Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Everything
A man and his wife sat on the porch just outside their living room, watching their daughters chase each other around the koi pond. Actually, their youngest was the one doing the chasing while her older sisters did the running. The middle daughter teased her baby sister mercilessly, getting just close enough, then darting quickly away as the youngest reached up to grab her. The eldest, on the other hand, would let her sister catch her, brushing off even the roughest of tackles with a graceful smile.
The man chuckled inwardly as he briefly recalled the ungraceful way he had courted his wife. While she grudgingly admitted that their turbulent relationship was her fault just as much as it was his, she never failed to remind him about his youthful bumblings. The man knew that, if he had the chance, he'd willingly relive all the malletings, all the shouting matches, all the attempts to hide his feelings, because they had led to moments like these. Moments in which he sat enjoying the intimate bond between his wife and himself, moments in which he marveled at the three girls playing enthusiastically before him, moments of the deepest, most thankful love. How many more moments like these would he be blessed with?
A thud woke the man from his reverie. He opened his eyes to see the boy he hoped would someday become his son-in-law lying prone before him. He chuckled, out loud this time, as the boy grumbingly got to his feet.
"Stupid, uncute tomboy," the youth muttered. "Always losing her temper."
"Good afternoon, Ranma."
Ranma Saotome jumped when he heard Soun Tendo's deep voice. He turned to see his fiancée's father sitting on the porch just outside the dojo.
"Did Akane send you flying again?"
"You bet she did. I wish I knew what her problem was. Stupid, uncute," Ranma quickly remembered who he was speaking with and instantly clamped his mouth shut. His eyes widened when the man before him laughed.
"When she yells, she reminds me so much of her mother, I sometimes can't bear to ask her to stop." Soun patted the seat beside him. "Have a seat, Ranma."
Ranma began to back away. In his opinion, a talk like this could only lead to trouble. "I'd love to, Mr. Tendo, but you see, I promised my pops I'd…I mean, I have all this homework…well, you see I really have too…"
Something unfamiliar glinted in Soun's eyes when he spoke again. "Please have a seat, Ranma. It won't take long."
Hesitantly, Ranma took a seat beside the older man. Long moments of silence passed. Ranma thought Soun had fallen asleep and was about to sneak away when the man spoke.
"Did you know Ranma, that my own marriage was arranged?"
"It was?" Ranma shrugged. Akane had never mentioned that to him before.
"Yes, it was. My wife and I found out that we were engaged when we were about your age. As a matter of fact, we acted a lot like you and Akane do—we fought all the time, we denied our engagement, we hurt each other, with words and, occasionally, weapons.
"But, the funny thing is, although we argued and complained a lot, we never really broke off the engagement. We defended each other and actually helped one another through a lot of difficult times. I don't know about Kimiko, but part of the reason why I picked so many fights was because I wasn't quite ready for marriage. I knew that, the instant they saw us getting along, our parents would be planning a wedding ceremony."
"Gee, that sounds familiar," Ranma groused.
Soun grinned at him. "It does, doesn't it? Anyway, I still wasn't ready to settle down. There was too much to do, too much to see, and I wanted to do it all, see it all, I wanted everything. Not too soon after high school, I decided I wanted to be the best martial artist I could be. I began traveling with your father and the Master. Sure, the Master's ways weren't necessarily the best ways, but I was learning more and more about the art. I was traveling all over the place, meeting all kinds of people, there were even times when I felt like that 'everything' I was searching so hard for was just there, just within my reach.
Soun glanced over at Ranma, understood the look in the boy's eyes. He nodded to himself then continued speaking, "I went home every so often to see my family. Every time I came home I saw Kimiko." With a chortle he went on, "Sorry. I have to laugh whenever I think about it. You see, no matter how much we appeared to hate each other, on those trips home Kimiko always made an effort to steal an hour or two just for us. Even if we spent the entire time arguing, those hours meant a lot to me.
"After a while, it became harder and harder to leave home, to leave her. I started wanting something else. When I came home, I stayed for longer periods of time. My training trips grew shorter and shorter. It wasn't too long before I figured out that the 'everything' I was looking for began to change. One day I came home, took one look at Kimiko, and instantly knew what the 'everything' I was searching for was. I wanted a home, a life…with her. When I found the courage to tell her this, she laughed and told me she wanted the same things all along, that she was just waiting for me."
Ranma stole a look at Soun. This was the longest he had ever sat with the other man, the first time he had heard anything other than, "Ranma, what have you done to my daughter now?" While, in his own restless way, he appreciated the fact that Soun was confiding in him, he failed to see the other man's point.
"I bet you're wondering what my point is, aren't you son?" Soun closed his eyes, sensed Ranma's nod instead of seeing it. "I recognize that desire to reach for that 'everything' in you.
"Kimiko and I, we had our life together, our house, the dojo. Then Kasumi was born, then Nabiki, then finally Akane. All that time, I had the 'everything' I was searching so hard for, with every change in my life, that 'everything' changed just a little but it was still there. I never noticed though. Despite all I had, I couldn't help wondering if there was something more.
"When my wife died, I realized that I had 'everything' all along, that I failed to realize this completion until it was too late. I felt that, with Kimiko's death, 'everything' was over. I felt sorry for myself for a long time. Then, one day, I opened my eyes and saw my daughters, three beautiful, treasured girls, standing before me, loving me and I remembered that I still had 'everything,' just a different kind. Knowing that I still had all this helped me keep on living.
"What I'm saying son, is that sometimes you have everything you've ever wanted without even knowing it. When you do realize it, take the time to acknowledge its presence. If you ever lose it, remember you can still find 'everything' in something else."
The slamming of the front door seemed to signal the end of the conversation. Akane's voice reached them. "I'm home!"
Soun noted the way Ranma's body tensed in anticipation, the way his eyes lit up with a kind of eager joy.
"Ranma?" his daughter called out, a hint of remorse in her voice. "Are you home?"
The boy in question sprung to his feet, all evidence of his earlier anger quickly brushed away. "I'm right here, Akane." He made to hurry away, then stopped. "Mr. Tendo?" Ranma bowed low. "Thank you. I don't think I entirely got what you meant, but thank you."
******
Akane moaned. It hurt, way too much.
"Come on, Akane," Ranma chanted from next to her. He tried to make his voice more comforting, tried to erase the worry that was threatening to overcome him. It was all his fault. He should have refused to let her come along. When she insisted on going, he should have stayed home instead. He should have kept her out of danger, kept her safe. Instead, unable to refuse her anything, he had grudgingly agreed, and they were both going to pay. "Just hold on, a little bit longer, you can do it."
Her eyes rolled back in her head as another wave of pain washed over her. She gasped, but no sound came out. She had lost her voice long ages before.
Ranma attempted to block out the nurses and doctors bustling around them. He focused all his attention on Akane, wishing that he could somehow channel all the hurt into his own body. He whispered pleadingly, "I know you won't give up, Akane. I know you won't. Where's all that brute strength of yours, you stubborn tomboy? Fight Akane, fight. I know you can win."
Akane's jaw clenched. A bleak tightness pounded throughout her. How easy would it be to just let go? How simple would it be to just float above the pain, to release the heaviness that was choking her?
Around them, machines whistled and beeped. "Her blood pressure's dropping, Doctor."
Ranma panicked when he noticed the pace in the room quickened. His eyes blurred as he watched the doctors do things to Akane, his ears prickled as they barked out orders in a jargon he couldn't understand. Vaguely he acknowledged someone pulling him away from Akane. He clutched her hand tighter. What were they doing? What was going on?
"We're losing her!" The air throbbed with urgency.
A hand touched Ranma's arm. "Mr. Saotome, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave." How could anyone, relaying such terrible news, sound so calm, so collected?
Terror choked him. He shook off the hand that grabbed him and moved closer to Akane. "What are you doing?" he croaked. "I can't leave her!"
"You have to leave, Mr. Saotome."
Around them, figures blurred as someone began to call out numbers. "I'm not going anywhere."
The operating room doors burst open and more people rushed into the room.
A man, one of the doctors, called out, "There are too many people in here! You're crowding her. All non-essential personnel must leave immediately!"
Another hand closed around Ranma's shoulder. "That means you, Mr. Saotome."
"What…what's wrong? What's wrong with Akane?" Non-essential? Since when did he become non-essential? In a daze, he felt himself being pulled away from Akane's side. He protested, twisting like an octopus to avoid the people closing in around him. "I'm not leaving Akane. She's my wife, dammit. I can't leave her! She needs me!" I need her.
Someone yelled again, "We're losing her!" The chaos increased. Orders were barked out, metal clanked against metal.
Ranma shot forward but too many hands held him fast. Emotionally drained, he found himself unable to summon even a teaspoon of his normal strength. "I'm sorry, Mr. Saotome," he heard a voice say. "We'll do our best, I promise."
Foggily, Ranma blinked in his new surroundings. Gone was the sterility of the operating room. The words "Waiting Room" hung ominously over his head. Slowly he took in the many plastic chairs, the people perched worriedly on the edges. Vaguely he felt a presence beside him. Because it was trying so hard to be soothing, he knew instantly that it was Kasumi. "Ranma? Is everything okay?"
Ranma felt his legs give out from underneath him. Sobs wracked his body and the words clawed at his throat. "No, nothing's okay. Not anymore. It's over. Everything's over."
******
A man clapped his hands twice then bent his head in prayer. "I miss you." He knelt down beside the headstone, brushed aside a stray leaf, rearranged the flower arrangement that sat at the head of the grave. He prepared himself for another barrage of tears, but found that the well had run dry. He ran his hand along the headstone, tracing the characters of his wife's name with painstakingly slow strokes.
"I miss you," he whispered again. "It's funny how the little things suddenly seem so big--holding your hand, stroking your hair, kissing your cheek." He inhaled shakily.
Behind him, Kasumi and Nabiki moved closer, each placing a hand on his back. It wasn't the first time he stood in front of his wife's grave, their hands pressed to his back, a warm reassurance. This year, unlike years past, only two hands held him strong. The third, the smallest hand, was elsewhere. Soun Tendo felt a tightness squeeze his heart.
"Daddy?" at Nabiki's voice, Soun forced himself to stand. He gazed at his daughters, their faces stained with exhaustion, their eyes burning with a wistful light. He engulfed them in bear hugs and spoke softly in their ears. "Come. It's time to see your sister."
******
Ranma Saotome brushed dry lips across his wife's forehead. A trembling hand moved up to stroke her hair. She was so still, so unmoving. She was pale, peacefully so.
He buried his face in his hands. Everything was different now; his life was completely changed. After all the grief and trauma, the end seemed almost anticlimactic. It seemed so strange that, after all the noise, Akane was laying before him, the picture of tranquility, in a room blaring with silence.
He rubbed at red-rimmed eyes. Was he ready to take on this new life? He felt so weak, so overwhelmed, so drained. Could he be strong enough now? Looking down at Akane, he knew he would be, he had to be. He had to find the strength, not just for him, but for his family as well.
The window was open. A light breeze ruffled Akane's hair.
He heard the door open. Pathetic tiny cries heralded the footsteps that apologetically made their way into the room. Ranma looked up to see one of the nurse's cradling a squirming bundle with a face that was a miniature, red and squawky version of his own. Misery seemed to permeate the baby's entire being, and Ranma reached for the child, instinctively wanting to soothe and protect. The wails stopped instantly, turning instead into a comforting gurgle.
When the nurse spoke, her voice was low. "I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Saotome. He woke up in tears." Her smile was kind. "I think he knew you needed him." Ranma nodded. As she left the room he whispered a hoarse, "Thank you," not completely sure if he was thanking the nurse or the warmth in his arms.
Ranma turned an awe-filled gaze down at his son. It seemed to him that he would never get used to the fact that this tiny person, this gift that Akane had sheltered for almost nine months, was truly in the world.
He sensed the person on the bed shift very very slightly. He blinked, then turned his eyes from his son to the woman lying on the bed beside him.
His heart soared as his wife smiled his favorite smile.
"He woke you."
"He did," she admitted. Akane's laugh was reassuringly weak, her voice raspy. "I was going to try to go back to sleep, but I figured I should get used to it."
"Do you want to hold him now?" Ranma asked, unable to keep the reluctance out of his voice.
Akane shook her head. "No, I like watching you hold him. But," she said as she gingerly made space on the bed, "you have to sit here with me so I can cuddle too."
Ranma, his son carefully enfolded in his arms, climbed onto Akane's bed. Akane rearranged herself so that, with her head resting against Ranma, she too could admire their son.
Ranma watched Akane's fingers poke studiously at their child, listened to her coo at his soft sighs. He breathed in deeply, letting the smell of his new family fill him.
"What are you doing, Ranma?" Akane peered up at him with curiosity.
"Just taking it all in."
"Taking what in?"
He grinned. "Everything."