I've made the grammar checks and such, plus added a new scene derived from a
comment I made in a response at the recommendation of LarryF, and I'm pretty
pleased with the way it turned out. Hope you all like it, too.
Ranma and all characters within the series are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
A Gift For Mom
Oneshot
Two days before Christmas
"Um, Akane, can I ask you a question?"
The girl in question, wearing white socks, black leggings, and a red sweater
while currently sitting in the living room, set down the cookbook she was
about to read and turned to face him. "What is it, Ranma?"
"Um, I was kinda wondering... since Mom's gonna to be here and all for
Christmas this year... I was thinking... um..."
"You want to buy her a gift?"
Ranma nodded, tugging at the hem of his long-sleeved blue tang. "Yeah,
but... I don't know what to get her, you know?"
"Well, what does she like?"
He shrugged.
"That's a lot of help," Akane said flatly.
"Hey, I'm new to this, you know. Gimme a break here."
"Sorry. What did your dad get her?"
"Him? Probably nothing."
"Well, how about you ask her what she would like?"
"No way! It's gonna be a surprise, you know?"
Akane smiled softly. "How sweet."
"Hey, don't go broadcasting it around. It's just that... you know, she's my
mom, and I... you know..."
She nodded. "I understand. Why not try a box of chocolates?"
"Hey, I wanna get her a gift, not make her fat."
Akane blinked. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"
"I mean, if I got her a box of chocolates, her hips would get about as big as
yours after you ate all that-"
=WHAM=
The sofa Akane was sitting on now occupied the space where Ranma was still
located. "Jerk," she said in a huff as she left the living room, heading
towards the stairway.
* * * * *
Ranma padded to the kitchen, rubbing the bump on his head. "Geez... maybe I
shouldn't have said that..." he murmured. Opening the door, he almost walked
into Kasumi, who was cleaning her hands on her white apron.
"Oh, Ranma-kun! I didn't see you there."
"It's all right." Then he had a thought. "Um, Kasumi, can I ask you a
question?"
"I don't mind. What is it?"
"Um, I... I wanna get something for mom, but..." He let the sentence trail
off.
"Oh, I see! You wish to buy a present for your mother! How sweet!"
"Shh! I don't want it to get around!" Then he grew slightly meek. "So, um,
you got any ideas?"
"I suppose you could go to the local greenhouse and purchase some flowers."
"Flowers?" He furrowed a brow. "What kind?"
"Well, roses are always nice, as well as chrysanthemums. I'm no expert at
gardening, so you'd have to talk to the florist about the different kinds he
has available. However, I'm sure she would like some flowers."
Ranma grinned a little. "Thanks, Kasumi!"
"You're welcomed," she responded as he quickly left the kitchen.
* * * * *
"You need to borrow how much?" Nabiki, dressed in mint green overalls and a
long sleeved, motley-striped shirt, quirked an eyebrow in question as she sat
on the bed in her room.
Ranma sat on the floor in front of her. "Um, dunno. How much do flowers
cost anyway?"
"Flowers? It's a little late for that."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, Tsumoto-san, the owner of the greenhouse in Nerima, went on vacation
after closing up yesterday. He won't be back for two weeks."
"You gotta be kidding!"
"Now would I do something like that?" she purred.
"Yeah," Ranma deadpanned, which earned him a disapproving frown from Nabiki.
He sighed. "Now what am I gonna get her?" he mused aloud.
"Buying a present for one of your fiancees, are we?"
"No way! It's-it's a surprise, all right?"
"For moi?"
"Are you nuts? Why would I buy you something?"
She tsked at him. "Oh, Ranma, Ranma... Please remember why you're here
before you get too insulting."
He grunted. "Might as well leave since the greenhouse is closed." He
started to get up.
"Now Ranma, is that any kind of attitude to have at this time of year? Tell
you what; you clue me in to who this gift is for, and I shall do my best to
help you decide what to get her."
He eyed her warily for a few moments.
"I won't even charge you for my services."
The youth sighed. "All right... It's for mom."
"Ah, yes. She is coming over for Christmas this year isn't she?" She put a
finger to her lower lip in thought for a few moments before focussing her
eyes on Ranma. "Jewelry."
He blinked. "Jewelry?"
"Mm hmm. There's a nice selection at the jewelry store in the shopping
center."
"Sounds good, I guess."
"I would think you'd be a little more enthusiastic."
"Isn't jewelry expensive, though?"
"It is, but, since this is the holidays, I'll loan you seventy-five hundred
yen to help you out."
Ranma's eyes bugged out of his head. "Really?!"
"Mm hmm. I feel generous around this time of the year." She picked up her
purse wallet and procured the amount she had said.
"Thanks, Nabiki! You're not such a bad girl after all!" Gleefully, he took
the cash and stuffed it down into his own wallet.
"Of course, the interest you have to pay me back will be slightly larger, say
twenty percent more?"
He squawked like a chicken; being around Nabiki improved him mathematics, at
least as far as percentages went. "Tw-twenty percent?!"
"Take it or leave it," she said, wearing the kind of smile that brooked no
leniency.
He sighed in defeat. "Just when you think you're right, you're wrong," he
murmured far beneath his breath.
* * * * *
"I hate this..." Ranma grumbled as he stood amid the sea of last-minute
shoppers frantically buying gifts. Irritated, he hopped up onto a random
shopper's head and, using it for a catapult, sprang forward to another, and
then another. The last one, a long-haired boy with coke-bottle glasses gave
a cry of indignation before he hurled three yo-yos and an eagle claw at the
offender. Thinking fast, Ranma swayed to his right and shot his left arm
out. His forearm connected with the rope of the four lethal objects, and he
brought it down sharply before snapping it around in a full circle motion,
then grabbed the cords, holding them fast. "Hey, Mousse."
The Chinese youth adjusted his glasses, then bellowed, "Saotome, what is the
meaning of this?!"
"Sorry, in a rush. Later..."
"Gah! Wait a minute!"
"What is it now, Mousse? I gotta get a gift."
"You still have my weapons around your arm!"
"Oh, that?" He unwound them from his arm, and Mousse retracted them back
into the folds of his billowy white robe's sleeves. "Gotta go."
"Wait--!"
Exasperated, Ranma whirled on him. "What now?!"
Mousse took a moment to adjust his glasses again. "What are you doing here
in the first place, Saotome?"
"Look, I'm here to pick up a gift from this jewelry shop. Will you go away
now? I ain't got much time left."
"What a coincidence; we have the same goal in mind. I'll accompany you."
"Fine, whatever. Can we go now?"
The two young martial artists walked into the Joudama, or the Pretty Woman
Shop. Inside, they could have been well blinded by the dazzling display of
lights illuminating the sparkling array of diamonds and other various jewels
presented in the jewelry showcase. Several people, mainly young men, were
gathering around many cases carefully choosing and purchasing a variety of
items.
Ranma took one display case, Mousse located himself at another. After a few
minutes, the found new displays to look through. Another few minutes, they
switched off, sweatdrops appearing at their temples. Pretty soon, they met
at the entrance doorway with gloom hanging over their heads. "This is not
good," they said simultaneously upon leaving.
"I can't believe those prices," Ranma grumbled. "The lowest thing in there
was at least nine thousand yen. I ain't got that kinda money."
"Not only that, they're all sold out of the kitty charms with the different
jewels in their bellies. I was going to buy one for Shampoo a month ago, but
I was short on money."
Ranma cringed briefly at the thought of Shampoo with a bunch of cats hanging
around her neck. "Geez, now what am I gonna get mom?"
Mousse shrugged. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. I need to find another
present for Shampoo and fast. I'll see you later, Saotome." He ran off,
losing himself in the flowing crowd.
"Great," Ranma said after a long pause. "Now what do I do?"
* * * * *
A Day Before Christmas...
Ukyou was set to close the Ucchan's at four o'clock in the afternoon. Just
as the last customer left, she ducked down beneath the grill and began to
turn off the gas. While doing so, she heard someone come inside. "Sorry,"
she said, sliding out from below. "We're closed, so you'll-Ranchan!"
In walked Ranma, a dejected look on his face. "Hey, Ucchan."
"What's the matter, Sugar? You look like you could use a friend. Come on,
pull up a seat."
He absently chose a seat at the counter and sat down.
"Want me to fix you up a special? It's on the house."
"Nah, that's okay."
"All right, Ranchan. 'Scuse me a sec." Briskly, the okonomiyaki chef
slipped out, collected the store nahon, placed the "Closed" sign in the
window, then returned to the counter, rolling up the royal blue banner.
"Now," she said, setting it down on the counter. "What's up?"
Ranma took a deep breath, the related to her his dilemma.
"Wow," Ukyou commented. "So you still have no idea what to get your mom?"
"Not a thing, and it's really driving me nuts." Something then occurred to
him. "Hey, Ucchan, why'd you close up so early?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm going down to Kobe tonight and spend a few days
there. I figured I'd drop in on dad and spend Christmas with him. It's been
a while, and we have a lot of catching up to do."
The Saotome son nodded a bit. "Okay. I guess I'll see you later."
"All right, Ranchan. Sorry, I'm not much help with your problem, but don't
worry too much about it. Things'll work out in the end."
"Think so?"
"Mm hmm. So 'Merry Christmas,' okay, Ranchan?"
He gave a small smile. "Okay. Merry Christmas, Ucchan."
* * * * *
Walking from the Ucchan, Ranma thought long and hard about what to get for
his mom. Unfortunately, it didn't take too long before he hit a mental
sandbar and the entire ship of ideas sank to the bottom of his mind. "I just
don't know what to get her. What would she like?" He frowned more. "What
does she like?"
"What a haul, what a haul!!"
Ranma froze in his tracks. "Not him again..."
Despite all the wishing in the world, a short, nimble old man carrying a dark
sack at least twice his size was hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Every now
and then, a pair of panties or a bra would bounce out and land who knows
where. One such item, a silky pair of pink undies with little white frills
around the elastic waist, tumbled on top of the Saotome son's head. As he
removed the object with two fingers and a great deal of open disgust for the
old man's fetish, said old man noticed him. "Ranma, my boy! Care to join me
on a great panty excursion?"
"No way, Happousai!"
"Oh, come on." Happousai hopped down from the roof, deftly snatching the
silky from the youth in his descent. "Think of it as a Christmas present
from me to you."
"Ugh. I can live without that kind of present." Something in the pigtailed
boy's mind chose that moment to remind him of his own dilemma. "Um, I... I
still have to do some shopping."
"Oh? Buying your Master a gift? You're so good to me, my boy!"
Ranma almost choked. "No way, you old fart! It's for mom!" Again,
something in his mind reminded him of his dilemma. "But... I really don't
know what to get her..."
"Is that so?" The withering founder of the Anything Goes School of Martial
Arts took out his long smoking pipe, tapped in some tobacco into it, lit it,
and took a long drag, wearing a thoughtful expression.
"Um... listen. I really don't think this'll do much good, but... any ideas
for a gift for mom?
"Why, Ranma, my boy. What does any lovely lady want for a gift?"
"You dead?" he asked with a completely straight, honest face. He was
rewarded with a hard rap on the head from Happousai's pipe.
"No! They want panties! And brassieres! By the hundreds! They love
undergarments almost as much as me!"
The younger man rubbed his head gingerly as he gave the old man in the
burgundy ninja outfit a skeptical look. "Really?"
"Yes!" Faster than the normal human eye could perceive, he whipped out a
matching emerald bra and panty set. "Now, if you would be so kind as to try
these on-to see how well they would look on your mother, of course-"
Angrily, Ranma punted him hard into the air.
"What happened to you Christmas spiiriiiitt..." Happousai shouted as he
rapidly sailed away, becoming a speck on the horizon.
"Dirty old man..." he grumbled. A moment later, he sighed. "Geez, I'm still
stuck."
"RANMA!!"
He groaned. "What is it now?" He turned around to face whoever just shouted
out his name. It turned out to be Ryouga running down the sidewalk towards
the pigtailed martial artist. "Hey, Ryouga. What'cha doing? And why are
you carrying your sack like that?"
"It broke, and I gotta get a new one." Ryouga Hibiki was holding his
travel-weary backpack by one shoulder strap; the other one was nowhere to be
seen. His bamboo umbrella, which was heavier than lead, lightly rested on
his shoulder. "However, the shopping center keeps moving around on me!"
"Going to Akari's place?"
"Er, yeah, at least I'm trying to."
"Well..." A lightbulb went off in his head just then. "Hey, how about I
take you to the center, then to Akari's?"
"Sure about that? I mean, the place is pretty crowded, what with it being
Christmas Eve and all."
"Yep. In fact, I have some shopping to do, too..."
* * * * *
Christmas finally arrived. Peace on Earth, goodwill to men. Families all
over the world celebrated the day through and through, exchanging gifts,
eating breakfast and dinner together, church fellowship and worship, and so
on and so forth.
It was no different in the Tendo residence. The Tendos and Saotomes had a
joyous time, like many other families worldwide. Well, maybe it was a little
different when it came down to the gift-giving session. Among the others,
Ranma received three different books: _Understanding Women_ from Shampoo, who
had delivered in days before; _How To Ask A Girl Out Without Embarrassing Her
To Death_ from Ukyou, who forgot to give it to him yesterday, so she dropped
it of on her way to the train station; and _Getting Married For Life and
Family_ from Genma and Soun as a not-so-subtle hint. Then it came down to
Nodoka's present.
"Mom," Ranma said. "I got you something."
His mother Nodoka, the auburn-haired woman wearing a familiar blue kimono and
white tabi socks, looked at her son in mild surprise. "You did?"
"Mm hmm. Lemme get it for you." He ran out of the living room and went up
the stairs.
"I wonder what did he purchase for me," she mused aloud.
Seconds later, light thumping was heard coming down the staircase and towards
the living room where everyone else was located. In came the pigtailed
youth, carrying a large box wrapped in glossy green paper and red ribbon
which was topped off with a puffy ribbon bow. It was placed before Nodoka
almost as if an offering to the gods.
"Mom, this is for you. Come on and open it up."
"All right, all right, son." She tugged at the bow a few times, and the
structure collapsed. The ribbon was easily removed afterwards. Next, she
pulled the paper apart from where it was taped on top of the box and revealed
a plain, taped-up cardboard box. Carefully, she broke the seal, then made an
excavation of it, extracting...
Everyone gasped, which startled Nodoka; she wasn't aware that she had became
the spotlight of attention beforehand.
"A backpack?" Akane first asked, mainly out of disbelief. "You bought your
mom a backpack?"
"A good thing he got all those books," Nabiki commented dryly.
Soun and Genma were dumbstruck.
Kasumi merely watched events unfold with noted interest.
A puzzled Nodoka rooted through the pack. "It's not just a backpack.
There's also a canteen-" Gently, she set down a round, metal canteen. "-a
flashlight-" She placed beside the canteen a heavy, yellow flashlight with a
rubber grip complete with a pack of "D" Cell batteries. "-some matches, a
map, a compass, and a sleeping bag-" Those items joined the previous ones.
"-and... a letter for me."
The last item came to her hand. Tearing it open, she read the piece of paper
folded inside.
When she hadn't said or done anything for five minutes, Ranma began to sweat.
"Ah... mom?"
The letter fell from nerveless fingers, exposing her face, wet with tears.
That was more than enough to send her son into a panic.
"ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry!"
Nodoka stood up very slowly, facing her son who was about the have a heart
attack. She then threw herself into the young man's arms, which not only
calmed his fraying nerves almost instantly, but also sent him spiraling into
a web of confusion. "Mom?"
"Oh, Ranma! How thoughtful of you! It's the best gift I could have ever
gotten!" She proceeded to cry tears of joy into her son's shoulder.
Snapped out of his stupor, Genma picked up the letter which his wife had
dropped a moment ago and read it aloud for everyone else's benefit:
* * * * *
Dear Mom,
How about we just go away on a training mission for ten years without pops?
We could make up for lost time.
Ranma
* * * * *
"My, my... Ranma had a good idea after all," Nabiki mused, smirking a little.
"Who would have thought it?"
"Ranma..." Akane beamed at him.
Kasumi smiled as well.
Soun laughed heartily at Genma's expense.
"Why that ungrateful..." the Saotome patriarch grumbled under his breath.
Looking at his wife and son together brought a hint of a smile to his face
though.
* * * * *
"Ranma, are you ready to go yet?"
"Coming, mom." He shouldered his pack and tucked the pup tent beneath his
arm. "Geez, who'd thought she'd wanted to try out her gear the next day?
Couldn't she have waited until spring?"
"You know, it was your idea, boy."
"Yeah, yeah... at least it makes her happy."
"And it's only overnight."
"Of course, we could really just go off for the next few years or so."
"Boy, don't even joke like that with me."
"Who said I was joking?"
"..."
"Kidding, pops." Ranma left the room and took the stairs down.
Nodoka was waiting for him at the front door, her own backpack shouldered,
which looked pretty odd, considering she was still wearing a kimono. "Ready,
Ranma?"
"Yeah, mom. Let's go!"
End
Happy Holidays all!
Adrian D. Rainman