Minna-san,
Here's the other side of the prologue. 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 (0 R Side).txt
-- Desc: Lonely Souls (0 R Side).txt
Nerima, the Tendou dojo, after dawn...
Saotome Ranma's eyes fluttered as he found himself on the roof.
A wintry chill warped through him as he tried to recall what he had
been doing, then he yawned. Damn, he was tired! Then again, should
he be surprised? Getting into the fight of his life against a GOD,
that immediately followed by that insane farce that should've
been his and Akane's wedding, would've sent most people to their
graves.
Sitting up, he stretched himself, then hopped to his feet.
Sliding into a warm-up kata, he took time to glance at the
surrounding city. Damn, it looked to be a pretty nice day today.
Well, even if he and Akane weren't officially wed, things were
alright. Akane was alive and safe. The dojo was intact. The idiots
were leaving him alone for a change, as was that perverted freak who
thought he was Ranma's "master." His mother was here, trying to
catch up on their ten-year separation. His friends...
Friends...
Family...
Ranma scowled. Well, if anything, the wedding proved one thing:
he had less friends than he had normally assumed, not to mention
next to nothing when it came to real family. The instant the cask
of Nanniichuan was brought out, Ryouga, Mousse and Genma decided
their own problems mattered more than Ranma's, then got into a
free-for-all over who'd get to use it first. Hell, he would've
tried to share that with the others; it only seemed fair since
Jusenkyou itself wound up under several metres of water thanks to the
fight on Mount Phoenix.
Would they've shared it with him...? Hell, no! Of course not!
And then Ukyou...
Ranma slowed to a stop, then gently squeezed his fists together.
Damn, how did THAT happen, anyway? Given how determined Genma and
Souun were to see him married to Akane, didn't it stand to rights
that Ukyou, much less Shampoo and the Kunous, should NOT have been
invited, thus risking that sort of nonsense? Who had invited them
anyway...?
"...no, you're not getting paid anything back."
Ranma perked, then crouched. Nabiki. Doing his warm-up kata,
he had slid across the roof from over Akane's room to a point over
her sister's room. And given his sharp senses, he easily heard
Nabiki's voice even up here. Crouching, he tuned his ears to
listen...
"Forget it, Kuonji!" Nabiki seemed to laugh. "You come flying
into the dojo with bombs of all things -- some of which got close
to Ranma-kun's mother, by the way -- and you expect to get your money
back?"
Ranma tried to hear what Ukyou said in return, but that was
nothing more than a faint murmur. Then Nabiki: "I don't care about
your stupid problems with the panda. If you want to know, it was the
panda and my father who arranged this." Another quick pause, then
she added, "Though given what I've heard about what happened in
China, it's pretty obvious now that Ranma-kun HAS chosen who he wants
to marry."
Longer pause. No doubt, Ukyou was now ranting over Akane's
many deficiencies. Ranma shook his head, then perked as Nabiki
replies, "Well, gee, I guess you don't know Ranma-kun as much as
you'd like to know him, eh? Doubt he'll be coming by to visit you
much in the future, Kuonji." Another pause, then, "Don't bother.
We've got loads of witnesses ready to testify against you, Shampoo
and Kunou-baby about what you did. Your claim on Ranma-kun won't
mean squat after that, girl. Have a nice day."
She hung up. Ranma blinked, then sighed. *She's right about
that,* wafted through his mind as he slid away from Nabiki's bedroom
window, then moved down the roof to an area near the sitting room...
"...you should've told him the whole story, Akane-chan."
Ranma paused, then blinked. Kasumi. A quick glance around
confirmed that he was now over the entranceway. No doubt, Kasumi
and Akane were in the sitting room. He crouched to listen in...
Akane sighed. "There wasn't enough time, Onee-chan."
"Enough time?" Kasumi sternly replied. Though the eldest Tendou
daughter's voice would still sound normal to most people, to Ranma,
the slight edge in her words spoke volumes about her current mood.
"Akane-chan, you know Ranma-kun has dreamt for a very long time to
obtain a full cure to his curse. The fact that Father would actually
try to hold back that keg of Nanniichuan water as a bribe to force
Ranma-kun to marry you is bad enough in my eyes. That you didn't
bother telling him is just as bad..."
A *bang!* echoed from the room; no doubt, Akane just struck
a table with her fist. "It didn't matter, Onee-chan!"
Ranma blinked, then his brow furrowed. *Akane knew that Mr.
Tendou wanted to use the Nanniichuan to force me to marry her...?*
he gasped, his eyes widening. *Why the hell didn't she tell me...?!*
Quaking, he slid away from the sitting room, then made a spring
for a nearby telephone pole. He needed to go somewhere.
But where could he go now...?
* * *
"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
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 at the end of the "A" Side. This part
of the story begins the morning after the end of the "A" Side
Prologue.
**** **** ****
THE PROLOGUE, "R" SIDE - DARK BEFORE THE LIGHT
"Did it really? Akane-chan, you could've easily taken that cask
from Father and hid it somewhere until after the wedding was over.
You KNOW the Jusenkyou Guide sent the casket to Ranma-kun for what
he did when you were kidnapped. Why didn't you think of that?!"
"I...!" The youngest Tendou daughter blinked as Kasumi's
question sank in, then she sighed. "Alright, alright! I didn't
think it through! I admit it, but..." She paused. "It didn't
really matter to me, Onee-chan. He said it! He said that he loved
me! I remember him saying it after he ki-..." she stuttered on that
word, then sighed once more. "After he beat Saffron."
Kasumi took that in. She had obtained an abridged report on the
events on Mount Phoenix from Ryouga. "Yes, I suppose seeing you so
close to death would make Ranma-kun let go of his inhibitions."
She nodded, then shook her head, her displeasure quite apparent.
"I must confess, I'm disappointed in Father and I'm VERY disappointed
in Uncle Saotome. I'd believe that after what happened in all the
other times they've tried to force you to wed, they'd have learned
by now. Not to mention Uncle stealing Ranma-kun's gift for
himself..."
Akane sighed. "Well, we can wait for it. I know what Ranma
feels right now. I know what I feel right now. There's no need to
press it. And with those two out of the way..." A snort escaped
her. "At the same time, I think Ukyou and Shampoo've finally learned
their lesson. Ranma could tolerate a lot put on him, but his mother
was nearly caught in the crossfire, too. He won't easily forgive
that."
Kasumi nodded. "True. Perhaps it's time we force Uncle Saotome
to finally face up to the things he did wrong with Ranma-kun and move
to correct those matters once and for all time."
"Do you really think he'll do anything, Onee-chan?"
The oldest daughter smiled as she gave her sister a knowing
wink. "There are ways, Akane-chan..."
* * *
Hikarigaoka Park, sometime later...
"Damn, he's not open yet..."
Ranma turned away from Nerima's only hamburger yatai to head
into the middle of the park on the border with Itabashi. Well, he
wasn't too hungry, though he would be soon. He had no intention
of visiting Okonomiyaki U-chan's or the Nekohanten anytime soon.
Heck, if he could avoid it, he wouldn't visit either place ever
again...
Ranma stopped, then sat on a park bench, leaning his chin into
his hands. Thinking wasn't his real strong suit, but he needed to do
it. Fighting it out wasn't doing him any good these days. Yeah,
it was excellent exercise, but too many others took it the wrong way.
Where did it end up after the dust settled?
He closed his eyes. The time had come for some changes. First
was Ukyou. He had pretty much ignored her claims of being the "cute"
fiancee, basking in the fact that his oldest friend came back. No
more. Ukyou would have a choice to make. If she wanted his
friendship, she'd have to let go of whatever marital claims she had
on him. If her help in destroying his family home wasn't bad enough,
the wedding...!
Ranma shuddered. Idiot! What was she doing lobbing food bombs
in an enclosed space like the dojo, with dozens of innocent people
in the way? Shampoo, he understood; the harshness of her tribal
laws demanded things like that! But Ukyou? What the HELL was she
thinking?!
He sighed. No. It was one way or the other. If she wanted
to be his friend, she couldn't be his fiancee. If she wanted both,
she'd have to take it out on Oyaji. Ranma smirked, imagining
what Genma would do if he got wind of that. Well, the idiot started
it, after all.
But now...
Akane...
SHE KNEW!!!
His fists squeezed together. Damn it all, didn't she
understand? Didn't she CARE?! How could he possibly hope to marry
her, start a family with her, if he was still stuck with this damned
curse?! Didn't she...!
*I said I loved her...* His eyes narrowed, the sting of
oncoming tears forcing him to squeeze them shut. No! He wouldn't
cry...
*Did she really mean it...?*
Damn, why were things so confusing...?
*Does she love me...?*
What could he do now...?
*Or is she no different than Ukyou and Shampoo?*
Shuddering, he took a deep breath, then wiping his eyes, rose.
*Am I a person to her...?*
Ranma slowly walked back towards the dojo.
*Or just a prize?*
* * *
Sometime later...
"Ranma, are you okay?"
"Eh?" He started, then looked down at Akane. Given the numbers
of days both missed out in regular classes, the couple had been
forced to attend make-up classes during winter vacation. That wound
up being true for a lot of students, Ranma soon learned yesterday,
though not much teaching was done given the gossiping students
engaged in about the wedding.
Unlike yesterday, where they had walked side-by-side to school,
he had returned to fence-walking. However, this time, he was keeping
a sharp eye out for a certain Amazon on a bicycle. Much that he
didn't like the idea of fighting a girl -- especially given his
troubles with Shampoo and her clan laws -- he could try to avoid
that. "Didja say somethin', Akane?" He glanced briefly at her, then
looked around.
Akane was quick to notice him gazing around. Ranma seemed tense
at the dinner table this morning, hardly speaking at all save to his
mother when she asked him about school. Genma had tried to engage
in some table-top sparring with the chopsticks, but one slice of
Nodoka's katana put a stop to that. In fact, Akane could've sworn
that she saw Ranma forming a chi ball in his hand when Genma tried
to snatch his food. If Nodoka hadn't *cut* in when she did, Genma
might've got a dose of the Mouko Takabisha. That would've surprised
everyone.
"Are you alright?" she asked. "Something's bothering you."
"Huh?" he rolled the question through his mind before shaking
his head. "Nah, nothin's botherin' me, Akane. It's cool."
*Liar!* she sharply retorted in her mind, then she chastised
herself for feeling anger at Ranma for that. Ranma always had
trouble vocalizing his thoughts. That was one of the things Genma
had grossly failed to teach his son. Vocalizing things was a
weakness and Genma always wanted his child to be as invincible
as possible. An understandable wish given the sheer number of
enemies Ranma had, but still...!
Taking a breath, she then concentrated on the walk to school.
Glancing at Ranma from time to time revealed that he was busy keeping
an eye behind them. *Oh, of course!* She nodded. On the lookout
for Shampoo. No doubt, after what happened, whatever trust Ranma
might've had with that gaijin slut had vanished. Good thing and all,
but it would clearly make for some tense days ahead. What would
happen?
Finally, the two reached the last stretch of roadway leading
to the front gate of Furinkan High. Seeing that, Akane relaxed.
Shampoo would normally try to persuade her "airen" to go on a date
long before this. Maybe the stupid hussy had learned a lesson after
all...
"Hold, foul fiend!!!"
Ranma perked as Kunou Tatewaki placed himself on the main path
leading to the front doors, his customary bokken in hand. Shuddering
as the kendo club captain launched into his usual spiel, Ranma felt
chi surge through his arms into his hands, then he locked on target.
"***MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!!!!***"
The students on the front lawn screamed as the bolt of
confidence chi slammed into Kunou, sending him flying back to smash
HARD into the concrete steps leading to the front doors! Akane
stopped, her jaw dropping to the street in disbelief as Ranma hopped
off the fence, then calmly headed through the gates. People looked
at him, a mixture of fear and shock on their faces.
"Ranma-sama?"
Ranma stopped, then spun left to see Kodachi standing near a
tree. As usual, the martial arts rhythmic gymnast was in her
leotard, her handy whip in hand. Strangely enough, a storm of black
rose petals had NOT preceded her entrance. Taking a deep breath,
Ranma relaxed, though he allowed a ball of chi to form in his hand.
"A problem, Kunou-san?" he wondered.
More gasps from the crowd. Most people at Furinkan knew that
Ranma wouldn't strike a woman. If he didn't believe in that "no hit
girls" rule, Akane and a host of others would've spent a lot of time
in traction for all the times they struck at him. But given
Kodachi's known lack of sanity, not to mention her reputation
as a honourless cheat, maybe this time...
"No problem." Kodachi remained calm, though inwardly, she
shivered at his cold look. Deciding to change the subject -- and the
focus of his attention -- from her, she glanced to her brother.
"No doubt, Onii-san had THAT coming to him given what happened
two days ago. Much that I do adore you, Ranma-sama, I've come to
realize by now that you don't like being forced to do anything
against..."
"Hey, someone! Get an ambulance!!"
Ranma dispersed the chi ball as he glanced at Kunou, the
kendoist being tended to by several of his clubmates. Hearing the
shout from one of them, several students drew out cell-phones.
By then, Akane has come to stand beside him. "Don't you think you
overdid that?"
Ranma glared at her. "He drew live steel at the dojo, Akane.
In a middle of a friggin' WEDDING. As far as I'M concerned,
he has no honour at all!" he growled loud enough so that as many
people as possible would get the message.
"If that is what you believe, Ranma-sama, I will not stop you."
Kodachi turned to leave. "Do have a good day."
She bounded off. Ranma and Akane watched her, then he shook
his head. "Man, she's just as much a loony as he is." He thumbed
Kunou before turning to head inside. As he approached the crowd
surrounding the downed kendoist, he quickly noted their tense looks.
Given they were members of the same club, it stood to rights they
probably respected their captain. Too bad. "Any of you care to be
stupid today?"
The other kendoists quaked, then quickly moved to extract Kunou
from the hole Ranma made for him in the steps. With that, Ranma
headed inside. Behind him, Akane remained in place, stunned that her
fiance was being THIS vicious to anyone, even a blockhead like...!
She shook her head before heading inside after Ranma. Well,
yes, he certainly had a point about Kunou having no honour. Besides,
all the times Kunou tried to fight Ranma beforehand hadn't done
anything to make the jerk go away and leave them be. Maybe this
time...!
* * *
"Ah, Saotome-kun, I trust you'll be staying in classes for the
next few days," Ninomiya Hinako wondered. "We've missed you."
Ranma curtly nodded. "Hai, Sensei."
"Alright then, we'll begin..."
Ranma sighed, his eyes hooded as he tries to pay attention.
Around him, other students concentrate. Most. Akane was dividing
her attention between the lecture and Ranma. She then blinked as the
student beside her placed a note on her desk. Seeing it was
addressed to "Ran-chan," Akane turned towards Ukyou's seat. The chef
gave her a look that was plain for Akane to understand: "Pass it to
him -- and no, it's NONE of your business." Akane glanced at the
head of the room to see Hinako busy writing something, then she
handed the note to Ranma.
Ranma perked on sensing Akane's hand come in close range, then
he relaxed. While most people believed he paid no attention at all
when he was in class, that wasn't exactly true. He did try to stay
keenly aware of any potential overt threats against him, especially
from others of the so-called "Nerima Wrecking Crew." It didn't
always work; look at all the times Shampoo smashed her way into the
school to deliver lunch? And given the sheer boredom he felt with
lectures like this, it was just plain hard to concentrate on the
important things and not avoid a spell with the buckets in the
hallway. Didn't anyone understand what he felt? Did anyone even
care...?
Glancing down, he noticed the note. Quick to recognize Ukyou's
handwriting, he glanced towards the front to see Hinako still writing
things down, then looked towards the chef. She brightened as he
looked her way. Ranma then turned back to his book, his hands gently
gripping the folded paper. Sighing, he casually ripped the note up,
piling the pieces at the corner of his desk, then turned to his book.
Seeing that, Akane's jaw dropped. Gods, he did THAT to a note
from UKYOU of all people?! Glancing towards the chef, she noted that
Ukyou was busy writing something down. Turning back to her own book,
Akane shuddered as the implications of what Ranma just did sank in.
*He's rejected her...!*
Akane blinked. Kuonji Ukyou, Ranma's oldest and best friend.
Ukyou, his "kawaii" fiancee. Ukyou, the one person Ranma told all
his problems to. Ukyou, the most serious potential rival to Akane
for Ranma's love. The one Akane herself wanted as a friend. The one
Akane hoped would step in and be there in case something happened
to Akane herself. The one...
*He's rejected her!*
Akane blinked again, then gazed at Ranma before a light smile
crossed her face. *Then that means...* She tried not to scream
out. *He's finally chosen...!* She took a deep breath. *He's
finally chosen me...!*
* * *
Lunchtime quickly comes. Ranma, who had long been trained
to consider every meal potentially his last, quickly got out the
bento box Kasumi made for him. He blinked on noting a Saran-wrapped
bowl full of brown-greyish sauce intermixed with vegetables awaiting
him there. "Hey, Akane, did you make some curry today?" He glanced
over at Akane.
"Actually, they're leftovers from last night," Akane reported,
then she moved to moderate. "Kasumi helped me make it."
"Oh, that's nice."
He dug in. Hearing this from nearby, Ukyou perked, then smiled.
"Hey, Ran-chan, do you want some okonomiyaki? I got my grill."
Akane jolted, then tried not to quake. Damn it all! Instant
she mentioned that she cooked something for Ranma, the other idiots
always, ALWAYS moved to "save" him with their own food. No doubt,
Shampoo was on her...
"No thank you, Kuonji-san."
...way...?
What did he just say?
Akane blinked, then watched Ranma rise, heading to the door.
The whole classroom was stunned silent by his reaction, then as one,
turned to gaze on Ukyou. The chef looked as if Ranma just stabbed
her in the heart, then the back. "R-r-ran-chan..." she sputtered.
Ranma stopped, then gave her a look that could burn diamonds.
Ukyou balked, then trembling, averted her eyes from him. He walked
out. The others say nothing, stunned that they had just watched
something like THIS, then Chanpatsu Hiroshi turned to Bosabosa
Daisuke. "Me thinks, to quote our dear ol' Kunou-sempai,
that Ranma-kun is still a mite bit angry at a few people today."
"Not so surprising," Tokoro Yuka commented from across the way,
ignoring the fact that Ukyou was overhearing everything. "From what
I heard, when everything fell apart, bombs got thrown at Ranma-kun's
mother. I'D be angry if my mother was threatened like that!"
"True," Asano Sayuri added.
Hearing that, Ukyou quaked, then quickly withdrew from the room,
trying to mask her tears from everyone else. They watched her, then
Sayuri turned to Akane. "I bet you're happy now. Aren't you,
Akane-chan?"
"Maybe. I guess Ranma's still angry at a few people for dumping
the whole wedding on his head just like that, not to mention stealing
what might be his last chance at a cure to his curse." She scowled
as she remembered Mousse, Genma and Ryouga -- why RYOUGA wanted to
get his hands on the Nanniichuan cask, Akane hadn't begun to figure
out -- fighting over it, then she sighed. "And yes, he has a right
to be angry at Ukyou and Shampoo. I still can't believe he'd just
tear up a note she passed to him without even bothering to read it
though!"
Everyone stared at her. "He did THAT?!!" Daisuke gasped.
Akane nodded. "He did! I watched him do it, too!"
The others hummed...
* * *
Unseen by any of them, Ukyou was in the hallway gazing out the
window at the surrounding cityscape. Her ears perked up on hearing
Akane mention the note, then she nearly screamed out in disbelief
when she heard Akane describe what Ranma had done to it.
What Ranma had done...!
What of the other notes she had written today?
Had he read ANY of them AT ALL?!
Did he...?!
Did that mean...?
"Ran-chan..." she whispered, then bowed her head. "I'm
sorry..."
* * *
"Kasumi..."
"No, Father! This has gone on long enough!" Kasumi glared
at Souun, both sitting in the living room. Nodoka had gone with
Genma to survey the repairs on their family home. "Everyone has been
deliberately ignoring the basic fact that Ranma-kun is emotionally
ill-equipped to deal with all the suitors your so-called *friend*..."
-- one could coat the living room floor with the scorn dripping
from that one word -- "...forced on him. That ESPECIALLY includes
you AND Auntie Saotome, Father. If you both REALLY want to see
Ranma-kun and Akane-chan develop a healthy relationship, that means
you have to help Ranma-kun settle all his problems with the others."
Souun began to sob. "But Kasumi..."
"No, Father!!" Kasumi slapped her hand on the table, causing
him to jolt. "If you want to see Ranma-kun and Akane-chan married,
you WILL make Uncle Saotome deal with the other suitors or else
Ranma-kun and Akane-chan will NEVER be married as long as they live
here!!"
Result: instant Niagara Falls. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
MY DAUGHTER DOESN'T WANT RANMA-KUN AND AKANE-CHAN TO MARRY!!!!
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! NOW THE SCHOOLS WILL NEVER BE
JOINED!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Kasumi sighed. "Oh, Father..."
* * *
After school...
"I hear you've been giving Ukyou the cold shoulder."
Ranma perked, then looked right to see Nabiki walking alongside
him and Akane. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed. "And if I
did?"
"Well, I wouldn't blame you at all if you decided to tell her to
go straight to Hell." Nabiki snorted, then breathed out. "By the
way, thanks to what you did this morning, Kunou-baby'll be in the
hospital for over a week."
Akane sighed. "A week's peace. Pity it couldn't last forever."
Ranma snorted. "Well, we'll just have to make him see that.
That ain't gonna cause us any other problems, will it?"
"After he drew steel at a wedding? Not likely." Nabiki's
eyebrow arched, then she smirked. "We've got loads of witnesses
who'd be willing to testify against him if we wanted them to. I
doubt that his father or his sister will help in his defence. If
this gets out into the general public, his reputation could
potentially be permanently tarnished. I think that if we threatened
him with that sort of thing, he'll want the whole incident swept
quietly under the rug and forgotten in the long term."
"True." Akane nodded, then blinked on seeing someone appear
to her right. "Sasuke?" she gasped on recognizing the Kunous'
retainer.
"I apologize for intruding, ladies, but Mistress Kodachi would
like to see you, ma'am, as soon as possible." Sasuke gazed on
Nabiki. "She states it is a matter of considerable import to her and
she promises she will compensate you for taking your time,
Tendou-san."
"I...! Okay!" Nabiki quickly nodded, then turned to follow
the ninja down a side street. "See you guys later!"
They returned her wave, then headed on toward the Tendou home.
"I'm surprised she hasn't said anythin' about her bein' the one who
invited all those dorks to the wedding," Ranma muttered under his
breath.
Akane perked, then sighed. "Yeah, you're right! I shouldn't
have been surprised that she did that! Then again, if things started
to really calm down around these parts, she wouldn't be making as
much money."
"Is that all she cares about?" Ranma wondered, shaking his head.
"Does seem like that, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, ya gotta point." He nodded, then turned to her. "Look,
Akane, I wanna go take a walk. Clear my head an' all that."
She nodded. "Oh, sure, go ahead! After what we've been
through, I think we both need the chance to relax for a while."
"Right." He waved before bounding onto the fence and taking
off. "See ya later!" he called out before disappearing around a
corner.
Akane watched him go, then sighed before she stopped. "Would
he go visit...?" She blinked, then shook her head. "No, he wouldn't
go to that tramp's place, not after what just happened. And he
wouldn't go to Ukyou's place either. Maybe if she apologized
first..."
Sighing, she headed home...
* * *
"He was on the lookout for you this morning?"
"Yes." Shampoo nodded, she seated at the Nekohanten's
bar. Both the warrior-maiden and Cologne spoke in Mandarin, as they
always did whenever matters of great import came up. "I knew I'd be
risking Airen's wrath by attacking him and the Kitchen Destroyer,
especially after what happened at Mount Phoenix, but I had no choice
but to defend my hold on him, Great-grandmother. And now..."
"And now, thanks to you placing Son-in-Law's MOTHER in harm's
way, whatever trust he may have had in you could've vanished forever
into the abyss," Cologne countered. "Leave him be for the next
while, Shan. I've already sent a full report about what happened
on Mount Phoenix to the Council. Maybe we can navigate our way out
of this mess, but if we continue to antagonize Son-in-Law like
before..."
"I can't let him go, Great-grandmother!" Shampoo hissed.
"But you CAN give him some breathing room." Cologne glared
at her. "Don't forget, child, he just KILLED for the first time.
Despite the insanity his fool father forced him into during their
training trip, Son-in-Law has NEVER been exposed to the idea of
ending another's life. Right now, I can't predict WHAT he might be
feeling. It's best, for the time being, to give him space and let
him organize his thoughts. I don't want to push him to the point
where he would forever reject any idea of coming to the village.
Remember, Shan, all the elders together couldn't defeat Saffron!
Though it was difficult and he was fighting to save the Tendou girl,
Son-in-Law DID defeat him! He DID kill him!!" Her eyes narrowed.
"Do you think you can control Son-in-Law if he ever went OUT of
control?"
Shampoo shuddered. "I still can't let him go."
"Give him space and time," Cologne ordained. "It's not a
permanent separation, not by far. As the people of the West often
say, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' Relax. He needs it and
so do you."
The younger Amazon blinked, then slowly, reluctantly,
nodded...
* * *
"I didn't know you were a connoisseur of ice cream,
Kodachi-san."
"It's a treat I can sparingly indulge in because of my career."
Kodachi smiled. She and Nabiki relaxed near an ice cream vendor's
yatai in the west end of Hikarigaoka Park. "Well, thanks to
Ranma-sama, things will be very peaceful in the house for the next
week or so."
"You're not angry at him?" Nabiki asked.
"Feh! Of course not! The fact that Onii-san still roils on and
on about your sister and that red-haired harlot, vowing to destroy
dear Ranma-sama just to 'free' them...?! Bah!" The gymnast rolled
her eyes, then shook her head. "I am so tired of listening to that,
Nabiki-san. Very tired of it. Dealing with that honourless
fool who happens to be my father is bad enough at times."
Nabiki chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose I can understand that. My
father can be a stupid idiot from time to time, too."
"Such as forcing Ranma-sama and your sister to wed almost
immediately after your sister nearly faced her own death in China."
Nabiki stopped, then stared at her. "Who told you about China?"
"Sasuke overheard the Hibiki boy make his report to your other
sister Kasumi." Kodachi smiled, taking delight in seeing the middle
Tendou daughter panic. "You're not the only one who takes great
value in gaining vital information, Nabiki-san. So, is it true?"
"What?"
"That Ranma-sama actually killed a god?"
Nabiki sighed. What sort of bargaining position can she take
in this instance? "Yes."
"Remarkable." Kodachi seemed to swoon, then she relaxed.
"Do you believe this Saffron might come back to haunt Ranma-sama
anew?"
"I sure as hell hope not."
"Yes, I'd understand that. There is one thing I have to ask,
Nabiki-san. And I wish you to answer me directly about it. It
concerns these rumours many have persisted in spreading about
Ranma-sama and the red-haired girl actually being one person."
Nabiki blinked, then gazed intently at Kodachi. Wait a minute
here! What was going on? Wasn't Kodachi supposed to be as blind
to things like that as her brother? When the HELL did she catch onto
that...?
"So it is true, isn't it?"
Nabiki blinked again, then sighed. "Yes, it's true."
"How?"
"A place way in the highlands of China -- actually close to
where Saffron lived -- called Jusenkyou," Nabiki began to explain...
* * *
"***WHAT?!?!?!***"
Souun tearfully gazed on Genma. "It's true, old friend! I
can't believe that my own daughter forced me to demand this of you!!"
The patriarch of the Saotome family shuddered, fear and outrage
battling for control over his heart. "She actually wants me to...?!"
Souun nodded. "Yes."
"I can't do that!!!" Genma snapped. "If I do that, all my
training with the boy would be for naught!! How can the boy be the
best if he's made to rely on others to fight his battles for him?!
That's not what the Art demands, Tendou-kun!! You know that as well
as I do!"
"I...!" Souun shuddered. "Yes, I do know that. But still,
maybe it would be easier on Ranma-kun if you settle matters with the
Kuonji girl. Her claim on Ranma-kun DOES have validity because
her father did recognize the yatai as a dowry. The China girl's
claims on Ranma-kun are laughable and the Kunou girl has no claim
on Ranma-kun at all." He perked before giving Genma an intent look.
"Unless...?!"
Genma gargled, then shook his head. "No, no, no! Of course
not! Why would I try to do THAT with a lunatic like her,
Tendou-kun?!"
Souun nodded. "Then you'll at least try to do something
with the Kuonji girl as soon as you can? Remember, Saotome-kun,
you DID take her dowry!" He wagged a warning finger at his old
friend.
"I..." Genma paused, then sighed. "Alright, I'll do that! But
I don't like it! And we shouldn't tell the boy about it, either!"
"Agreed, then..."
* * *
"That's incredible!"
"Yes, that it is." Nabiki licked her cone, then stared at
Kodachi. "So now that you know, what will you do? Tell your
brother?"
The gymnast blinked, then smiled. "Do you honestly believe
he would accept something like that?" She rose, turning to leave.
"No. As you might suspect, he might decide that you yourself have
been 'enchanted' by the 'foul sorcerer' to say such 'lies' about his
'pig-tailed girl.' At least after hearing that, I can try to
understand my Ranma-sama better."
Nabiki's eyebrow arched. "'Your' Ranma-sama? I thought I once
heard you tell someone that you knew Ranma-kun didn't like you."
Kodachi blinked, then looked away, her smile broadening.
"That, Nabiki-san, does not bother me. Have a good day."
She bounded off. Nabiki watched her go, then sighed. "Oh,
shit..."
* * *
The next morning...
"***MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!!***"
Everyone jolted out of bed on hearing Ranma's shout. That was
quickly followed by the *crash!* of a body slamming into the tree in
the front yard, followed by a *splash!* of said body hitting the koi
pond. The door to the Saotomes' guest room flew open, revealing
Akane. "Ranma, are you al-...?!" Her voice ground to a stop on
seeing him up, stretching himself. There was no sign of Genma.
"What happened?!"
Ranma blinked, then stares at her before taking a deep breath.
"I wasn't in the mood to spar with Oyaji today. Sorry to wake you."
Akane blinked as she absorbed his explanation, then walked to
the window, gazing onto the front yard. In the koi pond, a
nicely-cooked panda drifted to one rocky shore. "Oh." She nodded,
then sighed. "Well, since we are up..."
She headed out of the room, her presence quickly replaced
by Nodoka. Since the destruction of the Saotome home, she had been
sleeping with Kasumi. "Son, was that TRULY necessary?" Ranma's
mother demanded as she reproachfully gazed on him.
"Like I just told Akane, Mom. I wasn't in the mood to spar
today." He shrugged, then moved to get his toiletries to start the
day. "And since he don't listen to me normally, I hadta persuade
him another way."
Nodoka nodded. "Understandable, especially after what you just
went through. I'll speak to your father about that when he
recovers."
Ranma smirked. "Make sure you got the katana with you, Mom."
"I'll remember, dear..."
* * *
Ranma and Akane walked through the front gate of Furinkan
High School, then slowed down, both tensing automatically.
A pause as they thought about what just might be making them brace
up, then they relaxed. "First, no Shampoo and her stupid bicycle.
Now, no Kunou and his bokken." The latter smirked. "I just hope
this sort of thing doesn't end soon. It's a nice change."
He considered that, then nodded. "Yeah, ya gotta point there.
C'mon, let's get to class..."
He stopped as his internal danger alarms began to ring loudly,
then he leapt into the air to avoid oncoming barber shears. "Spoke
too soon!!!" Ranma backflipped behind the Principal, then cupped
his hands as he locked on target, ensuring Akane was not in the field
of fire.
"***MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!!***"
The tree-topped school administrator cried out before the chi
blast sent him flying head-first into the wall. "De Big..." He
grunted as he slid to the ground. "...Kahuna...! Don't feel...!
That..."
He passed out. Akane stared wide-eyed at her fianc�. "Ranma,
for heaven's sake, that was the PRINCIPAL!!!"
"So?!" Ranma straightened himself, then headed into the school.
Akane watched him, then raced in after him. Around her, other
students began to whisper, many sending fearful glances Ranma's
way...
* * *
"Hmmm...! This is NOT good."
Genma grimaced as he watched his son head into the school
building, Akane behind him. Even though Kunou's father WAS a total
idiot, he was the principal of Furinkan High, thus a figure that
merited some token of respect. And yes, given the twit's insane
addiction to cutting people's hair, Ranma was well within his rights
to deal directly with him. But to limit his response to a
quick-strike Mouko Takabisha? Yes, it got the fight done right away
and Ranma, as usual, came out the clear victor, but...!
No. That was NOT good. Not good at all.
Taking a deep breath, Genma extracted himself from his perch
in a tall tree at the corner of the school property, before heading
back to the Tendou dojo. Damn it, why was THIS happening NOW? He
and Souun had been within a hair's breadth of seeing Ranma and Akane
finally married, then all of Nerima had crashed in to stop it! And
for what? All so Nabiki could garnish money from all the wedding
gifts? Stupid, foolish girl! What business was it of hers to
interfere in what they had worked so long to see happen? Then Souun
turned around and decided to hold off on things until all the other
potential problems were fully dealt with.
In other words: Kuonji Ukyou, Shampoo, Kunou Kodachi and the
rest of those loons.
And unfortunately, Ukyou WAS his fault, but what could he have
done back then? He had been hungry and the boy was growing too close
to the Kuonji girl for his own good. The less friends Ranma had to
deal with, the better; there was just NO way that Genma's son could
ever have become the martial artist he was now with so many petty
distractions getting in his way.
Thinking that, the patriarch of the Saotome family then stopped,
his eyes narrowing. Wait. If he actually paid back the Kuonjis
for their lost yatai, wouldn't that make things between Ranma and
Ukyou easier? Actually...! Create a TRUE friendship?
No!
That just could NOT happen!
Ranma just couldn't afford such a thing!
Genma scowled. Alright, what could he...?
Wait!
His eyes widened. Of course! It was so simple. So elegant!
Yes...
He knew what to do now.
* * *
Days pass.
The remainder of the first week after the wedding at the Tendou
dojo was uncommonly quiet for Nerima's citizens, people used for so
long to see the "Wrecking Crew" -- not to mention super-powered
visitors from beyond -- go at each other on an almost daily basis.
For those who disapproved of such violence, the peace was welcome,
a chance for them to put their minds and souls at ease. For those
who looked on the fights and other odd occurrences as some soap
opera, they began to look beyond Nerima's borders for a daily dose
of logic-defying merriment.
They didn't find it in Tomobiki, the town on Nerima's west side.
However, for those who preferred their entertainment
much closer to home, the sight they confronted over those days
was...! Was...!
Well, it just made NO SENSE!!
There was Saotome Ranma, walking on the fence to school beside
one of his fiancees, Tendou Akane. Yet, where was one of the lad's
other fiancees, Shampoo? Almost every day, the beautiful
warrior-maiden, out on her morning delivery, would "visit" her Airen
via smashing her bicycle into the back of Ranma's head. Odd way of
expressing one's love, indeed, but people in Nerima had come to
accept it. Yet...!
Ever since the wedding, it seemed as if Shampoo was going out of
her way to AVOID meeting up with Ranma. Why? Had she come to hate
him? Had he come to hate her? How? What was going on with those
two?
And speaking of fiancee problems, what was THIS? Ranma and
Akane actually speaking to each other CIVILLY? As if they were
actual FRIENDS as well as iinazuke? What had happened to all the
bickering? Where were all the crass insults, the "uncute, unsexy
tomboy" and "sex-changing pervert" charges that spiced their
conversations in the past? Yes, things between Ranma and Akane HAD
calmed down a lot in the last few months. But even during that time,
scarcely a week passed when people in Nerima hadn't at least ONCE
heard Akane scream out "RANMA NO BAKA!!!!" for one reason or another,
then attempt to send the poor lad into lower Earth orbit via her
trusty Mallet-sama.
Even more, what of what was going on between Ranma and Kuonji
Ukyou? Why, people at school were presently saying that Ranma wasn't
even SPEAKING to Ukyou. Reports from elsewhere confirmed that he had
not visited her shop ONCE during the week after the wedding. He
turned back all attempts by her to strike up a conversation,
either spoken or via scribbled notes. He refused her offerings
for food by just walking out of the classroom. Even offerings
left on his desk by Ukyou "anonymously" wound up in the garbage
instead of Ranma's stomach.
This...!
This was...!
This was so ABNORMAL!
What would happen next...?
* * *
Watching this was Saotome Genma, who could only grin.
Not once had that China girl come out to "greet" her precious
Airen in the mornings via her bicycle hitting his forehead. Even
more, Ranma was keeping a deliberate eye out for Shampoo on his daily
walk to school, ensuring Akane stayed safe, too. Genma recognized
the signs. Still, it was a pity. He would have delighted to see
what Ranma might have done if Shampoo actually DID seek him out.
Perhaps give HER a dose of the Mouko Takabisha...? Thinking that,
Genma shook his head. No, Ranma might not like Shampoo, but he
wouldn't hurt her THAT way. Perhaps simply jumping clear, letting
her crash-land on the fence, would be enough. Yes, that WOULD be
quite an enjoyable sight.
Maybe he should try to do something to stir that pot up
again...?
Even better, Ranma had pretty much cut off all contact with the
Kuonji girl. And it was hurting her, badly. He would not speak to
her, would not acknowledge her save with a curt reply, addressing
her as "Kuonji-san" in lieu of "U-chan." And from hearing the local
gossips, Ranma had not gone to her restaurant any time during that
week. That was simply adding delicious insult to injury. If Akane
could avoid entering the Tendou kitchen for the next while and trying
to concoct one of her "special" recipes, it would be simply perfect.
And Akane...
It was a dream come true! There they were, walking alongside
each other, talking to each other. No fights, no name-calling,
no taunts and ESPECIALLY none of that stupid chi-mallet coming out to
send the poor lad on an impromptu flying lesson into the Shakujii
River.
Remembering that, Genma shook his head. He had to teach the boy
how to destroy that mallet. It would not DO to have Akane dominate
Ranma like that. Heaven ONLY forbid what might happen if Nodoka
ever handed the Saotome honour blade to Akane after she had wed the
boy.
And the Kunous...
What fools! The father was a total joke. Tatewaki? A moron,
but a dangerous one. Not too much for Ranma to deal with, as he
demonstrated the second day after the wedding. As for Kodachi,
her supposed "claim" on Ranma was most likely a drug-induced
dream.
And Ryouga and Mousse...?
No problems there. Ryouga was clearly drifting towards that
Unryuu Akari girl. Even better, Akari had accepted the lad, curse
and all. Besides, if he proved to be bothersome, all that had to be
done was to threaten to reveal his dirty secret to Akane. As for
Mousse, he was so obsessed with Shampoo, he'd welcome any chance
to see Ranma out of the way. Having the boy marry Akane would do
precisely just that.
Yes, it was just perfect.
Now, all he had to do was convince Souun and Nodoka...
* * *
If Genma only realized how off-base he was about one factor.
Ranma.
Six evenings after the wedding found the young martial artist
in Hikarigaoka once again, this time sitting close to a fountain.
It had been pretty nice at school. Ukyou hadn't bothered to send any
notes his way, much less tried to cook lunch for him. That always
seemed to bug Akane. Even better, there had been no sign of Shampoo,
either in the morning or at lunchtime. No sign of Kodachi and Kunou
was still in the hospital. Even more, the Principal seemed to have
learned his lesson; Ranma hadn't seen hide nor hair of that nutcase
since.
Even more so, things at the Tendou home were okay. Nabiki was
still going through all the money and gifts the wedding generated
for the family, so Ranma didn't have to worry too much about the
middle Tendou daughter trying to get scandalous photographs
of his girl-form. Akane helped out in the kitchen occasionally,
but always under Kasumi's stern supervision. Of course, Akane's
curry was pretty okay and she was finally getting the hang of cooking
rice the right way. Akane's father was keeping to his promise and
laying off on any future wedding plans. Even better, Oyaji was
keeping his peace about morning training after Ranma ejected him from
the bedroom one day with the Mouko Takabisha. Having his mother
wave the katana around the fool panda's neck shut him up real quick.
But still...
*Does she love me...?*
Ranma gazed at the evening sky. He STILL wasn't sure.
Yes, he cared for her. Yes, he l-...! Lo-...!
Damn! Why couldn't he say it NOW?! Why...?
He perked on sensing a billboard painter step into close range.
Glancing over, he watched the older man paste several advertisements
on a nearby stretch of wall. Ranma's ears then twitched on hearing
the other fellow chuckle, "...folks here'll like a change from
okonomiyaki and Chinese food, I'll bet. Yessiree, she's one good
cook..."
Ranma blinked. Cook? Rising, he walked over to stand close
to the painter. "Hey, Oji-san, what's this about?"
"Eh?" the other fellow looked over, then laughed. "Oh,
Saotome-san, it's you!!" He waved to the posters. "Read for
yourself."
Ranma looked, then blinked as the message sank in. "'Tampopo's
Ramen and Beefbowl Bar?' About to open...! Hey, that's next week!!"
"Got that right!" The painter chuckled. "Damn good cook, too.
She offered free dinners to me for the whole of next week instead
of paying me to get these posters set up. She's setting up in
Kasugachou if you want to check it out. I think she's there now."
"Good cook?" Ranma stared at him, remembering the important
point.
"Very good cook! Trust me on this one, boy!" The painter
winked. "After all, people've been noticing you avoiding the
Nekohanten and that okonomiyaki place your friend runs since you
tried to wed Tendou Akane."
The young martial artist sighed. "'Friend'...?" He gazed
nowhere in particular, then shook his head. "I dunno, Oji-san.
Right now, I'm not sure who ARE my friends these days. Anyhow,
thanks for the tip. Ja ne!"
He waved, then headed towards one of the park gates...
* * *
Sometime later -- Ranma had decided to take his time since it
was a nice night and he didn't want to head back to the dojo -- found
him standing on the Kanpachi-doori, one of Nerima's main
thoroughfares. On the north side of the street, wedged between
two office blocks, was a two-floor house-like edifice being
remodelled to serve as a restaurant. Already, the marquee,
emblazoned with TAMPOPO'S in scripted Romanji, had been erected
over the door. Inside the main eating area, a small army of workers
was busy getting tables and booths set up. Directing them was a
woman Nodoka's age, though possessing brown hair and eyes. She
looked as stocky as Genma, but to Ranma's trained eyes, there was a
considerable solidness to her. Even more, Ranma could barely pick
out something of a battle aura. That was understandable.
Nerima was chock-full of martial artists of every calibre and
ability, from the standard to the totally bizarre. Given the
frequency of odd things that hit this place, having some martial
art skill wasn't just prudent. It was, at times, a survival
requirement.
"It'll look like a nice place when it's done," Ranma whispered
to himself, then he jolted on hearing an ominous *crack!* from
somewhere near the sign. Looking up, he gasped on seeing the sign
slowly peel away from the wall, just as the door opened to allow the
proprietress out. "LOOK OUT!!!" Ranma screamed out, then sprang
across the street.
The woman gasped as she looked up, then dodged right as the sign
pulled totally away from the wall. Instantly, a black-and-red
blur from across the street turned into a tall, slender man as he
caught the sign before it could shatter on the sidewalk. He
collapsed just as several of the workers come out. "Are you
alright?!!" the woman cried out, lunging over to pull her sign off
the young man.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay..." Ranma sputtered, feeling several bruised
ribs, then nodded thanks as two of the workers helped him back to his
feet. "You okay there, Oba-chan? Didn't trip over anythin',
didja?"
"Oh, no, no, I'm fine!" The woman smiled, then looked up to
inspect the damage. "Hmm. Looks like the wood beams were rotted
out."
"We'll get them fixed up right away, Kamekichi-san,"
one of the workers vowed after taking his own look.
"Do so." Tampopo nodded as she handed the sign to another
worker, then she noticed the spray of plaster on Ranma's jersey.
"Oh, good grief, you're a mess!" She walked over to bat the dust
from him. "Here, c'mon inside and let me whip you up something.
You look hungry."
"I...!" Ranma paused, then chuckled. "Oh, it was nothin'
at all!" He rubbed the back of his head. "I was gonna go home
anyway..."
"Hush! I won't hear a word of it!" Tampopo waved him down.
"Lucky for you, I have the stoves and refrigerator all set up and
ready to go. C'mon in and relax. You deserve it, after all."
"I...! W-well, if you're sure...!"
She gave him a disarming smile. "I insist!"
Ranma felt his cheeks heat. Oh man, if this woman was his age,
he wouldn't know WHAT to do in the face of a smile like THAT! "Um,
well..." he stuttered, then nodded. "Okay!" He then stopped.
"Oh, sorry about that! I'm Saotome Ranma. Please ta meetcha."
He bowed. "Ranma...?" Tampopo blinked as she recalled the
name, then she tittered. "Pleased to meet you, too, Ranma-chan.
I'm Kamekichi Tampopo; this is my shop. I must confess, your
reputation has preceded you. Shall we go inside?"
He started to sweat. Oh man, he HATED it when people did THAT
to him. "Don't tell me Oyaji tried ta swindle you outta something!"
Tampopo hummed. "No, not that I personally recall. And no, I
don't have a daughter who's engaged to you. Besides, given what I've
heard of your father, Ranma-chan, if he ever tried to do something
foolish to me, I'd take it up with him, not force it all over you."
Ranma blinked, his jaw dropping in shock. *That's a switch...!*
* * *
Late next morning...
"Husband, this is totally foolish!!"
"Indeed, Saotome-kun! This is not the way to do things,
especially after I promised them that we'd stop pressing them about
that!"
"Please." Genma held up a hand, then sighed as Souun and Nodoka
calmed themselves. "I realize this is a strange approach to take,
but this is not a normal situation by far. However..." -- he fixed
them with a look -- "There are merits in doing this the way I
propose."
"In what way, Husband?" Nodoka gently squeezed the cloth bundle
in her hands. "It's been a week since the last attempt at getting
my son to marry Akane-chan. A WEEK, Genma! That's way too soon..."
"But can we deny the fact that they love each other?"
"I...!" Nodoka stopped, then hummed as she considered that
point. "Of course not. But still..."
"But NOTHING, my wife!" Genma soothed. "Akane-chan admitted
her feelings for the boy the day of the wedding. And Ranma certainly
SHOWED how he felt for Akane-chan on Mount Phoenix, did he not?"
Souun nodded. "Of course he did, Saotome-kun! But what of all
the other suitors? What do we do about them?!"
"They're disorientated now!" Genma asserted. "I've kept my eye
on the boy since after the wedding. Not ONCE has that China girl
tried to approach him. Even more so, Ranma has been on the lookout
for her since after the wedding. Who knows what might've happened
if the China girl DID come out to meet her 'Airen?!' Also, not ONCE
has the boy spoken to the Kuonji girl. He turns her away at every
opportunity. It's obvious to me that the boy doesn't want anything
to do with them. Why? Tendou-kun, those two girls BETRAYED him,
plain and simple."
Hearing that, Nodoka nodded. "Yes, Husband, you have a point.
And deep down, I find it bothersome that outlanders like that Shampoo
girl believe they can inflict their archaic laws on us like that.
Yes, it IS understandable that girl would be forced to obey her
clan's laws here, but to have such laws inflicted on us too?" She
took a deep breath. "I would gladly state that I will not recognize
any claim she has on our son, Genma. But given how supposedly
powerful her great-grandmother is..."
Souun shook his head. "Almost like dealing with the Master."
"Agreed. But even with her power, can she stand up to the laws
of this land?" Genma wondered. "Perhaps, instead of provoking
trouble for all concerned, Tendou-kun, you can persuade Nabiki-chan
to find some way to drive those Amazons out of this country once and
for all."
"Yes, that is true..." Souun sighed, then stared at Genma.
"But what of the Kuonji girl, Saotome-kun? How do we deal with her?"
Genma sighed. "I agree that I made a mistake when it came to
that girl. But given the boy's change of attitude towards her, I
think it won't be long before she realizes the futility of it all and
withdraws her claim on her own. If she does that, fine and fair.
Besides, she DID have a hand in the destruction of our home -- which,
if she DID marry the boy, would have become HER home -- plus she
endangered the wedding guests AND your daughters, Tendou-kun
AND Ranma AND you, too, Nodoka, when she showed up with her
food-bombs. We can apply criminal charges against her, can we not?
Certainly, that could be another thing Nabiki can do to make up for
what she did to ruin things last week."
Souun tensed for a moment -- he just HATED it whenever Genma
bluntly brought up his daughters' shortcomings, no matter how true
they could be -- then he sighed. "Yes, you are right, Saotome-kun.
If Nabiki-chan hadn't overstepped her bounds last week, they would
have been wed. But how can you be truly sure that Ranma-kun does
love Akane-chan?! He's denied it vehemently for a long time, even
on the day of the wedding itself! It's clearly obvious he doesn't
want to be pushed into this."
Genma nodded. "Agreed. And yes, that was a mistake on our part
when it came to events last week. I propose this: we tell them we
want them to wed as soon as possible. No set date, but as soon as we
get their agreement to this, we make the preparations. We warn them
that the sooner they do this, the better it will be for all
concerned. Once they are properly married, then we can be rid of the
Amazons and deal with the Kuonji girl from a position of strength.
As for the rest of them, they have no legal claim on the boy, so it
doesn't matter."
"Can we still be sure...?" Nodoka wondered.
"My wife, as I said, I've watched them over the last week.
There has not been a SINGLE argument between them. In fact, they've
been very civil to each other when they've talked to each other.
No insults, no taunts, nothing of that sort. Even more so, Ranma
has actually eaten all of Akane-chan's cooking without a single
complaint. That's always been a big problem between them. And with
Kuonji and the China girl out of the way, all that has to be done now
is to ensure Akane-chan can cook more things than what she can now
and they're set!"
"Yes, that has been a problem between them," Souun mused.
Nodoka sighed. "I still have problems with this, Husband."
"My wife, don't you want your son to do the MANLY thing?"
Nodoka jolted, then her brow furrowed. "Are you saying that
Ranma may be failing in that regard, my husband?"
"No. What I AM saying is that the boy needs to be CHALLENGED!"
Genma held up a finger. "And rising to those sorts of challenges
IS a manly thing, Nodoka! How do you think he could fight a GOD of
all things to save Akane-chan's life? Because he was challenged
day-in and day-out to be the best. He NEEDS it, Nodoka. He THRIVES
on it. And if we don't give it to him, then WE are doing him an
injustice."
Silence fell as they considered that, then Souun sighed. "Let's
give it a while before we press this onto them," he proposed.
"I still don't like the idea of going back on my word like this,
Saotome-kun, especially so soon after last week. I do want them to
marry and if they are showing signs that they want this, we should
help them as much as we can. But..."
"Tendou-kun, you won't regret this at all," Genma vowed. "We
made mistakes last time. We must learn from them, then strive to do
better THIS time. This is something we've wanted for a long time.
I don't want to see us come so close to that goal, then have it taken
away because of a few trivial problems. What are the concerns
of others compared to bringing the schools together like we've
wanted?"
Souun blinked, then nodded. "One week, Saotome-kun. Let's
watch them over the next week, then we'll decide. Alright?"
Genma nodded in agreement. "Alright..."
* * *
Sometime later...
"Oh, my!"
"You got it." Nabiki grimaced. She had been on the patio
outside the sitting room when Genma, Souun and Nodoka had their
little kaffeeklatsch. And it was a VERY lucky thing that she had her
personal dictation machine with her at the time. It struck the
middle Tendou daughter as odd that the adults hadn't waited until
Nabiki was out of hearing range before Genma dropped his bombshell
on his wife and Souun. Then again, despite their skills, Souun and
Genma certainly were NOT the swiftest people on the block. It had
been child's play for Nabiki to avoid being spotted by them until
the chance came that she could get to Kasumi and pass on the news.
Kasumi took a deep breath. "I can't BELIEVE they'd be so
callous about Ukyou or Shampoo and their claims on Ranma-kun!"
She shook her head. "What are they trying to do? Start a three-way
blood-feud?!"
"Nah! They just don't like the idea of losing control over
things like that, I think." Nabiki shook her head. "Damn it all,
neither of them are ready to get married, Onee-chan, especially
while they're still in high school! And to have THIS dropped on
their heads so SOON after Akane-chan was nearly killed, not to
mention what might be going on with Ranma-kun?!"
"Oh, my! Is there something wrong with Ranma-kun?"
"I..." Nabiki paused, then slowly exhaled. "I'm not really
sure about it, Onee-chan, but over the last few days, I've sensed
that SOMETHING'S bothering him." She sat down, then traced a finger
in a circle on the desk. "Yeah, I can see the idea of him avoiding
anything to do with Ukyou or Shampoo. And having him be very civil
to Akane-chan is pretty good in and of itself. But..." Her eyes
narrowed. "Something's bugging him big-time. Problem is, I can't
see what that something might be, Onee-chan."
"What could it be, then?"
"I dunno. And we better find out what it is before the idiots
decide to do something really stupid. Not just the ones here, but
the ones elsewhere. If they do and Ranma-kun happens to take it the
wrong way..." she raised a finger in warning, Nabiki giving Kasumi
a look.
The eldest sister nodded. "Agreed..."
* * *
"...that's what happened!" Ukyou wiped her eyes as she spoke
into the receiver. "I thought I was doing the right thing, but I..."
"You WERE doing the right thing, Ukyou!" her father's voice
echoed over the earphone. "They had no right in forcing a marriage
between Ranma and that girl without taking into account what happened
to you over the last ten years. I don't care what supposedly
happened afterward. You HAVE a right, a DUTY, to see to it the
Saotomes adhere to what they agreed with us, child!"
"I...! Yes, Dad, I know, but still...!!"
"No, Ukyou!" Kuonji Haruka sternly replied. "There is no choice
but to do this. And if they try to fight it out, we'll fight it out.
Our honour has precedence here, child. Listen, didn't you tell me
about this so-called 'man-above-men' contract Ranma was forced to
sign?"
Ukyou nodded. "Yes, I did."
"Well, if his mother supposedly goes along with THAT, you have
to wonder what sort of mother IS she, anyway! Do you REALLY want to
see Ranma living under that sort of threat? Believe me, child, if
you offer Ranma the chance to get away from that woman, he'll take
it!"
Ukyou shook her head. "I dunno, Dad. Ran-chan's been getting
along pretty well with her, so I've heard..."
"Come now, Ukyou!" Haruka scolded. "I know her type. She'll
want to do to the boy what people like her've done for ages. Lord
it over their child to the point where he won't be able to do
anything without getting her approval first. Tell me, Ukyou, do YOU
want to have someone like her for a mother-in-law? You know how some
of them can be at times!"
The chef blinked, then sighed. "Yeah, Ran-chan does seem to
defer a lot -- hell, a little TOO much, if you ask me! -- to her."
"My point! And strangely enough, his father did the lad a
favour in keeping him away from his mother by taking him on the trip!
You love how strong Ranma is, Ukyou! How could he be that way, STAY
that way, if he's being forced to defer to his own mother like
that?!"
"Yeah, you got a point..."
"I'm glad you understand that." Haruka chuckled. "Don't give
up hope, Ukyou. You're in the right. Don't forget that!"
"I...!" Ukyou reluctantly nodded. "Alright, Dad."
The conversation was soon concluded, then Ukyou hung up.
Konatsu, who had been busy cleaning up tables nearby, looked
concernedly at his employer. "Ukyou-sama, do you really think
Ranma-sama will acknowledge what you might demand of him after what
happened last week?"
Ukyou stared at the male kunoichi, then sighed. "I dunno,
Konatsu." She grimaced. "But I DO know that I have to make up to
Ran-chan somehow. When I do that, then we'll see what we'll do next.
Okay?"
He nodded. "As you feel is right..."
* * *
Shampoo blinked, a grin slowly crossing her face as she read the
letter that just arrived by carrier pigeon from her home village:
"To the Warrior Nyu Shan-pu,
"Greetings,
"In the wake of the report sent by your honoured
great-grandmother, the Elder Nyu Kun-lon, concerning the events
several weeks ago on Mount Phoenix in the battle with Saffron,
the Council decrees the following:
"That the marriage, as established by combat, between yourself
and Saotome Ranma, is acknowledged as true under our laws.
"That you, Shan-pu, must continue to strive to bring your
husband to the village as soon as possible to consummate said
marriage.
"And that you, Shan-pu, will eliminate, by whatever means
possible, all obstacles standing in your way of consummating
your marriage with your husband. This must be done in the light of
the many crimes your husband's father, Saotome Genma, student of the
hated Happousai, eternal enemy of the Nyu-che-zuu, committed against
womankind throughout eastern Asia.
"We wish you the Goddess' blessings as you pursue those goals
and hope to see you and your husband returned to the village soon.
"With the Goddess' blessings, I remain,
"Nyu Mi-su, Chair of the Council of Elderwomen"
Shampoo sighed. Mi-su -- "Mist" -- was not just the supreme
leader of her tribe, but a great-grand-aunt several times removed
from her family line. Mist and Cologne had been friends for ages,
standing together against the tribes' foes in battle after battle.
To receive a letter like this from her had as much impact on Shampoo
as anything Cologne might demand. Sighing, she read the post-script,
written in Mist's beautiful calligraphy: "Remember, Shan, the one
who killed Saffron and fought Herb to a standstill must NOT elude
the Nyu-che-zuu."
*Well, that settles that!* she mused to herself, then folded
the letter and left it on the bar before taking a deep breath. *But
will Airen accept that, especially after what happened last week?*
She stood up. Since the letter was a personal one, neither
Cologne or Mousse had read it. Remembering the nearly-blind
weapons-master, Shampoo grimaced, then took the letter and slipped
it into her jersey. She would have to talk to her great-grandmother,
but clearly, an apology to Airen was in order. Indeed, threatening
Airen's mother was NOT a smart thing. And she would have to speak
to the Mercenary Girl about what precipitated that whole mess in the
first place. Shampoo strongly believed that Airen's fool father
and Tendou Souun had forced him into that whole farce. If so, she'd
have some words with them, especially the stupid panda. He had long
deserved that!
* * *
The next afternoon...
"So this is Moroboshi Ataru, huh?"
"Hai, that's him." Tampopo smiled as she cleaned up her dishes,
just unpacked out of their boxes after she moved them from Tomobiki.
"Nice-lookin' guy." Ranma hooked the framed picture on the wall
near the doorway into the kitchen before moving to set up the rest
of the pictures Tampopo hung around her restaurant to make things
homely. "Heard all sorts of things about him. Not all nice,
y'know."
The cook sighed. "Hai, I know, I know. But people can say the
very same things about you, Ranma-chan. Not to mention the other
members of the 'Nerima Wrecking Crew.' Don't forget that." She
winked at him.
Actually "her." Ranma had been splashed by the old lady near
the Tendou home before coming to Tampopo's. He had told the cook
about Jusenkyou the night they met. Much to Ranma's delight, Tampopo
simply shrugged it off. Even more, when some of the workers who had
been moving stuff into her shop tried to flirt with the martial
artist, Tampopo laid them all low with a battle spatula that put
Ukyou's to shame. And her threat about not cooking a THING for them
in response to their trying to "pick up" Ranma was effective,
especially after Ranma himself got a sample of her cooking. Kasumi?
Who was Kasumi?! Ranma sighed. "I guess we all got our enemies,
huh?"
"Yes, that's true. Too many people, especially your age and
male -- and some of the females, too -- in Tomobiki just HATED the
fact that I waylaid Lum every time Ataru-chan ducked into here to
avoid her cooking, not to mention being bullied by the rest of them.
It's a pity she got sent home; the last few nights she was here on
Earth, she was actually starting to show some real progress with
Ataru-chan."
Ranma stared at her. "Did you want them to get married?"
"I really wish I could answer that. My..." She paused, then
shrugged. "My main concern was the fact that there was this boy. A
person who, if he had ever been given a chance, could've gained loads
of friends and had a healthy adolescence. Suddenly, he is picked
to become Earth's 'champion' in a silly tag game to protect us from
being invaded by aliens. THEN he winds up being 'married' to an
alien who didn't understand what her presence on Earth was ultimately
doing to him! I..." She turned to sit at the counter. "Lum is a
very nice girl, Ranma-chan, but she had no CONTROL over herself.
Even more so, her behaviour influenced her own cousin, a little BOY
of five, to act in the very same manner she did. And then you tack
all her friends from outer space, pile Ataru-chan's classmates
on top of that..." she then made an exploding motion with her hand,
"...and when it was all said and done, things got destroyed and
people's lives were disrupted. And look what happened? They turned
right around and blamed ATARU for it. Every DAMN time!"
Ranma sighed, walking over to sit beside the cook. "I guess
that would get to anyone, even me." She leaned her chin on her palm.
"That's why I did what I did," Tampopo admitted. "I gave
Ataru-chan ONE place in the whole of Tomobiki where he could be free
of them all and be at peace. And because of that, he came to trust
me about things that no one, not even Lum, knew about. And I..."
She sighed. "I was more than happy to be there for him. He really
needed it at times."
"So where is he now?" Ranma wondered.
Tampopo shook her head. "No. I know you're curious, but I
won't say anything. There are those who'd take those words and ruin
his life. Chief of which are the twits who're Ataru-chan's
biological parents. He renounced all legal ties to them before Lum
was sent home."
Ranma gaped. "He's roonin?!"
"No, he's not. His clan is a matriarchy where the succession
goes from grandparent to grandchild, not father to son like in other
families," Tampopo reported. "It skipped his parents' generation
and went straight to him. Muchi and Kinshou -- they're Ataru's
parents -- have no power in that respect, especially now that his
grandmother, Nagaiwakai, is dead."
"Whoa!" The transformed martial artist whistled, gazing at the
ceiling. "He's lucky. Did anyone in Tomobiki know about this?"
"Not really, thanks very much to Kinshou. And I'd rather not
talk about that now. It IS violating Ataru-chan's privacy." The
chef playfully batted Ranma's nose, then stood up to prepare
something on the stove behind the counter. "Besides, it's pretty
much all settled now. He's somewhere where no one can hurt him, so
he'll finally have a chance to get his wits about him, then decide
what he wants to do with his life. And you did tell me about your
fiancee's sister Nabiki." She wagged a finger at Ranma. "By the
sounds of it, she might take whatever information I might give you
about Ataru-chan, then sell it to the highest bidder. I don't want
that."
Ranma snorted. "Don't blame you."
"So what do you want to have?"
"Hmmm...! How good are you at making okonomiyaki?"
"Pretty good. What type?"
"Hiroshima-style. Beef and shrimp with soba noodles."
"Alright."
Tampopo got to work. Watching her, Ranma was instantly reminded
of Ukyou and the magic she could unleash over a stove. A frown
turned her lips as she banished the young chef's image from her mind.
No, she couldn't think of Ukyou now, especially after what happened.
If she wanted reconciliation with Ranma, Ukyou had to make the first
move. And if she got uppity about it, that was no problem. Ranma
had no intention of marrying her even BEFORE the fight on Mount
Phoenix. Was it really Ranma's fault that Ukyou never got the
message?
"Hey, Tampopo-chan, can I ask you something?"
"What is it, Ranma-chan?"
"Was Lum really that bad of a cook?"
Tampopo stopped, then chuckled. "I'm not so sure. The chances
are good that she was pretty bad no matter what she tried, but I
think that the real problem was that she was busy preparing Oni food
for a Terran."
"Really?" Ranma's eyebrow arched. "Damn, pity she had to go
home. We could've introduced her to Akane." She then stopped before
a chill warped through her. "Excuse me! On second thought, that's
NOT a good idea!!"
Tampopo glanced at her. "She's bad?"
"Bad...?" Ranma sighed. "Well, at the start, it was plain
awful to watch at times! And I got stuck eating it all. It was a
miracle that I didn't wind up dead or in intensive care from some of
the things she made. But..." She shrugged. "Recently, she's got
better. She does a pretty good curry, but...!" Another shrug. "I
think her big problem is that she thinks she's good because Kasumi
does it every day, three times a day, then Akane assumes she can do
the same. It doesn't work that way, Tampopo-chan. You probably
know that, don't you?"
"Yes, I do know that. Does she read the recipe at least?"
"Not that I know of."
"Oh, dear. That IS a problem, then. So how many times did you
have your bilges pumped from her cooking, Ranma-chan?"
"I've lost count."
"And no one's tried to stop her beforehand?"
Ranma paused, then shook her head. "Not really, I'll admit.
I guess the only one who could is Kasumi, but she doesn't do it
often."
"Kasumi? The eldest sister?"
"Yep."
Tampopo hummed. "And their mother's dead?"
"Yeah. She passed away about ten years ago or so. I don't know
the exact date and all that. I..." Ranma shrugged. "Well, I figure
it's kinda personal with them and they are hurting from her dying
and all that..."
"A wise thing to do. Still, if Kasumi has been forced to become
the homekeeper, I wouldn't be so surprised if she went easy on Akane.
To turn from a 'older sister-to-younger sister' relationship
into a 'quasi-mother/older sister-to-younger sister' situation
would be disorientating. If their father had been smart, he would
have remarried quickly. It would've done the girls a lot of good."
"You think so?"
"I believe it would've been the proper thing to do." Tampopo
sighed. "Ranma-chan, can you tell me something?"
"What?"
"What do you see in Akane, anyway?"
"I...!" Ranma blinked, then her brow furrowed as she considered
that. "I don't know."
Tampopo blinked, then stared at her. "Just like Ataru-chan."
"Eh?"
The chef chuckled. "When Lum came and it became obvious that
he was becoming very attracted to her, I asked Ataru-chan that
question. He..." She shrugged, then turned to monitor the
okonomiyaki. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, Ranma-chan.
When you feel an attraction to someone, things do get quite
confusing. Let me ask you this, then: What IS love?"
"I...!" Ranma stuttered, then fell silent for a moment.
"Well...! I guess ta be in love with someone means you're taking
a commitment ta be there for her. Ta protect her and support her
and...! And well...!" She shrugged. "I...!"
Tampopo flashed her a sympathetic look. "You haven't really
had any chance to talk this over with anyone, haven't you?"
"Not really."
"Is there anyone you can ultimately trust to have a conversation
like that? Because it looks to me that you really need to get your
thoughts in order before you contemplate doing ANYTHING." Tampopo
flipped the okonomiyaki onto a plate before placing that before
Ranma.
Her nose twitching excitedly as a mouth-watering aroma zeroed
in on her mind's pleasure centres, the martial artist picked up her
chopsticks. "Well..." she mouthed around a morsel of food. "Not
really, I guess..." She gulped it down. "I mean, there's Kasumi..."
She cut another slice. "But I don't wanna put her into a position
where..." She downed that. "She might end up standin' up to the
rest of her family an' all." She then cut up another slice. "Man,
this is really good, Tampopo-chan!" Ranma grinned, then sighed.
"And there was Doc Ono Toofuu. He was a chiropractor who lived here
sometime back. Don't know what happened to him..." Her voice
trailed off, then she sighs. "Then again, I remember one time when
he used a shiatsu point on my back to force me to be carried home
from his office by Akane."
Tampopo's eyebrow arched. "Oh, really? That's not the type of
behaviour I'd condone from my doctor. What about your mother? I can
sense you have little or no trust in your father anymore, but surely,
your mother might understand some things."
Ranma shook her head. "Not really. Mom's pretty traditional
and all that. I...! I guess, deep down, she...!" She paused,
then shrugged. "I don't know what she wants. Honour and giri mean
a lot to her..."
"Honour? Giri? What about your happiness? Good grief, doesn't
she want you to be happy with your life, Ranma-chan?"
"I...!"
"ARE you happy with your life?"
Ranma blinked, then shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut as the
concern in Tampopo's voice sheared past all her many emotional
guards. Before she could do anything, soft fingers touch points
on her temples. Ranma quaked, then the dam broke as gentle sobs
burst from her lips. Almost immediately, arms wrapped around her as
she felt Tampopo comfort her. "Let it out, dear..." the chef
whispered into the martial artist's ear. "Let it out, Ranma-chan.
It's okay. It's okay. It's okay to cry, Ranma-chan..."
"N-no...!" Ranma burbled. "Men don't cry..."
Tampopo shook her head. "Who told you that? Your father?"
she whispered. Feeling Ranma nod, the chef breathed out. "He lied
to you, Ranma-chan. Kami-sama, I can't believe he'd force you to
accept a stupid lie like THAT! What was he trying to do to you...?"
Ranma listened to the question, then sniffled back her tears
before staring at her host. "N-no one..." she stuttered, then looks
down. "No one's ever asked me things like that 'b-bout me,
Tampopo-chan..."
"Is that a fact?" Tampopo gazed knowingly on her. "Ranma-chan,
I want you to listen to me for a moment. I'm going to make a promise
to you right now. And I really want you to believe that I will
adhere to this promise, okay? Are you listening?"
The martial artist nodded. "W-what...?"
"I want you to know that if in ANY way you feel you have to
break away from all these people you're dealing with now -- your
parents, the Tendous, all the others -- I will be there for you.
That's a promise I am making to you right here and now. I want to be
your friend, Ranma-chan. I want to show you what REAL friendship
is about. And I want to help you figure your way out of this MESS
you're in. I really do, because you need it more than anything
else. What's more, you DESERVE help. Do you understand what I'm
telling you, dear? Do you?"
"I...!" Ranma stared wide-eyed at her. "Why?"
Tampopo shrugged. "Can't I help you?"
"I...!" the younger woman stuttered before rapidly shaking
her head. "No! I can't ask ya to do somethin' like THAT,
Tampopo-chan!! You don't wanna get involved in my life! You don't!!
Trust...!"
A gentle finger landed on her lips to shush her. "That's part
of your problem, Ranma-chan." Tampopo chuckled. "I take it the idea
of you being the ONLY person to settle your problems is another
thing your father taught." Her eyebrow arched again. "Well, am I
right?"
She pulled her finger away. "It ain't that!" Ranma breathed
out. "I mean, yeah, a lot of the crap I've gotta deal with was
because Oyaji's a total lunkhead and all that, but believe me, you
don't wanna get inta this whole mess. People, especially Akane,
Ukyou and Shampoo, not ta mention Oyaji and Akane's dad, won't like
the idea of someone buttin' inta...!"
"And why is that?"
Ranma blinked. "I don't get it."
"Why is it they're trying to stop you from finding some way out
of this mess?" Tampopo wondered, then paused before taking a deep
breath. "Perhaps I should be asking that this way, Ranma-chan:
Why are they so AFRAID of you making your own decisions about your
life? Why? It's YOUR life that you have to live! It's not Akane's,
it's not Ukyou's, it's not Shampoo's and it certainly isn't your
parents', either! WHY, Ranma-chan?! Why are you letting them get
away with this nonsense?!"
"I...!" Ranma shuddered, tears flowing down her cheeks, then
she leaned in as Tampopo comforted her. "I just don't know
anymore..."
Sobs stole her voice as Tampopo sighed. "Then you have to find
out, Ranma-chan. For your sake most of all..."
* * *
The next morning...
"So where were you yesterday? You were gone the whole day!"
Ranma blinked, then glancing around to ensure Shampoo was
nowhere close by, gazed down on Akane before he shook his head. "It
was somethin' personal, Akane. Don't worry about it, okay?"
She tensed, then stared curiously at him. "'Personal?'
About what?"
He sighed. "Akane, if I tell ya something's personal, it's
personal, okay?!" he muttered, then taking a final visual sweep of
the surrounding area, hopped down as they headed to the front gate
of Furinkan High. "Sheesh! You don't hear me buggin' ya about
somethin' ya wanna keep personal if ya tell me to mind my own
business! So why're you doin' it to me?!"
She stopped, staring wide-eyed at her fianc�. Her body then
quaked as a surge of anger roared up her spine. "Hey, don't tell me
something like that, Ranma!! I'm trying to show a little concern
for you, you know!"
He stopped some distance from her, then stared at her. "Why
don't I believe that, then?" he wondered before heading into the
school.
Akane watched Ranma head inside, she rooted in place as his
question echoed through her mind. "Ranma..." she whispered.
"You okay, sugar?"
Akane gasped, then spun around to see Ukyou staring at her.
"Ukyou?!" She breathed out. "Ah! Um, is there something wrong?"
"Is there somethin' wrong with YOU?" the okonomiyaki chef
countered. "Did you and Ran-chan have a fight or what?!"
"I..." Akane blinked, then shook her head. "No, it wasn't
a fight. It was just a little disagreement. So...!" her voice
trailed.
Ukyou nodded. "If you say so. Look, can you ask Ran-chan
to come to the cherry tree..." -- she pointed to a large tree at one
end of the campus -- "...at lunchtime today? I REALLY have got to
talk to him. And you, too. Please, will you two please come there
today?"
Akane stared at her rival, quickly noting the flash of pain and
fear deep in Ukyou's dark eyes. "I...! Al-alright."
"Thanks..."
* * *
Lunchtime...
"Akane? Ran-chan?"
The couple and Ukyou sat under the cherry tree the chef
specified before classes. Akane and Ranma gazed on each other before
the former turned back to Ukyou. "I forgive you." She nodded.
"I suppose I can't blame you for getting so upset at what happened
last week!"
Ukyou blinked, then smiled. "Well, since you say it was those
two dingbats you have to call fathers that started it, not to mention
what Nabiki did to milk it along...!" She chuckled, then turned
to Ranma.
He blinked, then sighed. "I forgive you, Ukyou-san."
Ukyou jolted, her mind clouding over on hearing the words she
needed to hear from him, then she was brought up short by the way he
just addressed her. Akane was also taken aback. "Ranma...?"
She gazed on her fianc�.
Ranma sighed. "And yeah, you certainly had a right to do what
you did last week, Ukyou-san. I don't hold it against you."
Akane exploded. "SAY WHAT?!?! What the hell does THAT mean?!!"
Ranma spun on her. "What about her honour, Akane?!" he
demanded, the ice in his voice making both girls duck. "What about
the fact that she spent TEN YEARS as a boy 'cause of what Oyaji
pulled on her?!"
Silence fell. "Ran-chan..." Ukyou repeated.
Ranma stood, turning to leave. "Ukyou-san, I can't begin to
apologize for how much that fool father of mine hurt you. I can't
start to think of any way to pay you back for your sufferings.
I know you love me and want to marry me but..." He paused, then
shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't give that back to you. To
me, you will always be my best friend. But I can't accept you as
BOTH friend AND fiancee. Ya have ta be one or the other, not both.
I..." He stopped, then shrugged. "I'm sorry."
He walked away. Akane and Ukyou watched him, then the latter
shuddered. "Now, wait just a damned minute here, Ran-chan...!"
"No!!!"
Akane stepped into her path. "Wha...?!" Ukyou sputtered.
"Leave him alone, Ukyou!!" Akane ordered, glaring the chef down.
"Don't you understand what you're doing to him?!"
"But he has to...!"
"Has to what?!"
They stared at each other, then glanced together toward where
Ranma had gone. The martial artist was nowhere in sight. Both women
blinked, then Akane sighed. "Damn, this is such a mess...!" She
shook her head.
Ukyou took a deep breath. "Yeah, you got that right, sugar,"
she muttered, then stared at Akane. "Akane, I'm sorry. I know how
much you care for him and all that, but I gotta warn you now." She
held up a finger. "I can't and WON'T give up my claim on Ran-chan."
Akane blinked, then stared back at her. "Why?"
"'Cause that's what my dad wants, okay?!" the chef snapped,
then shuddered before calming herself. "I'm sorry. Look, it's not
your fault and it's really not Ran-chan's fault, either. I happen
to like you, but I just..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't
give up on him, Akane. If I do, then I give up EVERYTHING that makes
my life what it is. I'd be made roonin so fast, it'd make your head
spin. I'd have to start from scratch again, both as a chef and as a
martial artist. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is, Akane. I'm
trapped and the only way out is through Ran-chan. I..." She shook
her head, then shrugged. "That's the way it is."
Akane stared at her. "Ukyou..." She breathed out, then gazed
intently at her. "I can't believe that your dad would..."
"Believe it," Ukyou flatly announced, then she walked away...
* * *
After school...
Ranma and Akane were silent as they headed home. Both had small
bundles in their hands, boxes full of freshly-made okonomiayki;
Ukyou had prepared them before final class. Ranma kept his eyes
peeled for Shampoo and her bicycle. Akane stared at him. "Ranma?"
He glanced at her. "What is it?"
"You know, you were right." She took a breath. "She was hurt
because of what your father did to her. What could we do to help
her?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. Try ta find her family yatai if we
could, but I don't remember what Oyaji did with that. I can't just
duck out of helping her, Akane. She definitely deserves ta get
something out of this. But..." he stuttered, then breathed out.
"What?"
"Yeah. What could we do to pay back ten years of misery?"
Ranma sighed. He needed to talk to Tampopo about this. "Akane,
look, I'm gonna go for a walk, alright. I'll see ya later."
"Eh?!" Akane stared at him. "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere ta clear my head." Ranma bounded to the ground,
then raced off. "Tell Kasumi she don't have to cook anythin'
tonight!"
Akane watched him go, then stopped. "Ranma..." she whispered,
lowering her head. "Why won't you tell me what's bothering you...?"
"Aiyah! Is Airen alright?!"
Akane jolted, then spun to see Shampoo walk her bicycle up, an
empty lunch box on the cargo rack over the back wheel. "Shampoo!!"
"Did you have a fight?" the warrior-maiden asked.
Akane blinked, surprised that Shampoo had asked her something
like THAT, then she shook her head. "No, no fight. What's wrong?"
"This..." Shampoo's voice halted. "This one wants to apologize
for what she did to stop the wedding last week." She lowered her
eyes. "This one heard from Mercenary Girl that Airen's stupid father
and your father set that up. But can you..." She paused, then
stared at Akane. "Can you tell this one something? Did you really
want to marry Airen last week or was it because of the Nanniichuan
water?"
Akane jolted, then shuddered before nodding. "Yes, I did want
to marry Ranma, Shampoo. He's saved my life so many times, that..."
"You think it's an honour-debt, right?"
Akane stopped, then stared intently at Shampoo before relaxing.
"It's more than that. I love him. I...!" She paused. "I don't
know when it started to happen, but it did. I can't deny it anymore,
Shampoo. It's not fair to Ranma and..." She pointed to herself.
"You think it's no fair to you, too?"
"Hai."
"This one understands. In fact, this one understands you much
more than you might think. But..." She closed her eyes. "It
doesn't change one thing. This one still loves Airen. And this one
can't give up on Airen. It..." She shook her head. "It's not over
yet."
Akane shuddered as a chill warped through her. "No..."
"If this one can't bring Airen back, she..." Shampoo gazed at
Akane, then looked away. "This one will face disgrace and worse.
Even more, the Council doesn't want to let Airen go. After Airen
killed Saffron and defeated Herb, what do you think the Council
should do?!"
Akane stared at the warrior-maiden, the phrases "disgrace
or worse" and "Council no want to let Airen go" echoing in her mind
again and again. "No...!" She shook her head, then she turned away.
"No...! No!! No!!! DAMN IT ALL, NOT THIS!!!!" she screamed.
"Akane!!" Shampoo cried out.
Too late; the youngest Tendou daughter was out of earshot.
Shampoo watched her go, then closed her eyes. "This one is sorry,
Akane. This one really, really wishes there could be another way..."
* * *
Minutes later, a forlorn "Tadaima!" echoed through the Tendou
home. Hearing that, Nodoka stepped out of the kitchen, then blinked
on seeing tears in Akane's eyes. "Akane-chan, what's wrong?!!"
she gasped, moving immediately to comfort her future daughter-in-law.
Akane jolted, then stared blankly at Ranma's mother. By then,
Souun has come, alerted by Nodoka's question. Quickly noting the sad
look on his youngest child's face, the Tendou patriarch panicked.
"Akane, are you alright?! What's wrong?!" he parroted Nodoka's
question.
"I...!" Akane blinked. "Nothing's wrong, Dad, Auntie. I'm
okay."
She turned to head upstairs. "Akane...?" Souun shuddered.
"Was it something Ranma did?" Nodoka demanded.
Akane stopped, her eyes widening, then she spun around.
"***NO!!!***" she bellowed loudly enough to blow them into the
floorboards. "***RANMA DID NOTHING TO ME!!! NOTHING!!!***"
She then turned on Souun. "***WHY IS IT EVERY TIME SOMETHING
GOES WRONG, YOU TURN AROUND AND BLAME RANMA?!?!***" Then she pointed
accusingly at Nodoka. "***AND WHY CAN'T YOU TRUST YOUR OWN SON FOR
ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, ANYWAY?!?!***"
She marched upstairs. Souun and Nodoka remained quiet, then
exchanged a look. "Do you think your husband might be right?" the
former whispered, glancing up the stairs as the door to Akane's
room opened, then was slammed shut with enough force to shake the
house.
"Perhaps..."
* * *
The week marched on.
Tuesday lunchtime saw Shampoo come to the school cafeteria
to deliver lunch for her Airen. Before presenting a bowl of hot
ramen to Ranma, the warrior-maiden apologized for her part in the
failed wedding, especially in putting her Airen's mother into harm's
way. Hearing that, plus hearing that Shampoo had not put any drugs
into the ramen -- a fear Ranma had concerning Shampoo's meals for a
very long time -- he accepted her apology. Then, to everyone's
shock, he added, "Shan-pu, you've had to live with your clan laws for
your entire life. I don't really understand the reasons behind them,
but they're something you can't deny, even living here in Japan.
Because of that, I admit that you had every right to do what you did
last week. I can accept it. I can even try to understand it.
Please, it's alright."
Shampoo floated back to the Nekohanten on Cloud Nine.
After school, Ukyou gave Ranma another packaged okonomiyaki.
He accepted it, though he still addressed her as "Ukyou-san,"
something that still clearly hurt the young chef. Once she was gone,
Ranma parted from Akane, declaring he wanted to go for a walk. Akane
accepted that, still bothered greatly by the words Ukyou and Shampoo
had spoken to her the previous day. She needed a chance to be alone,
too.
Once they were separated, Ranma proceeded to a park, then
gobbled Ukyou's okonomiyaki before he headed off to Tampopo's
to spend some time with his new friend. There was no way he was
going to insult the older woman by bringing Ukyou's cooking into
Tampopo's restaurant. And besides, he had enough room for whatever
Tampopo might make him, plus any surprises which might be waiting
for him at the Tendou home.
Before leaving the chef for the night, Ranma received several
special packets of a homeopathic cure Tampopo once gave Ataru
Moroboshi in case he had to deal with Lum's cooking and couldn't
duck out of his home to avoid it. "It should be more than enough
to deal with whatever Akane might want to prepare for you," she told
him with a knowing wink.
Ranma certainly appreciated that...
* * *
"She said that to you?!"
Genma stared hopefully at his wife and his best friend. Nodoka
nodded. "Yes, she was quite boisterous about it, my husband. It
appears that, even if they are uncomfortable openly expressing
it, they do feel it."
Souun sighed. "Yes, I do agree, Saotome-kun. Perhaps you were
right in the long term, but I do want us to wait until this weekend
at the least before we approach them. And we keep the actual wedding
date as flexible as possible. Let them decide when they want to
wed."
"That sounds more than fair enough," Nodoka mused.
Genma blinked, then sighed. "Alright, I can go along with that.
I'll keep an eye on the boy anyway, just in case. I still haven't
figured out where he goes to when he parts from Akane after school."
"Spying on our son, Genma, may not be the wisest thing to do."
"Yes, Saotome-kun, he might take it the wrong way."
"Still, I want to make sure he isn't slacking off too much."
Genma held up a cautioning hand. "Don't worry. I won't press
anything with the boy, but I don't want him to lose his edge."
Souun and Nodoka stared at him, then nodded...
* * *
"Oh, my!" Kasumi whispered; she was now in the kitchen, having
been there since before Genma had got together with his wife and the
Tendou patriarch. *Saturday...* she grimaced, then sighed.
She had to talk to Nabiki about this as soon as possible...
* * *
Wednesday was also a quiet day, save lunchtime. Like the day
before, Shampoo had come racing to Furinkan High with lunch. When
she got there, a trivial annoyance imposed himself on her. "De Big
Kahuna say there be NO take out in the Big...!" the Principal
cackled.
*CLONG!!!*
"This one doesn't care what you say, Palm-Tree Man!" Shampoo
snapped before swatting the tree-topped school administrator
into the early afternoon sky with her bonbori. With that, she
marched into the cafeteria. "Nihao, Airen!!"
The warrior-maiden was quick to notice that Ukyou had already
given Ranma some okonomiyaki. Even more so, there was a bowl of some
brown-grey sauce -- curry? -- there, too. Who had...? Her eyes then
fell on Akane, she having a very expectant look on her face. Oh, no!
"Oh, hi, Shan-pu!" Ranma perked up, then noticed her staring
warily at the bowl of curry rice Akane had made the previous evening.
"Oh, relax, relax!" He waved her down as Shampoo comes up. "This
is pretty okay!!"
Shampoo stared intently at Akane, who gave her a neutral look
in return. "Akane's never cooked good before."
Ranma sighed before taking his chopsticks, forking out a small
hunk of curry rice, then held it before Shampoo. "Here! Try it."
Everyone stared at the warrior-maiden. Shampoo blinked, then
realizing that Ranma would NOT try to intentionally poison her with
bad food, took the curry rice into her mouth. Munching it, her eyes
widened as the spices hit home, then she swallowed it. "You're
right, Airen! This IS good curry!" She nodded, then gazed at Akane.
"There might be hope for you yet, Akane!"
Akane blinked, then grinned. "I am trying..."
"And ya gotta keep ON trying, Akane," Ukyou moderated. "And
listen to your sister and Ran-chan's mom, too. Remember, they've
been at this a lot longer than you have. You can't get it right
overnight."
Hearing that, Akane nodded. "Yeah, that's true."
The other students exchanged looks. Many of them were clearly
wondering when Rod Serling was going to show up and tell them that
they just took a trip into the Twilight Zone. By then, Shampoo
had served out the lunch she made, then headed out. Just as she was
about to mount her bicycle for the ride to the Nekohanten, she
noticed a folded note tucked into the frame. Drawing it out, she
opened it to read:
"Shan-pu,
"Come to Hikarigaoka Park, near Yamada Fred's yatai, tonight
at eight o'clock. Don't be late. Ukyou and Kodachi will be there,
too. It's about something you all need to know about Ranma and
Akane.
"Feel free to tell your great-grandmother, but DON'T let Mousse
know. You'll understand when you hear what I have to tell you.
"Nabiki"
Shampoo stared at the note for a moment, then nodding, hopped
onto her bicycle...
* * *
Thursday and Friday buzzed past almost in a blur.
Matters between Ranma and Akane remained cordial, which pleased
Genma very much. Souun and Nodoka also accepted what was happening,
realizing that if things were to happen between the two, they best
happen very soon.
Genma doesn't bother to report his failure to trace Ranma down
when he went off to "clear his head." Try as the Saotome patriarch
might, he couldn't trace his son several blocks before losing him.
How was that possible? Was the boy keeping an eye out for him?
School was still quite boring for Ranma, though he did try to
pay attention to the lectures. Lunch and physical education classes
remained his favourite times in the day. Noting that, his classmates
were comforted by one seemingly "normal" thing in their daily lives.
Though lunchtime did stretch it a bit. On both days, Ukyou and
Shampoo showed up with fresh meals for their fianc� to enjoy. Akane
also added in her curry, plus a reasonable attempt at a stir-fry
she made with Kasumi's help. Seeing Ranma's conditional approval
of her efforts -- some habits DO die very hard! -- made Akane's
smile glitter like the sun.
After school, Ranma parted from Akane and made his trek to
Tampopo's for dinner and chat. He was quick to notice Genma trying
to track him down, which forced Ranma to dip into his knowledge
of the Umisen-ken to ensure the panda didn't learn of Kamekichi
Tampopo. Hearing what Ranma had been doing on her behalf, Tampopo
could only smile, telling him that it was no real problem. She was
prepared to stand at his side against Genma. Noting the chef's
obvious martial art skill, Ranma could agree, but still felt it was
only proper.
One just did NOT put one's friends into danger like that!
During his times with Tampopo, Ranma soon evolved a basic
strategy to get some control over his life and resolve a lot of the
outstanding issues hanging like Damocles' sword over his head.
Indeed, Akane's father had it exactly right the day after the wedding
attempt; things could NOT happen with the extra fiancees, not to
mention all those other hangers-on, looming over Ranma's head.
And Ranma certainly could do with some peace and quiet.
First priority was Ukyou. He had to do something to repay the
debt his family owed hers. This basically meant that he couldn't
use the actions of the Gambling King concerning the Kuonji family
yatai against Ukyou. The infamous gambler WAS a well-known cheat
and Ukyou had only been five years old at the time she "gambled"
the yatai away. Kuonji Haruka, as head of Ukyou's family, would have
well been within his rights to ignore what had happened between
Ukyou and the King -- and given that Genma had taken the yatai
shortly afterward...!
There was one possible solution concerning Ukyou: finding
the Kuonji yatai and returning it to her. Regardless of which, he
was not interested in marrying her. Ranma just couldn't envision
doing something like THAT with his oldest friend. He wanted his
"U-chan" back, the person he trusted so much when they were kids.
He didn't want her as a wife. And he sure as hell didn't want a
mistress, even if that might be something Nodoka would consider
proper. Well, if Nodoka wanted to press an insane idea like that,
Ranma would refuse.
It was just unfair to all concerned, especially Ukyou.
Next would come Shampoo. Ranma would have to spend some time
looking over the Nyu-che-zuu laws to find some sort of loophole
in the Kiss of Marriage. If not...! Well, Ranma couldn't think of
much beyond that point. He did owe Cologne a lot for teaching
him the Chestnut Fist and the Rising Dragon Ascension. Could his
actions on Mount Phoenix be parlayed into something good for both
Ranma and Shampoo?
That would have to be investigated.
Kodachi was a problem, but one that might have an easy answer
to it: the gymnast needed some real therapy and couldn't be allowed
to duck out of it until she was in a stable frame of mind. How that
could be done, Ranma had no idea whatsoever, but he'd try to figure
it out.
With that out of the way, he'd have to decide what to do with
Akane. Ranma liked her very much. He cared for her a lot and
certainly didn't want to see her hurt. But the whole matter with the
Nanniichuan cask still rankled him. Yes, Akane had admitted that she
loved him just before the wedding, but with the extra revelations
that came after that event, he was unsure of what sort of love she
meant.
Ranma sighed. He didn't want things to go back to the way they
were when he first met Akane. Yes, he instinctively knew that he
could, if he wanted to, avoid her punches and mallet strikes -- how
he let that keep happening, he didn't really understand -- but if he
did that, what would happen? Would Akane be so offended by his
"avoiding his just punishment" that she'd want to end the whole
engagement once and for all? Did he want that to happen? What would
his mother think? Nodoka did like Akane and Ranma didn't want to
disappoint her.
"I want to learn how to love her, Tampopo-chan. That much I
think I want to do with Akane," Ranma admitted to the chef Friday
night before he headed back to the dojo. "But I gotta know first
what her feelings are."
"Do you think you should tell her that soon?" she asked.
"No, not yet. I gotta clear the air with all the others first
before worryin' about that. I'll talk to her about the cask soon,
though. Maybe when I find out about that, I'll decide what to do
then."
"That sounds pretty rational," Tampopo admitted...
* * *
Saturday afternoon...
"Tadaima!"
"Welcome back," Kasumi called out as Ranma, Akane and Nabiki
stepped into the sitting room. "How was school today?"
"It was alright," Akane admitted before noticing Souun, Genma
and Nodoka awaiting them by the dinner table. The determined
looks on their faces made the youngest Tendou blink. "Is there
something wrong?"
"No, Akane, but there is something we should talk about," Souun
declared, waving them to the floor mats across the table from them.
"Please sit down. The sooner we get this over with, the better for
everyone."
Akane and Ranma exchanged a look. *Uh-oh!* they tensed, though
they sit themselves down. "What's this about?" Ranma asked.
The adults exchanged a look, then Souun sighed. "Ranma-kun,
two weeks ago, I promised you that we'd set aside all talk about
weddings until such time as all the potential suitors have been fully
dealt with."
Ranma blinked, then nodded. "Yes, that's true."
The Tendou patriarch took a deep breath, glanced at Genma, then
carried on. "Well, when we made that decision, we didn't take into
account that you really aren't...! Well, trained to deal with this
sort of thing. Almost since the day you came, we've assumed that you
would do the right thing on your own accord. Clearly, you don't
fully and properly understand what the right and honourable thing
is in this case. For that," -- he bowed his head apologetically
-- "...I personally apologize to you for making so many assumptions
about you in the past. It was wrong and it brought a lot of
disharmony and mistrust between yourself and my daughter, Ranma-kun."
Akane's eyes widened. "Dad..."
"I..." Ranma blinked. He hadn't expected this. Taking a deep
breath, he nodded. "It's okay. You did what you thought was best."
Hearing that, Souun and Genma brightened. "Well, then, you
might be pleased to hear this, then," the latter declared. "Son,
when we made our decision two weeks ago, we assumed that the problems
were many and quite difficult to deal with. We were wrong to assume
that, then mislead both you and Akane-chan. The problems are
actually quite trivial."
The younger people blinked. "I wouldn't think of them as
'trivial,' Oyaji," Ranma protested. "They do matter, you know..."
"No, my son, you're wrong," Nodoka spoke up. "You've only been
led to believe they are more than what they seem." She held up a
finger. "Outside the Tendou Clan, you have an engagement with Ukyou
Kuonji. After her actions, in the matter when our house was
destroyed, then two weeks ago, she demonstrated clearly that she
would not respect the family she supposedly wishes to marry into.
I won't have that woman become part of our family, Ranma. Yes, she
will be compensated for her dowry, but she will not be recognized
as your fiancee."
Ranma sighed. "Mom, she deserves more than that. Yeah, I don't
want to marry her, but she spent ten whole years actin' as a boy so
she could get her revenge on us for what Oyaji pulled on her. And I
want her to be my friend. I'm not gonna cast her off like Oyaji
did."
Nodoka stiffened. "I'd hardly call someone like her worthy
to be your friend, my son, much less a fiancee," she frostily
intoned.
Ranma shuddered, ducking Nodoka's look. Akane sighed. "Dad,
what about Shampoo? What do we do about her, then?"
Souun snorted. "She's an outlander, Akane, trying to impose
her laws on a place where they have no effect. She has no right
whatsoever to think of Ranma-kun as her husband, 'airen' or what have
you!"
"What happens if she goes back to her village empty-handed?!"
Ranma demanded. "You know how harsh their laws are!"
"That is her problem, not ours," Nodoka stated. "Perhaps
if she is punished because of her 'failure,' then her people will see
reason at last and learn to treat other outsiders much better than
they treated you."
Genma snorted. "Agreed. The Kunous have no claim on Akane-chan
or yourself, boy, so anything they say is worthless. And if they try
to press the point, we'll deal with them, firmly and finally.
Outside that, there is nothing else to worry about. Now, given that
we know what to do, we can get on with the wedding preparations
and see you both finally married."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
"SAY WHAT?!?!?!" Akane and Ranma screamed.
"Of course!" Souun nodded with determination. "Please. We
realize how much you don't like to be pushed into this, but we DO
want to see you wed. And we DO know that you two love and care for
each other a lot. We are all in agreement about that, so why delay
it anymore? Everything else can be brushed aside if you just let
your hearts guide you to where you should go."
"It's the right thing to do, Ranma." Nodoka gazed on him, her
hands squeezing the katana in her arms. "It's the manly thing to
do."
Ranma jolted. Kasumi sighed. "Auntie..."
Akane blinked as her mind rolled through what everyone just
said. A smile then crept across her face, the same type of smile
she had shown Ranma when he first saw her in her wedding gown two
weeks ago. Seeing this, Nabiki and Kasumi blinked, exchanging
a look. Why was she smiling? Did she actually WANT this to happen?
Did she really mind being forced into this as soon as possible?
And what of Ranma...?
Ranma...?
Ranma was still staring at Nodoka, a lost, hurt look etched
on his face. As if he was asking himself who this woman was and what
the hell had she done to his real mother. Noting that, Nabiki gazed
on Nodoka, who was now looking towards Souun and Genma, not taking
notice of how much she had just hurt her son. Damn it, did she HAVE
to bring that rotting old seppuku agreement into this damned mess?!
"Akane...?" Souun probed.
Akane jolted, then flustered. "Dad, I...!"
The door to the sitting room flew open as twin bonboris sail in.
Souun and Genma don't react fast enough before they're knocked out.
Nodoka bolted to her feet, her hands moving to unwrap her katana.
A throwing spatula slammed into her wrist, making her drop the
sheathed blade. A ribbon snapped up the katana, yanking it away from
Ranma's mother to dunk it into the koi pond. "Just before you say
anything, Akane, we got something ta say to these jerks!!" Ukyou
growled, her battle spatula at the ready.
Kasumi smiled. "Oh, we have more guests."
She headed into the kitchen, quickly followed by Nabiki. "What
are you guys doing here?!" Akane demanded, bolting to her feet.
"Stoppin' something that has no right to happen, sugar," Ukyou
snarled, then spun on the adults. "Did you really think you'd get
away with it so soon after we stopped you the first time?!"
"You have no right to be here, girl!" Nodoka snapped. "This
is an honourable arrangement between two families, neither of which
you belong to nor will you ever be ALLOWED to belong to...!!"
She gasped as a throwing spatula wings past her, cutting several
strands of her hair. Nodoka staggered, then turned to Ranma, who sat
where he had been since the meeting started. Ukyou lunged in,
whipping her battle spatula in an overhead strike. Before she can
get close, Genma smashed his fist into Ukyou's chin, sending her
flying over Akane into the wall. Kodachi's clubs and another of
Shampoo's bonbori slammed into Genma's head. By then, Souun was on
his feet, he moving to disarm the girls and throw them out of his
house.
The wall behind Nodoka exploded inward, the force staggering
the older woman. "SHAMPOO!!!!" Mousse screamed out.
Shampoo backpedalled from Souun's fist before driving her
bonbori into his stomach. "Stupid Mousse, what are you doing
here?!!"
"Doing something that needs to be done!!" Mousse focussed
on what he thought was Ranma -- his glasses were on his forehead
again -- then lashed out with a storm of chains and knives. "DIE,
SAOTOME!!!!"
"Hey, you're aiming at ME, you idiot!!!" Akane screamed as she
danced clear of the weapons-master's onslaught. "Get out of here!!"
Shampoo grabbed one of her bonbori and flung it at Mousse.
Nodoka was in her line-of-fire, unfortunately; the spheroid hitting
tool winged her in the side, sending her into a wall. Ranma grabbed
it out of mid-air, then fired it at its intended target. Mousse
screamed out as the bonbori slammed into his head, sending him flying
out of the house. Thunder echoed from the direction Mousse vanished.
"HOLD!!!!"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Oh, shit! He's back!"
People turned as Kunou Tatewaki stormed in, bokken in hand. "I
did not grant permission for this unholy union between my fair Tendou
Akane and the foul sorcerer Saotome Ranma to occur!! HAVE AT THEE,
SORCERER!!!!"
He wound up slamming into Mallet-sama. "Get it through your
head finally, jerk!!! YOU HAVE NO SAY IN OUR MARRIAGE!!!!"
"Beautiful Akane..." Kunou groaned, dropping to the floor.
Akane shuddered, then spun around on Ukyou, Shampoo and Kodachi.
"And that goes for you too!! I've HAD it with you blasting your way
into places where you don't belong!! Ranma is MY fianc�!" She
thumbed herself, then pointed at Ukyou. "Not yours!!" -- then to
Shampoo -- "Not yours and especially not YOURS!!!" She pointed
at Kodachi. "I would have been married to Ranma had it not been for
you three!!"
Ukyou tensed herself. "Well, I'm afraid that it ain't gonna
happen, sugar! If Ran-chan's gonna marry anyone, it'll be me! You
got your dowry!! I had mine stolen!! So you better cough him over
right now!"
"Not a chance!" Akane snapped, then looked over. "Ran-...?!
Huh?!"
Everyone stopped on seeing an empty space where Ranma had been
sitting not seconds before. "Where did Airen go?!" Shampoo demanded.
"I think he left when you started arguing over who was going
to marry him," Nabiki announced, she standing at the kitchen doorway.
The four girls exchanged a shocked look, then Ukyou grunted.
"Damn it! We better find him before he gets too far away...!!"
"ENOUGH!!!!"
Everyone spun on Genma, who was now staggering to his feet. "My
son will marry Akane even if it's over all your dead bodies!" the
Saotome patriarch growled, then gasped as a ribbon snared him by the
throat.
Kodachi yanked Genma into the yard, sending him face-first
into the cherry tree by the koi point. A storm of bokken strikes
followed. "HOW DARE YOU PRESUME YOUR FOUL SORCERER OF A SON WILL
MARRY TENDOU AKANE?!?!" Kunou thundered.
Shampoo looked at Ukyou. "Let's go find Airen!"
"Right!!" The chef nodded, then screamed out as chains wrapped
around her. "Hey!!! What the hell are you doing, Mousse?!!"
"Ensuring Saotome will NEVER have my Shampoo!!" the
weapons-master snarled, then screamed out as Shampoo's bonbori slams
into him.
"Stupid Mousse!! Mind your own business for once!" Shampoo
growled, then screamed out as Souun lunged at her with a table.
"Aiyah!!"
He unleashed the Demon Head. "RANMA WILL MARRY AKANE!!!!"
That caused Mousse to release Ukyou, then he fired a storm of
knives. "HOW DARE YOU THREATEN SHAMPOO?!?!"
Souun's battle cry quickly turned into a panicked yelp. Ukyou
growled, then lunged into the front lawn before taking a look around.
"Akane...?" she whispered, then cursed herself. "Damn! She must've
gone after Ran-chan!" Her eyes fell on Genma, who was being deluged
by a joint assault from the Kunous. "Well, might as well get some
practice in," she declared, then lunged over to help...
* * *
"Ranma!!! Ranma, where are you?!!"
Ranma looked over as Akane ran toward the bridge over the
Shakujii River where he normally came when he wanted to be alone.
He remained quiet as she jogged up. "Baka! There you are!" She
breathed out, then put fists to hips. "Why did you run off like
that?"
He looked nowhere in particular before shrugging. "I didn't
want to get involved this time. Doin' that doesn't do spit for any
of us, so I decided ta do something else for a change. Feels nice
not to be in the centre of some useless fight like that."
Akane blinked, then sighed. "Ranma..." she whispered, then took
a deep breath before continuing. "Ranma, they're not going to stop
just because you ducked out. Don't you understand?! It's because
of YOU that they're fighting..."
"***THEN IT'S THEIR PROBLEM!!!!***"
Akane gasped, her eyes widening as Ranma's battle aura clicked
on, surrounding him in a sea of pure crimson fury. "R-r-ranma...!"
He pointed at her. "Is that all I am to you?!! Just a THING
for all of you to fight over?!! Somethin' nobody, EVEN YOU, really
cares a flying DAMN about?!! Is that all I really am to you?!! IS
IT?!! WELL?!?!?!"
She shuddered, her mouth fluttering as she tried to give him an
answer. Staring at her, Ranma growled. "Fine!! Since I'm not bein'
given any chance to decide anything for myself, then I say this: you
can beat each other senseless for all I care now!!! Hell, you can
KILL each other for all I care!! Either way, I'll be rid of you
all!! When you FINALLY decide ta treat me like I'm a person, THEN
talk to me!!"
He stormed off. Akane was rooted in place, her eyes wide with
disbelief as those words echoed deep inside her mind. Suddenly,
a storm of anger welled in her as she felt Mallet-sama materialize
in her hands. Growling, she lunged after him. "***RANMA NO
BAKA!!!!***"
The mallet slammed home on the back of Ranma's head...
...then shattered!
Akane gasped as the pieces cascaded around him. He turned
around to glare at her, clearly not the least bit affected by her
attack. Her eyes then locked on his face as a grip of mortal TERROR
snared her heart.
The look there...!
Oh, no! Oh, Kami-sama, please, no...! Not this...!
Don't let it end like THIS!!
Ranma shuddered, then blinked before a strange calm crossed
his face. "Fine," he declared before turning around and walking
away.
Akane stayed rooted in place as he turned a corner, then
vanished. She then blinked as a voice in her mind began to warn her
that what she had just done was probably the most STUPID thing she'd
ever done with her fianc�.
"Ranma..." She shuddered, then turned away. "I'm sorry..."
* * *
Nearby...
"I'm surprised he didn't kill her for that!"
"For all his faults, Cologne-chan, the boy is not THAT!"
Cologne blinked, then stared at Happousai before a slow nod
shifted her head. She then glanced in the direction Ranma had
disappeared. "He's going to that new restaurant that'll open this
week," she reported.
"Smart, given who runs the place," the grandmaster of Musabetsu
Kakutou-ryuu noted, then drew his pipe and took a tentative puff.
Cologne blinked, then looked at him. "You know her?"
A grin split his face, then he whispered something into the
Nyu-che-zuu elder's ear. She blinked, then her eyes went totally
wide. "GODDESS!!! Happy, you MUST be joking...!!" she sputtered,
staring at Happousai.
He shook his head. "Nope." He turned to leave. "It's time for
some damage control here, Cologne-chan. I'll worry about the two
dunderheads and the fool's wife. Keep Shampoo-chan occupied for the
time being. Maybe the boy'll listen to us with them out of the way."
She watched him go, then nodded. "I hope you're right,
Happy..."
* * *
"So, you are the one, aren't you...?"
Chikage drew out a tarot card from her pocket, then looked at
it. The Fool, herald of new beginnings.
A befitting card indeed.
"...Ane-kun?"
* * *
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 -----'