Ah�ight, lets get it on! Oh yeah, characters ain�t mine, Ranma and co
are property of Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan Inc. and other people.
Perfume and Altered Destinies are Wade Tritschler's. You can sue, but
you got all my money anyway.
Yeah, first fanfic. Be gruesome, I mean gentle.
�speech�
(thoughts)
*sound effects*
<panda signs>
{other languages}
We know that � + � = 1, but do two halves make for one happy marriage?
2 halves make 1? introduction,
or
Genma, you had better not sell my daughter!
Genma was trying to console Soun. Soun�s wife had just died and he was
bawling his eyes out. An understandable reaction, except that she died
a week before and Soun still showed no indication of stopping. He
looked rough, dark circles around his eyes, messed up hair, and a bottle
of sake beside him. Strangely enough, the house was spotless in
comparison.
�Soun, old friend, you have to pull through. Think of your daughters.
You have to be strong for your daughters.�
Soun just sobbed a little more.
�Come on, drink something. You don�t want to go back to the doctor for
dehydration do you?� Genma scratched his head, trying to think of
something to bring his friend out of his depression. �Think of the
future of the school! If you don�t pull yourself together the honor of
the school is at stake!�
Soun looked at Genma. �The school?� *sniff*
�Yes. Your daughters need you. They aren�t taking this very good
either. You have to look out for their health as well as yours. If one
of your daughters is to marry my boy she will need to be skilled in the
art,� he continued.
�Yes, we must have strong heirs!� Soun stood, filled with new
purpose. �Akane is showing much promise as a martial artist, she should
marry Ranma. We shall train them to be the best! Nothing less will
do.�
Young Kasumi walked in. She looked as exhausted as Soun and was
wearing an apron that was too big for her, it was nearly a dress itself,
that was very dirty.
�Father, I think you should talk to Nabiki. She hasn�t come out of her
room in days. I don�t think she is eating well.� she said tiredly.
Soun�s eyes widen in shock as he looks at her.
�Oh my dear darling Kasumi! You�re nearly dead on your feet! When was
the last time you slept?�
�Don�t worry about me Father, I slept last night. You need to go see
Nabiki.� she replied.
Soun looked at her in disbelief. �Just how long did you sleep? You
should go rest.�
�But Father, there is so much work to do. Besides, I... I can�t
sleep.�
�You can�t sleep? Do I need to get Dr. Tofu?�
�Please Father, I�ll rest, but you need to go see Nabiki. I�m
worried.� Kasumi said more urgently.
Soun looked at Genma. �Old friend, could you go see Akane? I have
neglected my own daughters in my grief. I must see to Nabiki.� His
eyes start to water as he turns back to Kasumi. �Kasumi dear, go lay
down for a while. If you can�t sleep let me know and I�ll call Dr.
Tofu.�
�Yes, Father.� Kasumi nodded.
Soun got up and went to Nabiki�s room.
****************
Genma went out to the dojo to find Akane. This wasn�t amazing
deductive reasoning, he could hear a variety of kyai�s coming from that
direction. He entered the dojo to find that Akane had set up two cinder
blocks and had short planks laying on top. Akane looked up at him. She
was dressed in a small yellow gi, and had blisters and scratches on her
hands and feet. There was a notable absence of any broken boards.
�Hello Akane, how are you doing?� Genma asked.
�Hello Uncle Genma. I�m not doing very well. I can�t break the
board. I guess I�m not strong enough.� Akane replied.
Genma adjusted his glasses and puffed himself up. That wasn�t really
what he was asking about, but he was just as happy as he could be that
Akane decided to take it that way. �Well now, I don�t know about that.
You seem to be a very strong young girl. Tell you what, why don�t you
try to break it again and I�ll see if I can help.�
�Really Uncle? You would do that for me? Okay!�
Akane positioned herself in front of the board. Determined to do her
very best she struck down with all of her strength and a loud kyai. As
a result she nearly broke her hand.
Genma winced at this. �Akane, I see your problem. You have more than
enough strength, but you aren�t using it properly.�
Akane cradled her injured hand. �How can I do better?�
Genma adjusted her stance. �Well, for starters you need to move like
this. And don�t hit the board, put your hand through it. There is a
difference.�
�I know Uncle, but I try and I can�t do it.� she replied.
�Mmm, I think you need to concentrate more. Think of the board.
Nothing but the board.�
Akane looked hard at the plank, doing her best to visualize it.
Genma continued. �Look at that board. There�s nothing but that
board. You want to break that board. See your hand go through it.
Move your arm up.�
Akane raised her arm, preparing to strike.
�Tense your hand, always thinking of the board. Now, strike!�
commanded Genma.
�Kyai!� Akane brought her arm down with a mighty blow that totally
failed to break the board in two. �Ow! That hurts! Stupid board!�
she said, and smashed it again, this time splintering it nicely.
�It wouldn�t have hurt if you had concentrated more.� Genma replied,
after blinking a few times.
�I concentrated enough to break it though!� she said happily, but
cradled her injured hand.
�You just need practice. You could soon be a formidable opponent.�
�Really? What else can you show me Uncle Genma?�
****************
Soun was not a happy man. He had talked to his daughter, but instead
of the heart to heart that makes both feel better Nabiki had just
ignored him. He felt his world falling apart, and didn�t know how to
put it back together again. Still, it couldn�t be considered a total
failure, he had convinced her to start eating again. Although, the
amount of persuasion it took..., he shook his head and looked around.
Now to see about Kasumi.
Soun walked into Kasumi�s room to check up on her. He found her in the
process of washing the blankets as well as some clothes.
�Kasumi! You told me that you was going to go to sleep,� he said.
�I�m sorry father, but the bed was dirty and we need clean clothes and
I can�t sleep until this is finished.� She looked up at him. His heart
wrenched to see her in that condition, his little girl was not well.
�That�s it, I�m calling Dr. Tofu. He�ll help you to sleep.� Soun
turned and went to find a phone.
Kasumi followed protesting, �Father! I�m fine really! You don�t need
to call the doctor.�
Soun didn�t bother to reply, just got the phone and dialed.
�Hello. Dr. Tofu? This is Soun Tendo. Yes, I need you to come down
and take a look at one of my daughters. It�s Kasumi, she can�t sleep.
You�ll be right over? Thank you.� Soun hung up the phone and turned to
Kasumi.
�Kasumi dear, please go lay down on your bed until Dr. Tofu gets here.
The laundry can wait for now. Just try and rest. You�ll like Dr.
Tofu, he is a very good doctor,� Soun implored.
�Yes father, I�ll try.� Kasumi dutifully turned and went to her room.
Soun wiped his hand across his face. An idea struck him. He turned
and went to the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen he looked in the refrigerator first. It was
full of leftovers, far more than there should have been. Still, at
least it meant that he didn�t have to make anything. He grabbed a tray
and a few bowls and started filling them up. Rice, a couple fish
sausages, some stir-fried vegetables, and soup all went into bowls
without much regard to what bowl they landed in. After setting the
bowls on a tray and fixing a glass of water he took it all up to
Nabiki�s room.
Pausing at the closed door he knocked and called out, �Nabiki? I�ve
brought something for you to eat.� The door remained closed and no
answer rewarded him. This was a slight surprise to Soun, the
possibility of failure never crossed his mind. He stopped and thought
hard.
[What should I do? Do I just carry it on in or should I give Nabiki her
space? Think, think! Ah! What would Kimiko have done? Kimiko...]
Finding his eyes suddenly blurry he hurriedly set the tray down and
left.
Soun walked fast through the house. He had to find something else to
think about. [Wait, where is Genma and Akane?] Soun paused to listen.
Nothing. [Oh that�s right, they are in the dojo.] He walked out of the
house and to the door of the dojo. Tears once more filled his eyes, but
this time with joy. He had just found a sight that would make any
father happy, namely his daughter executing a flying kick. True, it was
sloppy, and she didn�t quite have the hang of landing, but look at that
height!
The sound of a ringing bell grabbed his attention. Dr. Tofu! He
hurried to open the gate. Dr. Tofu was standing there waiting on him.
�Hello Dr. Tofu! I am very glad to see you. How are things today?�
Soun asked politely.
�I�m doing well. I understand that Kasumi is having trouble sleeping.
Do you have any idea as to why?� Dr. Tofu replied.
Soun jumped slightly. �Ah, er, well, she is pushing herself very hard.
You know that I recently lost my wife, and Kasumi has taken all of the
chores on herself. She won�t sleep, and I just don�t know what to do.�
�I see.� Tofu adjusted his glasses.
�Please, come in. I�ll get Kasumi.�
Soun lead Tofu into the living room and then headed to Kasumi�s room.
He knocked softly and entered. �Kasumi? Dr. Tofu is here,� he said
quietly. Soun looked around. The room was noticeably more organized.
Kasumi had apparently been sitting on the bed and was standing when he
saw her.
�Father? I really don�t think I need to see Dr. Tofu. Please,� she
asked.
�Come on now Kasumi, you should at least meet him.�
�Yes father.� Kasumi followed Soun out.
****************
Later that night, after Tofu had left and all of his daughters had
fallen asleep Soun was sitting with Genma. They were hitting the sake
pretty hard, but Soun did look happier. He was incredibly tired though.
�Ah, Genma. Tell me, what do you think of this bottle?�
*Hic* �Yes, this is quite a good year don�t you agree Soun?�
�Assuredly.� *yawn* Soun took another long drink. Genma stared at
his drink, took a swallow, and stared some more.
�Genma?� Soun asked.
�Yes?�
�I saw you with Akane today. She seems to have talent, no?�
�Yes.� Genma took another drink and lapsed back into silence.
Soun was also silent. After a few minutes and a few more drinks he
remembered the thread of conversation.
�How is Ranma doing?� Soun asked.
�Good, good. He shows much promise, but I fear Nodoka is coddling him
too much. The boy needs to learn that there is no one to pick you up
and dust you off.� Genma sighed. �Soon I am taking him on a training
trip. I will train him in all of the best places, where the true
masters trained.�
Soun looked at his friend and made encouraging noises.
Genma sighed again. �I wish I knew what it was going to take to get
Nodoka to agree to it. I don�t really want to leave her, especially
since it will be years before Ranma is good enough to return.�
�Yes, he must train hard to become a worthy heir.� Soun paused. �Have
you told Nodoka yet?�
�No. I�m a little worried how it will turn out.� Genma took a deep
drink, finishing off his glass.
Soun did likewise, and refilled both of their glasses.
Soun looked pensive. �I fear that I am not up to Akane�s training.�
Genma started. �How can you say that? Akane is a fast learner. She
will be the perfect one to marry Ranma and unite the schools.�
�No, I�m not worried about Akane�s ability. I�m worried about mine.
She must train hard to be the best, and I, I don�t think I could push
her enough. I am tired, so very tired. It is hard, being a single
parent.� Soun lifted his glass and studied the base.
�I can see where you are worried.� Genma toyed with his glass, nearly
spilling it. He took a drink to lower the level.
�She should go on a training trip as well.� Soun mumbled.
�Yes, but how will you take care of the rest of your daughters?� Genma
pointed out.
�I couldn�t. Unless I took them all with me and I know I couldn�t
handle that.� Soun sighed.
�Too bad then.� Genma replied.
�Indeed.� Soun leaned back in his chair and relaxed some more.
�Soun, did you hear about Mr. Fugikowa�s daughter?�
Soun looked up. �No... wasn�t she the one that was engaged to that boy
of Kusinagi�s?�
�Yes.� Genma set his glass down and stretched. He continued, �That
good for nothing boy she was engaged to eloped with some other girl from
Hokkaido.�
Soun�s eyes went wide. �No! He couldn�t have! She must have been
heartbroken.�
�Not really, everyone thinks that she tried to scare him off herself,
but he outright defied his father and left!� he said with horror in his
voice.
Soun shook his head. �Kids these days, no respect for their elders.�
Genma silently agreed, and they both took a drink.
�One thing for sure, no child of mine will ever stain the family honor
like that.�
�Yes, we must raise our children to be responsible and respect their
parents wishes.� Soun agreed.
�Still, what could we do?� Genma asked.
�Should they prove difficult?�
�Yes. Things have changed, children can get away with things now that
they never would have though of before.�
�I... don�t know. Best not to think about such things. Our children
will do what is right. We will see to it.� They both raised their
glasses and poured back the contents. Then they sat back and relaxed
just a bit more. They soon fell asleep.
****************
Several days later Soun was finding that his wife had done more work
than he would have believed possible. Dr. Tofu had recommended that he
help Kasumi out around the house. At first he was horrified at the
notion, but he loved his daughter and knew that things could never be
like they once were. He could handle that, he could, just as long as
she never asked for help with her homework.
The house settled into a routine, as houses often do. Soun would help
Kasumi make breakfast, and then send his daughters off to school. Genma
had long since went back to his own home, but would occasionally come
over and see how his friend was doing. Nodoka would also come over and
help keep the place in order. The girls would come home and then hit
the homework.
Kasumi was still exhausted most of the time, but felt that it was her
responsibility as the eldest child to do most of the work. Along with
the housework she also had schoolwork to finish, and was always
frustrated that she could never catch up.
Nabiki had become a recluse, always holed up in her room, rarely
speaking to anyone. On the bright side, her schoolwork never suffered,
and neither did Kasumi�s. Nabiki started to help her sister with her
homework. Nabiki had always been a good student, but so was Kasumi.
Nabiki simply did as much of Kasumi�s homework as she could get away
with.
Akane was the one that really suffered. Her mother�s death affected
her the least, on the outside. She was able to keep playing, keep
talking, and generally act normal, but the hole left by her mother�s
death was affecting her deep inside, changing her entire personality.
Sadly, this was a slow, barely noticeable problem with her development.
Hardly noticed while her sisters were having so much trouble. In the
interests of preserving their future sanity, Soun and Nodoka both spent
much time trying to break through the shells that Kasumi and Nabiki had
put up. Akane, being the good little brave girl that she acted like,
was forced to go at it alone. She made it almost a week.
****************
�Now Kasumi, what have we been telling you about trying too hard?
Sometimes you must let some chores wait.� Nodoka projected a calm,
motherly air designed to sooth Kasumi.
�Yes, Auntie Saotome,� Kasumi said dutifully.
Nodoka sighed. Sometimes she felt she couldn�t break through to this
girl. Showing willingness to do housework was to be commended, but she
was just too single-minded. �Now don�t �Yes, Auntie Saotome.� me,
Kasumi.�
�Auntie! Auntie!� little Akane tugged at her kimono sleeve.
Nodoka turned to look at Akane.
Akane was wearing a little yellow gi, and her face was alight with
excitement. �Auntie Saotome! Come see! I got really good at breaking
boards!�
�Not now dear. Can�t you see I�m talking to your big sister?� Nodoka
replied, slightly irritated. �Go tell your Father, I�m sure he�d love
to know.�
�Aww.� Akane pouted, but Nodoka had turned back to Kasumi.
Akane walked away to find her father. She suspected that he would be
talking with Nabiki so she tried her sister�s room first. They weren�t
in the room. Akane walked all over the house, even looking out in the
dojo for her father. She couldn�t find them anywhere, so she went back
to the kitchen where Nodoka and Kasumi were starting supper.
�Auntie, where is Father and Nabiki?� Akane asked.
Nodoka paused, �Oh, I�m sorry dear, your Father took Nabiki out for
some ice cream.�
Akane nearly cried, but she nodded her head and left before she broke
down. Nodoka watched her leave. She shook her head and followed
discreetly.
Akane sniffed, � �S not fair. Why? Grrr.� Akane turned and smashed
her fist through a doorframe. She stood there for a minute, not seeing
the damage she had caused. Then she blinked and looked around guiltily
before removing her fist and running out to the dojo.
Nodoka walked out into the room and looked sadly at the broken boards.
�Poor girl, I guess we have been neglecting her.�
****************
Nodoka wasn�t able to find Akane, she had to run back to the kitchen
and help Kasumi finish the meal, and then go back to her own home
across town to take care of her own family. She made a mental note to
talk to Soun about his youngest daughter and decided to see that Akane
got a friend to play with.
Later that night she was spending some time with her husband alone.
�Genma?� she asked.
�Yes, Nodoka?� Genma replied. He was very tired from training Ranma
that day.
�You know Akane? Soun�s youngest daughter?�
�Ah, yes, Akane, � Genma smiled to himself. �That girl is going to be
a first rate martial artist one day.�
Nodoka shook her head. �Not without training. She really needs a
friend, I was thinking about carrying Ranma over there.�
Genma froze. �What do you mean, �not without training�? Soun is a
perfectly capable sensei.�
�Soun may be a good trainer, but he has his hands full with his other
daughters. Akane is not getting the attention that she needs,� Nodoka
replied.
Genma, of course, took it in an entirely different way. �He is
training his other daughters as martial artists? I thought Akane showed
the most potential and was the only one really interested?�
Nodoka hit him lightly on the head. �No, silly. Soun is helping his
daughters recover from their grief over losing their mother,� she
sighed. �Akane feels neglected, no one really has time to play with
her like she needs.�
�Soun isn�t training his heir?!� Genma exclaimed. �Nodoka, this is
very important to the future of the school.�
Nodoka smiled at her husband. �So why don�t you carry Ranma over and
spend some time with her? I�m sure she could benefit from some
company.�
�Yes, that is a very good idea.� Genma said. Then he paused
thoughtfully. �But Nodoka, very soon I have to carry Ranma on a quest
to make him the best martial artist in the world.�
Nodoka frowned. �Not that again! You can train Ranma perfectly well
here, and if you stay here you can help with Akane as well.�
Now Genma sighed. �Dear, we have discussed this before. Being here,
around you and with all the comforts of home, will make the boy soft.
He has to become hard, used to struggle, if he is to be an heir worthy
of carrying on the Saotome line.�
Nodoka sighed unhappily. �But what of Akane? How will she get the
training she needs if you are gone? Soun doesn�t seem capable anymore.
It�s not as if you can carry her with you.�
�Hmm,� (Maybe, maybe not. At least they would get to know each other.)
�I�ll think of something. We leave within the week.�
****************
Soun looked up from his youngest daughter as he heard knocking at the
door.
�That is probably them now, Akane. Let�s go see your Uncle and his
son.� Soun told her.
Akane sniffed and nodded, a little scared.
They both got up and went to answer the door. Soun was not surprised
to see his friend wearing a backpack and traveling clothes, and his
friend�s son in similar attire, but the rather nervous expression on his
face was not expected. Soun surmised that it was due to the presence of
his wife in a formal kimono with an unwrapped katana on her back and a
folder in her hands. Ranma did not look happy, but neither did Nodoka.
�Hello, please come in,� greeted Soun.
Nodoka was the one to reply, �Hello, Soun. Because you are letting
your impressionable young daughter go on this trip, I think we have
business to discuss.� Her voice clearly held disapproval.
They all filed inside where Soun invited them to sit.
�Kasumi,� Soun asked, �could you get us some tea?�
Kasumi, who had entered from upstairs, bowed her head in assent and
went to the kitchen.
This was a very tense meeting, both the children�s nervousness as well
as Genma�s caused the formalities to be cut to a minimum.
�So, why have you come Nodoka?� Soun asked.
Nodoka looked over at her son, then back at Soun, �If I am to let Genma
take my son away from me for years at a time I expect Genma to do a good
job of raising him. So I have made both him and Ranma sign this
contract, here.� She took a contract out of the folder and passed it to
Soun.
Soun read through the contract briefly, noting important things like
�Man among men� and �seppuku�, and nodded his head. That would explain
Genma�s nervousness.
He looked up at her. �I�m sorry, what does this have to do with
Akane?�
�Do you wish to make a contract holding him to similar obligations with
your own daughter?� Nodoka prodded.
Genma relaxed some, although he was a little nervous over the contract,
he wasn�t too worried about Soun�s requests. They shared the same goal,
after all.
Soun looked at Genma, then at his daughter, then at Nodoka. �Yes, lets
see what we can come up with.�
****************
Genma stretched out. Finally, negotiations were over with. To think,
his own best friend didn�t trust him not to sell his daughter into
slavery! Soun did throw in a condition about Akane being a top-notch
martial artist, but that wouldn�t be a problem. He just hoped he could
get out of there before they thought of anything else.
Nodoka wasn�t entirely happy with the way the contracts ended up, but
she figured Soun just didn�t realize the importance of Akane�s education
in the womanly arts. How would she ever find a husband if she didn�t
know how to take care of a house? She figured that she could hold Genma
a bit tighter to his contract if Akane turned out too bad, and could
teach her more about being a wife when she returned.
Soun�s mind was a turmoil of conflicting emotions. Genma was his
friend, he wanted the schools to be united as much as he did. So why
did he keep worrying that Genma was going to get Akane in a bunch of
trouble? Oh well, Genma would have to answer to his wife if he screwed
up the kids too badly, and that fear should keep him in line.
Ranma was nervous. He wasn�t too sure about this �really long camping
trip�, and sure didn�t understand why they came here to talk about
contracts. Or why he had to sign one. Were they going to camp in these
people�s back yard? And why was that other old man talking about making
the girl a slave? One thing he did understand though, his mother was
going away for a long time. He was going to miss her.
Akane was even more nervous than Ranma. She had a better understanding
of what was going on, although she was a little confused by the contract
she had to sign. Did this have something to do with her going with
Uncle Genma and this boy? She wanted to stay with her father and
sisters, but Father had said it was for the best. Uncle was going to
show her more martial arts moves! She couldn�t wait to show him how
good she was at breaking boards.
Both Kasumi and Nabiki were all but oblivious to the goings on around
them. Kasumi had retreated to her room to do homework, or possibly
stare at the pics of Dr. Tofu Nabiki had sold her. It was hard to be
sure what Nabiki was doing, but she didn�t emerge from her room.
Soun was crying when they left, not the full shower that you would
expect, but a quiet little sniffle that wasn�t noticeable. He put on a
smile to give Akane encouragement, too bad she took it the wrong way.
Akane got angry. Her own father was glad to be rid of her! How could
he? Anger was easier to deal with than sadness, so she hardened her
face and stalked away.
Genma was anxious to get on the road. He would never admit it, but he
had almost missed the old training trips with the Master. Home life
didn�t really suit him, he felt restrained. He was also in a hurry. He
hadn�t planned on spending this time arguing over suicide contracts,
which isn�t fun under the best of circumstances.
Nodoka was cold. She could see Genma�s eagerness to get on the road,
and apparently away from her. The knowledge that even his own best,
most trusted friend felt the need to make sure he wouldn�t sell his
daughter raised some unpleasant questions.
Ranma was almost crying, but boys didn�t cry and he must be a man in
front of his mother. She seemed mad about something, or maybe she
didn�t care at all. Nodoka hugged him goodbye, but it was stiff and
unyielding. Likewise, her farewell was rather formal, so his was too.
Akane stood beside Genma, discreetly looking back to the house, when he
finally joined them. She wasn�t sure, but she thought she could see a
hand waving goodbye from a window in the top floor. They all picked up
their backpacks and walked away.
****************
They had caught a train out of town and headed to a spot out in the
woods below a mountain. It was listed as a good spot to train in a book
Genma had because it was one of the few spots left that wasn�t off
limits to campers. The perfect place to sleep for the impoverished
martial artist.
The place itself was pleasant enough, mildly dense trees with fading
sunlight filtering down through the leaves. There was a lack of natural
clearings, and while the trees did show scars in the form of missing
limbs and split trunks, none of them had actually been knocked down.
The land was hilly, so they camped on a side below a slight ridge.
There was a lack of a local stream, but that had thoughtfully been
remedied by a drinking fountain a mile back toward the road. None of
them commented on the fountain, things like drinking fountains in the
middle of nowhere, without even a trail to it, fell under things they
didn�t want to know. They did feel lucky that they had found it.
They were a quiet group, talking only when necessary. Neither Ranma
nor Akane knew what to say to each other, especially with Genma there.
They were both a little shy. Genma was lost in his own thoughts as they
made camp. Soon the two kids ran off to the surrounding area. He
sighed and started boiling rice for supper. He knew what would work
best to get the two kids to rely on each other, but he wasn�t looking
forward to it. Genma was not an evil man, but he was willing to do what
it took to get the schools to join. Besides, he didn�t feel like
training that night. Better for the kids to get to know each other.
Akane was the first to run off, after doing her part to set up camp.
She was sad and feeling lonely, so she hid from the other two.
Ranma was soon to follow, also looking for an excuse to get away. He
wasn�t about to let his father catch him looking sad, but he couldn�t
stop from feeling heartbroken. He was going to be old before he saw his
mother again, damnit.
He made his way to the very top of the hill and looked around. There
were still too many trees for a good view, so he looked around for a
better place to see. There, he saw one, a massive, ancient tree that
dwarfed its smaller companions. It was bushy, with limbs growing out
from its sides nearly all the way to the bottom, situated a little off
to one side of the hill. It would make the perfect place to sit and see
forever.
Ranma walked over and examined it. The bark was smooth, and he
couldn�t find purchase to climb, and the lowest limb was over four times
his height above his head. He knew he couldn�t jump that high, so he
turned to another, eventually settling on a wild cherry tree, not nearly
as tall, but much easier to climb.
He had to work at his jump, for the lowest limb was still far over his
head, but with a running start and a rebound off the trunk he was able
to grab the large limb with both hands and haul himself up.
Ranma easily balanced on the limb, flushed with pride. That was easily
the highest he had ever jumped before, but he lost no time reaching for
the next limb. He found it relatively easy to climb to the top, but
soon had to stop because the trunk was so small it was bending under his
light weight. He bent a few remaining limbs back to look around.
Only a few other treetops were as high as this one, so Ranma had a
beautiful view of the surrounding area. A few birds were chasing each
other through the leaves of some of the trees. The sun was getting very
close to the horizon, but still hadn�t touched it yet. Loud chirping
and a rush of wings caught his attention.
He looked around and saw a small flock of birds flying away from a
short tree a short distance away, its leaves still swaying from the
violence of their takeoff. Ranma eased his way back down and walked
that way to investigate.
He had barely gotten within sight range of the tree when he saw the
reason for their alarm. He had suspected someone had disturbed them,
and was gratified that his hunch had proved correct.
(Pops kept telling me to pay more attention to my surroundings, I guess
that training really paid off,) he thought, remembering back to a month
previous, and winced. Genma had decided to make his son pay attention
by suddenly throwing a carved wooden ball directly at Ranma�s face. He
still did it sometimes, and Ranma made a point to be aware of his
surroundings. Not only did the ball hurt, it also prompted extra
training.
Ranma shook his head and focused again on the situation. Akane was
sitting with her back to a tree, facing back toward the camp and away
from him. She had her knees drawn up tight against her body with her
arms wrapped around them, staring at the ground.
Akane was thinking deep thoughts. Why did father not want her
anymore? She did good, she wasn�t going crazy like Kasumi or Nabiki.
She tried to help around the house, but she was just told to go play
outside or in the dojo. She didn�t mean to knock that lamp over!
Mother would have let her help. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with
the back of her hand.
�You ok?� a voice inquired softly.
Akane lurched forward and looked around franticly, finally noticing
Ranma crouched down a few yards off to her left.
�Course I�m alright! Why wouldn�t I be?� she lied, rubbing her nose.
�You wus cryin�. That means somethin�s wrong,� Ranma pointed out
reasonably.
�I wasn�t cryin�,� she insisted. �What�re you doin' here?�
Ranma looked around uncomfortably. �I�s just, you know, explorin' an
stuff.�
Akane looked at him suspiciously. �Then how�d you find me?�
Ranma shrugged. He turned and pointed back the way he had come, up the
hill. �I was in a tree up there and I saw you.�
�Really? Why was you in a tree?� she asked.
�I just wanted to look around. Come on, I�ll show you.�
He raised back up, and Akane stood too. They walked back up the hill to
the tree Ranma had climbed.
�See? I was up there,� he said, waving his hand toward the top.
�Wanna climb up?�
Akane looked at the tree, and then looked around. She pointed at the
tree Ranma had failed to climb earlier. �Why not that one?� She walked
over and looked up from underneath.
�I bet you could see a lot further from it,� she commented.
Ranma nodded his head, but pointed at the lowest limb. �Yeah, but how?
I can�t jump that high.�
Akane looked at the limb and thought. �What about a boost? Could you
make it if I helped you and then pull me up?�
Ranma considered that, but shook his head. �I might could make it, but
you couldn�t hold me up.�
Akane got angry. �Why not?�
�Cause you�re a girl, and girls are to weak to do stuff like that.�
*Smack* Akane pulled her fist back from where it had hit Ranma over
the head and drove him to the ground.
�I can so!� she said angrily. �I�m stronger than you are!�
Ranma held a hand to his head and glared at her. �Why�d you hit me?�
�Cause you called me weak! Now lemme give you a hand.� Akane
retorted.
�Alright, Alright...� Ranma mumbled, as he stood up.
They moved around so that Akane was underneath the limb with her hands
forming a cup in front of her. Ranma put his foot in her hand and got
ready to jump.
�Ready?� Akane nodded. �One, two, THREE!� he yelled, and Akane stood
up, throwing him upward with all of the strength she could muster, while
Ranma jumped off her hands toward the limb. He almost made it, but
lacked that crucial last few feet.
He fell back to the ground and landed lightly. He turned to her and
said, �See? Told ya girls was weak.�
Akane was slightly drained by the effort she had put into it. She
looked down and started walking away.
Ranma felt a pang of guilt. He was just trying to cheer her up
anyway. �Wait! Where�re you goin�?�
Akane never turned around. �Away!� she said violently, and kept
walking.
He ran to catch up with her. �Why�re ya goin� away?� he asked.
She kicked at the ground and yelled, �Cause I�m not good enough!� She
stopped and turned her back. �They sent me away.� Akane paused for a
minute. �No one wants me,� she continued in a small voice.
Ranma didn�t say anything for a bit. Then he walked around to in front
of her. �Why�d they send you away?�
Akane looked up at him. �I don�t know. Ever since mom died, it just
ain�t been the same.� She looked back down at the ground and sat.
Ranma followed her example.
Ranma pulled up a blade of grass and played with it nervously. He
motioned for her to continue, but she ignored him. Finally he couldn�t
stand the silence anymore.
�You know, I miss my mom too.�
Akane looked at him. �Your mom? You just saw her today.�
Ranma sighed. �Yeah, but Pops told me we�re gonna be gone for a long
time. I won�t see my mom again for years. She�ll probably have forgot
about me by then.�
Akane nodded. �Why did she follow you to our house?�
Ranma shrugged. �Dunno. It was real important to her that we get
trained really good. Your dad even said something about it.�
Akane looked around and voiced something that had been nagging her
since she had remembered hearing it. �Ranma, can I ask you something?�
Ranma looked startled. �What do you mean?�
�Do you remember when Dad was talking about slavery?� she asked.
He blinked. �Well..., now that you mention it. I remember your dad
saying something about my dad selling you into slavery!� Ranma looked
horrified.
Akane looked around again nervously. The fading light caused innocent
shadows to seem frightening. �I didn�t pay much attention at the time,
but I did catch something about the Master. You just said what I
thought I heard.�
�The Master...� Ranma breathed. Both children�s heads filled with
visions of a huge man, shirtless and holding a whip while forcing kids
to work around him. �We can�t let that happen! Mom kept talking about
training, but I didn�t know it was slave training!� Ranma started to
get hysterical.
�Calm down! Dad never said anything about you. I�m the one that�s
gotta worry!�
�Calm down!? Calm down?! You�re telling me to calm down?!? Pops told
me that he had been planning this for a long time, and they had just
decided to send you along to get the same training!� Ranma screeched.
Akane�s eyes widened. She put her finger to her lips and said, �Be
quiet! Do you want Uncle to know we figured it out?�
Ranma�s voice instantly dropped to a whisper. �Did you think you were
special or something? We�re both getting sold!�
Akane nodded her head and watched the last few rays of direct sunlight
vanish. It made the world a colder place, like its back was turned to
them.
�What are we gonna do?� she asked.
Ranma�s face tensed in decision. �Gonna do? I�ll tell ya what we�re
gonna do. We ain�t gonna hang around here and get sold. We gotta
split.�
Akane looked doubtful. �But where�re we gonna go? Our families sold
us, so we can�t go home.�
Ranma looked pensive. �I don�t know, but anything is better than being
a slave.�
�So we just run away?�
�I guess so.�
And on that cheerful note, The End. Of this part. Read the later
chapters at http://lavender.fortunecities.com/clockwork/416/anime.htm
Let me know what you think, I just love attention. Thanks. Send
comments, criticism, and copyright infringement lawsuits to
ballisticsausage@hotmail.com Flame me! I�m heat resistant! Any MST3K
will cause the offending person to be put on my list of people I�d
donate a kidney to. No liver, it probably won�t live anyway.
First created on 12/23/98.
--
Ragun P. Moody
AKA Kichigai
R.P.M. Grafix
520 Spring Rd.
Rison, AR 71665
(870) 357-8078
ICQ# 37606447
http://lavender.fortunecity.com/clockwork/416/index.html
Yeah, this is my real address. Find me in person. I DARE ya.