastic.
[Akane] (putting away the mallet) Sorry, there was a misunderstanding. It
happens a lot around here.
>
>"Yes, I left them...for Ranma. Cologne, she was just furious, but she
also
>understood my reasons for going. She once wanted me to rule the tribe in
her
>place as matriarch, but she knew I wouldn't be suitable for the role after
I
>was willing to let Ranma have rule over me.
Hmm. Interesting reasoning.
=Pretty logical, I think. You can't be very suitable to rule a matriarchy if
you're submissive to a male, ne?
>
>"Mousse, on the other hand, he didn't take my decision well, not at all.
He
>tried to convince me that he was the right choice for me, that he would
>worship me like a queen, that Ranma would never return my love like he
>would."
So he hadn't changed yet. About the only character at this point.
=Pretty much.
She looked at Ukyou. "He would have been right about him being the
>best choice for me, except for one thing: I didn't love him. Not like how
he
>deserved to be loved.
Concise, but it explains everything that really needs to be said.
>
>"I talked to him some more, telling him why he couldn't follow me, and why
I
>don't love him. He didn't want to listen; I think he already knew before,
>but didn't want to admit it to himself. He started crying, but in the
end, I
>think I got through to him. He left with a little more...something, in
his
>step than when he came in.
Well, that's nice, at least.
>"Cologne came into my hut and held me that night.
Oh. I was under the impression this was happening in Japan. You might want
to mention early on that she had gone back to China for a while. Perhaps
right after the marriage between Ranma and Akane.
=You know, you may be on to something there....
>
>"The day of exile came. Ranma was flown in from Japan and guided to the
>village to hold witness as my Airen the end of my life as an Amazon and
the
>end of our marriage the Law of Joketsuzoku decreed. I was stripped of all
my
>clothes, then taken to a damned off riverbed, and forced to wallow in the
mud
>till I was covered from head to foot. Next, I was doused with warm water,
>then smeared with some sort of paste while my hands were tied behind my
back,
>then I was made to run down across a bed of hot coals while the other
>warriors struck at me with blunt objects.
Shampoo: Comfy pillows, mostly. But it was the principle of the matter that
hurt the most.
After that, more water to wash off
>the paste, then I approached Matriarch Cologne. She removed the odangos
from
>my hair, sliced off the two locks of hair with the bells tied to them,
then
>she wiped out all of my Amazon fighting techniques."
Whoa! Very nasty. Took just about everything they could from her short of
her life.
=Hey, this is an exile, not a trip to Disneyland. Since she is no longer
considered an Amazon, there is no need to use Amazon techniquies.
>it felt like weeks. Then I felt a towel wrap around my shoulders. It
>startled me, and I whipped around to see who it was. It was only Ranma,
the
>only thing I had left, and I wasn't all that sure if he even want me
>around...then he said 'Sorry about this.'
Oooh. Interesting symmetry between this scene and his first appearance at
the dojo.
=So you nocited it, ne?
>
>"I was just overwhelmed. Even though it was my decision, my choice, he
felt
>responsible about the results, and even moreso for me not having someplace
to
>stay then. He brought me back here, knowing full and well how Akane would
>probably react, to ask her if ther
there
would be enough room for me there. After
>some talking, she gave her consent, provided I didn't try anything funny.
Sounds like Akane. I can see her willing to do that once she was told what
had happened to Shampoo.
=Definitely it would sound like her.
>"Well, they always fought over everything, you know that much. A lot of
>times, it's over something silly, and they make up promptly afterwards.
But
>some things weren't that easy to forgive and forget.
>
>"The Saotomes and Tendo-san were always pushing for grandchildren. Kasumi
>had a child, but it was stillborn.
Yeesh. Back to even more bad things. At this point it's safe to assume
someone ate Ryouga for their breakfast by accident, yes?
=....in a way....
Nabiki was only interested in taking as
>much money from Kunou as she could, so no child from her. So, all the
burden
>fell upon Ranma and Akane.
Sigh. I can see that too.
However, it also took away time from her coming home on the
>weekends. Ranma snuck up to her dorm one weekend as a surprise, but her
>roommate had told him that she wasn't there. He went looking for Akane
all
>over the campus, and eventually came upon the men's dorm. She was up in
one
>of the men's room with another man, who was in the middle of taking off
her
>shirt."
Whoops.
>
>Ukyou blinked. "My, my...that's a bit...scandelous, there."
>
>Shampoo nodded. "It was, but he didn't know that they were just
rehearsing a
>scene for an American play.
Oops! But given the propensity for misuderstandings in the Ranmaverse, the
violence to follow is almost automatic.
=Yup, yup, yup!
>
>"It was the worst fight they've ever had. Just watching the only two most
>important parts of my life tear into each other like that.... I tried to
stop
>them, but it was about effective as telling the winds not to blow.
>Eventually one
Eventually,
> side had to win out,
Or both could lose.
=Ranma didn't quite figure that out until later.
>"It was the hardest choice they ever had to make. Both families raised
hell
>about getting divorced, and the two fools kept throwing in that tradition
and
>honor demands they stay married. Ranma and Akane, they were tired of it
all,
>though, and Airen was right; they did get married too young. They still
>loved each other, but the pressure and the immaturity destroyed their
>happiness."
Emphasis on pressure.
>
>"Akane was pregnant with my child when she died."
And another foot fell.
=SPLASH=
=Someone forgot to move bucket of water elsewhere...
>
>
>
>Wordlessly, a mop of indigo nestled against his chest, a pair of arms
coiling
>around his waist. His own arms laced across her back, holding her firmly
to
>him. Soft words fell from the former Amazon's lips, cantonese or
mandarin,
>Ukyou didn't know exactly, but they certainly were not japanese. So long
as
>Ranma understood them...
Nice phrasing there.
=Thanks.
>>