Thanks to the prereaders for their help in this. ^-^
More comments at the end.

C&C is welcome, but I don't want to hear "oh, but in typical fanon,
Mr. Kuonji isn't *insert gripe here*" I know I'm going against the grain in
a few things, here, and if you can't handle that, don't read it. I do,
however, try to stay as close to cannon as I can.



------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Will of the Father, ch. 1
Anime: Ranma 1/2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter One: From Anxiety Comes Hope

    The air was cold and crisp for an early February afternoon in
Nerima. Pedestrians on the sidewalks walked by swiftly, wearing long-
sleeved shirts and warm sweaters that were quite uncommon for the time
of year. Small children were outfitted in gloves and hats, and old men
and women complained about their aching bones, willing for weather to
change for the better. The downtown life was fairly still, and
unwelcoming. It would have been serene, if one had been in the right
mood for that.

    This was the first impression that Binsentsu Kuonji had of the
town that his little girl now lived in. It made him feel wary of the
area in general, but he tried to not let it affect his view of Nerima.
It was also unusually cold in his very own hometown, and most of the
general area according to the man who had generously given him a ride
from the station.

     Mr. Kuonji was a middle-aged man, though he still had the
youthful posture and strength that came with being a martial artist
since he was a child. His only living family member, his daughter,
Ukyo, had left their home almost two years ago in order to seek out
revenge against a childhood friend and fiance. Ever since, father and
daughter had exchanged letters, each sending one or two a month.
Although he had not intended to visit Nerima unless there was a truly
special occasion, such as his daughter's wedding, her last letter had
given him enough reason to make the trek. She needed his help, and
even though she had not asked for it, he could read between the lines.
'I'm worried now,' she had written. 'I'm not sayin' that I'm giving
up, or that I think Akane's meant for him, but...it almost happened,
that time at the wedding. I need a new plan, need to get him away from
her claws. It just isn't right.'

    As he walked down the sidewalk, he rubbed his hands together hard,
for warmth, then shoved them into his pockets, touching the paper with
directions to her restaurant with his fingertips. The paper was old
and wrinkled; it was actually also the first letter she had sent back
to him, still in his pocket after all this time. He always kept a
letter or two with him, just so that he could have a reminder of his
daughter wherever he went.

    Aside from the worrying in her last letter, Ukyo reported that she
was doing well enough for herself. She made a small amount of money
running a restaurant, and she went to school, no doubt working herself
to the bone between the two. He wondered if she even had help with the
restaurant. She had mentioned once, over the last summer, that an old
friend had been helping part-time. But in the next letter, she said
that she had fired the part-time worker, and didn't mention anything
else about it since.

    Taking out the directions again, Mr. Kuonji looked them over
before crossing the street. Not a car was in sight; the closest thing,
if you could even call it that, was a purple-haired girl riding a
bicycle, delivery box in hand. Obviously, the ride was work related.
Sighing, he kept on walking and looked down at the letter once more.

    Another worry that he had was about how much money she was making.
She never talked about how many customers she had, even if he asked in
a letter, and it made him suspicious that she really wasn't making
enough to make ends meet. Being the doting father that he was, he had
tried to send her money from the second he confirmed her address with
her first letter home. But she had sent it right back to him. What
were her words, then? 'Thank you, Dad, but I'm a big girl. Don't you
worry about me now, I'm fine.'

    "My little Ukyo...all grown up."

    He didn't mean to say the words aloud. A woman walking out of a
store gave him a questioning look, then walked away to attend to her
own business. Bashfully, he cleared his throat, continuing on his way.

    However well she was doing financially, he knew that the fiance
situation was no longer in Ukyo's control. He wondered, sometimes, if
it ever really had been. In the first letter, she said that she had
located Ranma, defeated Genma Saotome, and would be defeating Ranma
soon. In the second, she had fought and made up with the boy. That had
really surprised him; she had been so full of passionate hatred when
she left. She had vowed on her own spatula that she would have his
head on a platter. And yet, not only had she made up with him, Ranma
was back in her good graces somehow. What sort of boy had that
rambunctious child grown into, anyway? He had to be quite the charmer
if he could get Ukyo to completely change her mind about him like
that.

       As a father, Binsentsu Kuonji felt pressed to come to his
little girl's aid. Despite her wanting to be independent, he knew that
she needed his help in this, now more then ever. The situation had to
be rectified, the sooner, the better.

    Taking in a deep breath, he saw the sign, finally, proclaiming
'Ucchan's Okonomiyaki.' He was here. Preparing himself for his first
encounter in a long time with Ukyo, he pushed back the sliding door
and took his first step ever into his little girl's restaurant, and
back into her tumultuous life.


        *                *                *

    "Welcome, sir! Due to the cold weather, we're serving a free mug
of hot green tea to every customer that walks in. Please, sit anywhere
you like, and I'll bring it right out," said Konatsu, followed by the
sounds of footsteps entering the restaurant.

    Ukyo, standing behind the grill, brightened at hearing the voice.
A customer. It had been at least twenty minutes since the last one;
she had been worried that the bad weather had caused everyone to
rethink venturing out today.  A bad omen almost, but she hadn't said
that aloud, just in case. One silly weather pattern didn't necessarily
mean anything.

    She heard Konatsu sway past her at the bar, walking into the
kitchen without another word. Carefully, she finished adding sauce and
vegetables to her current okonomiyaki on the grill. She had started it
for her and Konatsu to share for a late lunch, but now that they had a
customer, she could easily modify it to his liking,
then start another one for them.

    The customer sat down at the bar, right in front of her. But his
movements didn't match any of her regulars; the way he shuffled his
feet, the way he sat, how he let out air as though his very bones were
tired. An older man, was it? It definitely seemed to be a man, or else
a very large woman. Perhaps it was Ranma's dad, in human form. After
one more quick movement of her spatula between the okonomiyaki and the
grill, she looked up, and was startled by the sight of the man in
front of her.

    "Hello, Ukyo."

    The casual words were contrasted by a serious face, though it soon
changed into a sly grin. Slowly, carefully, she looked him over,
barely believing that it was her father.

     He had not said anything about coming to Nerima. He had said,
once, that he didn't care much for this end of Tokyo, but would visit
for her wedding. As far as she knew, she wasn't getting married. At
least, Ranma had not properly set a date with her yet.

    "What's wrong, dear? Don't you recognize me?"

    She felt the corners of her mouth rise, her body coming out of the
brief spell of shock. All the times she had hoped that he would visit,
to see how well she was doing for herself, and spend some time with
her... She had so much to tell him, now. So much she needed to do, and
say. Of course, he'd have to sample her okonomiyaki; he was, after
all, the master. She thought her skills had come a long way since
leaving, but he would be the one true test.

    Overcome by youthful giddiness at seeing him, she jumped over the
bar in one swift movement and landed in front of him, giving  him a
tight bear-hug.

    "Daddy!" she squealed, hearing him laugh as he hugged back almost
as tightly.

    He smelled of sweat, tobacco, and okonomiyaki. From his voice and
eagerness to sit down, he was no doubt tired from the short journey.
The pack on his back was large, of the traveling kind, and his clothes
were casual, close to the style that Mr. Tendo tended to wear. As she
finally let go, she saw that his thick, dark beard was still
unpeppered by silver, and his hair was long and tied in a ponytail at
the nape of his neck. On his head was a wide-brimmed hat that came to
a point at the top.

    He looked at her awkwardly as she sat down on the stool beside
him, as though he wasn't sure what she expected of him.

    "I can't believe you're really here! You should've phoned ahead,
you know. But it's okay, Konatsu can fix up the spare room for you in
no time. You *are* staying for a couple of days at least, right? It's
been so long."

    Ukyo spoke excitedly, though her martial artist sense soon
reminded her of the okonomiyaki. Reaching over the bar carefully, she
grabbed a plate and deftly moved the food from the grill to the plate
with her spatula. Offering it with the appropriate utensils to her
father, she felt a pleasant rush as he accepted.

    "Thank you. Sorry for not phoning ahead, but... your last letter,
dear. I just-"

    "Your tea, sir! Oh, my, Miss Ukyo! You know this man, I take it?"

    Konatsu had unintentionally cut off her father's words, but Ukyo
ignored it for the time being. Quickly setting down the mug of
steaming tea beside him, her waiter looked from Ukyo, to their
customer, to Ukyo once more, pleasant bewilderment painting his pretty
face.

    "Father, this is my waiter, Konatsu Kanzen."

    A nervous twitch of a frown appeared on Konatsu's face, but he
managed to catch himself and bow gracefully. He was actually wearing
an elegant pair of black pants today, instead of the usual kimono,
with a pretty, ruffled white blouse that would have looked more
natural on someone with breasts. "Konatsu, my father, Binsentsu
Kuonji. Please give him anything that he asks for, and set up the
guest room for him when you get the chance. He'll be staying for a few
days."

    Her father stood up to bow formally to Konatsu, though she
detected mild amusement in his face.

    "I see that my daughter's found a counterpart. She still dresses
like a man, and no offence, but..." he didn't finish his sentence, and
Ukyo bopped him playfully over the head with her spatula.

    "Don't be silly, Dad! And be nice. Konatsu has had a hard life; he
had reasons to start dressing like a woman." She leaned in closer,
speaking directly to his ear in a low voice that Konatsu could not
hear. "Believe me, this is much more masculine then it used to be."

    "I'm honoured to meet you, sir. Your daughter has been so kind to
me, taking me into her home, giving me a job, food, and money!"
Konatsu's eyes were shining brightly, and he completely ignored Mr.
Kuonji's cut-off comments about his outfit. Ukyo silently hoped that
Konatsu didn't mention just how much he was being paid; Ranma had
commented negatively about that to her twice already, and she didn't
want to have to explain to her father that Konatsu was happy with the
small amount that she gave him.

    "My little girl's always had a big heart." He sat back down,
taking off his hat and fixing his hair quickly. "You didn't tell me
that you had a waiter. It's since your last letter?"

      "Actually, yeah, it is. Seems like Konatsu's been here for much
longer, but it's only been a month or so at most."

     "Fair enough. Now, it's been a few hours since I've eaten, do you
mind? We'll be able to talk more properly once I've had a bit to eat
and freshened up," he said, picking up the plate again.

     "No, of course not, go ahead."

    Ukyo watched anxiously as he carefully lifted a small morsel to
his mouth. He ate slowly, chewing the way some would drink fine wine,
nodding thoughtfully. After a sip of tea, he turned to Ukyo, putting
one hand on her shoulder.

    "Looks like you finally got around that problem you used to have
with the sauce, good. There's something not quite right about the
combination of one of the spices and the fishcake you added, however.
I'll have to see what you're putting as you go. And I'll still need to
see you in battle, of course, but overall... you're doing well. You
just need to keep working at it."

    Ukyo bowed her head slightly. "I'm pleased that it's to your
liking," she said formally, the way she had been taught when she was
younger. It felt strange on her tongue, speaking like that after such
a long time away from him. "You must be tired, Dad. Do you want a
bath? I can run some hot water for you."

    "You don't need to go to the trouble, but I'd like a bath, yes.
After I finish." He took another bite of his food, obviously enjoying
the meal after his long journey. "First, though...I need you to do
something."

    "Of course, anything."

    "Call the... the Saotomes. Genma and Ranma. Invite them over, I
have something important to announce, and I need them both here for
it."

    Her eyes went wide as she considered what those words meant. It
was a hard decision between letting herself be happy, and wondering if
things were as they appeared to be. He was going to announce what,
exactly? Unless he was going to try to settle things between her and
Ranma. Maybe he had a plan to get the so-called engagement between
Ranma and Akane broken? But how?

    "Invite them over? Is...it's about the engagement, right?" she
asked, though she knew it had to be. That was the only connection that
the Kuonjis had to them, after all.

    Nodding, her father looked up at her only long enough to signify
that he had a full mouth, then went back to his meal, drinking down
his tea quite rapidly despite that it was still steaming hot.

    "I'll go call them right away!"

    Somewhere between the bar and the phone, a light-hearted skip
entered into her step.

        *       *       *

    "Tendo residence! ... Yes? ... Yes, this is Genma Saotome
speaking. ... Really? ... You don't say.  ..."

    Ranma watched as his father spoke on the phone, wondering who it
could be that he was talking to. His father had laughed nervously just
now, and was adjusting his glasses. What had the person on the other
line said to get that reaction? It didn't take much to unnerve his
father, true, but it was making him curious. For now, though, he sat
on the second to last step of the stairway, listening.

    "Really? ... No, no, it's not a problem. ... Tonight? ... No, I
didn't exactly have plans, but- ... No, I don't need to speak to him,
wait! ... "

    A pair of slippered feet approached Ranma from behind, moving
swiftly beside him.

    "Eavesdropping on your father? Who is it?" asked Akane.

    "Dunno," he whispered.

    "Hello? ... Yes, it has been a long time. ... " continued Genma,
oblivious to the two younger martial artists.

    Akane sat down without invitation, resting her hands on her lap.
Ranma put a finger to his lips to indicate that she should be quiet;
to his surprise, she didn't protest, and instead listened as well.
They sat like two young children, trying their best not to be noticed
or heard, heads cocked so that the closest ear to Genma was aimed
towards him.

    "You really think that- ... well, yes, that could benefit us both,
but I don't see how ... Oh. Right, well- ..."

    It had been a rather boring day, so far. No school, not much
homework to do, and it was positively frigid outside. Even training in
the dojo could get old after a few hours. He and Akane had spent most
of the day moving about the house randomly, occasionally getting on
each other's nerves when they were actually in the same room
together. She had been avoiding him today, and he was surprised that
she was now sitting calmly beside him.

    "Ranma! Where are you, boy?"

    With ease of practice, Ranma stood up, then jumped over the
railing to stand beside his father. Casually, he crossed his arms and
leaned against the wall.

    "Right here."

    Genma still held the phone in one hand, the speaker part muffled
with the meaty palm of his other.

    "We're going to Ucchan's Okonomiyaki in one hour. Be ready." His
father's voice was firm, though had an odd tone to it.

    "What? Ucchan?" asked Ranma, frowning. Ucchan was on the phone? It
had been a good week since he had seen her, if not more. He wondered
if maybe something was wrong, and debated grabbing the phone from his
old man.

    But before he could do so, Genma waved him off and went back to
the phone. He noticed that Mr. Tendo had entered the hallway, and
Akane had calmly walked up behind Ranma, eyes innocent as though she
had not been trying to listen in as well.

    "We'll be there. ... Right. ... No, no, that's all old and... I
understand. Bye."

    The second he put down the phone, Genma closed his eyes, nodding
slowly to himself as though finally understanding something. Ranma's
gaze remained steady on his face, waiting for him to speak.

    "Saotome, what is going on, here? I heard you yelling for Ranma,"
asked Mr. Tendo.

   "Yeah, what was that all about?" asked Ranma.

    "To be honest, I'm not sure," began Genma. "But..."

    Genma suddenly gripped the receiver of the phone again, hard, as
though wanting to crack it. It remained intact as he released, then he
half-turned to face his son, putting his back to Mr. Tendo.
Unimpressed, Ranma met his level gaze, questioning him with his eyes.

    "Well?"

    "Binsentsu Kuonji is in town."

    _Binsentsu...Kuonji? Ukyo's old man..._ An image came up in his
mind, albeit with difficulty, of a man around his dad's age. Burly,
with a dark beard and determined, hard eyes. A chill went down his
back, but his muscles were controlled enough to hide it. Looking back
up at his own father's face, he tilted his head questioningly

    The news seemed to be troubling them both, but for different
reasons. While his dad had the obvious worries of dealing with a man
that he had deliberately manipulated and stolen from, Ranma was more
worried that this would send them down a road of stupid debates over
stupider engagements. His eyes narrowed as he considered calling
Ucchan back to get more information, and  possibly faking sickness or
injury to get out of it.

    "Sa-Saotome?" It was unclear whether Mr. Tendo actually realized
what was going on, or was reacting on instinct from his old friend's
behaviour. His expression and tone of voice showed that he was quite
concerned.

    "Mr. Saotome? Please, is there anything else?" asked Akane.

    "No. Though Mr. Kuonji did say something interesting... I suspect
it has something to do with the boy's engagement-" He cringed at the
sudden cold stares from the three other occupants in the hallway at
the word 'engagement'. "Urm. At the boy's prior commitment, that is
now null-and-void, to the Kuonji girl."

    "Ya sure about that, Pop? Maybe he just wants the cart back that
you stole from him. What didja do with that, anyway?"

    "Ingrate! I needed to sell off that cart to make money to feed
you! It was for your own good, Ranma."

    "Feh. I bet."

    "Ukyo seemed really happy about it. You can tell, in a young
girl's voice, when she's happy. You should learn to pay attention,
boy."

    He waved off the lecture, and thankfully his dad dropped it. So,
Ukyo was happy for them to go? It *was* something about the
engagement... Maybe her father was going to make him honour it? He
noticed the others staring at him now, and wondered if his face was as
green as it suddenly felt.

    "Akane! You'll go with them," said Mr. Tendo, a decisive, alarmed
air about him.

    "What? Why?" Akane's protest fell on deaf ears as Mr. Tendo shook
his head.

    "As Ranma's one true fiancee, you need to make sure that this
Kuonji girl and her father don't try to cheat you out of your future
marriage to Ranma."

    "But-"

    "No buts! Please, Akane... do it for me? For the School of
Anything Goes Martial Arts?"

    Ranma thought she was going to protest again, but even Akane was
no match for the sudden tears that began falling down the cheeks of
her father. Looking more irritated and embarrassed at her father's
behaviour then anything else, she crossed her arms and looked away.

    "I don't care who his real fiancee ends up being. It's none of
*my* business."

    "But you'll go? Won't you? Please?"

    Akane paused for another long moment, readjusting her sweater as
if to buy herself some more time. More then likely, she was being
disagreeable because it involved seeing Ukyo. Like Ranma, though
multiplied several times over in Akane's case, the two were still
bristling over the ruined wedding of just over a month ago. Ranma
mostly because he had been tricked into a wedding and ended up losing
the nanniichiuan water to get rid of his curse, and Akane because the
wedding had been an embarrassing mess, and her dress, as well as most
of the dojo, was ruined.

    It was easily understandable that Ukyo was not her favourite
person at the moment. He was surprised that she had not said no
straight out, and wondered why she was making this exchange last
longer then it really needed to.

    "She don't gotta, if she doesn't want to. I don't need her there.
I'm not gonna marry Ukyo just cause her old man says so," said Ranma
defiantly. He had hoped that the statement would nudge Akane more into
the side of saying no, as she clearly wanted to do, but instead it
just made her raise her chin higher.

    "Akane? For me? Remember, you *are* the only heir that I have that
will marry Ranma."

    "Gee, thanks for that boost to my self-esteem, Mr. Tendo,"
muttered Ranma. Akane glared daggers at her father, then rolled her
eyes and looked away.

     "Don't make it sound as if I'll take just anyone," she said, then
moved her gaze to Ranma, her expression unreadable. He tried to look
nonchalant, to convey that she should do what she wanted. Turning her
head, she took in her father's pleading look, and frowned. Finally,
she sighed and nodded.

    "Fine, fine. I'll go. For the school."

    "That's my little girl!"

    _What? Feh, she doesn't want to go...I can tell. Ah well, as long
as she doesn't get in the way,_ thought Ranma, watching as their
fathers began to walk away.

    An awkward silence fell over Ranma and Akane, neither being as
naturally talkative as their fathers. Ranma looked at the wall,
feeling a dark aura around Akane that was enough to break bricks
without the help of her fist. Akane was looking at the stairway again,
clearly unsure of what to say.  Finally, Ranma had to break the
silence. Choosing his words carefully, he swallowed, then looked at
his fiancee.

    "You don't have to go, you know."

    "I know that."

    "Then why are you?"

    He thought he saw Akane's hand shake, if even slightly. What was
she thinking about? Normally she wasn't this reserved, or quiet, or...
he almost wanted to say girly, but calling Akane "girly" went against
everything he thought about her.

    She had been like this a lot since the failed wedding. Oh, she
still became angry, and she still acted like a tomboy for the most
part, but she treated him differently. He wasn't quite sure how, but
there was something there that wasn't quite the same. Something that
was careful, uncertain.

    "Akane, I..."

    "Akane!"

    Happosai's voice was heard at almost the same instant that both of
them noticed the airborne, purple-clothed master of the Anything Goes
school. He attached himself to Akane's breasts, that in itself being
practically a demand to have his head kicked in. Reflexively, Akane
and Ranma both punched him, sending him bouncing
off of a wall.

    "How many times have I told you-" began Akane, watching as
Happosai got up as though nothing happened.

    "I was just trying to liven things up!"

    "You were trying to cop a feel, you mean," growled Ranma, feeling
protective now. Something at the back of his head also hoped there
didn't happen to be any cold water around, so that he wouldn't become
the next victim.

    Happosai pouted, looking all of ten years old despite the
wrinkles.

    "How dare you talk to me like that! I saw you and Akane looking at
each other like a couple of shy schoolkids, and wanted to get rid of
the tension. You should be thanking me."

    One swift kick from Akane sent Happosai flying through the dinning
room, and the sounds of their fathers begging for forgiveness showed
that he had landed fairly close to them. That done, Akane 'hmphed',
and turned around to look at Ranma once more.

    "Honestly."

    Her face was suddenly so serious, so frustrated, that it struck a
strange chord in Ranma. He found himself looking away from her eyes,
and instead focusing on the wall.

    "Listen, Akane, if there's anything you want to talk about..."

    "What do you mean?" She asked, her voice calmer.

    "It's just..." And then he looked into her eyes again, blank and
curious, waiting for him to speak. Maybe he was imagining her odd
behaviour? She was talking with him now, and she had sat with him on
the stairs earlier.

    "Ranma? What are you trying to say?"

     He faltered, his hand reaching up to adjust his collar shook
slightly, and then he looked away.

    "If you have anything that you need to talk about, you can...you
can tell me, ya know."

     She actually smiled at that, bright and happy, then quickly
looked away as though she were trying to hide something.

     "I know. Thank you."

     Then, without another word, she turned around and headed up the
steps to her bedroom. Ranma merely stood, listening to her soft
footsteps until they stopped at the sound of her door closing.



        *       *       *

    Konatsu quickly checked the futon once more, just to make sure it
really wasn't the one that had the hole in the corner. It looked so
much like it, and he wanted to be certain that it was perfect for
Ukyo's father. Meticulously, he went over it again and breathed a sigh
of relief when he saw that it was, in fact, the correct one.

    "That's good... I really didn't want to have to look through the
attic again for it. Now, let's see..."

    Walking around the room slowly, he checked again for dust, and
readjusted a few books that were sitting on the shelf. After shaking
the curtains once more, he stepped back to he doorway of the room,
looking in.

    It was perfect. Probably more perfect than Mr. Kuonji was used to
even, since he had been on the road so much lately. But that didn't
matter. He was Ukyo's father. That fact alone demanded perfection.
Ukyo was his boss, his savior. The one who had rescued him from his
old life, and brought him into this new, better one. No more manual
labour left for him! No more dealing with his horrible step-mother and
step-sisters, no more sleeping in a box and eating whatever scraps he
happened across.

    Carefully, he looked over the room again, and nodded. Here was a
room fit for the one who had helped bring to the world the kindest
woman he had ever met. He gave into an impulse to bow, suddenly, then
left the room, fixing his ponytail as he went. Mr. Kuonji's
announcement, whatever it was, would come soon. Ukyo had looked very
excited about it, and that made Konatsu excited, as well. What could
this important announcement be? Involving Ranma and Genma Saotome, no
less. He rather liked Ranma, though never thinking him worthy of Ukyo.

    But no matter. If this really was an announcement of Mr. Kuonji's
intentions to confirm their engagement - and marriage, as Ukyo
suspected - so be it. As long as he could still be Ukyo's loyal
employee and friend, he was happy. He had to be.

    There was just nothing else out there for him.


*         *        *

Notes: I started this fanfic after I told the idea to a friend, who then
said that he had never seen the specific idea I had in Ranma fanfiction. 
I'm not sure if that's true (I don't think anyone could read all the 
Ranma fanfiction out there) but it made me want to write it.

Chapter two is still in the process of being edited, and I definitely won't
be sending this out as quickly as I did with Countdown.

Anyway, I hope you liked it. And, for the curious, I got the name Binsentsu
by taking the name Vincent (which I think suits him) and putting it through
a Japanese name generator.

- Denise


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