Minna-san,
And here's the new Part 1. Part 2 should be done
soon.
Enjoy!
Fred
=====
<P><STRONG><EM><FONT face="Courier New">Fred Herriot AKA P'yeknu OR Gorgo</FONT></EM></STRONG></P>
<P>**** **** ****</P>
<P><A href="mailto:fherriot@yahoo.com">fherriot@yahoo.com</A></P>
<P>**** **** ****</P>
<P><A href="http://www.livejournal.com/~pyeknu/">http://www.livejournal.com/~pyeknu/</A></P>
______________________________________________________________________
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: Lonely Souls (1).txt
-- Desc: Lonely Souls (1).txt
Somewhere in the Korea Strait, off Tsushima...
Tell me that you love me!
I cannot stand that you're never mine!
You really break my heart!
Tchajungnaego hwareul
Naedo tto nouoe misoman pomyoun
Pabo kat'eun na...
Noun nuga pwado aju yeppeugo
T'amseurou'un sagwa kat'a kkaemurou
Chugo ship'ou anajugo ship'ou
Noueui p'ingk'eu pit hwasare kkojoussou.
Noun moduege neul ch'injourae
Keuraesou ch'akkakdeul haji
Namaneui aeinin'goul ijji an'atdamyoun
Naege tou isang changnanch'ijineun ma.
Yokshimi chinach'in koulkka
Chashini oumneun koulkka
Puran'an ma'eum ppunya...
The small crowd in the snack bar aboard the "Ferry Pukwan"
laughed and clapped as the bearded traveller by the karaoke machine
crooned the notes of Sung Si-kyung's "Misoch'ounsa." Most of the
crowd on this evening's run from Pusan to Shimonoseki were Koreans
taking advantage of winter vacation to spend time abroad. Imagine
their surprise on meeting the singer, clearly a native of Japan
despite his near-perfect fluency in the tongue of the Land of the
Morning Calm. Given the centuries of blood hatred between the
nations bordering the shores of the East Sea -- what Japanese
insisted should be called the Sea of Japan -- to encounter someone
of Japan willing to learn Korean was shocking.
As the song came to a close, the traveller smiled, handing
the microphone back to the bartender. "You sing well," one of the
women, an office lady from Seoul, noted with a laugh as he stood up,
turning to leave.
The traveller paused, sensing that some of the women there,
all in their late twenties and early thirties, would gladly have
wanted him to continue to sing. If not engage in other activities.
"Kamsahamnida," he thanked her in Korean with a bow. "Forgive
me, but I'm travelling with my sister. She doesn't like sea voyages.
I'd better check on her. Good night."
He bowed again, then stepped out. "Awwwwwwwwwwww..."
some lamented.
Walking forward, then ascending a gangway to where first class
quarters were located, he drew a key, then opened the door to one
room. Glancing in, he tried not to grin too much on seeing a woman
under the covers. Despite the aura of physical fitness which cloaked
her, her skin was pale and clammy, sweat pouring from her shaggy
head of chestnut hair. Her eyes, both dark brown, were squeezed
shut. "You okay, Onee-chan?" the traveller wondered, sitting on the
bed as he gently brushed away her perspiration.
A tired breath escaped her. "Why did you insist on taking
*this* route back to Japan?" she hissed through gritted teeth.
"You hate flying as much as travelling by boat. And you didn't
feel it necessary to use Sanctuary to get us home. Besides, this was
cheaper." He shrugged, then kissed her cheek. "Relax, Onee-chan.
They'll be dropping anchor outside Shimonoseki in a few hours. The
waves should be pretty calm there. And, just in case the waves pick
up, all they have to do is take the ferry right into the Kanmon
Strait."
"What time is it?"
"About eleven-thirty."
She faintly nodded. "Nine hours," she exhaled. The ferry
docked at the Shimonoseki terminal around 8:30 in the morning.
She opened her eyes to gaze on him. "You seem indifferent about
returning to Japan, Ataru."
"Thanks to you, Onee-chan." Ataru clicked his tongue, then
stared out the curtained window. Bright points of light on the
horizon and closer indicated fishing boats plying their timeless
trade. "Right now, there's nothing that'll force me back into that
hellhole, especially after getting together with the girls on the
Island. Nothing at all..."
He fell silent. Negako stared at him, then closed her eyes
anew. "I see you've finally dismissed Lum from your thoughts."
He tensed, then relaxed. "No sense lamenting on what no longer
is." He rose to undress. Even if they were "brother" and "sister"
to the general public, they had become used as of late to sharing
accommodations in certain circumstances. "Lum's gone. Nothing
I can do will change that. If I kept weeping over her, I'd be no
different than the goons who flocked around Lum in Tomobiki."
"I wonder if she would have been able to prepare herself to
accept what has happened to you." Negako smiled as Ataru, in boxers,
slipped in beside her. In deference to modesty, she wore a tank-top
and panties.
They warmly embraced as Ataru drew the blankets over them.
"Yeah." He cut out the lights. "Besides..." A faint glow
illuminated his left eye. "She was not the Other. The Other is
elsewhere. Elsewhere..."
* * *
"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
"Misoch'ounsa," performed by Sung Si-kyung (Soung Shi-gyoung),
lyrics by Yi Hoe-jin, music by Hwang Soung-je
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2," created by Takahashi
Rumiko; and "Sister Princess," created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino
Sakurako. This story is set after the end of the "UY" and "Ranma"
manga series.
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are located at the end of the "A" Side of
the Prologue. This part of the story begins four weeks after the end
of the "R" Side of the Prologue and six weeks after the end of the
"A" Side.
**** **** ****
THE FIRST PART - SOLITUDES
Nerima, morning...
"Ohayou, Onee-chan. Where're Ranma-kun and Akane?"
Kasumi smiled as Nabiki sat across from her at the dinner table.
"Akane-chan's at school with her friends preparing for the drama
class play in the spring term. I'm not too sure where Ranma-kun
is, however..."
Nabiki shook her head. "Those idiots just don't know when to
leave it alone, eh?" she muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Unfortunately. And pretending to have Auntie Saotome's
support on their side doesn't help matters, I'm afraid," Kasumi
noted.
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't already
know..."
* * *
People in Nerima had come to call it the "Second Wedding
Attempt."
In truth, no wedding occurred or was even planned for that
Saturday four weeks ago, just a little over two weeks after the first
attempted wedding between Saotome Ranma and Tendou Akane. But what
happened that day was just as profound, if not more so, in the eyes
of all those who, for good or ill, had linked their destinies
to Ranma's and/or Akane's.
Things finally settled down in the sitting room by
mid-afternoon. By then, Souun, Genma and even Nodoka had been
waylaid by Ranma's other would-be fiancees, with help from Kunou
Tatewaki and Mousse. How those two idiots learned of this, Nabiki
had no idea. She soon suspected -- confirmed when she talked to
Kunou about it later -- that Mousse had been spying on Shampoo the
Wednesday evening prior to the big fight. That was when Nabiki met
Shampoo, Ukyou and Kodachi to discuss Souun's, Genma's and Nodoka's
latest plans to get Ranma and Akane married. Once he heard what he
needed to hear, Mousse sought out Kunou to give the kendoist a
heads-up.
Regardless of which, Nabiki's basic plan, secretly backed by
Kasumi -- to put a stop to any talk of impending weddings for Ranma
and Akane -- had gone off like clockwork. No doubt, that fight left
a lot of people's feelings very raw, but that didn't bother the
middle Tendou daughter. It was sheer LUNACY to force two
seventeen-year-olds into something as wide-reaching as marriage.
For Kami-sama's sake, this was the dawn of the TWENTY-FIRST
century, not the middle of the FIFTEENTH! Hopefully, Nabiki thought
at the time, the lessons would be learned, not just by Souun and
Genma, but by Nodoka. Nabiki didn't want to do that to Ranma's
mother, but the woman had to be forcefully smacked out of her
Tokugawa-era world view if she was going to make any headway into
reforming a family with her son.
Her son...
Ranma.
A Ranma that, for reasons no one had yet determined, had started
to change in a direction NO ONE expected, much less predicted.
A Ranma that was no longer playing by anyone's rules...
Save his own.
* * *
That Saturday night, it began...
The sitting room, save for the dents in the walls, one wall with
a man-sized hole in it (that presently covered by a blanket) and a
wrecked table, had been cleaned up by Kasumi. The fiancees had left
an hour ago, apologizing to the elder Tendou daughters for bringing
disharmony on the household. They didn't apologize for their desires
for Ranma, of course. Kasumi or Nabiki couldn't bring themselves
to fault them for that. Shampoo and Kodachi had also been kind to
apologize for Mousse's and Tatewaki's presence (it had been the
weapons-master who had destroyed the wall), the latter vowing to help
finance repairs as soon as Nabiki made the necessary arrangements.
Nodoka was in bed, recovering from several near-misses
from throwing spatulas and being winged by a bonbori. Kasumi had
salvaged the Saotome honour blade from the koi pond, then hid it.
Souun was also in bed, he having got worked over nicely by the
fiancees. Genma had been rushed to the hospital; he had been pounded
to within an inch of his life. Akane, who returned after the other
fiancees left, had gone straight to her room, having said nothing
about what might have happened to Ranma. Ranma had not been seen
since after the fight began.
"Tadaima!"
"Ranma-kun!" Kasumi walked in from the kitchen, forcing herself
to smile. What happened earlier hadn't been his fault by any stretch
of the imagination, so she didn't want to project any negative
feelings. "Ojii-san, there you are! We've wondered where you've
been!"
"Sorry I've been out for a while there, Kasumi-chan."
Happousai smiled, then looked around the room. "Whoo-ee!! When you
said there'd been a fight in this place, my boy, you certainly
weren't kidding!"
"Yeah, you can say that again, Jijii," Ranma, in female form,
replied before staring at Kasumi. "Where's everyone?"
"Your mother and my father are in bed now. Akane's in her room,
as is Nabiki. Your father..." Kasumi's smile slipped from her face.
"He's in the hospital now. Your other suitors were not kind to him."
Ranma sighed. "Don't blame them. Can you get Nabiki? I've an
announcement to make and I want to make it just to you two."
Kasumi blinked. "I...! Why not Akane-chan?"
"Forgive me, Kasumi, but since she is one of my 'fiancees'..."
-- one could coat the sitting room floor with the scorn that word
produced from Ranma's lips -- "...she has no right to hear this.
Just you and Nabiki."
"I...! Yes, of course."
She headed upstairs. Ranma watched her go, then turned to the
grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu. "You sure this won't be any
problem with you, Jijii?" she asked as they sat down where the table
once was.
"Oh, relax, son." Happousai waved her down. "It'd do those
two morons good to face some REAL humility for once in their lives!"
"Yeah, ya got a point." Ranma winked at him, then perked as
Nabiki and Kasumi came down the stairs. "Hey, Nabiki!"
"Hey, Ranma-kun, welcome back," the middle Tendou daughter
hailed. "You don't have to worry about Akane. She's asleep right
now."
"Good." Ranma sighed as they sat before her. "I've some
announcements to make. I ask you both to give me the benefit of the
doubt in this matter, since that seems to elude everyone else who
lives here. If you feel that my ideas have no place here, I'll look
upon that as your family formally breaking the engagement between
Akane and I. If that's the way you want it to be, I'll take my leave
and never return."
Kasumi's eyes widened in shock. "Ranma...!"
"What the hell brought THAT out?!" Nabiki demanded.
Ranma glared the middle Tendou daughter down. "After all the
times you took advantage of me, you have the nerve to ask me THAT?!"
Nabiki winced, then moved to reply, but was rendered silent
by the stern wave of Kasumi's hand. "Ranma-kun has a right to say
that," the elder sister declared, then stared at her would-be
sibling. "Ranma-kun, if you feel right now that none of us ever gave
you any respect, then I am sorry that you've come to feel this way.
Please, I DO want to know what you're feeling and what you want to do
with yourself."
"Alright, then." Ranma sighed. "Had I the right ta do this,
I'd put an end to the engagements right here and now. And yes, that
includes the one to your sister. Why? 'Cause I believe your sister
looks on me the very same way Ukyou and Shampoo do. Not as a person
with his own feelings and dreams. But a puppet, a prize for her to
win and hold onto at any cost. It certainly explains much of her
behaviour when she tried to force my other fiancees away from me
despite all her words about not caring a bit for the engagement.
Therefore, until the time comes that she decides to respect me as a
person, I'll treat her the same way I now treat Ukyou and Shampoo.
And if either of you believe that because of that decision, I don't
deserve to remain here, I'll respect your desire and leave. Again,
never to return."
Kasumi and Nabiki exchanged a look, then the former sighed.
"No, you don't have to go, Ranma-kun. But..." She blinked back
tears. "Several weeks ago, you sacrificed so much to save my
sister's life. I can't thank you enough for that. But please,
tell us what made you come to think THAT about Akane-chan?"
A pause. "Is it because of the Nanniichuan water that was sent from
Jusenkyou for the wedding?"
Happousai perked. "Nanniichuan water?! What Nanniichuan
water?"
"The cask you drank, Ojii-chan," Nabiki provided.
The grandmaster blinked, then breathed out. "Oh, ye gods, I
can't believe that!" He slapped his forehead, then paused. *Odd!
If that WAS Nanniichuan water, why didn't I sense it...?* he
wondered, then shrugged. *Guess I drank too much before the party
started...*
"Don't worry about it, Jijii." Ranma waved him down, then
turned back to Kasumi. "And yes, Kasumi, that's where it started.
If that cask was a present to ME, who the HELL gave your father the
damned right to take it away from me? And if your sister really
DID love me, then why the hell didn't she give him a kick in the ass
and take the cask from him? Hell, why didn't she tell me your father
was using that cask as a bribe to make me marry her? You KNOW how
much I wanted to be rid of this curse! Didn't Akane understand?
Or did she even care?"
"She did!" Kasumi shuddered, then sighed. "Ranma-kun,
she told me that she didn't think about telling you ahead of time.
But it wasn't out of malice, not one bit. She..." She paused.
"She felt that because you confessed your love for her in China,
it didn't really matter. To her, the Nanniichuan was..." Here, she
bowed her head ashamedly. "Icing on the cake."
Ranma took that in, then nodded. "I see."
"What do you feel about her now?" Nabiki asked.
"I dunno. Back in China, I thought I loved her. Even with the
cold feet I got at the wedding, I thought I loved her. But for some
reason, I can't bring myself ta say it now. And that's one of the
reasons I haveta leave this place for a bit. For the next couple
of weeks, I'll be on a training trip. I won't tell you where I'm
goin'. I hope no one..." -- her eyes locked on Nabiki -- "...will
try to follow me. If that DOES happen and if I get wind that it
originated from this house, I'll forever renounce the agreement
between our families. If it becomes necessary, I'll renounce all
ties to my family if that's what it takes to drive the point home."
The sisters' eyes went wide. Nabiki gaped. "You'd actually
become roonin? Ranma-kun, for heaven's sake, I'd never thought
that..."
"What? That I'd finally get tired of taking this crap from all
of you?!" Ranma glared at her. "Well, too bad! I AM tired of it!!"
Nabiki ducked his look. "I can't blame you, Ranma-kun,"
Kasumi mused. "I'm also getting very tired of this. Please, go on."
Ranma sighed. "I've asked Jijii to help. To make him answer
for all the crap he's brought onto your family, I've decided Oyaji'll
be subject to BOTH the strength-sapping moxibustion AND the full-body
cat's tongue while I'm gone. It won't be permanent; Jijii's got a
Phoenix Pill ready when we feel Oyaji's learned his lesson. I leave
the time he'll be stuck, however, to you."
She waved to the sisters. Kasumi and Nabiki blinked, then the
latter nodded. "Well, we could send him to the zoo for a while,"
she mused. "I talked this over once with the curator at the Ueno
Zoo. I could have your dad shipped there for a few weeks for the
right price. Probably enough that we could do some serious
remodelling. The savings in food costs alone...!" She shuddered.
"Fine. Decide what you want to do with the fool, then make sure
your father can't interfere," Ranma declared, then closed her eyes.
"Much that I'd wish I didn't have ta say this, I'm gonna. I hold no
respect for your father now. He broke his word to me. He
deliberately prevented me from receiving something that was meant
for me. Please feel free to tell him this if you wish. If he
decides that he doesn't want me to marry any of you because of that,
that's fair enough. It solves some of my problems right there."
Kasumi nodded. "I can't blame you for that, Ranma-kun."
"Alright, then." Ranma moved to head upstairs. "I'm gonna pack
and head out tonight. I'll see you in a couple weeks, Jijii."
"Fair enough, my boy! Have fun," Happousai declared...
* * *
Souun and Nodoka stayed in bed throughout the next day. Akane
left first thing to spend the day with her friends, not once asking
about Ranma. That allowed Kasumi, Nabiki and Happousai to make
preparations. Like his son, Genma had a rapid recovery rate, so his
hospital stay was brief. It didn't do him any good when Happousai
ambushed him just as he was discharged, nailing him with cold water,
then the cat's tongue and moxibustion attacks. Once done, he was
trucked to the zoo. Kasumi and Nabiki decided to keep him there
three weeks.
Monday revealed all the changes to the remaining adults in the
house. Naturally, Souun didn't take to what happened to Genma at
ALL. Neither did Nodoka, but after Nabiki laid down the facts about
how much the "lazy panda" drained the family budget, Ranma's mother
relented.
Then came the second bombshell. Souun railed at Ranma's
"failure" to fulfil his duty, but Kasumi cut him off with this:
"Father, what would happen if Ranma-kun decided he didn't want to
marry Akane-chan? After all, you deceived him. You went back on a
promise you made to him. You took away his PROPERTY to force him to
marry Akane-chan. Right now, Ranma-kun doesn't care about what you
might want."
Another Niagara Falls-scale wail resulted from her words.
Kasumi's comments caught Nodoka short. Sometime after, they
spoke about what happened to Ranma. Hearing how angry her son had
become over what happened, Nodoka fell silent. That night, she
announced that while she supported the idea of Ranma fulfilling
the pledge to the Tendous, she wouldn't press him into marriage
until such time as he felt ready. Souun launched into another "Now
the schools will NEVER be joined!!" fit. Happousai silenced that by
flipping him into the koi pond. "That, Father, you had coming to
you!" Kasumi scolded.
* * *
The remainder of the week was filled with a series of
remodelling days. With the money from the Kunous to pay for the
damage to the sitting room (plus some "hush" money to repay the
Tendous over Tatewaki's drawing a sword at the first wedding),
added to the "rental" money on Genma from the Ueno Zoo plus money
pitched in by Happousai, the house was quickly refurbished.
The changes were like a fresh wind. Ceilings, walls and floors
without temporary patches installed after people were smashed by
Akane's mallet. Windows no longer cracked by vibrations from fights
indoors and out. A replanted lawn, lush with fresh grass. Save for
the dojo itself (which still bore some scars from the first wedding
attempt), everything in the Tendou home was practically as good as
new.
"A new beginning for us all," Kasumi mused to Nabiki
afterward...
* * *
The first indication of anything that was happening to Ranma
came the Friday after the big fight in the Tendou home. At school,
Akane and her classmates were all informed that someone -- who
exactly, no one had ANY idea! -- delivered all of Ranma's make-up
assignments to the school. To Ninomiya Hinako's shock, the
assignments had been done correctly and it appeared that he might
even get a decent mark.
Hinako also announced that in a note attached to those
assignments, Ranma now had a private tutor who was volunteering
her time to help him catch up on his schoolwork. Hearing the "her"
didn't sit well with Akane or Ukyou. Later, both confronted
Nabiki about sending out some search party to locate Ranma. The
middle Tendou daughter refused to do anything even when Ukyou offered
to pay for her services.
"Don't you want Ranma around so you can go make some money off
him like you've always done?!" Akane snidely growled.
Nabiki responded to that with a slap to her sister's cheek,
then she stormed off. Akane, stunned that her sister had responded
THAT way, ran home crying. She wouldn't speak to Nabiki again all
weekend. "What was THAT all about?" Ukyou wondered after seeing
that...
* * *
On Saturday, another mysterious courier left an envelope in the
Tendou mail box, addressed to Nabiki. Opening it later, she was
stunned to see that it contained a banker's cheque for ten million
yen. With it was a brief note from Ranma. Details were few and
sparse. The money had been earned by Ranma. Nothing illegal was
involved in the earning of that money. It was to repay the Tendous
for anything he might have caused in their home since he came. No,
he wasn't going to pay a single yen for what Genma's expenses might
have been. Nabiki was free to use the money in whatever way she felt
proper. The only condition: Souun could NOT touch the money at all.
Hearing that, Souun bewailed that Ranma had become so
disrespectful of his elders. "After what you did over the last few
weeks, what did you expect my son to do?" Nodoka frostily asked on
hearing that. Naturally, the Tendou patriarch cried some more at how
much Ranma was ruining relations between the families and threatening
the union of the schools. "What schools?" Happousai muttered on
hearing that.
Nabiki used the money to pay off Ranma's debt, then put the rest
into a college fund for herself and Kasumi. When Souun demanded
to know when money would be set aside for the dojo, Nabiki warned
that since Ranma put a condition on the money not being meant for
Souun -- which naturally included any expenses circling around the
dojo -- why, she couldn't possibly think of using any of Ranma's
money for THAT!
He was treated for dehydration in the wake of that
announcement...
* * *
School shut down for winter vacation to allow the teachers
the chance to rest for three weeks. Life at the Tendou home became
very quiet, almost too quiet. Souun would sit at the shogi board,
staring blankly at it. No one would play a game with him, not even
Happousai. The aged grandmaster would be off on his panty raids,
but didn't drag any "admirers" to the dojo determined to recover
their "silky darlings." Kasumi would keep the house clean and even
try to do some repairs on the dojo. Nodoka helped out in the house
if she wasn't off supervising the repairs of the Saotome home, which
were progressing slowly. Nabiki would handle any financial problems.
Akane, who didn't seem to say anything about Ranma's prolonged
absence, spent most of her time with her best friends Sayuri and
Yuka.
The second Wednesday after the big fight saw Ryouga in Nerima
for the first time in three weeks. He had made it to Unryuu Akari's
farm. The young sumotori pig farmer sent her best. He talked with
Akane, then learned of what happened with Ranma. Hearing that Ranma
had, in effect, rejected Akane sent Ryouga over the edge. He stormed
out, vowing to find Ranma and upbraid him for what he did to "hurt"
Akane. While he was here, Akane forgot to ask Ryouga why he joined
the fight with Mousse and Genma over the Nanniichuan cask at the
wedding.
Two days later, Nabiki got a call from one of her friends with
news: Ranma was back in town. Even better, he came bearing a gift.
* * *
"Here it is, Ukyou-san."
Ukyou was totally speechless as her eyes danced over the cleaned
and repainted yatai, now folded up and ready to be taken somewhere
to be put to use. Walking slowly around it, she bent down to give
all the equipment a close visual inspection, then staring at the shop
noren hanging off the roof, asked, "Ran-chan, where did you find
this?!"
"It was buried near Osaka," he replied, crossing his arms. "I
figured Oyaji must've put it there after we got done eating all the
supplies that were left in it. The stoves needed replacing,
the wiring had to get fixed up and the noren was rotted right through
because it was low, wet soil that Oyaji buried it in, but it's all in
working order now."
Ukyou quickly got to work unfolding the yatai. As soon as
everything was in place, she stepped in behind the stove, then
quickly got to work getting equipment ready to start cooking. Once
it was all in place, she took a deep breath, then stared at Ranma.
"Ran-chan...?"
He sighed. "If you need to call your father about the problem
between us, I'll come here for your answer tomorrow at noon."
With that, he left. Ukyou screamed for him to stay, but to no
avail...
* * *
Saturday morning came. No one had any idea where Ranma had
stayed overnight. But surely enough, when he came to Okonomiyaki
U-chan's to speak with the chef, others showed up, too: the Tendous
and Nodoka. Seeing Ranma, Souun launched into his Demon Head. Ranma
answered with a Shishi Houkoudan! Everyone else was stunned; Ranma
had NEVER been able to muster the necessary amount of depression
chi to make use of what many saw as Hibiki Ryouga's signature
attack. Realizing that Ranma was in NO MOOD to deal with them, the
others fell silent.
He then stared at Ukyou. "What's your answer?"
Shuddering, the chef asked in turn, "Do you love me, Ran-chan?"
"No, Kuonji-san, I don't," Ranma responded. "What's your
answer?"
Ukyou winced at the double-blow of his formal mode of address
to her, plus his answer. "I can't renounce it, Ran-chan. I'm
sorry."
Nodoka decided to step in at that time. "I do not recognize
your engagement to my son, young lady..."
"I do," Ranma instantly cut her off.
Nodoka spun on him. "You don't have a say in this matter,
Ranma."
"If that is your opinion, then you will be childless."
Nodoka gasped. Ukyou sighed. "I spoke to my father about your
mother's attitude towards our engagement. For one who supposedly
prides herself on being honourable, she's as selective about it as
your dad. My dad says if you're forced out of your family, you can
be adopted into ours. Given how much he hates Genma, I'm sure
Happousai won't make you stop practising your Art. As to what our
relationship will be..." -- a pained look flashed in her eyes --
"...it'll be up to us. If you refuse me, I won't be as lucky as you
might be."
Ranma sighed. "What if I adopted you as my sister and you
become part of the Saotome family? What happens in that case?"
"I'd be forced to stop being an okonomiyaki chef unless I became
an apprentice under a new teacher. But given that I'd be renouncing
my Art if I tried to side-step our engagement THAT way, the chances
of my getting a new teacher are slim to nil," Ukyou reported,
then shook her head. "And I can't give it up, Ran-chan. Just like
you can't give up your Art."
"What if we married? Would your family allow me to continue
in my Art without any interference if I married you, Ukyou-san?"
Ukyou sighed. "I know how much the Art means to you, Ran-chan.
I'd certainly want you to be comfortable with your life. But I'd
also want you to remain close to my side, not pull jackass stunts
like your old man did and dragged you away from civilization
for a decade!"
"What about all the strange things that tend to fly my way?
Would you be willing to tolerate anything like that? Would you be
willing to tolerate things like that around any children we would
have?"
"I...!" Ukyou stuttered.
Ranma sighed. "That's the problem, Ukyou-san. You've
automatically assumed that if I married you, I'd fit into the world
you've envisioned for us -- in truth, for yourself -- like a hand
into a glove. It doesn't work that way, not with me. And while I
don't love you, Ukyou-san, I do happen to care for you very much.
I also happen to know that you wouldn't ultimately want to deal with
all the disruptions that tend to haunt my life. And to be frank,
what you envision for me rather makes me sick, Ukyou-san."
The chef jolted, then her eyes blazed. "Now, hold on here...!!"
"No, YOU hold on here!!!" Ranma bolted to his feet, glaring
her down. "That's the reason I say that I don't love you, Ukyou-san.
Because you don't give a DAMN about what **I** might want! Yes, I
want to help you out of this mess!! I want you to be able to keep
doing what you want to do! But NO, I don't want to marry you! I
really don't want to think about marriage, not after what I've been
through!!"
"Then leave them!" Ukyou pointed to Nodoka and the Tendous.
"Walk away from them, Ran-chan!! If you don't want to marry anyone,
let alone Akane, then why the HELL are you still staying with these
people?!"
"If they want me to leave, I'll leave. I've told them that.
But even if I did, I won't come here, Ukyou-san. I don't feel
welcome here anymore. Why? Because my oldest, dearest friend
U-chan, the one I felt safe confiding my problems to...!" He
shrugged. "Well, she just turned out to be yet another fiancee
my stupid father stuck me with. And I've had my fill of fiancees.
If you can't respect that, I don't want anything to do with you. And
if it comes to that, whatever happens to you will not bother me at
all. That's the way it is."
Before anyone could say anything, Ranma vanished behind the
null-chi cloak of the Umisen-ken. Everyone remained still, then
Nodoka stared at Ukyou. "Would your father really do that? Banish
you from your family, strip you of everything you worked so hard to
achieve?"
Ukyou glared at her. "Yes. See what your husband did? Not
just to me, but to who knows HOW many other people he ran across
while he was tryin' to make your 'man above men?' Before you start
saying I'm not worthy to be Ran-chan's wife, you better realize
that *thing* you married has no right to think of himself as a father
to your son. And you really better ask yourself if you're worthy
to be his mother."
Nodoka blinked as the chef's accusation struck home, then she
tried to smile. "I'm wondering that now."
The chef stared at her, then sighed. "I know that Ran-chan
doesn't hate you, ma'am. He wants to be with you again, be a son to
you again instead of being a near-stranger. But..." She took a deep
breath. "As we just learned now, he don't wanna be pushed around
anymore. I..." She shrugged. "I can delay it, but I can't escape
it. I'm not at the point of desperation, but I'm sliding towards
it."
Nodoka placed a hand on Ukyou's shoulder. "Then we have time
to determine what we can do for everyone's benefit."
* * *
Later, everyone returned to the Tendou dojo. Stepping through
the front gates, they stop short on seeing Ranma standing there
waiting for them. Seeing him, Souun went into Demon Head mode.
"***RANMA-KUN, YOU WILL MARRY AKANE AND THAT'S FINAL!!!!***"
he bellowed...
...then screamed when Ranma responded with his own Demon Head,
one that had a mixture of horns, blazing suns and cat heads!
"***SHUT UP AND MIND YOUR OWN DAMNED BUSINESS FOR ONCE IN YOUR
USELESS LIFE, YOU COWARDLY WHOREMONGER!!!!***" he roared, making
Nodoka and the Tendou sisters scramble for the darkest corner of the
property and turning Souun into a babbling wreck at Ranma's feet.
Ranma relaxed, then turned as the Tendou sisters approached
him anew. "R-ranma, wh-when did you l-learn THAT?!" Akane stuttered.
Ranma crossed his hands behind his back. "Oh, a friend taught
me. Always wanted to give your ol' man a taste of his own medicine."
"Alright, WHO are you?!" Nabiki growled, though there was a
playful tone to her voice. "What have you done to the real Ranma?!"
"Oh, I trapped him as a girl and sold him off to the House of
Jade in Hong Kong," Ranma immediately confessed, then he sighed,
scratching the side of his mouth. "Funny. He actually liked me
doing that."
Nabiki and Kasumi gawked, then giggled. Akane snorted.
"Figures a pervert like you would say something like that."
"Akane!!!" her older sisters gasped.
Ranma blinked, then sighed. "Very well, Tendou-san, if that's
the way you feel about me, there is no engagement between us
anymore."
Silence.
Akane blinked, her eyes wide at his cold-as-Arctic ice
assertion. "R-ranma..."
With a shriek, she ran into the house. Seconds later, the sound
of her slamming her bedroom door shut echoed from the second floor.
Seeing that, Souun launched into another Demon Head. "***HOW DARE
YOU MAKE AKANE CRY, RANMA-KUN?!?!?! APOLOGIZE TO HER NOW!!!!!!***"
"No."
A sputter floated from Souun's lips, then the Demon Head
vanished, leaving him staring wide-eyed at the man who would have
been his son-in-law. "Ranma...?" he whispered, then wordlessly
walked into the house.
Ranma watched him go, then shook his head. "Don't you think
you're being a little too harsh with him, my son?" Nodoka asked.
He gazed at her, then sighed. "No. I don't respect him
anymore. I don't fear him anymore. Hell, I don't LIKE him now. In
my eyes, he's a coward...! Hell, worse than that! He's a PIMP, Mom!
A real pimp! Acting like he's king of the world and selling off his
own flesh-and-blood so he could enjoy a cozy retirement, just like
Oyaji's done to me!!"
Hearing that, Kasumi and Nabiki gaped at him. "Ranma-kun..."
Ranma shook his head. "I'm sorry if that offended you, but it's
true. At first, I tried to respect him given that he's a widower
and that he put so much into uniting the schools. But with him
grovelling to Jijii all the time, he ignoring the garbage I've been
through because of Oyaji, him saying that the other engagements
don't count at all, he LYING to me, STEALING from me...! And THEN
he has the audacity to DEMAND I give him respect?!" He stared at his
mother. "Would you respect him, Mom?"
Nodoka said nothing in response. Ranma sighed, then reached
into his pocket to draw a pair of cushioned envelopes, handing them
to the Tendou sisters. "I believe the saying is 'Beware Greeks
bearing gifts.'"
They take them, then open them. Inside are account books from
the Koshin Bank, in their names. The amounts cause both of them to
gape in stunned disbelief. "Five million yen...?" they whisper,
awestruck.
"Ranma, where did you GET this money?!" Nodoka demanded.
Ranma winked. "That, Mom, is a secret."
Nodoka huffed, though there was a flash of amusement in her
eyes. He waved his hands. "It's alright. Nothin' illegal about
this money whatsoever. I earned it fair and square, but I'm not
gonna say how I got it, not for a while yet. Besides, given how
their lives were badly affected by what Oyaji and I brought on them,
it's only fair." He then stared at the sisters. "Here's your chance
to get away from this place once and for all. Go to university
and make something out of your lives. Hell, with the amount there,
Nabiki, you could probably go abroad, say to America, to get your
degree. I squared it with the bank to make sure your dad doesn't
have the power to touch this money."
"I...!" Kasumi blinked as her mind wrapped around what just
happened, then she stared at Ranma. "Ranma-kun, I can't accept
this...!" She flustered. "What about the ten million you sent
earlier? Unless you want that money to go to Akane-chan...!"
"Well, if that's what you want to do with it, I can understand
that. But I hope you'll still adhere to what I said about your dad
not touchin' that money." Ranma held up a finger, then stared at the
dojo. "But if you want to use the money to fix THAT up, maybe you
should consider getting control of the property from your dad. Then
I wouldn't mind it so much."
"Ranma, you have no right to demand THAT!!" Nodoka objected.
"Mother, I didn't demand a thing from them. I merely made a
suggestion based on what my views of their father are," Ranma
retorted. "That's what a friend is supposed to do for his friends,
isn't it?"
Kasumi's and Nabiki's cheeks suddenly redden. "Ranma-kun..."
Nodoka nodded. "Yes, my son, you are in the right. I
apologize. Though I hope you're not giving all the money you've
earned away."
"No, but I'm not gonna say how much I've got in front of Nabiki
here." He gazed at Nabiki, who gave him an annoyed look in return.
"My present commitments will keep me from Nerima until the early
evening of the second Friday from today. That's when I'll come back.
If, however, I am no longer welcome again in this house, please send
me a warning note to this address. It's a post office box." He drew
out a folded sheet of paper, then handed it to Kasumi. "I will
respect whatever decision you make in that regard, ladies."
Kasumi smiled. "You'll always be welcome here, Ranma-kun."
"Hopefully, your father and sister'll agree to that." Ranma
sighed, then turned to leave. "I'll see you all later. Ja ne!"
He lunged for the nearest telephone pole, then raced off. They
watched him go, then Nabiki stared at Nodoka. "You didn't try to
stop him or say anything to him, Auntie. You're not angry at him,
are you?"
"I...! No, I'm not angry at him. I just believe that deep
down, he really doesn't trust me anymore." Nodoka shook her head,
then sighed. "That is another thing my fool husband will have to
answer for in the long run. I must confess, divorce seems a
wonderful option to me now. Nabiki-chan, will you make sure that
Genma remains where he is now until the night my son returns from
wherever he's gone off to?"
"No problem..."
* * *
*Least Auntie's on Ranma-kun's side no matter what that dork
Genma says,* Nabiki mused with a sneer. "Where's the newspaper?"
Kasumi pointed. "It's over by the television."
Nabiki nodded, rising to pick up a copy of the "Yomiuri
Shimbun," then she sat as Kasumi headed into the kitchen to prepare
tea. Flipping through the pages, her eyes stopped as they picked
up a headline from the local news:
ALIEN PRINCESS DEAD! TOMOBIKI IN MOURNING!
Knowing the "Yomiuri Shimbun" didn't do flashy tabloid
headlines, Nabiki plunged into the article. *'It has today been
confirmed by the principal of Tomobiki High School that the Oni
princess Lum, who resided in that town for the past eighteen months,
was killed three weeks ago by enemies of the Oni race,'* she read.
*Oh, shit, this isn't going to do me many favours. 'Lum, who was
well liked among people in Tomobiki despite the "Second Tag Race"
of two months ago, was forced to leave Earth, along with other alien
residents of Tomobiki, when reports came of the Oni race's war with
another race, known to United Nations authorities as the Noukiites.
While exact circumstances of Lum's death still remain unclear,
it is presently rumoured that she may have been assassinated
because of her high standing in Oni society.
*'When news of Lum's death reached Tomobiki, the expression
of grief and sadness at her loss, especially among the high
school-age population, was unprecedented. Already, there is a
movement to erect a memorial to Lum at Tomobiki High School, financed
by the Mendou Conglomerate at the behest of Mendou Shutaro, heir to
the Conglomerate's leadership and a close friend of the late Oni. A
special memorial service in Lum's honour will be held on Monday
morning around 12:00 PM at Tomobiki High School.
*'Surprisingly, Moroboshi Ataru, Lum's common-law husband,
has been missing from Tomobiki for the past six weeks, his
disappearance coinciding with Lum's expulsion. His whereabouts,
much less the circumstances surrounding his departure from Tomobiki,
remain a mystery.'*
Nabiki put the paper down. She had invested in parts of the
Mendou family empire for some years now, those investments growing
considerably thanks to a sizable chunk of the ten million yen Ranma
sent her some weeks ago. Further, her intelligence and betting
network was fully linked into the Tomobiki student grapevine.
She had learned right away about Lum's departure, along with that of
the Oni's cousin Jariten and a former junior high classmate of Lum's,
Lan. She also knew of Ataru's disappearance. The latter concerned
her to an extent; like Ranma in Furinkan, Moroboshi Ataru seemed
to be a magnet for trouble. Trouble, Nabiki long ago learned,
generated profits.
Rising, the middle Tendou daughter headed into her bedroom.
Picking up her cell-phone, she dialled a number. A second later,
a young woman's voice called back, "Moshi-moshi, Marubeya residence."
"Momoe-san, it's Nabiki."
"Oh, Nabiki-san!" Marubeya Momoe laughed. "I didn't do it."
Nabiki snorted. "Funny, funny! Listen, you got any more
tidbits about why Moroboshi skipped town six weeks back?"
A sigh. "He renounced his parents."
Nabiki gaped, wide-eyed. "What?!"
"Truth. Turns out that it's because of THAT, Lum got thrown
off the planet. When he said *adios* to his parents, he said *adios*
to whatever agreement they made with Lum's parents about their
getting married. When the United Nations got wind of it, they
decided Lum no longer had reason to stay. With the crap with the
Noukiites starting at the same time..."
"No shit!"
"Got that right."
"People around town know about this?"
"Nope. And before you ask, I'm sitting on this one. I don't
care about what Megane might do, but if Mendou-san found out..."
Hearing that, Nabiki grinned. Momoe, like most girls attending
Tomobiki High, harboured a long, deep crush on Mendou Shutaro.
That she clearly wanted to look out for Mendou's "better" interests
was understandable. Despite his upper middle-class extraction,
Moroboshi Ataru had proven to be a formidable class rival to Mendou
Shutaro. What could happen now, with Lum dead, with so much in
Tomobiki now in question, was debatable. Best to err on the side of
caution. "Yeah, I hear you. Alright, keep me up to date, Momoe-san.
How's the mood?"
"It..." Momoe paused. "Hard to say, Nabiki-san. I mean,
regardless of how you feel about her, Lum really left her mark on
this place. Most of the guys are...!" Another pause. "Shit, it's
scary if you ask me! I think we're gonna see some suicides out of
this!"
"Run a pool on that one. My money's on Megane."
"I'll have to keep it quiet," Momoe warned. "And well..."
Another pause as she considered things. "Look, I hate the idiot for
the crap he stirred up because of Lum, but I don't want to wish the
guy dead! He's a first-class jerk in the long run, but hell..."
"Yeah, I gotcha. What about the girls?"
"Well, the biggest impact's been on Shinobu-san, but I already
told you about that."
Nabiki nodded. Immediately after Lum left and Ataru vanished,
Miyaki Shinobu's strange ability to summon vast levels of strength
in times of stress vanished. "I guess with Lum gone, she might think
of trying to get back together with Ataru-kun again," Momoe added.
"Really hard to predict that one, Momoe-san. After all, the
guy's been gone for six weeks. Besides, thanks to him, Lum got the
boot off the planet. Look, run a wager to see if he shows up at the
memorial on Monday." It was Saturday. "Usual odds and fees, okay?"
"Hai, gotcha," Momoe replied...
* * *
"Shit, they sure got that wrong AGAIN!"
Negako glanced over her brother's shoulder to read the article
that caught Ataru's attention. She then turned to gaze out the
window as the RailStar whipped through the countryside at 300
kilometres per hour, an hour out of Shin-Osaka station. "Unless
you make a public statement about what happened between you, Kinshou
and Muchi and how that affected Lum, they will continue to make that
mistake."
Ataru folded the paper. "No, not yet. Now that someone's
broke the news to those idiots in Tomobiki, I won't be able to say a
thing without it being twisted and turned every which way possible."
A pause. "By the way, did you sense who brought the news to Earth?"
"Oyuki was responsible. Benten can be easily stopped by the
Zephyrites if need be. Jariten also, IF his parents would allow him
to come to Earth now that Lum is dead. And as long as Rei is engaged
in combat against the Noukiites, Lan will remain close to him."
Ataru's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, the Zephyrites might be loath
to try to stop a crown princess from making a visit to that zoo. Too
many political implications. Besides, if we close Earth off to the
Galactic Federation, Triton's going to be in quite the spot."
"They may try to seek you out," Negako warned. "You know very
well that none of Lum's friends have really liked you."
"As of now, the feeling's mutual. And you're right. They may
try to seek me out." An icy smile then crossed Ataru's face, his
eyes narrowing. "Will they succeed in doing whatever they might want
to me in 'punishment' over what happened to Lum? That's another
story."
"Indeed." Negako then perked as a buzzing sound echoed from her
pants pocket. Sitting up, she drew out a palm-top reader, then gazed
at the notation on the screen. "Tampopo just sent me some electronic
mail."
Ataru blinked. "Tampopo-chan? What does she want?"
"I will ascertain that." She rose, slipping past Ataru to head
to the washroom. "You best contact our siblings."
"Hai, hai."
As Negako left, Ataru reached into his backpack and drew out his
personal laptop computer. Built by Rinrin five weeks ago, she
christened it the "Aniki Special." As laptops came, it was quite
unique. Atop all the standard Internet connections, wireless modem
and all the other bells and whistles, the Aniki Special also had a
real-time wireless link to the Rinrin Viewer in Welcome House's
rotunda dining room. Tapping controls to access the Viewer's central
processor, he waited for a response. A minute later, a synthetic
version of Rinrin's voice called out, "*No one's answering the Rinrin
Viewer right now, Aniki. Would you like to leave a message?*"
"Yes. Record message, mark." He tapped a function key. "'Hi,
girls. We just got back. Onee-chan had me blitz through the DMZ on
the way to Pusan, then we took the ferry. Sorry we've been gone so
long, but a lot of things happened while I was in Sanctuary.
Right now...'" He paused, then took a deep breath. "'I need to feel
my sisters' hugs. Onee-chan and I're on the Shinkansen right now,
west of Osaka. I'll tell you where we'll be as soon as we get close
to Tokyo.'" Another function key was tapped. "Mark, end message."
"*Message transmitted, Aniki,*" the computer announced...
* * *
"The Viewer's beeping. Someone left a message."
"I hope it's Onii-sama or Onee-sama," Sakuya muttered as she and
Karen stepped into the dining room, then the former tapped controls
to flick on the television. "Viewer, mark my voiceprint. Who just
called?"
"*Aniki just called, Sakuya-chan. There is a message.*"
"Play it."
The screen flicked fully on, revealing their beloved brother
sitting in the passenger cabin of what appears to be a Shinkansen
train. Surprised to see his beard, moustache and much longer hair
(now tied in a ponytail), Sakuya and Karen exchanged a look, then
both tensed on hearing him quietly say "I really need to feel my
sisters' hugs." "Onii-chan..." Karen whispered, her eyes misting.
"What happened to him?!" Sakuya wondered, then blinked as the
dining room doors opened, revealing Haruka and Shirayuki.
"Oh, Sakuya-chan, did Nii-sama call?" the chef asked.
"Hai, he did. Get everyone rounded up, Haruka-chan. And
someone go find Chikage! We're going to the mainland..."
"You need not shout my name, Sakuya. I'm right here."
Everyone cried out at a certain sorceress' surprise entrance,
then Sakuya put fists to hips as she tried to glare Chikage down.
"Damn you, Chikage, will you QUIT doing that finally?!! What are you
trying to do?! Give us all heart attacks, for Heaven's sake?!"
Chikage chuckled, then turned to head out the door. "The
travelling rainbow will be ready in one hour. We'll go to the
Toranoseishin Finances tower in Tomobiki, then proceed to meet
Ani-kun and Ane-kun from there."
She left. "Hime better get some bento boxes ready for Nii-sama
and Nee-sama," Shirayuki reported before racing into the kitchen.
"I'll call Onii-chan and ask him where we'll meet," Karen added.
"Alright." Sakuya waved Haruka with her. "C'mon."
"Hai!" The martial artist ran out after her half-sister...
* * *
"Nerima?!"
Ataru stared at Negako. "Tampopo has relocated her business
in the Kasugachou district. It is over eight kilometres from the
border with Tomobiki and twelve from Tomobiki High School. I do not
foresee problems from your former classmates, especially given Lum's
demise."
He sighed. "Onee-chan, it's not just those dorks I have to
worry about. There're all the martial arts loons in Nerima, too!"
"You may benefit from dealing with them," she reported with a
smile. "Besides, Tampopo has taken one of them under her wing."
"She has?! Which one?"
"The 'cream of the crop,' so to speak: Saotome Ranma."
Ataru blinked as he recalled the name. Even with the problems
he had to deal with in Tomobiki, he had been somewhat aware of events
in bordering towns, cities and districts. "The guy with all the
beautiful fiancees, the Nyanniichuan curse from Jusenkyou in China,
the one who has to deal with more martial arts challengers than you
can shake a stick at?"
"The very same."
"Oh, man! Tampopo-chan's reaching far, isn't she?"
"Perhaps. Tampopo desires me to consult with her on certain
medical matters afflicting Ranma. Given his raw talent alone, I
would certainly desire to meet him..." Negako's voice trailed off as
the Aniki Special in Ataru's lap buzzed. "The sisters."
Ataru flipped up the screen, then tapped controls. A sea of
warm faces stared at him from Welcome House. "BIG BROTHER!!!!"
He waved at them. "Hi, girls!"
"Onii-chan, are you alright?!" Karen probed. "Why didn't you
come back on Monday?! We've been worried sick about you!"
"And what's this about you blitzing through the Korean DMZ of
all places, Anii?!" Mamoru demanded before looking at Negako as she
leaned into viewing range. "What're you trying to do, Anee?! Get
him killed?!"
"Mamoru, if I did not have confidence in Ataru, I would not have
allowed it," the ninjitsu grandmistress reported. "In the meantime,
we have been summoned to Nerima in Tokyo by Kamekichi Tampopo
concerning a new friend of hers, Saotome Ranma. I believe Ranma will
benefit greatly from making your acquaintances as well as Ataru's.
Will you be there?"
The sisters considered it, then Marie leaned close to the
screen. "You mean THE Saotome Ranma, Aneue-sama?! I...! Oh, my!!"
"Kaho would LOVE to cheer Ranma-san!" Kaho shook her pompoms.
"But Kaho'll always cheer Onii-chama and Onee-chama first!"
"Oh, it would be an HONOUR to meet a martial artist of his
calibre! P-poh!" Haruka drew her gunsen, then fanned herself before
a blush crossed her cheeks as she stared apologetically at Ataru.
"N-not that I wouldn't demean your own skills in the Art,
Anigimi-sama...!"
Ataru waved her down. "Relax! Ranma can have all the credit
he wants. From what I've heard, he seems to thrive on it!"
The sisters laughed, then Rinrin turned to Shirayuki. "Hey,
we can get the spare tractor with the mobile kitchen out of the tower
in Tomobiki. You can cook up a big feast there for Aniki, Aneki and
Ranma-san!"
The chef shuddered. "Oh, Hime would LOVE to do that!" She then
sobered. "But Hime doesn't want to insult Nii-sama's friend..."
Ataru waves her down. "Relax. I'm sure Tampopo-chan
would love to help out in a picnic like that, Shirayuki-chan.
Look, when you girls get the tractor and mobile kitchen from
Reigi-kun, DON'T spend any more time in Tomobiki than you have to,
okay? I don't want any of those guys to learn of your connection
to me, ESPECIALLY with the news about Lum's death getting out and
about now. You girls understand?"
Sakuya nodded. "We'll be careful. I'm really sorry about what
happened to her, Onii-sama. I hoped she could've come back."
He sadly nodded. "So did I. But as they said it in that one TV
show, there are two rules in war. And that applies everywhere."
The sisters then jolted on hearing a weak "Kusun." Ataru paled.
"A-a-aria-chan, wh-what's wrong?!" he stuttered.
The young Parisian gazed at him. Even if there were no tears
in her eyes, the instant you heard her mutter a soft "Kusun," you
KNEW Aria was upset. And no one, not even Chikage at times, liked
to deal with an upset Aria. "Aria doesn't like Nii-ya's beard."
"How long DID you stay in Sanctuary anyway, Aniki?" Rinrin
asked.
Ataru sighed. "Hopefully long enough. We'll see you soon,
okay?"
"Hai!!!" the sisters chimed together.
The link was soon cut, then Negako slipped into her seat. Ataru
sighed, then leaned back in his chair. "We'll have to let them learn
of things very slowly and carefully, Onee-chan."
"Agreed. What of *them?*"
"Your discretion, Onee-chan."
"Very well, then..."
* * *
An hour later...
Located in the heart of Tomobiki were triple towers, twenty
floors high each, arrayed in a triangular formation. All the floor
space of the northern tower was rented by the Toranoseishin
Financial Group, Japan's largest banking company which was not allied
with an industrial group. In this age, with the traditional
links between big business, the banks and the government being called
into drastic question, Toranoseishin was often quick to capitalize
on fiscal uncertainty to wedge itself deep into the national economy.
Companies which had in the past taken questionable loans from
Toranoseishin automatically faced bankruptcy if they defaulted.
The company was not, in the words of its operations chief, "In the
business of propping up useless and wasteful companies whose mere
existence cannot be justified by economic logic." Because of that
hard-nosed approach to business, Toranoseishin Finances had recently
attracted much in the way of foreign investment, ensuring it would
remain at or near the top of its game for a long time to come.
Yumoa Reigi sighed as he looked through the balance reports
from various banks affiliated with Toranoseishin. A knock echoed
from the doorway. "Yes?" The orphaned half-American twentysomething
looked up, then smiled on seeing his senior secretary. "What is it,
Yumi-san?"
"Sorry to bother you, Reigi-san, but Sakuya-sama just called.
She and her sisters will be arriving at the tower shortly from
Promised Island. They'll be taking the tractor and mobile kitchen
to meet Ataru-sama and Negako-sama at the Nerima train station."
Reigi blinked. "I thought Ataru-kun didn't want any of the
girls to come anywhere close to Tomobiki, especially after Lum left,"
he mused, then sighed. "Oh, alright, then. Get the duty driver
down to the garage to get things warmed up, then notify the police
about this."
"Right away."
Reigi watched her leave, then opened a side drawer to draw out
a file. Opening that, he gazed on the pictures posted on the first
page. Twelve girls, blood daughters of Moroboshi Nagaiwakai's
youngest son even if they all were born out of wedlock. In their
hands, especially in the hands of the woman born Sukeyama Sakuya,
would rest the ultimate dreams, hopes and destiny of the Moroboshi
Clan. "How ironic..." He shook his head. "Other clans and families
allow themselves to die out because the demands of Bushido or some
other archaic tradition forbade them from strengthening their numbers
with new blood. How stupid can people be at times? Even now..."
He put the file back in its drawer, then stood, walking to the
window to gaze on the cityscape beyond. A glance south revealed
a slender beam of white light heading in the direction of the
Toranoseishin Tower. Yumoa Reigi had been quite lucky to be taken
on as one of Moroboshi Komeru's many wards. He couldn't be directly
adopted into the Clan; only married members of the Clan could do that
and Komeru, a man born near-sterile thanks to Nagasaki, never really
wanted to marry. But still, being a "son" in all but name to Komeru
had done wonders for Reigi. What might have happened if he had
languished in that orphanage in Ishikawa? He shuddered. He didn't
want to think about that!
The beam passed overhead. As the aft end of Chikage's
travelling rainbow caught up with the prow, Reigi left his office,
heading to the stairwell leading to the roof. Once there, he smiled
as the sisters dusted themselves off. He hadn't made use of the
young sorceress' travelling rainbow before, but from what others
had told him, it was loads of fun. "Hi, girls!"
"Oh, Reigi-san, hi!" Rinrin waved as Hinako, Kaho and Aria
swamped the financier with warm hugs. "Got the tractor set up for
us?"
"It's being readied...! Awk!! Hey, Kaho-chan, go easy!" Reigi
gasped as Kaho nearly bowled him over, then as soon as the younger
sisters pulled away from him, he stared at Sakuya. "How's
Ataru-kun?"
"We're not sure." The eldest sister -- Sakuya was born the
December after Ataru's birth, with Chikage, Marie, Haruka and Karen
entering this world the following March, April, May and September,
respectively -- shook her head. "When he called us, he was on the
Shinkansen heading into Osaka. Turns out, Onee-sama had him go
through the DMZ in Korea."
"He didn't seem well," Karen added. "Reigi-san, do you know
what's going on here? Could it've been something *they*..."
-- her normally timid voice becomes Arctic ice for a second --
"...could've done?"
Reigi shakes his head. "Not those two. Kinshou stopped coming
by to harass us a week ago. She hasn't talked to anyone else who
might want to cause Ataru-kun or any of you trouble, least as far as
I know."
"Let's just hope the fools learn to mind their place from now
on," Haruka noted with a sneer, wishing that Sakuya was of legal age
so that, as Matriarch of the Clan, she could expel them both and be
done with it finally.
Rinrin shook her head. "Never mind them. C'mon, girls, let's
get to the tractor and go see Aniki and Aneki!"
"Hai!!" the others chimed as they headed for the stairs...
* * *
Sometime later...
Mendou Ryooko was bored.
Boredom for THIS lady, the younger child of the Mendous of
Musashino (the pre-Meiji name for Tomobiki), spelt trouble for many
people, chief of which would be Ton-chan and her Onii-san. But
neither were available for her to play with. Mizunokoji Tobimaro
was off on another wild training journey with his father somewhere
in Shikoku. Shutaro was at Tomobiki High, preparing for Lum's
memorial service on Monday.
Remembering Lum, Ryooko sighed. She now sat in her own command
car, a present from her Onii-san, heading towards Butsumetsu
Girl's High School. Like Shutaro, Ryooko had been sent to a normal
school, but her mother insisted she attend an all-girl's institution.
That was alright. Within the walls of Butsumetsu Girl's, she could
drop the mask she presented to others and try to be normal. She had
help to that end thanks to the Kuroko, a group of Kabuki and Noh
actors and stagehands who had been transformed into her personal
troupe of bodyguards.
"Are you alright, Young Mistress?" the driver, a Kuroko in his
full black stagehand's uniform with tubular face-mask, asked.
Ryooko perked, then sighed. "There are times I wish we were
still using the palanquin." She traced her finger on the windowsill.
"Your mother was quite adamant about remaining in a car during
this time, ma'am," the driver reminded her. "Especially given the
outpouring of grief being felt by many in town because of Miss Lum's
death."
"True." Ryooko nodded, then perked. "Any news of
Moroboshi-kun?"
"None, Young Mistress. I am sorry about that."
"It's alright...! Eh?!"
Both perked as the driver stopped by a red light. Driving
by along the main street leading from Tomobiki into Nerima was what
looked like a mix of old-style railroad engine and farm tractor.
That pulled a trailer shaped like a squat street car, that in turn
pulling a mobile kitchen. Ryooko blinked as the road train passed
by, then blinked again as her eyes picked up a black flag flying
from the tractor. A black flag emblazoned with a curled, snarling
tiger over a nest of leaves, its forepaws grasping the Imperial
chrysanthemum.
"The Toranoseishin Finances flag," she whispered on recognizing
it, then she peered into the passenger compartment. A group of
people, all clearly female, were relaxing there. "Strange..."
she mused. "Follow them."
"Hai."
The command car peeled into the left-turn lane, then when the
lights changed, made the turn and fell in several cars behind the
road train. It was easy to keep them in sight; the mobile kitchen's
chimney stabbed into the air over the cars and light trucks using
this road. "Who do you suppose they might be, Young Mistress?"
the driver mused.
"I don't know, but given what we've just learned about
Moroboshi-kun's connections to Toranoseishin, the chances are that
those ladies might know where he is," Ryooko replied. "Try to not
attract attention."
"Hai."
The young heiress to the Mendou fortune relaxed, a smile
crossing her face. It amused her that Shutaro had not ONCE picked
up the obvious connection between his classroom rival and the company
whose numerous loans helped the Mendous keep their paramilitary
forces in tip-top shape. Even now, with her Onii-san hovering
on the edge of despair over never trying to challenge Moroboshi
Ataru again, he had yet to send someone to the latter's home to
determine what exactly happened the nights before Lum was exiled
from Earth.
Ryooko HAD done that. And what she had learned from that
reconnaissance disturbed her. Supposedly, five years ago, Ataru's
mother did something that forced a type of selective amnesia on him.
Details were scant, but it appeared that some kami or other bodiless
spirit had inhabited parts of Ataru's mind since he was six. When
said spirit was discovered, he wanted it to have its own life. That
spirit now lives as a woman named Moroboshi Negako, who acted in
public as Ataru's elder sister and was listed as such on the
Moroboshi Clan register.
How THAT happened, Ryooko's agents had yet to discover.
Angered at his birth-parents' betrayal of him, Ataru left the
house, vowing he would wait until he was of legal age, then as the
heir to his late grandmother's seat as leader of the Moroboshi
Clan, he would make his parents roonin. After Lum was sent home by
the United Nations a fortnight later, Ataru and Negako simply
disappeared without a trace.
Ryooko's agents soon discovered that Ataru had transferred
out of school. His records were being held by the Education Ministry
pending the time when or if he'd choose a new school to finish off
his education. One of Ryooko's agents overheard two of the Ministry
staffers indicating Ataru might transfer to an all-grade "ladder
school" named Stargazer West College. That was located on a tiny
island in the Sagami Sea known as Oomure-jima, though it was always
called by the English phrase "Promised Island" by natives and
visitors alike.
After learning that, one of Ryooko's agents was promptly
dispatched to Promised Island to look in on Ataru. Not that she
wanted to disturb him, much less have information about him leaked
to Shutaro -- but just to ensure that in spite of what happened,
Ataru was alright. While she, like most in Tomobiki, didn't like
Ataru's lecherous behaviour in the past, Ryooko did like him. Any
boy who could always stand up to Shutaro, especially when it came to
interfering in Shutaro's desire to win a girl over, was okay in her
books.
Reports poured in. And they were baffling to say the LEAST of
it. Ataru and Negako were residing in the island's youth hostel,
Welcome House. They were often seen interacting with twelve other
female residents of the House, ranging in age from eight to
seventeen. Even stranger, Ataru had not ONCE made any sort of passes
with the older girls. The girls didn't do anything harsh to him in
return. And strangest of all, when the girls' backgrounds were
investigated, NONE were reported to have a birth father. Yes, they
all had step-fathers. But on the birth records hidden away in the
Health Ministry, the FATHER'S NAME entry for all of them was blank.
What did it all mean?
* * *
"And that's it! Okay, Ranma, you can relax now!!"
Ranma blinked, then breathed out. "About damned time," she
muttered, reaching over to slip a housecoat over the bathing suit she
was wearing for this photo shoot. "Is that all the shots you need,
Kenji?"
"Yeah, that should do it for this month's issue." Seijou Kenji
nodded, rewinding his camera. "Usual payment plan, Ranma?"
"Yeah, usual." She tied her housecoat down, then moved to head
into the washroom to change into her normal clothing. "Make sure you
use my Korean name there when you sell those pictures off, Kenji.
I don't want some dork connecting me to what you're putting out.
Okay?"
He winks at her, laughing. "Sure thing, 'Yeo-san!'"
Ranma headed into the washroom, then slipped off the housecoat
and bathing suit. She tied her hair down in the normal pigtail
she preferred; acting as "Yeo Lan-ja" (as a girl) or "Nam Lan-ma"
(as a boy), she wore her hair either loose or in a simple ponytail.
Once the Dragon's Whisker was in place, she got a glass of hot water
to change herself back into a man. He quickly dried himself off,
then dressed in a white tang and black trousers. Once again
projecting the image of the invincible teenage martial artist, he
slipped all his personal belongings into a small dufflebag, then
headed back into the basement studio Kenji used. "When'll you need
me next time?"
"I'll contact Tampopo-chan and tell her since you still haven't
told your folks or the Tendous about it," the photographer
replied with a smile, his eyes taking in all the changes Jusenkyou
unleashed in Ranma. "Damn!"
"What's wrong?" Ranma asked.
Kenji smirked. "I'm NEVER gonna get used to seeing how much you
change when you switch from guy to girl! It's a wonder to me how
you've been able to adjust to switching around like that at ALL."
Ranma laughed. "Wonder to me, too! See you later!"
"Take care!"
With that, Ranma stepped out of the Seijou home, then made his
way to the Fuji-kaidou, which would take him east to Tampopo's.
He'd have a late lunch there, then head back to the Tendou dojo.
Hopefully by the time he arrived there, Akane might have calmed down
from last night, if she still wasn't off spending the day with Sayuri
and Yuka to avoid facing her would-be fiance...
* * *
Truthfully, Ranma hadn't wanted to return to the Tendou dojo.
Thanks to Kamekichi Tampopo and arrangements she made to help him
earn some money, he had become used to travelling around Japan, South
Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and the Philippines,
seeing the sights while he was working, then napping on the flights
taking him from one place to the next.
And what had he done?
Musing on that as he walked to the Tendou compound last night,
Ranma could only tip his hat off to Nabiki and the things she did
with a camera to earn money for the dojo. To believe that being a
fashion model was so EASY. Yeah, it wasn't martial arts, but when
Tampopo explained that models had to display a discipline before
the camera which was not really different from the Soul of Ice Ranma
used in battle, it became a challenge. And no matter what else
happened to Ranma during the month he stayed away from the Tendou
home, THAT had not changed within him. He delighted to be challenged
and Tampopo was, as a friend, challenging him to be truly something
different for a change.
Besides, the people Ranma ended up working with were also
Tampopo's friends, or relatives of same. How did a ramen shop chef
get to know SO many people, Ranma had yet to figure out. And in
truth, he avoided thinking about it. He wanted to keep Tampopo's
trust and probing into her past without her consent was a surefire
way of destroying that. Even more so, with Tampopo keeping a stern
eye on things to ensure that Ranma wasn't being taken gross advantage
of, it was lucrative as well. To the order of forty million yen to
date. And best of all, thanks to the in-house rules of the bank he
used, that money was HIS, sealed away from any embezzlement
by Genma or Nodoka.
Still, given the sore feelings everyone else must've felt
towards him these days, Ranma had reason to be cautious. He wasn't
worried about Oyaji or Souun. By learning how to do the Demon's
Head, he had a weapon to keep Souun in his place. With Nodoka
around, Genma could be kept in line. And if that failed, Happousai
was always available to teach his students some respect. And if all
else failed, Ranma could easily challenge both of the idiots for
control of their respective schools. If they refused him, Happousai
could damn them as cowards and strip them of their teaching licenses.
Not even a visit by a Dojo Destroyer could be as final to one's
career in the Art as THAT!
Even more, Ranma had well won over both Kasumi and Nabiki.
While he didn't trust Nabiki when it came to his personal life, Ranma
knew she valued financial independence. Thanks to the money he gave
her, she now had the ability to seek that, without being tied to the
dojo. And with that, she could break free of anything Souun might
try to keep her around in case he needed her to be Ranma's fiancee.
Ditto with Kasumi. Given how much the elder Tendou daughter had
slaved on her family's behalf, it was only proper. Hopefully
soon, she'll take it.
No, the real problem was Akane, along with Ukyou and Shampoo.
If what happened at the failed wedding and the family meeting two
weeks after that didn't hint at how much they were determined
to keep on fighting over him, nothing would. And he didn't want that
anymore. He was just sick and tired of it all. Tired of all the
false assumptions, the demands for attention, the petty bickering
and everything else. What was worse, they didn't seem to care a whit
about what he might want. Oh no, no, no! That just wasn't RIGHT
after all. Saotome Ranma wasn't supposed to think for himself,
it seemed. It just went against all the laws of the Universe.
Reaching the gate, he tapped at the door. It soon opened,
revealing a smiling Kasumi. "Welcome back, Ranma-kun!"
She embraced him. "It's good to be home, Kasumi." He pecked
her cheek. "If this STILL is a home to me, of course."
"Yes, it is," Kasumi declared. "Your father was brought back
from the zoo today. He's with Father in the sitting room. Your
mother and Ojii-san are keeping an eye on them just in case they do
something foolish."
"What of Akane and Nabiki?"
"Akane prepared dinner for you. I kept an eye on her." Kasumi
waved her hands in reassurance. "It looked alright. Nabiki's
been using the money you gave the family to invest it in several
places so it could generate some interest for us to live on until
we head out."
He grinned. "So you ARE planning to go to college, aren't you?"
Her eyes turned down. "I'm still uncomfortable leaving the
house like that, Ranma-kun. I've worked so long to keep it
together..."
"I know. I guess because I've been on the move most of my life,
I don't fear shifting to a new place as much as you might."
"True. Oh, Ukyou, Shampoo and Elder Cologne will be here soon."
"Your dad or Oyaji know?"
"No, not yet."
Ranma laughed. "You're cruel, Kasumi! Let's go in."
They headed inside, stepping into the sitting room. Awaiting
them were Nodoka and Happousai. "Welcome back, my son." The former
rose to warmly embrace him. "You're looking quite well right now."
"Thank you, Mother. How are you, Jijii?" Ranma asked.
"Pretty good, boy. Seems you got in some decent training
while you were away," Happousai stated, then gazed on Souun on Genma.
Staring at them, Ranma inwardly winced on seeing the drawn look
on his father's face. No doubt, being stuck as a panda in a zoo for
nearly four weeks, that tacked to experiencing the strength-sapping
moxibustion AND the full-body cat's tongue at the same time, hit
hard. Souun didn't look better; without Genma present to back him
up, the Tendou patriarch had quickly learned that he had no real
power over Ranma. "Yes, welcome back, Ranma-kun," Souun then said.
"We're just about to have dinner."
"Yes, come sit, boy," Genma grumbled, failing to hide the
wounded rage -- no doubt at his son's "betrayal" -- flashing in his
eyes.
Ranma exchanged a knowing look with Nodoka, then placed himself
by the table. The kitchen door opened, revealing Akane, she carrying
a tray full of food. "Dinner's on...! Oh!!" She gasped on seeing
who was there, then a clouded look crossed her face. "Hello, Ranma."
Ranma nodded back. "Akane-san."
Souun and Genma paled on hearing such a formal mode of address
from Ranma to Akane. Akane tried not to drop the tray and run off
crying. Cautiously, she placed the tray on the table. "My, it looks
good!" Kasumi mused. "We'll just wait for the others to come."
Souun and Genma jolted. "'Others?!'"
"Yes, my boy," Happousai declared, the look in his eyes warning
his students that no disagreements would be the least bit tolerated
this evening. "Cologne-chan, Shampoo-chan and Ukyou-chan'll
be coming by since they wanted to see my heir as soon as he was back
in town."
Souun sputtered, then paled on seeing his teacher's eyes narrow.
As he shut up, a voice then called out, "Hey, is anyone inside?!"
"Come in, Ukyou!" Kasumi called back, then her smile broadened
on seeing who had come with the chef. "Oh, Elder, Shampoo, hello..."
* * *
The dinner passed by under a tense atmosphere. To Ranma's
surprise and inner delight, Nodoka readily engaged in very meaningful
conversation with Shampoo and Ukyou, not to mention Cologne. A
glance at Souun and Genma revealed that neither man approved
whatsoever of that, but Ranma knew they wouldn't upbraid Nodoka about
it now or anytime in the future. No, they'd come straight to him in
hopes of forcing him to not recognize the others' interest in him,
affirming his love to Akane instead.
Speaking of which, the fiancees had done their best to be civil
while at the same time engaged in the usual one-upmanship
they got into whenever it involved him. Ranma tried not to scream
out about it. He would save that until when he got them alone.
Given the fates Ukyou and Shampoo would face if they chose to forego
their claims on him, he could understand why they were determined
to succeed.
And Akane...?
Akane...
Once dinner was done, Ranma turned to her. "That was really
good, Akane-san. You've been improving a lot lately."
"I...?" The youngest Tendou daughter blinked, then her cheeks
flushed. "Um, th-thanks! Onee-chan helped me tonight..."
"I know. It takes time. Time and constant practice. That's
where Kasumi has it over you, Akane-san. It's nothing to be ashamed
of, of course." He then turned to his other fiancees. "And the
okonomiyaki and the nikuman were really enjoyable, Ukyou-san,
Shan-pu."
They blinked, then both looked down. To Ukyou, having Ranma
address her so formally still hurt. Shampoo was shocked that her
Airen addressed her by her proper name, not by the Japanese
bastardization most people in Nerima used. "So what did you do over
the last month, boy?" Genma cut in to ensure Ranma didn't pay too
much attention to Ukyou or Shampoo.
A level stared responded. "None of your business. Since you
chose never to tell me about things you did supposedly on my 'behalf'
during the training trip, I choose not to speak to you about my
recent activities."
"Ridiculous! I am your father!! I demand to know...! Urk!"
Everyone blinked on seeing Genma grasp his throat, a very faint
rasp escaping from his lips. The others quickly note that Ranma's
fingers were curled around a very small marble; another one just like
it was clattering on the floor near Genma. "Saotome-kun,
what's wrong?!" Souun demanded, then spun on Ranma. "What did you do
to him?" he barked.
"Oh, just a little shiatsu I used to shut him up. I'm not in
his presence for more than an hour and I'm already tired of listening
to him." Ranma sighed. "In the meantime, I wish to speak to my
would-be suitors ALONE. Jijii, Elder, can you make sure they don't
interfere?"
"No problem." Happousai winked, then glared at the fathers.
"Let's go, boys. If I'm nice there, I'll unlock your throat, Genma."
"But Master...!" Souun wailed.
Happousai's battle aura clicked in. "MOVE, YOU IDIOTS!!!!"
Meekly, the fathers ran out of the room, Happousai following
them. Cologne watched that, then smirked. "I'll make sure Mousse
remains where he is for the time being, Son-in-law." She gazed on
Ranma, then left.
Quickly, Nodoka, Kasumi and Nabiki headed into the kitchen.
Once they were alone -- though Ranma was quick to sense that his
mother and the elder Tendou daughters were trying to listen in
through the door -- Ranma shifted himself so he could face the
others. Seeing the neutral look on his face, Akane shuddered,
then sighed. No matter what, she had to stake her position with him.
"Ranma?"
"Yes, Akane-san, what is it?"
"I...!" The youngest Tendou daughter blinked, then took a
breath before bowing her head. "I want to apologize. For not
telling you about what Dad did with the Nanniichuan water at the
wedding. He had no right to do that with something that was clearly
meant for you. And I..." She paused, then looked at him, her eyes
misting. "I didn't intend anything malicious about that, Ranma.
You...! You said what you felt about me on Mount Phoenix. I was
prepared to go through with the wedding, Nanniichuan cask or no."
Ranma sighed, then nodded. "I can accept that, Akane-san."
"Ran-chan, will ya quit being so formal, for Heaven's sake?!"
Ukyou demanded. "You're spooking the hell out of us both, you know!"
His eyes narrowed. "I have to be, Ukyou-san. If you or
Akane-san have a problem with that, that's just too damned bad."
They shuddered, shocked he would say THAT. "Further, I've grown
sick and tired of all the assumptions you've made about me," Ranma
frostily added. "If I had the power, I'd end this farce once and for
all, then take a long vacation from ALL of you! I can't do that.
You, Ukyou-san, would be made roonin because of it. You, Shan-pu,
would most likely be expelled from your clan, frozen in your cursed
form or put to death if you went home empty-handed. And I believe
you, Akane-san, would likely wind up being married off to Kunou,
knowing how desperate your father's become in seeing his dojo
continue. I know that. I understand that. And I want to help you
girls out of this. I really do."
They bolted to their feet, glaring intently at him. "The only
way that can happen, sugar, is if you marry me!!" Ukyou snarled.
"You're already married to this one! You've no choice but to
come back to village with this one, Airen!!" Shampoo asserted.
"Ranma, you're MY fianc� and that's final!!" Akane snapped.
Instantly, Souun appeared behind his daughter, waving a fan as
jets of tears poured from his eyes. Thankfully, the water doesn't
strike Shampoo. "OH, JOY!!! AKANE'S ADMITTED SHE LOVES
RANMA-KUN!!!!"
Ranma goes into Demon Head mode. "***GET LOST, YOU
IDIOT!!!!***"
The fiancees screamed, backing away from that snarling image
as Souun collapsed into a sobbing heap on seeing Ranma use HIS attack
on himself again. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Ranma-kun's scary!!!"
"Aiyah!! When did Airen learn the Demon Head?!" Shampoo
screamed, covering her eyes.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us, Akane?!" Ukyou whimpered.
"R-r-ranma...!" Akane sputtered.
"ENOUGH!!!!"
The Demon Head vanished as Ranma gazed tiredly on Genma. "Who
the hell gave you your voice back, Oyaji?"
The Saotome patriarch lunged at his son. Ranma's fist smashed
into Genma's face, dropping him on the table. It broke in half from
his weight. Noting that, Ranma sighed. "Nabiki, I don't think you
kept him there long enough. He didn't lose a damned kilogram of
fat!"
Genma staggered to a kneeling position, then glared at his son.
Ranma returned that with a mildly bored look. Quaking, the former
pointed at the latter. "Boy, you listen to me and listen good!"
he rasped. "You can't escape this no matter how much you try! Even
your mother wants you to marry Akane!! Do you understand me?! You
can't escape...!"
A chi ball exploded in his face. Ranma's fist then slammed
into the back of Genma's neck, making the latter kiss the floor.
The former's hand blurred over Genma's back, hitting shiatsu points
to make sure he didn't speak, much less move, from that position.
Ranma then grasped Genma by the throat, then painfully elevated
his head to the level of Ranma's eyes. Given the locking of the
older man's joints, that movement elicited some sharp cracks from his
bones. Hearing that, the fiancees and Souun shuddered, horrified
at Ranma's actions.
He glanced at Souun. "Leave. Now."
The Tendou patriarch scrambled out of the sitting room. Ranma
turned to the fiancees. "I've decided that as soon as the repairs
on my family home are done, I will move out and live there. With
Akane-san's actions since the day we met, I no longer feel welcome
here. That should make it fair for you all. It will be a level
playing field. Does this meet with your approval? Ukyou-san?
Shan-pu?"
Ukyou nodded. "Th-that's no problem there, Ran-chan."
"This one agrees."
"Good. But I warn you this: if ANY of you pull the same crap
on my home that you did before Mount Phoenix, I will consider your
claim on me invalid and I will NOT shed a tear over what might happen
to you. Know this, too. I do not know what love is at the end, but
I have come to realize this: I will NOT marry for agreements
that filled this fool's stomach or those he made when he was
drunk..." -- with that, he casually tossed Genma out of the sitting
room -- "...much less archaic laws imposed on unsuspecting
travellers by a village that too damned scared of the outside world
for its own good." He glared at Shampoo, then vanished behind the
Umisen-ken's null-chi cloak.
The fiancees remained in place, then Akane shuddered. "He
h-hates us...!"
"I can't believe it came to this..." Ukyou whispered.
Shampoo looked nowhere in particular. "What do we do now?"
* * *
Ranma sighed as he walked towards Tampopo's. Waking up this
morning, he had nearly been tossed into the koi pond by Genma before
a rapid-fire version of the Mouko Takabisha made the latter go for a
swim. Coming down to breakfast later, he found his father ready to
force him outside for a thorough morning spar. Since everything
had been served, Ranma responded by taking his plate of food and
dumping it atop Genma's. "Since you care more for food than
respecting what I might like to do with my life, here! Eat all you
want." He then vanished behind the Umisen-ken just as Happousai
came in from his morning panty raid. Seeing the heaping plate of
food there, the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu quickly downed
it before the shocked Genma could fully interpret what his son had
done.
To Ranma's mirthful delight -- he stayed in the sitting room
while his father was bellowing about his son's disrespect -- Kasumi
refused to cook him anything until lunch. And Genma was so
mistrustful of Akane's cooking that, when she said she wouldn't
cook for him, he automatically asserted that he wouldn't eat her
cooking even if his life depended on it!
Result: Demon Head from Souun and Mallet-sama from Akane!
As Ranma headed down the Fuji-kaidou, he blinked on hearing
a high-pitched *toot!* Turning to see what made that, he stopped
beside a puddle as his jaw dropped on seeing what looked like an
old-fashioned railroad engine towing a passenger car and a caboose
heading his way. His surprise was so total, he didn't notice the
potential danger until the tractor's wheels splashed into the puddle,
dousing him with a quick waterfall of spray. Sputtering angrily,
she gazed down at herself, then sighed. "Damn...!" she grumbled.
"Ah!! Sorry about that!"
Ranma saw that the road train has stopped, the driver and some
of the passengers staring concernedly at her. "It's okay, it's
okay!" she assured them, then blinked as one of the passengers
stepped down from the cab, a towel in hand. "Oh, you don't need ta
do that...!!"
"It's alright," the purple-haired girl in the black cape, red
jacket and grey, ankle-length skirt, asserted. "Though it appears
that no matter how far you travel, Saotome-san, Jusenkyou never lets
you go."
"Huh...?" Ranma sputtered, then she peered at the younger woman.
"You know about Jusenkyou...?! Hey! How'd you know who I am?!"
"Chikage-chan, is that Saotome-san?!" a black-haired girl in a
pink-and-black hakama gasped. Seeing the purple-haired girl nod, she
quickly scrambled out of the cabin, another towel in hand.
Approaching Ranma, she came to attention, then bowed low.
"Saotome-san, it is an honour to meet you. My name is Tenhiro
Haruka. I'm a student of the Oomure-jima Tenhiro-naginata-ryuu,
second-dan. I am also a student of Zen archery and the use of the
gunsen. Oh...! P-poh!!" She claps her cheeks excitedly as they
redden. "I trust y-you weren't hurt...?"
"I...! Ah...! W-well...!" Ranma's eyebrow twitched, stunned
that she had been greeted so ENTHUSIASTICALLY by this young woman,
then an old suspicion quickly reared itself. "Um, we aren't engaged,
are we?"
Haruka stopped, then shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of."
Ranma breathed out. "Oh, phew!! I was worried that I might've
missed one of the girls Oyaji tried to engage me to on our trip!"
Chikage chuckled. "No doubt, you took much advantage of the
time you spent with Ani-kun's friend Kamekichi Tampopo." She
absently patted her cape. "Were you proceeding to her establishment
in Kasugachou?"
Ranma took that in, then nodded. "I...! Um, y-yeah, I was!
Hey, how d'you know Tampopo-chan anyway? Are you friends with her?"
"Actually, our brother has the honour to address Kamekichi-san
as his friend," Haruka replied. "His name is Moroboshi Ataru."
Ranma blinked, then her eyes widened. "Ataru?! You're his...?"
She stopped, then shook her head. "I didn't know he had sisters!"
"Neither did Ani-kun until six weeks ago," Chikage said. "Our
story is, in a way, as unique as yours. Meanwhile, we will be
heading to Tampopo-san's establishment once we have picked up Ani-kun
and Ane-kun at the train station. Would you like to come with us?"
Ranma considered that. "Sure! Ever since I became friends
with Tampopo-chan, I've always wanted to meet your brother..."
A creaking sound echoed from her stomach. Hearing that, a girl
with a big bowtie in her mauve hair leaned out of the passenger
cabin. "Aaah! Sounds like Saotome-san's a little hungry!" she noted
with an amused chuckle.
"I...!" Ranma flustered. "Um, y-yeah! I skipped out on
breakfast this morning 'cause I got in a fight with my old man..."
"Shirayuki-chan, do you have extra bento boxes?" Haruka
wondered.
"Hai! Hime has lots of extra bento boxes!"
Hearing that, Ranma grinned. "If there's one thing Oyaji taught
me right, it's to never refuse free food!" she quickly asserted.
Everyone laughed...
* * *
"Young Mistress, do you recognize that...? Er, person?"
"I believe that is Saotome Ranma," Ryooko answered. The command
car was five vehicles from the road train. "And these ladies, who
most likely are the same ones Moroboshi-kun associated with on
Promised Island, have just taken him -- er, *her* -- aboard. I
wonder why."
"I should have learned how to read lips," the driver lamented.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Stay with them."
"Hai!"
* * *
Nerima JR station, later...
"So your brother's been off on a training trip, huh?"
"Hai. It's a very intensive one Onii-sama has to deal with,"
Sakuya nodded as people stepped off the road train.
"Really?" Ranma blinked. "'S funny. From what I've heard of
him, your brother didn't strike me much as a martial artist."
"Personally, I don't think Onii-chan thinks of himself as a
martial artist either, Ranma-san," Karen noted with a giggle. "But
then again, someone once told me that I'd never learn how to play the
piano."
"You took it as a challenge?"
Karen flustered. "Somewhat."
Ranma chuckled. "Oh, there's nothin' wrong with that. After
all, I've taken loads of challenges in my lifetime. Some of them
really helped me a lot. And some were just..." She shook her head,
rolling her eyes.
"Dumb?" Rinrin asked.
"Stupid. Believe me, I couldn't even BEGIN to believe some of
the weird martial art forms I've run across since I came here. I
mean, could you honestly believe there's a Martial Arts Tea Ceremony
out there?"
"My step-father once told me about that," Haruka noted. "I
mean, I understand it when people seek to turn daily activities
into kata forms as a way of disciplining oneself. After all, the
great masters once copied some of the basic forms from animal
movements. But to transform a tea party into a martial arts drill?
It's utterly ridiculous!"
Sitting beside Marie, Michael perked, then whined. Marie gazed
on her dog, then looked around. "Michael, do you see Aniue-sama?"
"Ah!! Onii-tama!!"
Hearing Hinako's cry, eyes locked on the front gate. Sure
enough, two young people in black T-shirts and walking pants, both
lugging backpacks, stepped into open air. Instantly, their eyes
locked on the road train, then they headed over as Hinako and Kaho
ran to embrace them. "Hey!!" the young man -- given his beard and
moustache, Ranma was hard-pressed to recognize the man as the same
Moroboshi Ataru she saw in the picture at Tampopo's -- called out as
he scooped Hinako up, then gave her a warm hug. "How are you guys?!"
"Waaa!! Onii-tama's beard tickles!" Hinako cried out.
She was then shifted onto one of Ataru's arms as the other
sisters came up to add their hugs and kisses. "Oh, we missed you
two, Onii-chan!" Karen said. "How long were you in Sanctuary,
anyway?"
Mamoru gently stroked Ataru's sideburns. "Not that long by the
looks of it! How the heck did you grow a beard anyway, Anii?"
"A little accident I had...! Eh?" Ataru was quick to notice
the redhead standing by the road train. "Who...?"
"Ah!" Negako lowered Kaho to the ground, then walked over.
Ranma blinked, then tensed as Negako approached. On the road
train, she had been told that Ataru had been training with an adopted
older sister. This had to be her, then. But...! Her eyes narrowed
as she tried to analyse the latter's chi signature. What Ranma got
was a bemused stare from Negako, not to mention a chi-cloak which
shrouded the latter like an Afghan burka from head to toe. Almost
as effective as -- no, even MORE so! -- the Umisen-ken technique.
Once the cloak was fully set in place, it was as if Negako would be
totally invisible if someone had blindfolded himself (or was blind)
and only depended on chi scanning to sense his surroundings.
By then, Ataru had come up, slipping off his backpack. Dropping
that, he offered his hand. "It's a wonder we haven't met beforehand,
Saotome-san. I'm Moroboshi Ataru and this's my sister Negako,
Grandmistress of the Moroboshi-Hana Saikoo Jinseijitsu
Ninjitsu-ryuu."
Ranma jolted, staring at him for a second, then her eyes fell
back on Negako. *She's MUCH more than she seems, especially
if he's calling her the 'grandmistress' of her Art!* echoed deep
inside the transformed martial artist's mind, then she caught
herself. Grasping his hand, she nodded. "Um, y-yeah! S-sorry
about that! Pleased to meetcha, Moroboshi-san..."
Then her eyes locked with his.
They froze. Time became meaningless as the vast panorama
of emotions a person's eyes can reflect on viewers transformed
into an open book for them both. In what seems an eternity, all the
pain and suffering, the confusion and misunderstandings,
the dreams and nightmares, the loneliness -- it is as if they, who
had just met now, had actually known each other since they were born.
Another eternity flashed past, then Ataru's hand came up to encompass
Ranma's. She reflected his action with her own hand, their eyes
never wavering from the other's.
You, too...?
Yeah, me too...
I lost mine to a war...
I lost mine to something like that...
But you've got others...
Not like yours...
They're my family...
I'd like a family like that...
Friends can be family...
I can't consider what friends I've got left as family...
You're afraid they'll be hurt because of you...
So're you with your friends back home...
Are they my friends...?
Even if you don't think so now, you still care for them...
So do you with the ones who love you...
I got no choice but to care. It goes beyond honour...
I understand that. Would you love them...?
I can't see myself doing that. Not now, perhaps not ever...
But they disagree with you...
What do you think...?
Life really sucks at times...
You damn hell got that right...
Want to be friends...?
I can use a friend right about now...
So can I...
Can you tolerate my curse...?
I'd call it a blessing...
It's not been much of a blessing to me...
Depends on how you take it in the long run...
I've come to understand that...
I'll try to help...
What about you? What happened...?
It's still too soon to talk about it...
Sorry to hear that. But you can't keep it inside you...
Neither can you...
I don't think I've gone through the same amount you have...
We'll have to see about that I guess...
I guess we will...
Friends...?
Friends...
"Onii-sama?!"
They jolted, then noticed Ataru's sisters staring concernedly
at them. "Onii-tama, Onee-tama, are you okay?" Hinako asked.
Both blinked, then noticed that they were clasping hands. They
took that in, then drew back their hands before Ataru knelt to place
a reassuring hand on Hinako's shoulder. "It's okay, Hinako-chan.
You just brought your Onii-tama a new friend, that's all."
The youngest of the sisters blinked, then cheered, waving her
hands. "Yay!! Hina helped Onii-tama and Onee-tama be friends!!"
Laughter filled the parking lot...
* * *
*Did you sense it?*
Chikage's eyes narrowed. *Yes. Their bond's growing stronger.*
*There are very firm blockages on Ranma's side preventing
it from forming correctly,* Negako mused as the sisters helped Ataru
hoist backpacks onto the road train. *Tampopo was wise to contact
me about her. She needs a considerable amount of assistance
to that end.*
*Including her sense of self. She still thinks she's a boy.*
*Understandable. That is courtesy of Genma Saotome's most
foolish mistake when it came to training his so-called 'heir.'*
*I'm afraid to ask.*
*Do you like cats, Chikage?*
*Eh?! What do cats have to do with Ane-kun?*
*You would be very surprised...*
* * *
Nearby...
"Did that girl just call Moroboshi-kun...?"
"They ALL did, Young Mistress! Save for Saotome-san,
of course."
Ryooko blinked, then sat back in her chair before her eyes
widened. "Oh, Kami-sama! I should've realized...!"
She covered her mouth. "Blood-relations?" the driver wondered.
"On the father's side. That's why their birth records don't
have a father listed. They're illegitimate, but..." Her eyes
narrowed. "Oh, yes, of course! It all makes sense now! I can see
why Moroboshi-kun has chosen to leave Tomobiki. If Onii-san got wind
of this..."
"Much less Moroboshi-sama's *ex*-parents?"
"Indeed," the young heiress of the Mendou clan fortune replied
with a nod. "As soon as they head off, let's go back to Tomobiki.
I might want to visit Toranoseishin Finances, but I want to do it
without alerting Onii-san. Given how much Moroboshi-kun has clearly
changed, if my brother does something foolish with those girls as a
way of provoking Moroboshi-kun into a fight, especially with Lum
gone..."
"That's a frightening thought, Young Mistress."
"Yes. And it's best to see to it that does NOT happen."
"Hai!"
* * *
A half-hour later...
"Ataru-chan!! You're back!!!"
"Hiya, Tampopo-chan!" Ataru grinned, hopping off the road train
as he shared an embrace with the proprietress of Nerima's newest
eatery. "Hai, I came back finally! You remember Onee-chan,
don't you?!"
"Indeed, I do!" Tampopo gently grasped Negako's hand and gave
it a firm squeeze. "Thanks for bringing him back in one piece,
Negako-san! I'd be put off if he didn't survive the tortures you
planned for him."
Negako lightly smiled. "It was required."
Ataru then indicated his other sisters, doing the introductions.
Shirayuki produced a wrapped box for the older chef, one containing
rare spices and food mixes the younger chef had prepared for this
occasion. Once that was done, everyone headed inside as the
Toranoseishin driver guided the road train into an empty lot to get
it out of traffic. As everyone sat down in three conjoining
booths, Tampopo and Ataru gazed on Ranma. "You were pretty quick
to pick up a new one after I left," he mused, then stared with
exaggerated annoyance at their hostess. "Why?! Didn't I provide
enough entertainment for you when we were living in Tomobiki?!"
Laughter filled the room. "No. In many ways, Ranma-chan
here's in the same boat you were in back in Tomobiki," Tampopo
replied, then glanced in amusement at the transformed martial artist.
"Usual, Ranma-chan?"
Ranma nodded, taking her place at the counter. "Hai, please.
And make it quick so I can try to duck Ataru's verbal bombardments."
More laughter. Haruka and Kaho sat to both sides of Ranma.
Negako and Ataru placed themselves in the booths, allowing the other
sisters to surround them. Orders were made, then they relaxed.
Ranma glanced at Negako. "So you're the grandmistress of your Art,
eh? I've never heard of Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu before. Is it an
in-family sort of thing?"
"It is," Negako replied. "Traditionally, only blood-born
or adopted members of the Moroboshi Clan may practice it. However,
certain exceptions can be made in special circumstances.
Happousai, for example. I taught him several things when we first
met in 1892 in Sendai. He used that to serve as the base for what
he eventually called 'Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu.'"
Ranma's eyes went wide. The sisters giggled.
"Eighteen-ninety-two?!!" she blurted. "You don't look a day over
twenty!! How...?!"
Sakuya smirked. "You wouldn't believe how old Onee-sama
is."
Negako points to herself. "I do not exactly recall the day the
seed that became my sentience was initially forged, but it was
sometime during the thirteenth century. I myself became sentient
in 1808 when my host at the time was forced to absorb an entity like
myself from the War Lord of the Hana Clan after he was killed in a
storm. When the two parts that became me merged as one, I 'woke up.'
However, it was not until Ataru was in the sixth year of being my
latest host that I was given the body I have now."
"Are you some sort of kami?" Ranma wondered.
"You might think of Aneki here as Earth's first-ever
non-corporeal artificial intelligence, though she was created by
magic and psionics, not any sort of computer technology," Rinrin
provided.
"Wow!" Ranma stared anew at Negako. "And you know Jijii?!"
"Yes, I do. I also know Kun-lon. How is she, anyway?"
"Um...! Well, she's okay, I guess. How'd you meet her?"
"Our clan is allied to the Nyu-che-zuu, though it has not, as
yet, become a blood-alliance. Kun-lon knew one of my previous
hosts -- Ataru's grandmother Nagaiwakai, to be exact -- for a very
long time."
"Oh!" Ranma was quick to sense by the frowns and sad looks on
the sisters' faces that Nagaiwakai was no longer among the living.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, if you're going to stick around for
a while, I'm sure Jijii and the Elder would love to see you again."
Negako seemed to smile. "Happy would be pleased to see me, I am
more than sure. Kun-lon would believe that Ataru had totally lost
his mind in allowing someone such as I to have my freedom."
"Eh?"
"What Onee-chan's trying to say is that between the time she
'woke up' and when she did get free of my head, she tried her
damnedest to get control of her host's body by whatever means
possible," Ataru provided. "But then again, should anyone be
surprised? She was treated like a slave when she was still
non-corporeal and...! Well, I guess you know the history of the
American Civil War and how that started."
Ranma stared at him, then nodded. "Yeah, I can see that..."
"Here we go, everyone!" Tampopo called out.
Everyone perked as the chef brought in a large tray. Along with
that was a kettle of hot water. "Here you go, Ranma-chan. I think
you'd want to change back to your normal self now, eh?" The chef
handed the kettle to the martial artist, then moved to distribute
the food.
"You're the greatest, Tampopo-chan." Ranma scooped up the
kettle, then poised it over herself.
People gaped in shock as Ranma seemed to grow forty centimetres
and gain twenty kilograms all at once. Mamoru whistled. "Whoa...!"
"That's impossible!" Rinrin asserted.
"It's magic, Rinrin. Very ancient magic at that. And yes, it
IS possible," Chikage corrected the young inventor.
"Kusun!"
Eyes locked on Aria. "Kusun!" the young Parisian stared
wide-eyed at Ranma, lips trembling as wild fear flashed in her eyes.
Seeing the panic on her face, he paled, then grabbed a glass of cold
water on Tampopo's food tray. "Kusun!" Aria burbled as Ranma doused
himself with the water to transform back. She then glanced
expectantly at Aria. The younger girl blinked confusedly, then a
calm smile crossed her face. "Nee-ya..." She beamed, reaching
for a tablecloth so she could wipe Ranma's hair clean. "Nee-ya
is all wet."
Ranma blinked, then lightly smiled. "Sorry about that,
Aria-chan. I didn't mean to freak you out when I changed."
Aria gazed on her nonplussed, then she returned to her chair.
Ranma watched her, then gave Ataru a "What's with HER?!" look. Ataru
shook his head, then shrugged in return. Seeing that, Ranma sighed,
then blinked on feeling Tampopo's hand on her shoulder. She stared
at the chef, then nodded before scooping up her chopsticks to dig in.
"Itadakimasu!!"
"Itadakimasu!!!" the others chimed...
* * *
"Gone...?"
Cologne shuddered as she tried to focus in on the intensive
chi nexi she perceived a half-hour ago. Whoever, WHATEVER, it was,
it outstripped both her and Happousai when it came to experience,
not to mention Ranma in potential. Trying to keep track of it as she
was monitoring lunch, the elder lost the trail when it stopped near
the Nerima train station.
What was worrisome was that whatever this newcomer was, she (the
Nyu-che-zuu elder believed the newcomer was female) was accompanied
by a man whose chi levels were on par, though his experience
was minuscule. Even more, Ranma had met up with them at the train
station. As to what Ranma was doing down by the station, Cologne
had no idea. Then again, given the sheer metamorphosis her
"son-in-law" had experienced under Tampopo's guidance over the last
month, it was hard if not nearly impossible to predict what was going
through the poor lad's head.
A tired sigh escapes the aged matriarch. It was now QUITE
obvious that everyone's pushing on Ranma was about to provoke an
explosion at the level the battle with Saffron unleashed. Thank the
heavens Kasumi, Nabiki and Happousai had decided to back off and
leave the poor boy be, let him try to decide for himself what sort
of life he actually wanted to live. And Cologne couldn't disagree.
The time HAD come for Ranma to take control of his life. If it
wasn't worries about the fiancees, it was dealing with the effects
of Genma's training. If it wasn't trying to evolve a relationship
with Nodoka, it was worrying about when the next odd thing might come
along to challenge Ranma anew.
Privately, Cologne had concluded long before the Mount Phoenix
battle that pushing for a marriage between Shampoo and Ranma was out
of the question. Regardless of the feelings he might have for the
Tendou girl, to force Ranma into the world of the Nyu-che-zuu
would, after all he had been through, be simply inhumane. Yes,
Nyu-che-zuu laws were harsh and tilted too much to uphold the female,
but Cologne's native society wasn't as absolutist as what the
spineless idiots running the "People's Republic" out of Beijing's
Forbidden City governed. There were escape valves built into all the
Nyu-che-zuu laws, even the combat-for-marriage and the Kiss of Death
laws.
Ranma needed them. Cologne knew Shampoo was too headstrong
to accept that Ranma didn't want to marry her. If Cologne spoke up
now against it, Shampoo would still charge on ahead. No, to deflect
Shampoo away required the help of the Council. Sadly, Mist's letter
to Shampoo some weeks ago showed that Cologne's fellow elders didn't
appreciate the danger bringing him to Joketsuzoku could present.
However, after Ranma's victory over Saffron, Cologne was confidant
that even the conservatives on the Council would go along with her
reasoning.
After all, to actually bring in a potentially unstable male who
killed a GOD of all things into the Nyu-che-zuu...?!
* * *
"Damn! I'm sorry about that, Ranma. I didn't realize Aria-chan
would find it so hard to accept seeing you as a guy."
"Hey, it's cool!" Ranma waved her hands. Both stood close to
the washroom doors at the back of the restaurant. "Though I gotta
admit, I am curious about why she freaked out THAT much. Doesn't
she get out as much as possible or she autistic or something like
that?"
Ataru shakes his head. "Oh, I don't think it's an actual
medical problem. Aria-chan's main problem is that she's been
sheltered almost all her life. Even when she got left behind by her
parents at Welcome House on the island, they left a governess
behind to keep an eye on her. Aria-chan's never done much in the way
of normal kid things; her governess won't allow it."
"She's spoiled, you mean?"
"Yeah, she is that, but I do care for her, so I can make myself
bend for her."
Ataru winked, holding up a finger as he grins. "Yeah, I suppose
I can do that, too," Ranma responded with a chuckle, then she sighed.
"They're all so beautiful, Ataru. You're really lucky, you know."
Ataru rolled his eyes. "They're the lucky ones. They didn't
have to put up with Muchi or Kinshou while they were growing up."
"Yeah, Tampopo-chan told me about the crap they pulled on you.
Shit, it was like listening about a mirror version of my parents."
"Are they bad?"
Ranma smirked. "Well, when it comes to greed, Kinshou and Oyaji
probably came straight out of the same school." She knew not to
address that particular woman by the appellation "Mom" in front of
Ataru. "And given how much Muchi bends for his wife...! Cripes,
it's like Mom can be around Oyaji at times. Though I think Mom's
trying to be better."
"Well, maybe you'll get something out of it in the long run."
Ataru chuckled, then blinked as Negako approached them. "Onee-chan?"
"Is there something wrong?" Ranma wondered.
Negako clasped her hands behind her back. "Ranma, would you
consent to having yourself temporarily locked as a woman today?"
Ranma's eyes went wide, then before a flat-out denial roared
up her throat, she paused. Why was she getting so angry? Negako
had just ASKED her about locking the curse in place. She hadn't
done like Cologne or Herb had done in the past and FORCED a lock on
her. All she could do if she wanted to was say "no" in the end.
"Why do you want to do that?"
"For your convenience. And your safety, of course." Negako
seemed to smile. "You have taken note of Aria's reaction to your
transformation. I also sense that Hinako and Kaho might want to
'experiment' with some cold and hot water to see you change for
themselves, most likely for the sheer fascination factor. And I
believe you would not wish to arouse Rinrin's curiosity in that
matter. She can be dogged in her determination to fully understand
something that defies all logical, scientific explanation."
"Oh, one of those types who doesn't believe in magic, huh?"
"Rinrin has her doubts. It is somewhat surprising, given that
Chikage is her half-sister."
"Right!" Ranma shuddered, then blinked. "How can you do that?"
"You still have some background energy from your exposure
to the Chiisui-ton and the Kaisui-fuu within you. What I would do is
use some ki to enhance the Chiisui-ton's influence to the point where
it would be no different than if you were just splashed by water from
it. When you wish the curse to revert to 'normal' mode, I take the
energy away from you."
Ranma blinked, then nodded. "Well, that sounds simple enough,"
she mused, then stared warily at Ataru. "Are Hinako-chan and
Kaho-chan gonna get upset if they splash me and I don't change?"
"Let me worry about them," Ataru assured her...
* * *
"Akane-chan, are you alright?"
Akane sighed, gazing on Asano Sayuri and Tokoro Yuka, her best
friends since the start of high school. The three were enjoying
some fresh hamburgers courtesy of the district's lone American
food yatai owner, Yamada Fred, in Hikarigaoka Park. "Not really,"
she confessed.
"Is it because of Ranma?" Sayuri wondered.
The youngest Tendou blinked, then nodded. "Yeah."
"What are you going to do, Akane-chan?" Yuka asked.
"Why don't you just dump him and get it over with, Akane-chan?!"
Sayuri proposed. Almost right from the beginning, she, who had known
Akane since kindergarten, hadn't really approved of her friend's
iinazuke. "After all, if he was damned willing to say you weren't
engaged to him anymore, it's obvious that he really doesn't care for
you."
Akane shook her head. "Th-that's not true. Ranma DOES care for
me. It's just that..." She paused, biting her lips, then she
sighed. "He doesn't care for me like he did before this all
started."
"What do you mean?" Yuka asked.
Akane sighed, then explained what Ranma had told her, Ukyou and
Shampoo the previous night. Hearing that, the other girls blinked,
exchanged a look, then turned back to Akane. "Well, maybe he's got
a point, Akane-chan," Yuka mused. Unlike Sayuri, Yuka had always
tried to keep a more positive attitude when it came to discussing
Akane's relationship with Ranma. "I mean, given all the dumb things
his father did to him while they were on their trip...! Well, if it
happened to me, I'd be ROYALLY pissed! And he said he didn't want
it to wind up with Ukyou and Shampoo becoming roonin and you being
engaged to Kunou or some other fool like that. That's a good
point..."
Sayuri shakes her head. "Forget it! Ranma's being a typical
man, no different than Kunou. He doesn't care what Akane-chan
feels whatsoever. He doesn't care that everything he does -- Hell!
Everything he's DONE since he came here!! -- has hurt her! Oh no,
that's just not right!!" she finished in a mock-gasp, then sighed.
"The whole world's GOT to revolve around Mister Super-Macho
Saotome Ranma!! No one else!" She wagged her finger at Akane. "If
you want to really hang onto the guy, Akane-chan, you better assert
yourself real fast!!"
Yuka nodded. "Yeah, you seemed able to do that beforehand."
"I don't think it'll work now," Akane admitted. "There's
something about the big fight at the dojo I didn't tell you about."
"Being?" Sayuri wondered.
Akane sighed. "When everyone got to fighting everyone else,
Ranma used his dad's Umisen-ken technique and ducked out. I went
after him. Found him on the bridge over the river where he normally
goes to when he wants to be alone. I told him that no one was going
to stop fighting over him because it WAS him they were fighting
for. And then he said..." She paused, closing her eyes. "He said
that it was their problem now. He didn't care what happened to them.
We could've DIED for all he cared at that point! And hearing that,
I got angry..."
Sayuri nodded. "And you nailed him with your mallet, right?"
Akane nodded, the image of the incensed look Ranma gave her that
day flashing through her mind. "Yes. And the mallet exploded
when it hit his head, Sayuri-chan. He didn't feel it. Not at
all..."
The other girls' eyes widened. "No way..." Yuka sputtered.
"You've always hurt him with that!" Sayuri asserted.
"Well, it didn't affect him then," Akane noted. "And the LOOK
he gave me when I hit him..." She shuddered, a chill warping through
her. "Gods, I never thought he'd ever get THAT angry at me! I..."
She shook her head. "For the first time since I met him, I was
SCARED of him! I never felt that before because of Ranma! Not
once!! I..."
Her voice failed, then she threw up her hands helplessly.
"Did he try to hurt you, Akane-chan?" Sayuri wondered.
"No! He didn't! He..." Akane shook her head again before
looking down. "He just looked at me. Then he said 'Fine,' then
walked away. And that was the last time I saw him until he brought
Ukyou's yatai back."
"And that's when he said you weren't engaged to him anymore
when you called him a pervert, right?" Yuka asked.
"Yes. And that's when we also found out that he'd mastered
Dad's Demon Head and Ryouga-kun's Shishi Houkoudan..." Akane sighed.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw him do THAT! I never thought
Ranma of all people would feel depressed enough to use one of THEM
on Dad!!"
"You mean he hit your father with a chi blast?!" Sayuri
stammered.
"Yes!"
"Why didn't your dad throw him out of the house?!" Yuka
wondered.
Akane sighed. "I think it's because Dad realizes Ranma won't
give him any more chances. If he tries to throw Ranma out of the
house, Ranma'll walk away from us once and for all. Ranma told
Kasumi-neechan and Nabiki-neechan that he didn't respect Dad anymore!
I guess he now sees Dad as being no different than Uncle! He..."
She stopped, then shook her head. "Would you believe he even called
Dad a PIMP?!"
"You're kidding!" Yuka blurted.
"It's true! He says that Dad was a pimp because he was treating
us like his property, trying to sell us off to the highest bidder!!"
Considering that, Yuka hummed. "Maybe he's right."
"Come ON!" Sayuri snapped. "Can't you see what's going on?!
All Saotome's trying to do is hurt Akane-chan by going after her
dad!"
"Yeah, but still, don't you think pressing an arranged marriage
between Ranma and Akane-chan in spite of all the trouble they've
had to date is smart?! Especially now?! And Ranma IS trying to help
Ukyou and Shampoo, too. He respects what they're going through.
Hell, I think he's always respected that, but he didn't know what to
do about it until the wedding pretty much forced the whole issue!"
Sayuri shook her head. Yuka pressed on. "And look what he's
done. He's found Ukyou's yatai, got it working again, then returned
it to her. He's earned money to help repair the house and pay back
the hospitality Akane-chan's family gave him. Hell, he even GAVE
Kasumi and Nabiki money so they can go to university without getting
a student loan! That's pretty decent of him, don't you think?!
It's not his fault that Ukyou's dad and Shampoo's tribe are being
a bunch of total lunkheads about this!!"
"Oh?" Sayuri turned to stare at Akane. "Akane-chan,
if Saotome gave you five million yen to go to university, would you
take it?"
"I..." Akane jolted, then sighed. "I don't know, Sayuri-chan.
I mean, if he did it to help me start my own life, I COULD understand
it. But then again, Dad might say he was trying to buy his way out
of the engagement. And..." She shuddered. "What if Dad was right,
then? If Ranma gave me money like that, would I ever see him again?
I..." She shrugged.
Sayuri sighed. "Akane-chan, you better do something to put
Saotome in his place sooner or later, or he's gonna leave you high
and dry and you'll get NOTHING to pay you back for all the crap he's
caused you!" She wagged her finger at her friend. "Trust me on this
one, girl! Don't let him get away with this! If you do, you'll
be the one hurt by it at the end!"
Akane gazed on her, then slowly nodded...
* * *
Sometime later...
"Hina's sorry."
A sniffing Hinako got a bemused smile from Ranma in the wake of
the former splashing the latter with hot water to see her transform
into a man. The others stood around her, Ataru keeping a supportive
hand on his youngest sister's shoulder. Aria handed Ranma a
tablecloth to dry herself. "It's okay, Hinako-chan," the martial
artist replied as she leaned down to stare into the young girl's
eyes. "I know you're kinda curious, but I just wasn't in the mood
to get splashed again and again. That REALLY gets tiring after a
while. 'Sides," -- she indicated Aria -- "Aria-chan didn't like it
when she saw me change, remember? Don't you want to keep your sister
happy?"
Hinako gazed on her, then smiled, nodding. "What does it feel
like, anyway?" Rinrin wondered. "I mean, when you change?"
Ranma blinked, then sighed as everyone else relaxed at the
tables and booths. This time, Aria sat closest to her. Hinako sat
in Ataru's lap. "Well, I dunno. It's really hard to describe
and all that, but...!" She paused, then sighed. "When the water
hits you, you just feel WRONG for a second. Your sense of balance
goes totally nuts 'cause the heavy parts of the body are different
between a guy and a girl. If you're in a fight, your strength
fades, but your speed picks up automatically because you're in a
lighter body that can move around faster. Then..." She paused again
before taking a deep breath. "The wrongness fades and then you feel
so RIGHT. That THIS is the shape you should be in. And that's the
scary part! At least it was for me for a real long time,
Rinrin-chan. But now..."
"You just got used to it," Sakuya finished.
"Yeah! In fact..." Ranma perked, then impishly smiled. "I can
get loads of ice cream and other snacks when I'm looking like this!"
"Aria likes ice cream."
"Ice cream! Ice cream!!" Hinako chanted.
The others laughed. "So being a girl's not so bad in the end,
eh?" Mamoru wondered, crossing her hands behind her head.
Ranma sighed. "I dunno. I mean, I was born a boy and all that.
And for a long time, Oyaji was on my case about actin' like a boy and
all that. Every time I complained about something, he always said
'Stop acting like a whiny girl! You're a man!!' or things like
that!"
Rinrin sneered. "I haven't met him yet, but I hate him
already!"
Karen shook her head. "You can say that again."
Mamoru laughed. "Hey, Anii, why don't you tell Anee about what
Zephyrites do to jerks who abuse their children?"
Ranma stared quizzically at the young sportswoman. First
Hinako, then Aria and now Mamoru were calling her "big sister."
Yeah, she looked like a girl right now, but they knew of her curse
even if Aria had a lot of trouble trying to fully accept it. Why
were they doing that? Even more, why was she NOT raising a fit about
it? Yes, if Aria looked on her as "Nee-ya," that was okay. But
still...
"Yeah, maybe Genma might actually benefit from facing Zephyrite
justice." Ataru smirked, then his voice went cold. "For the few
seconds he'll remain alive once he's lead into the excommunication
chamber."
Ranma jolted. "Eh?!"
"On Zephyrus, child abuse and child abandonment are considered
very serious crimes, Ranma," Ataru explained. "Wilful child abuse
is always punished by death on that planet. Wilful child abandonment
is treated the same way. And trust me on this one, Ranma: Zephyrite
capital punishment -- it's called 'excommunication' there -- is not
something for the faint-hearted."
He wagged his finger at her. Ranma considered that, then
chuckled. "Yeah, I guess if he heard that, Oyaji might have cause
to think. Then again..." She scratches her cheek. "Thinking's
never been his real strong suit."
The others laughed...
* * *
The impromptu party continued. Ranma was quickly appraised
of the sisters' histories, general interests and how they reacted
to learning that they were related to Moroboshi Ataru of all people.
As the morning lead into the afternoon, Ranma proposed a cooking
contest between Tampopo and Shirayuki. Sensing she was being good
natured about it, the two chefs readily agreed. For fairness,
Ranma and Negako were made the judges; Ataru didn't want to be put
into a position to judge between his half-sister and one of the few
friends he had. Four dishes were selected: shrimp beefbowl,
ramen, kalbit'ang -- Korean beef rib soup -- and vegetable
okonomiyaki. To make it more interesting, all dishes were to be
prepared simultaneously. Tampopo would use her stove while Shirayuki
would use the mobile kitchen. To ensure the test wasn't disturbed,
the CLOSED sign was hung on the door.
Soon, they were off! Everyone remained quiet as Mamoru handled
timekeeping. The kalbit'ang would take the longest, about three
hours or so. The ramen came first. Ranma was surprised to discover
that Shirayuki put in some cut red peppers to spice the broth.
Tampopo's was more traditional Hakata-style ramen, which did well to
cool her mouth off. Next came the beefbowl. Shirayuki fried her
shrimp in sesame oil while Tampopo used barbecue sauce and butter.
Sometime after came the okonomiayki. Tampopo was a solid greens
lover, while Shirayuki made use of carrots, red peppers and sesame
seeds. Finally, by the time the sun was setting past the mountains
to the west, the kalbit'ang was served. Shirayuki slipped in some
clear noodles in her broth while Tampopo put in finely-cut rice cakes
in hers.
Result?
Well, we'll let you guess.
* * *
Later...
"Yes, Ranma-kun, I understand! We'll see you tonight. 'Bye."
Kasumi hung up as Nabiki stepped into the sitting room. "What'd
he call about, Onee-chan?" the latter asked as she sat at the table.
"Oh, Ranma-kun won't be home until late tonight," Kasumi
reported. "Turns out, he's made some new friends today and he wants
to spend time with them. Some of them came up from an island in the
Sagami Sea to visit their brother and older sister. They'll be
staying in Nerima for a while. By the sounds of it, most of
Ranma-kun's new friends are girls."
Nabiki perked. "Really? Well, that's a switch! Are any of
them unknown fiancees Uncle hasn't bothered to tell us about yet?"
Kasumi smiled. "No, Ranma-kun made sure of that."
"What girls?"
Both turned to see Akane step into the sitting room. "Oh,
Ranma-kun called to tell us he won't be back until late tonight,"
Kasumi repeated her report. "He's made some new friends, including
some girls he's met."
Akane blinked, then sighed. "Oh? What sort of girls are we
talking about here, anyway?" She crossed her arms. "If they become
more fiancees, maybe we should take Ranma up on his suggestion
and ask him to leave!"
Kasumi gasped, staring at her. "Akane!! What was THAT about?!"
Akane shook her head as she headed to her room, not bothering
to answer. Kasumi and Nabiki watched her go, then exchanged a look.
"I think Asano and Tokoro were pouring things into our sister's
mind today, Onee-chan," the latter mused.
"Sayuri-chan and Yuka-chan? Why would they do that?"
"Sayuri's never been a fan of Ranma-kun's whatsoever, Onee-chan.
I'm not too sure about Yuka. And given some of the things
Ranma-kun's been saying as of late, if Akane starts putting her
friends' suggestions into practice..."
Nabiki rolled her eyes, then shook her head. Kasumi's eyes
widened. "Oh, my!"
* * *
"So you guys're gonna stay in Tomobiki tonight?"
"We'll be alright, Onii-sama," Sakuya replied with a chuckle
as the sisters gathered by the doorway. "Don't worry about it.
We'll keep away from the loons you had to deal with when you were
living there."
Ataru sighed in obvious relief. "Okay."
"Tampopo-san, are you sure you can obtain use of this old shrine
you wanted Anigimi-sama and Anegimi-sama to stay in?" Haruka asked.
"Yes, Haruka-chan, it's no problem," Tampopo replied with a nod.
"Even if some people have been keeping the building itself in good
shape, it has been desecrated by what the last priest who lived there
did. I doubt there'll be any problems with the local Shintoists.
At the same time, there might be ghosts there; at least, that's what
the neighbours say!"
"Hina doesn't like ghosts!!" Hinako moaned.
"Do not concern yourself with that, Hinako," Negako declared
as she knelt beside the youngest sister. "If there are disobedient
spirits in residence, Ataru, Chikage and I will deal with them
soundly and thoroughly."
Hearing that, Hinako beamed, waving her hands. "Yay!!
Onii-tama, Onee-tama and Chikage-chan'll make the ghosts go away!"
Everyone giggled. "It's been a pleasure to meet you,
Onee-sama," Sakuya stated as she gently gripped Ranma's hand. "I'm
so glad you're willing to be Onii-sama's friend. Onii-sama really
needs them these days."
Ranma chuckled. "I need 'em, too! 'Sides, any friend of
Tampopo's -- and family of same, of course! -- is always a friend
of mine!!"
"Nee-sama?"
"What is it, Shirayuki-chan...?! EH?!!"
Shirayuki handed Ranma a large, wrapped bento box. "This is
Hime's special present for Nii-sama's friend," the chef announced.
"Some bento for Nee-sama, Nee-sama's mother and Nee-sama's friends
Kasumi-san and Nabiki-san, plus some spices and soup mixes for
Kasumi-san."
"I...!" Ranma gaped, then beamed. "Thanks, Shirayuki-chan!"
The bento box was handed over. Ranma then felt her free hand
grasped by Karen for a moment. "It's alright, Onee-chan," the latter
leaned up to whisper into the former's ear. "We all understand.
Even Aria-chan."
She backed off, then joined the others. "Gambatte, Onee-chama!"
Kaho called out as she waved her pompoms before the sisters headed
out to board the road train -- it minus the mobile kitchen -- for the
trip back to Tomobiki.
Ranma waved. "See you tomorrow, girls!"
"Bye-bye, Nii-ya, Nee-ya, Nee-ya," Aria called out as the driver
guided the vehicle away from Tampopo's.
Ataru, Ranma, Tampopo and Negako watched them go. "You got a
nice family, Ataru. You know that?" Ranma mused, staring at him.
"I keep reminding myself of that every day," he replied, winking
back at her, then he waved her inside. "C'mon, let's have some tea
before you go home. You don't want Shirayuki-chan's bento to spoil,
ne?"
"Good point," she noted with a laugh as they headed inside...
* * *
Later...
"So what're you and Negako-san here gonna do now?"
Ataru stretched. "Get a hotel room." Tampopo was now clearing
away the tea cups. "If we're gonna be here for a while, I might as
well get Reigi-kun to have me registered at your school. Even if
high school isn't mandatory, I don't want to twiddle my thumbs..."
"Yeah, you'll be a real hit with the principal," Ranma mused
with a snort, nodding to Ataru's beard and ponytail-styled
hair.
"Oh?" His eyebrow arched, then a knowing look crossed his face.
"Sounds like you can give some advice about what I could expect."
"I could."
She rose to leave. "We'll chat some more about it, tomorrow,
okay?!" Ataru promised.
"Right on! I'll be here. 'Night, everyone!"
She left, heading back to the Tendou home. Ataru and Negako
shifted themselves back to the counter so they could talk to Tampopo.
"You know, you don't have to go to the expense of getting a hotel
or ryokan room. I've got room here if you want to stay," Tampopo
proposed.
"Would you mind?" Ataru asked.
"For my real friends, not to mention my favourite customer?!
Of course not!" Tampopo chuckles. "It's good that you came,
Ataru-chan. I'm starting to get worried about Ranma-chan. Even if
I've been helping him get some control over his life, it's not
enough. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was a combat soldier
just back from World War Two."
"Even with the 'break' you have given her, she does show signs
of combat fatigue." Negako sips a cup of tea. "Perhaps her battle
with Saffron and its aftermath was the right sort of impetus. Unless
she alters her strategy concerning all her would-be rivals soon, she
could lose control of herself. Given her skill and experience,
it could easily result in the deaths of many of those she cares for."
Ataru stared at her. "Are you saying Ranma's really a girl?"
"When she was first immersed in the Nyanniichuan at Jusenkyou,
she did not revert to her birth-form until nearly twenty minutes
after she fell in," Negako reported. "Given the mental damage she
sustained because of the Neko-ken training however, the psychological
change Jusenkyou's power could unleash in that instance could not
properly latch on. In ways, Ranma could withstand that
transformation indefinitely, but what if she finds herself in a less
stable situation emotionally than what she possesses now?"
His lips twisted into a sneer. "Oh, terrific..."
* * *
"Tadaima!!"
"Oh, Ranma-kun, welcome back!" Kasumi looked up from the
sitting room table, then blinked on seeing the wrapped bento box in
the transformed martial artist's hands. "Oh! What do you have,
Ranma-kun?!"
Ranma sat down. "Gifts from a new friend I made today, Kasumi."
She opened the box. Reaching in, she pulled out a smaller
box, this one with a note bearing Kasumi's name. The box that
follows also had Kasumi's name. The next one had Nabiki's. The next
was marked NEE-SAMA'S MOTHER. The last, NEE-SAMA. "Oh, my!" Kasumi
whispered as she opened the first box, then gaped on seeing the
beautiful hand-crafted spice bottles and soup mix within. "This is
so sweet!"
Ranma smirked. "Yeah, Shirayuki-chan is that!"
"'Shirayuki?!'"
"Oh, yeah! I met twelve girls today who turn out to be
half-sisters. They got the same father, you see. They came up here
to meet their older half-brother and half-sister. Would you believe
that their older brother is none other than Moroboshi Ataru himself?"
"Ataru...?" Kasumi's voice trailed off, then her eyes widened
in disbelief. "You mean from Tomobiki? THAT Moroboshi Ataru?!"
Ranma nodded. "The very same! He's a pretty okay guy..."
Her voice was cut off by Kasumi touching her lips with a warning
finger. "Ranma-kun," the oldest Tendou daughter whispered. "You
don't know this, but Nabiki-chan is very interested in finding
Ataru-kun, especially now that poor Oni girl is dead and people in
Tomobiki are taking the news of her death very badly. I really don't
think Ataru-kun would appreciate that. Would you?"
Ranma blinked, then sighed. "Gotcha. She got this room
bugged?"
Kasumi smiled. "No, I made sure of that."
Footsteps. "Oh, Ranma, there you are!" Nodoka called out, then
she noticed the bento box. "Oh, my! Where did you get this, Ranma?"
"One of my new friends made it special, Mom. Here you go."
"Thank you!" Nodoka blushed, then quickly noticed the note.
"'Nee-sama?' Don't tell me you were as a girl when you met them!"
"Y-yeah, I was!" Ranma stuttered. "You know how I am with
puddles and all that. I..." She stopped, her eyes widening.
"Oh, no...!"
Kasumi perked. "Is there something wrong, Ranma-kun?"
Ranma sighed, slapping her forehead. "I forgot!"
Nodoka tensed. "Forgot what?"
"One of the girls I met today is a girl named Aria. She's about
ten, I think. I changed myself back into a guy in front of her and
she REALLY freaked out about it, Mom. So Aria's older sister Negako
-- Mom, she's one heck of a martial artist! BELIEVE me at that! --
offered to lock my curse in case Aria or one of her other sisters
freaked out again in case hot water hit me! You know how it is!"
Nodoka blinked. "And you had it locked?"
"Yeah, I did...!" Ranma chuckled, staring apologetically
at her. "And I forgot to ask Negako to unlock it when I left her
tonight!"
Kasumi covered her mouth. "Oh, dear! That's awful!"
Ranma scratched her head. "Relax, relax! It's okay! I can go
see her tomorrow and get it fixed up! After all, it isn't like I've
never been locked this way before." She waved Kasumi down, then
noticed a thoughtful look on her mother's face. "Hey, Mom, you
okay?"
"I...!" Nodoka nodded. "No, dear. Much that I prefer my son
to stay as my son, you did act out of profound concern for a young
girl's well-being. I guess that's why Aria's relatives decided
to address you as 'big sister' like on this note. That was a very
manly thing to do. In the meantime, you best hide those bentos from
your father. He's been acting very surly because you've been gone
all day."
"Um...!" Ranma stared at her, then sighed. "Yeah, you're
right, especially since one was made for Nabiki."
"Good point. Anyhow, I'm going to bed."
"Alright. 'Night, Mom."
Nodoka headed upstairs. Ranma watched her go, then sighed,
staring at her bento box. "Are you alright, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi
asked.
Ranma blinked, then gazed on the oldest Tendou daughter.
"Oh, it's nothing, Kasumi." A pause. "I just wish that Mom'd stop
bothering me about being 'manly' and all that. I mean, what's so
'manly' about being forced into three engagements at the same time?"
"She is trying to understand what you're going through,
Ranma-kun."
"Can she?" Ranma wondered, then sighed. "Kasumi, today, I met
someone who probably would understand me much better than anyone
else I know. And you want to know something? When his parents
got on his case once too often, he walked away from them, once and
for all time. And he feels a lot better doing that, believe it or
not." A pause. "I don't hate Mom, Kasumi. I really don't. And in
a way, I don't hate Oyaji either. But I am really getting sick and
tired of being treated like a brainless fool because they're my
parents. And what's worse, they don't even realize what they're
doing to me. And I HATE that, Kasumi! I really do!"
Kasumi gazed on her, then sighed. "I can't blame you for that,
Ranma-kun." She looked down at the bento boxes. "Being forced to
live under a virtual death-threat from your own mother would hurt a
lot."
"Damn right it does. You want to know something? If I can't
do anything to help Akane, Ukyou and Shan-pu -- or if Oyaji does
something to make things worse for me -- actually walking away from
him and Mom once and for all doesn't look so bad to me now."
"Let's hope it doesn't go that far," Kasumi lamented...
* * *
To be continued...
.---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
| Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
| Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
| Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject |
`---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'