Hiya Folks!
Here's the next installment of AML. Standard warnings applies as usual.
Read at your own risk. :)
Requesting C&C. This is a first cut rough draft, so technical editing
spelling/grammar), style comments, and factual error stomping are all
appreciated. Per my own personal ethics, MSTings, 'Look, Ma. I'm a
comedian!', and 'I'm So Clever' quips and snipes will be cheerfully ignored.
Many thanks to the various FFML and IRC members who provided detailed C&C
of chapter 1. It's definitely a better tale due to your time and effort.
This is a Ranma crossover fanfic, so it's time for the
Standard Fanfic Disclaimer.
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All previously existing characters taken from anime series
and used in fan fiction stories are owned solely by their
respective copyright and trademark holders. I don't own them
and I don't make any claim to them. Original characters are
owned by myself and I reserve all rights to their use.
------------------------------------------------------------
The HTML version of the story along with previous chapter(s) can be found at:
http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic/mlove
Gaijin Productions presents:
=============================================================
A MOTHER'S LOVE
A multiple-series crossover fan fiction by Togashi Gaijin
This story is set after the end of the manga.
=============================================================
Chapter 2
Nodoka hummed a tune as she put the final touches in preparing the
morning's meal. Last night had been stressful for them both, but things
had actually progressed a lot further than she had expected. They had
talked long into the night about her son's life and the various
difficulties challenging the young man. They had also touched on a few
of her own ideals and expectations; Ranma had been quite surprised when
she told him what her concept of 'manliness' actually consisted of. She
could tell he was uncomfortable with the sheer breadth of knowledge
required to be a 'proper' man, and his almost total lack of knowledge
about sex and women in general was appalling.
The conversation became considerably more spirited when it came to
actually addressing the shortfalls in his upbringing. She had been met
with considerable resistance, of course, but after she was able to
associate virtually every scholastic subject with some aspect of
martial arts training, he'd finally agreed - reluctantly - to a
preliminary list of goals. Naturally, her offer to instruct him in her
family's style of kenjutsu had been met with considerably more
enthusiasm. Now if he'd only show the same dedication to his
schoolwork.
"Morning, Mom! Mmm, smells good."
She smiled and looked over to her son at the doorway, who was
exhibiting visible evidence of his morning workout. "Good morning, son.
Now go and wash up, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."
"Sure!" He was gone in a blink.
Nodoka chuckled softly to herself. If there was anything that could get
a Saotome to move quickly, it was a well prepared meal served in extra-
large portions. She'd have to remember to overstock the pantry now that
her son was a part of the household once again.
It took her several trips to bring all of the dishes out to the table
from the kitchen. She had just set the bowl of tsukemono down next to
the salmon and tamagoyaki when Ranma came back down the stairs.
"That's very good timing, dear. Please sit down before it gets cold."
The food disappeared almost as quickly as it was dished out.
--------------------
"You'd better hurry or you'll be late for school," Nodoka called up the
stairs.
"I'll be down in a minute, Mom. I can't find my book bag."
"It's here on the side table, son."
After a brief flurry of footsteps, the misplaced article was slung
casually over a shoulder. Nodoka briefly fussed over her son's
appearance in that slightly embarrassing manner perfected by mothers
everywhere before handing him a large bento.
"Here's your lunch, dear. Now remember to come right home after school;
we have a lot of things to accomplish before the day is over with."
"Err, can I go to the Tendos first? I'm kinda used to walking Akane
home after school every day."
"It would be better if you would ask Akane to come over here after
school first, son; I have a few things to discuss with the two of you
in private. You are welcome to walk her to her house once we have
finished, of course," Nodoka said with a sunny smile. "Escorting a
girlfriend home is a very manly thing to do. Do come home right
afterwards; we'll visit the Tendos together later this evening to pick
up all of your other possessions."
"OK, Mom."
"Now off you go; your final exams are next week, and you can ill afford
to miss any more class time."
"Yes, Mom," Ranma replied with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
Nodoka chuckled as her son ran off to school. It was going to be quite
a task to get him to be even a little enthusiastic about his studies.
Fortunately, he was still very easy to challenge as long as it worded
in the proper manner.
--------------------
Akane glanced up at the unoccupied chain-link fence once again. There
was no macho fianc� casually flaunting his abilities, no unthinking
taunts, no hurled insults, no thrown bag knocking the perverted idiot
into the canal with her resulting screech of outrage, no frantic hunt
for hot water, no last minute race to the gates before the first bell
was rung. Her walk to school was quiet and peaceful as it should be.
Then why did she feel so confused?
--------------------
Ranma bounced from roof to roof in an effortless glide. The path from
his mother's house to school was considerably longer than the one from
the Tendos', and there weren't any long unbroken stretches of fence to
walk upon. There were also no canals to accidentally get knocked into
and no old ladies with their ladles and their eerily accurate aim
washing down the sidewalks and fences. There was, however, a host of
new construction to detour around. If he didn't hurry he'd miss meeting
Akane at the gates.
--------------------
"Yo, Akane!"
Akane turned to the sound of the familiar voice to see Ranma running
along top the fence of a side street. She paused just long enough to
wait for his spinning dismount. The idiot was showing off as usual.
"Tada!" he exclaimed with a happy grin.
"Show off!" Akane spun around and resumed her trek. She could feel her
irritability rising rapidly.
"Ah c'mon, Akane. I got here as quick as I could."
"As if anyone would care."
Ranma stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the back of his fianc�e.
He had hoped that she would have gotten over being mad from yesterday,
but it seemed he was mistaken. He started following her onto the school
grounds, not making any attempt to catch up.
"Akane, my fierce tigress of the hunt!"
*PUNT!*
Ranma quickly calculated Kuno's trajectory before he flew out of view.
Yup, she was definitely still mad.
--------------------
"SWEETO!"
Nodoka's quiet tea time was shattered by the all too familiar cry. She
held up hand and plucked the diminutive martial artist out of the air
before he could complete his intended trajectory.
"And just what do you think you were doing with that little stunt?" Her
glare was cold enough to freeze the ocean solid.
After a quick twist and a backflip the perverted grandmaster of
Anything Goes Martial Arts was standing on the floor. He made a
production of casually dusting himself off. "Is that any way for a
sibling to greet her oldest brother? I'm just trying to stay in
character, you know."
"We've had this discussion before, Mukanjou, and you being the eldest
has very little to do with it - as you well know."
"Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. After all, sis, you are one
absolutely stunning dame as a Japanese. Err ... not that you aren't
exceedingly beautiful all the time under any circumstance, of course."
"Why thank you, brother, for your kind words." Frost dripped from every
syllable.
Mukanjou looked directly into the Glare of Death. "I'm in trouble,
aren't I?"
"Oh, I don't think so." Nodoka's glare turned predatory. "Perhaps you
were simply thinking of having another little sparring session with me
and Bronze? That can *easily* be arranged."
"No no no that's quite all right," he replied, shaking his head
vigorously in denial. "Once every other century or so is more than
sufficient for me, thank you very much. Besides, I'm supposed to be on
vacation, remember?"
"Unfortunately. You seem to be enjoying yourself entirely too much, if
you ask me."
"What can I say? I've got talent."
Nodoka briefly closed her eyes while she took a long slow breath. "Do
sit down, brother, and have a cup of tea."
"Why thank you, little sister, I don't mind if I do."
Nodoka plastered a smile across her face as she served another cup.
"Mmmm, delicious. Simply delicious! You always did know how to find the
best leaves. Not that it's really surprising, of course, but still it's
always a treat to share in the finer things of life. I've always said
that it's important to enjoy life's little pleasures to the fullest
extent possible."
Nodoka barely suppressed a groan. There were times that her brother's
enthusiasm was a just little difficult to take.
"I'm glad you enjoy the tea. Now, I believe that you have something to
deliver to me, correct?"
"Huh? Oh, of course. Just a moment; I have it in my pocket somewhere."
Mukanjou reached in and started pulling out a variety of objects.
"Let's see. Keys, handkerchief, wallet, tobacco, lighter, comb,
toothpick, that's not it, shaving kit, spare shirt, sake, more sake ...
hmm, better finish that one off, ooh ...*that's* where that one went; a
92 G in black lace! Just a sec, I know it's here somewhere. 82 C, 86 B,
79 D underwire, size 85, size 83, size 86 black lace biki ... errr, never
mind, you didn't see that, more sake, size 84 satin lace, 99 A ... 99 A?
How the heck did that get in there? 85 C, size 84 t-back, oh that's a
beauty, another 84, ah, *here* it is!"
Mukanjou set the large manila envelop down on the table between them.
"See, I told you it was in there!"
Nodoka glanced at the various objects piled next to her brother on the
floor. The stack was almost taller than he was at the moment. She shook
her head before reaching over and emptying the contents of the envelope
in front of her. She picked up the pair of stud earrings that had
tumbled out and held them up.
"Are you sure there are no lasting effects when these are used?"
Mukanjou shrugged. "You should know that better than me. Thenie is the
one who made them in the first place, after all."
Nodoka put the earrings down with a nod. If her elder sister said
something would work, then it would work - period.
"You do realize the troll is going to notice when the boy starts to use
what you give him."
"I know. I have my own plans for those three, and it's not as if the
items were theirs to begin with."
"Can I help? It sounds like fun."
"I'd rather keep it a surprise for now, brother."
"Rats. Do let me know when you plan on starting; the expression on the
troll's face should be priceless no matter what you plan to do."
"I believe I can manage that."
Nodoka quickly reviewed the various documents before placing them in a
tidy stack. "It looks like everything is in order. However, what I
don't see here is his license."
"Hah, got it the first try!" Mukanjou pulled out a scroll tube and held
it up. "I wanted to deliver this to him in person, if you don't mind."
The tube quickly disappeared back into the pocket.
"Not at all. You know you'll have to stop teasing my son along with
Akane from now on, don't you?"
Mukanjou sighed. "Yes, I know. No more embracing the beauty of Ranma's
bountiful bosom, smelling the subtle fragrance of her fiery hair,
caressing the captivating curves of her pert little derriere. Lost, all
lost to me now. Ah, such are the trials of life."
He bounced up to his feet and struck a heroic pose. "But hold! Now that
the good deed has been honorably discharged, it is time once more to
embark! The hunt for life's little pleasures has only but begun, and it
is up to me to unearth these wonderful treasures for all to see!
Farewell, my sister, we shall one day meet again!"
In a blur he was off ...
"MUKANJOU!"
... only to halt suddenly a meter shy of the door.
"Yes, my sister?"
Nodoka pointed to the untidy heap still sitting next to the table.
"Oh. Right. Hehe, we can't leave that behind now, can we? Not a
problem, no indeed; it will just take a second and the entire mess will
be cleaned up, all spick and span, as clean as a whistle, shipshape and
Bristol fashion, you'll never be able to ..."
Nodoka cleared her throat.
"Right away, sis!"
--------------------
Ranma glanced at the clock on the wall. Unfortunately, it had advanced
a mere two minutes from the last time he checked. He'd promised his
mother that he'd stay awake during class from now on, but Ms.
Ninomiya's antics were sorely trying his resolve. And this was only the
first day.
Damn it all, he was hungry! Won't that stupid clock *ever* move?
"Saotome!"
Oh, great. "Yes, Ms. Ninomiya?"
"It's nice to see you're not being a delinquent today. Please read the
next line out loud."
"Next line?"
"Yes, the next line of the story."
"Story?"
Ms. Ninomiya sighed. "Yes, the story the class has been reading this
year. Really, Mr. Saotome, you should pay more attention when in
class."
Ranma barely suppressed a groan. Ms. Ninomiya had spent almost the
entire period giggling over a picture book or manga of some sort. How
on earth did she expect him to remember what was read sometime last
week when he hadn't even gotten home from China?
"Takizawa, read the previous line again for Mister Saotome's benefit."
"Errr..."
"Mister Takizawa?"
"Sorry, Ms. Ninomiya. I accidentally lost my place in the book."
"Hosokaya, what about you? ... No? ... Isayama? ... No? ... Ashida? ...
Tsunoda? ... "
"Are all of you deliberately being delinquents today?" Ms. Ninomiya
said with a huff, pulling a fifty yen coin from her pocket. A raised
hand at the side of the class finally caught her attention.
"Yes, Miss Horiuchi?"
A petite brunette with glasses stood up. "Page eleven, paragraph five,
last line. 'and it was for him that Cathfa made the poem beginning'."
Ranma silently thanked the girl as he opened the reader to the proper
page.
"Thank you, Miss Horiuchi. It is nice to see that *someone* is paying
attention. Now, Mister Saotome, the next line if you please."
"Welcome to the stlangah who has come here."
"The word is pronounced 'stranger', Saotome. You need more work on your
'r's, but there is hope for you yet."
Mercifully, the bell signaling the start of lunch finally rang.
--------------------
Nodoka stood in the center of the dojo and gave the interior a quick
examination. The walls were already showing a few signs of wear from
her son's recent efforts, and if events turned out even close to what
was planned the two of them would soon be gleefully knocking more than
few new holes into the structure. Breaking in a new fight hall was
always such a joy, and spending time together repairing the damage
simply added to the pleasure.
Her thoughts turned to the last twenty years. It was difficult to
accept the number of serious errors in judgment she had made in her
plans, not the least of which was the increasingly high cost of owning
a residence inside of Tokyo proper. It was somewhat ironic that Ranma's
extended absence had actually allowed her to maintain ownership of the
two adjacent properties while they were away, for her original funds
would never have covered the expense of feeding their voracious
appetites if they had stayed at home the entire time. Genma's drinking
by itself had been a strain on the budget from the very beginning of
their relationship; fortunately he had never acquired a taste for
gambling.
She had been close to despair when the house had been practically razed
by the girls' battle over a pillbox, of all things, and the subsequent
period spent living with the Tendos had just added to the stress.
Kasumi was a dear, but her resentment over having someone else in her
'territory' had been easy to see. With her funds virtually depleted and
the chaos surrounding her son it had become quite apparent her original
plans would be met with nothing but failure, and failure was
unacceptable.
Asking Father for help had been a humbling experience, and one she had
no desire to repeat. It had taken a little effort to disguise the
source of her new found wealth which had been instrumental in effecting
repairs to the household, but she now had a steady income that was
accessible only by her. Her older sister could have rebuilt the house
and erected the dojo with little effort, but its sudden appearance
would have brought with it entirely too much unwelcome attention. It
was better simply to allow the extremely efficient Nerima contractors
to perform the work, and the results were quite satisfactory.
Enough. She still had to finish tweaking her own reactions to the
marked differences between the daisho and her usual weaponry. Sword
fighting without her shield always felt so ... wrong.
The kendoka raised her twin bokken in a classic Jikishinkage Ryuu
kenjutsu position. She held guard for just a moment before flowing into
the first of several kata.
--------------------
Ranma bounced out the window at almost the same instant the lunch bell
sounded, barely pausing long enough to grab his bento. He raced over to
his favorite tree without even noticing the one story drop. Having the
first year students up on the third floor and the third year students
on the ground floor was but one of many peculiarities at Furinkan.
Three leaps and a careful plop later, he was safely ensconced in the
tree's upper branches. His mouth watered in anticipation while he
unknotted the furoshiki. As much as he enjoyed Kasumi's cooking, her
bentos were never large enough to satisfy his mid-day hunger. Mom's
cooking was almost as good as Kasumi's and she always served triple
portions. Amazingly, he was left alone long enough to savor every bite.
It took but a moment to stack up the bento and retie the furoshiki. The
lunch period was almost over and there was just enough time to talk to
Akane before they had to head back upstairs for the next class. It took
several minutes for him to locate her; she was sitting on the bank next
to the soccer field with her friends Yuka, Sayuri, and Ume.
"Saotome!"
The pig-tailed youth sighed as he turned to face his opponent. So
close; he'd almost made it through an entire lunch period for once.
"What do you want, Kuno?"
"The time has come to put an end to your perfidy once and for all. I
strike!"
Ranma flipped out of the way of the sudden stop thrust. Kuno was using
the katana again. "Hey, watch it!"
The blizzard of slashes and thrusts continued unabated. Ranma flowed
around the intricate pattern untouched.
"What are you trying to do, kill me?"
Kuno stopped briefly, pointing with the sword. "Akane Tendo and the
pig-tailed girl will never be free as long as your miserable existence
continues. No matter the cost, my goddess *will* be released from your
bonds."
The blizzard of steel resumed unabated.
Ranma was more than a little fed up with bokken-head himself. "I don't
have time for this, bubblebrain ... Hah, too slow ... Still too slow ... You
call that an attack? ... Even Gosunkugi could aim better than that ... You
might hit a snail some day ... I'm over here, stupid ... Oh look! You
almost scared a fly ... Say goodbye, moron." Ranma quickly chopped the
sword from Kuno's grasp before planting his feet on the ground.
"HIRYUU SHOUTEN HA!"
Ranma held his pose for a moment as the ki-fueled tornado swept the
hakama-clad youth off into the distance. Glancing up at the clock, he
groaned once before running into the building. There was barely enough
time to get back to his seat before the bell rang.
--------------------
The next class was a homeroom study period. These could be slow torture
when Ms. Ninomiya came back from lunch at the same time as the
students, but there was always a better than even chance that she'd be
late and show up halfway through the period. Fortunately, today was no
exception.
Ranma glanced over at his reluctant fianc�e who was currently working
on math problems for tomorrow class. At least she wasn't glaring at him
like she did yesterday.
"Ummm ... Akane?"
Akane looked up from her studies, a neutral expression adorning her
features. "Yes, Ranma?" she replied.
"Are ... are you doing anything right after school?"
"Look! He's asking her out on a date!" "A date? I thought they were
married." "I wish my boyfriend was that bold." "I don't see a ring."
"He's so handsome." "What if he's finally going to do it?" "Saotome?
Yeah, right." "I still don't know why she's always the lucky one." "I
wouldn't mind doing it with her." "Pervert!" "Tendo? She'd rip your
arms off." "Not her, the *other* her." "Ewww, gross." "Quiet, he'll
hear you." "But what a way to go." "You've *got* to be kidding." "You
ARE a pervert." "They make such a cute couple." "He's such a hunk." "I
wouldn't mind a bit of *that*!" "Honzo's at it again."
Ranma had just about enough; what was *with* these people? He stood up
quickly and glared.
"Would you all just SHUT UP!?!"
The student rumor mill halted as quickly as it had begun.
Ranma sat back down, painfully aware of the stares and the complete
silence. "Akane?"
"I'm sorry, Ranma. I promised Yuka I'd be over to help study for the
tests next week."
Ms. Ninomiya chose that moment to walk into the classroom, effectively
cutting off any further conversation. Ranma slumped into his chair.
--------------------
"Hello?"
Kasumi stopped scrubbing the kitchen floor at the sound of the voice.
"Just a moment please," she called out before removing the rubber
gloves, apron, and scarf. It simply wasn't proper to receive a guest
while dressed in dirty work clothes. She smoothed a few wrinkles out of
her skirt before heading to the front of the house.
Kasumi wasn't particularly surprised to see the Saotome matriarch
waiting patiently at the door. What was a bit out of the ordinary were
the *two* carefully wrapped katana she was carrying instead of her
usual one, along with a large cloth bag of some weight.
"Good afternoon, Auntie Saotome; please come in. Would you care for a
cup of tea?"
"Good afternoon, Kasumi. Thank you; that would be delightful."
A quiet scrabbling suddenly emanated from down the hallway. The noise
halted immediately before the two women walked into the main room.
"Please take a seat, Auntie Saotome. I have a new tea you simply must
try; it will only take a couple of minutes." Kasumi quickly hustled
back to the kitchen.
"Of course, dear." Nodoka briefly scanned the room while she sat down
at the table. Soun was sitting on the edge of the walkway facing the
koi pond, his nose buried in his ever-present newspaper. No one else
was in the room at the time, but there were signs of a hastily
abandoned game of shogi over in the corner.
Kasumi returned a few minutes later with the tea serving. Nodoka spent
a pleasant half an hour trying out the Shinju Tsuyu Gyokuro tea Kasumi
had recently discovered. The girl's pastries were excellent as always,
and the two swapped a few more family recipes from their respective
collections. Nodoka set her cup down once the proper socializing had
been completed.
"Kasumi dear, have you seen my erstwhile husband today?" A brief
hesitation in setting her cup down on the table was the only reaction
exhibited by the Tendo girl on this pronouncement.
"Of course, Auntie Saotome, he and Father were just ..." She looked about
the room. "He must have stepped out just before you arrived, Auntie.
Father? Do you know where Mr. Saotome is?"
Soun shook his head back and forth several times in the negative.
"Do you know where he went, Father?"
Soun repeated his gesture.
"Did Mr. Saotome mention when he would return?"
Again the silent response.
Nodoka's eyes narrowed momentarily when she noticed Soun's hands
shaking ever so slightly. "I see," she said with a barely suppressed
growl.
Nodoka turned her attention back to the eldest Tendo girl. "In that
case, I have a small favor to ask of you, Kasumi."
"Of course, Auntie Saotome."
"First, Ranma and I will be coming back over after dinner to pack up
his possessions, if that is acceptable."
"Why of course. That must mean Ranma and Mr. Saotome are moving back
home with you again. You must be very happy to have your family
together once more."
"I'm afraid that's not quite accurate, Kasumi dear. Ranma has already
moved back home with me; what Genma does from this point on is entirely
up to him. I do have a few items that might influence his decision and
had counted on my being able to personally deliver them to him today.
Unfortunately, I am running a little short on time at the moment and
must hurry back before Ranma returns home from school."
She removed the bound ledger and a large manila envelope from her bag
and put them down on the table. Kasumi's eyes widened slightly when she
saw Nodoka place the wrapped Saotome honor blade next to the stack.
Picking up the other sword, Nodoka stood up and gave Kasumi a formal
bow.
"Kasumi, can you please make sure that these items are given directly
to Genma when he returns, and *only* to him? I apologize in advance for
asking such a favor of you, but you are the only one in this household
I would trust with such an important task." Nodoka bowed once more.
Kasumi scrambled to her feet and returned the bow. "I am honored by the
trust you have placed in me, Mrs. Saotome. I will do as you have
requested."
"You have my gratitude, Kasumi. I will see myself out so that you may
safely secure the items for Genma's eventual return." Nodoka bowed one
last time before walking over to the hallway. She stopped and turned to
face the two Tendos.
"One more thing you should know, Kasumi dear; Mrs. Saotome no longer
exists. I am Nodoka Shouri once more, and I sincerely hope our two
families can remain on friendly terms in spite of all the recent stress
and turmoil. We shall return this evening to retrieve Ranma's
possessions. Good day." Nodoka bowed briefly before leaving the
residence.
Kasumi stared briefly at the empty hallway before responding with the
only comment the situation would allow.
"Oh, my!"
--------------------
END CHAPTER
============================================================
Mark Shurtleff
email: gaijin@sfcmd.com
irc alias: Gaijin -or- togashi_gaijin
fanfiction homepage: http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic
============================================================
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