When an Old Friend Comes to Town
Ranma's world always experiences a tremor when new faces arrive in Nerima… so, what happens when Akane's childhood friend comes to town?
Chapter 1 – An unexpected meeting
It was the first day of the school holidays, and at the moment Akane felt as though absolutely nothing could dampen her good mood. Her feet, seeking out the route home, moved at a brisk pace that matched the jaunty tune she was humming beneath her breath. It had been a good day for her. She had spent the entire day with Yuka and Sayuri, picnicking in the park, shopping, watching a movie…and had found in it a welcome temporal distraction from the usual craziness that had permeated almost all areas of her life. For a few hours, she'd been able to put from her mind the convoluted complications surrounding her and her jerk of a fiancé, as well as the inner turmoil that arose from her growing lo --no, fondness for said fiancé.
Frenzied barks interrupted her thoughts, and when she stopped and turned in surprise a tiny brown and white figure sped towards her, and a larger, human figure hurried after in chase. In one swift motion, Akane bent and scooped the escaping pup into her arms. For a moment it seemed too astonished to move, then it squirmed around to face her and licked her cheek. Akane laughed and stroked it lovingly as the puppy's panting pursuer closed the distance between them.
"Here," Akane delivered the puppy the into young man's waiting arms with a smile. "I believe this is yours."
The teenager heaved a sigh of relief and gratitude. "Oh, thank you, miss. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost him. My older sister loves him to pieces and –" He cut himself off abruptly and stared incredulously at her, eyes growing round. "Akane?"
Akane started when he called her by name, and instinctively began searching his face for any clue of his identity. The young man was about her age, taller than she was but shorter than Ranma, with dark brown hair cropped at the ear and soot black eyes. His forehead was high, his nose was slightly turned up, and his chin rather squarish. Altogether pleasing to the eye, though Ranma could give him a run for his money…the pieces begin to click in her head and, eyes brightening in recognition, she exclaimed, "Soji?"
He beamed. "Yeah, that's right! Kami-sama, is that really you? Tendo Akane? The girl who sat next to me in kindergarten and pounded the school bully on a daily basis?" His voice was full of admiration.
Akane blushed. "That's me. And you, Tanaka Soji, was the one who drew all the amazing pictures while everyone else was learning to colour within the lines." She remembered those pictures well. Even the teachers had been suitably impressed by his work. But he had always been unpretentious about them.
He fidgeted uncomfortably at the praise and murmured some modest nothings. Seeing his discomfort, Akane hurried to change the subject.
"But what are you doing back in Nerima, Soji? After we graduated from Junior High, you moved to Kyoto with your family, didn't you?"
"Ah well, that…you see, I'm thinking of starting a small business of my own, and with my father's help I managed to secure premises here in Nerima. My sister wanted to help, so she moved here with me," he explained.
"What kind of business?" she asked curiously.
"The food sort. I heard that there's a pretty good demand in this area for restaurants, take out food, that kind of stuff."
"You'll have a lot of competition," Akane warned, " especially from the Cat Café and Ucchan's. They're very popular with the people around here, especially my schoolmates. Personally though, I wouldn't mind eating someplace other then those two places…" she finished sourly, her mind flashing temporarily to the owners of the respective restaurants.
"There's competition everywhere, Akane. I'm just here to try my hand at this business stuff. I just hope it works out…." He trailed off and shifted the puppy, which had fallen asleep exhausted from its exertions somewhere during the conversation, in his grip so that he could reach for a card in his pocket. He handed the card to Akane.
"This is my new address. I'll be cleaning up the place for the next few days, but feel free to drop in any time. I'm eager to catch up with you, for old times' sake." His eyes softened. "I haven't forgotten all that you did for me when we were still in kindergarten and Junior High, Akane. I've yet to thank you for everything."
"There's nothing to thank." Akane said firmly. She took the card from Soji and tucked it safely in her handbag. Glancing up, she saw that the sky would be dark soon.
Soji had noticed the same thing. "You'd better head home, Akane. Come visit me tomorrow?"
Akane smiled. "You bet I will."