Returning Home
Chapter 1
By David Farr
Ranma 1/2 is copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan,Inc and is used here respectfully for the purposes of fanfiction. This story may be redistributed only if unchanged and no fee is charged.
*****
The streets of Nerima enjoyed another in a long string of silent days. Not totally silent. People still strode purposefully on errands, cars still cruised by and bells of bikes still chimed happily. The peace of these streets was a peace that the town had almost managed to stop missing after a year of insane martial arts antics involving some of its youths. Insurance rates were back down, construction charges were once again reasonable and a few of the lingerie shops were still having sales after finding themselves overstocked.
It was as if the linchpin in the cycle of madness had gone missing, sending its components flying to the four corners of the world. Surprisingly, that wasn't far from the truth.
Only a few pedestrians, those that were in the know, worried when the air above the road shimmered and became glassy. It wasn't a heat effect. Instead it really did look as though a pane of water hovering about a meter off the ground. The phenomenon hung there for a few seconds, then twisted itself into a clear and silent whirlpool hanging space.
There was a strange sound, part pop and part hum, and a young man was thrown from the vortex. He flew through the air, landed on his feet, then propelling himself into a flip to counter for his momentum. Gracefully he landed in a crouch and, with his intense brown eyes, he scanned the area. Clothed in heavy dark cloth that hugged his form, the young man gave the appearance of a warrior or mercenary from a war movie. The small baby strapped in a knapsack on his back utterly ruined this image.
Moments passed before the vortex ejected another. This one was a girl, no more than five, maybe less, wearing clothes similar to the man's. If it was not for her dirty red hair, the girl could have passed for the man's daughter, if he'd had her when he was still a teenager. She landed with expert ease behind the man, stabilising herself with a spear at least twice her height. Her weapon gleamed in the sunlight as the vortex ejected one final person before snapping shut.
The woman fell into a roll as she struck the ground, coming up next to the man, facing in the other direction. She was as serious and dangerous looking as her two companions, although like the man, she carried no weapons. Her black hair was cropped short and just as grimy as her clothes.
All three stood and looked around, their soot smeared faces emotionless as their eyes probed the area. For moments none uttered a word.
"Looks safe," the man spoke a language that none of the locals could have understood, as it had never before been spoken on this world, let alone this small town. He turned to find the woman's gaze fixed on a sign. A sign sitting outside a nearby store had captured her attention. Obviously it had been closed for some time, but the sign still hung above it.
"Ucchan's," the girl read. "What's that papa?" She turned expectantly to the man, whose jaw was hanging open.
The woman turned to the man, an unspoken question in her hopeful eyes. A small metal block appeared in his hands, and for a moment he studied it carefully before he grinned. "We have a match."
"We're home," the woman whispered. She enthusiastically threw her arms around him in a bear hug. "I can't believe it, we're finally HOME!"
"Careful, the baby," the man croaked, the sound of his joints cracking almost drowning out his words.
*****
"..... School of Indiscriminate Grappling," the girl read, staring up at the sign above the gate. The two large doors looked much as the young man and woman remembered them, although the memories were hazy at best. The young girl had never stood before them.
"Why do you have to read every sign we see?" asked her father.
The girl gave him a cheeky smile and poked her tongue at him, then turned to gaze up at her mother. The baby was now cradled protectively in her arms, sleeping peacefully. "Are we gonna go in?"
Smiling the woman nodded. "Yes, someone might be home."
"Jeez, I hope your old man isn't mad at us." The man unconsciously shifted his stance so he could play with his pigtail and stand on one foot. "Don't really want to go through one of his fits."
"He wasn't that bad," the woman stared wistfully at the gate. "It'll be good to be home, no matter how much time has passed."
"Well, lets go in!" the girl exclaimed. Hopping from foot to foot excitedly.
"Impatient as always," the man chuckled, and stepped forward to push lightly at the gate. It swung open, revealing the house beyond.
A woman stood on the porch, dusting away with a broom, as the group stepped through the gate. She looked mature, wearing a housewife's outfit, but still her face showed that she was too young for the job. She looked up and smiled as they approached.
"Hello may I help you?" she inquired, her voice sweet and friendly.
"Sheese, she don't even recognise us," the man complained in fluent Japanese.
The woman glared at him, almost shooting daggers. "It has been a while you know, Ranma. You can't blame her for not recognising her own sister."
The broom fell from Kasumi's hands as her face lit up in surprise and delight. "RANMA, AKANE! YOU"RE BACK!"
The crashing of feet from inside drowned out the clattering of the broom hitting the ground. It was only moments before the door to the house was thrown open. A young woman with brown hair and a boyish face lead the charge, followed by a fat old man wearing glasses and a white gi, then finally a slightly younger man with a brown moustache.
The rush skidded to a halt as the trio took in the sight before them. Ranma and Akane were back, but very different. Both looked at their families with a quiet confidence, smiles on their lips, yet their eyes shone with restrained joy and love. Even yet both seemed a little taller, a little more mature.
Akane no longer looked the tomboy. Somewhere she had gained a grace and ease, both in her movements, and her manner, that was uncharacteristic in the youngest Tendo girl. Finally her stance belied her increased self-confidence, there was no tensing indicating the anger she normally carried around.
On the other hand Ranma's confidence seemed to have fallen. Or more that he was no longer overconfident. Before, even when apparently standing relaxed, his muscles were tensed, ready to react. Now, though, Ranma simply watched them with his piercing brown eyes, his guard totally down. And that was to say nothing about the baby strapped to his back.
Everyone started talking at once.
"QUIET!" Ranma yelled, silencing everyone. "Sheesh, what a welcome home."
"So where've you been Ranma?" Nabiki was the first to break the silence.
Ranma grinned. "Now that's a long story..."
"About five years long," Akane interrupted, "and we'd like a bath before we even try to start telling it."
"Oh yeah, a bath would be great," Ranma sighed, wistfully staring into the distance.
"Of course," Kasumi fussed. "You're all wearing enough dirt to cover the gardens. Off to the furo with you." She waved them into the house.
*****
Kasumi hummed happily as she walked along the corridor towards the bath. It was good that the two were back, even if there were many unanswered questions. There was no point in worrying about it all, she would do what she could and that was all that was needed.
She found a very unhappy looking child standing leaning against the doorframe to the outer bathroom. The little girl had cleaned up well and Kasumi could easily see both Ranma and Akane in her. Red hair like that could only have come from Ranma's female side, but those eyes were definitely her sister's. Only time would tell which parent the child's body would mimic. Her weapon, a long pole with a spear-head at the top was held closely within her crossed arms, one hand holding it tight.
"Hello," Kasumi greeted the child warmly, smiling one of her most comforting smiles. "We didn't get properly introduced earlier. I'm Kasumi, and you are?"
The girl shifted quickly and Kasumi suddenly found herself at the wrong end of the spear. "I'm Ukyo Saotome of the clan Saotome, and I'm not going to let you near my parents!"
Kasumi added the child's comments to her long list of things to be questioned later and held out the bundle she carried. "I was just bringing them some fresh clothes from upstairs. I thought it might be nice for them to have something clean to wear." She purposefully ignored the fact that young Ukyo was wearing a perfectly clean set of the clothes she'd been wearing before.
"Ummm," Chibi-Ukyo seemed caught off-guard. "I don't think they need them."
Kasumi increased the brightness of her smile. "Why don't you ask them?"
Chibi-Ukyo nodded. "Okay," she threw open the door and stuck her head in. "Mom, dad, there's a woman here who says she has some clothes for you!"
"Is that you Kasumi?" Akane called from beyond the inside door.
"Yes it is! I thought you might like some a change of clothes."
"Thanks, just leave them out there!"
"Okay," Kasumi slipped past the spear-wielding child and placed the two bundles of folded clothes on the bench. "Shall I take Ukyo into the kitchen to get her something to eat?" Behind her Chibi-Ukyo perked up, she had her father's appetite.
"If you don't mind!"
Inside, Akane held her baby son and smiled across the furo at the man she loved. "Its nice having someone to care about us again, isn't it?"
Ranma nodded, and slid further into the warm waters. "I'd almost forgotten what civilisation felt like."
Akane's expression turned grim. "How do you think Ukyo's going to cope? She's hardly had a normal upbringing."
"Same as we've always coped, as a family." Ranma closed his eyes and sighed. "Its not as if either of us had a normal childhood."
"I know, but weren't fighting a war for the first four years of our life."
*****
Nabiki, Soun and Genma knelt around the table as Kasumi lead Chibi-Ukyo into the room. She'd failed to convince the child to leave behind the spear even though it meant the child had to carry her food bowl and cutlery in one hand. The three about the table fell silent as the pair entered.
Kasumi's smile didn't falter, but her eyes showed her disapproval of their sudden silence. "Ukyo, these are your Aunt Nabiki, and Grandfathers Genma and Soun."
Soun immediately burst into tears. "My daughter's had a child!"
"Be serious father," Nabiki drawled. "She can't possibly be Akane's daughter."
The tip of Chibi-Ukyo's spear materialised next to Nabiki's head. "TAKE THAT BACK!"
Gently Nabiki pushed the weapon away. "Point that somewhere else, kid," she said flatly. "Akane and Ranma haven't been away long enough to have a baby, let alone a child your age."
"What, you don't think five years is enough, sister dearest?" Ranma quipped from the doorway.
He and Akane stood there, smiling at the scene before them. Both had changed into the clothes Kasumi had supplied - a red chinese shirt and black trousers for Ranma, and cream jumper and red skirt combo for Akane - which, with the clean up, went some way to restoring the two to their teenage appearance. Still, there was something about them, in the eyes and the way they stood, that showed they were no longer the teenagers that had fought almost daily in the Tendo house.
Nabiki turned to regard Ranma. "It's only been three months Ranma."
Ranma shrugged. "For you maybe, five years for us." He walked over and dropped into a place at the table, Akane followed him carrying their son and Ukyo fell into place on his other side. She immediately started inhaling her food.
Kasumi shifted over slightly to peer at the baby held in Akane's arms, then looked questioningly up at her. Her sister replied with a smile and offered the child to the other, who accepted it gratefully and started gentlely started rocking him.
"What do you mean?" Nabiki inquired patronisingly. It was obvious she thought Ranma was an idiot, but then she had always thought that.
"Well where we've been time goes faster than it does here, it has to do with what the prof called trans-tempar... trans-temp..."
Akane looked up from watching Kasumi and the baby. "Trans-temporal disharmony," she supplied.
"And that means?" Genma asked, leaning forward.
"That time passes faster in some worlds than others." Akane smiled cheekily.
"Great circular argument Akane," Nabiki deadpanned.
"So where have you been?" Kasumi asked brightly, leaving off cooing to the child for a moment. She seemed to be enjoying playing with the baby. "Father, do stop crying and pay attention," she added to the side.
Soun sniffled a few times and stopped the waterworks. "Sorry, Kasumi."
"Where've we been?" Ranma leant back and stared up at the ceiling, scratching the back of his head. "There was that world with all the robots that hated us 'cause we walked on two legs."
"Or there was that beautiful, palatial world where everything sparkled like diamonds," Akane sighed.
Ranma's brow furrowed. "Wasn't that the one where all the people where inhabited by demons 'cause they were so decadent."
Akane nodded saddly. "That's right, such a pity, I really loved it there."
"The candy world! The candy world!" Ukyo cried, jumping up and down waving her empty bowl.
Ranma shot his daughter a dirty look. "Trust you to think of that. All I can remember of that trip is your stomach ache."
Akane smiled at the confused faces of her family. "We got kind of lost--"
"More so than Ryoga," Ranma interjected, grinning.
"And ended up on this other world that was earth, but at the same time wasn't." Akane continued, ignoring his side comment. "Anyway, we helped the people there with a problem they were having with a tyrant. The battle was long and well, we kind of got close."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, having to rely so much on each other does that." He and Akane turned and shared a warm gaze.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Nabiki murmured.
Akane broke off and returned her attention to her family. "Anyway, after the battle a group of their scientists researched us and our world travelling. It took them over a year to come up with something, and even then they couldn't guarantee that we'd get home on the first try. "
"During which time we had this delightful urchin," Ranma mussed his daughter's hair. "We spent a lot of time discussing whether or not we wanted to take her with us or stay there and raise her before returning.
"Then the professor who'd made the breakthrough told us that time passed differently in the worlds, and he had no way of telling how long it had been. We decided we couldn't risk coming back and finding you all old, so we spent some time training with Ukyo strapped to our backs, then jumped."
Akane nodded. "But each jump seemed to take us further from home. We spent years travelling, hoping that we'd get home. And during that time we had another child."
Ranma took over the tale again. "Thankfully Ukyo was old enough to help me defend her mother, not that Akane was helpless, but the extra pair of hands was appreciated." Ukyo grinned happily at his compliment.
Sighing Akane looked down at the table. "Somehow we always ended up in worlds where there were problems and battles. Even if we found an Eden there was always a snake."
The table fell into an awkward silence.
"So what's this one's name?" Kasumi shifted the baby in her arms to gently stoke his head. He immediately grabbed hold of her finger causing Kasumi to wince slightly.
Akane's motherly pride took over. "This is Ryoga."
"Oh, how cute." Kasumi cooed.
Nabiki raised one eyebrow. "Yeah, sure he's your's Ranma?" She immediately found her pierced by twin glares from her sister and her lover.
"Did you come up with the name, Akane?" Kasumi was trying unsuccessfully to get her finger back from the baby.
"No, Ranma suggested it."
Everyone turned to stare at the boy.
Ranma shrugged in answer. "Hey, he was my best enemy and friend. I needed something to remind me of him."
"Same with Ukyo," Akane sighed. "Where are they anyway? We saw Ucchan's was closed when we arrived."
Nabiki shrugged. "They were all off searching for the two of you last we heard. We all made a pact: the moment we found anything about you, we'd tell the others. Which reminds me, I've got some phone calls to make."
"Aww, I don't know if I'm ready for all of that again," Ranma complained. "We just came through hell, I was hoping for some peace."
Nabiki stood, smiling one her patronising smiles. "Relax Ranma, most of them are using voice mail. They probably won't receive the message for days, and even then it'll be a while before they get back here."
"You said most of them," Akane pointed out. "Who isn't?"
Nabiki sighed theatrically. "The Kunos, they're paying for the voice mailboxes and decided to upgrade their services to a call through service. They always get any messages immediately. Besides which, we promised and I'm not going to break this one for anyone."
"I'm sure your getting some sadistic pleasure out of this," Ranma shot at her.
"Me?" Nabiki innocently asked, closing the door. Ukyo took this chance to leap to her feet and toddle off to the kitchen.
Ranma sighed. "I suppose it wouldn't be home without them all."
Akane smiled. "That's true. I think we'd better get settled in before they start arriving."
"Okay, I'll go set up our stuff." He turned to his father. "Pop, we're taking the guest room for us and the kids." He started towards the door.
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" the old man complained.
"Akane's old room," Ranma suggested, standing from the table.
"After I've cleared it out!" Akane snapped.
"But--" he was cut off by the sudden appearance behind him of Ukyo spear in one hand, glass of water in the other. Giggling the little girl poured the cold liquid over her grandfather.
"And you were worried about her," Ranma joked to Akane as he vanished through the doorway.
*****
"Moshi moshi," the voice answered at the other end of the line.
"Nabiki Tendo? It is I, Tatewaki Kuno!" The young man announced.
"Oh, Kuno-baby, I've been waiting for your call. I suppose you've got your message."
"Certainly. Is it true that my beloved Akane Tendo and the pig-tailed-goddess have returned?"
"Well, yes, but--"
"Then inform them that I will be there shortly to free them from the evil enchantments of that vile sorcerer Saotome!"
"Kuno! Listen!" Nabiki cried into the now dead line. She slammed the phone down, earning a disapproving look from Kasumi as she walked past. "Damn, better warn the lovebirds."
*****
Nabiki stopped at the doorway to the guestroom. Ranma hadn't been kidding when he said he'd set up their stuff. The place looked like a cross between a religious temple and a nursery from some science-fiction show. Wards, statues and symbols adorned the room, and sitting in one corner was the strangest cot she had ever seen.
The cot was lower than she expected. Usually they were tall enough not to force you to stoop too much to get the baby out, but the legs of this one barely lifted the base off the ground. Also the sides didn't offer much security, they barely came up to a person's knee. Despite all of this, though, little Ryoga was sleeping happily in it, floating in the absolutely middle of the small roofless cage.
"Ah, Ranma?" Nabiki looked around the room. Ranma was kneeling next the futons stuffing something into his empty looking pack that had earlier held the baby.
He looked up at her voice. "Yeah Nabiki?"
"Get superstitious all of a sudden?" she waved about the room.
"Seen to much not to believe," he commented. "Five years of running into trouble Nabiki, it's a lot."
Nabiki nodded, remembering the year Ranma had been around, and trying to imagine that run together constantly for almost five years. "Surely you weren't constantly in trouble."
"Aw, naw, we would sometimes settle down somewhere for a few weeks or a month. Especially when Akane was full term with Ryoga there," he nodded to the sleeping baby. "But it's still a lot." A smile crept onto his face. "Akane made it worthwhile though. Being with her is all I wanted, then the kids came and things just got better."
Nabiki looked at her brother-in-law-to-be in a new light. "You've really grown up Ranma."
"Thanks Nabs, it's good to hear you say that," he gave her a quirky smile. "But you didn't come up here to talk about me."
Nabiki blinked in surprise. "Huh? Oh, yeah right. Kuno just called, he said to tell 'his beloved Akane Tendo and the pig-tailed-goddess that he was coming to free them from the vile Saotome,' or words to that effect. You know how he is."
"You didn't tell him about the kids?" Ranma was frowning.
Nabiki shook her head sadly. "Sorry, he didn't give me a chance. Not that it'd stop him, he'd just be mad for longer."
"And cooler when he got here," Ranma surmised. "Well, thanks for the warning anyway."
"Anytime big brother." Nabiki smirked and left the room.
Ranma went back to work for a few seconds before her parting words sunk in. "BIG BROTHER?!"
