Chapter 53 The Sauce of Ten Years
Ranma walked into the house and said, "I'm home." He pulled off his shoes and placed them in the cubby by the front door and wearily made his way toward the stairs and his bedroom. 'I hate clean-up duty,' he thought, 'Especially when it's just me and those ditzy girls from the glee club. It wouldn't have been so bad if Akane or one of the others had been there with me, but all those silly girls wanted to do was gossip about Souta, Sayuri, Hiroshi and Nabiki. What's with them, are we getting a love triangle, no, not triangle, what's that four-sided thingy called? Anyway, what happened to Sayuri? She disappeared after lunch.'
"Hello, Ranma," Kasumi called from the family room, just as he reached the foot of the stairs. "How was your day?"
"Not too bad, thanks for asking. Where is everybody?" Ranma asked.
"Akane is in the dojo with Sayuri," Kasumi replied. She hesitated for a minute and then asked, "What happened today? Daddy said Sayuri came home early and locked herself in the bedroom. It took Akane almost an hour to talk her out of there and to go to the dojo."
"I'm not sure," Ranma replied, slowly, "We were teasing Hiroshi about several girls having a crush on him and she ran off." He paused and thought about that, his face suddenly showing a dawning realization. "You know, if I didn't know any better, it's almost like she still has feelings for Hiroshi," he said.
Kasumi frowned almost imperceptibly and said, "She more than likely does. After all, she dated Hiroshi for most of a year. You don't turn those kinds of feelings off overnight."
"But she's dating Souta," Ranma said, half in protest.
"Did you ever have feelings for more than one person, and didn't know how to choose the one you wanted the most?" Kasumi asked.
"Who me?" Ranma asked, innocently. 'At least not this time around,' he thought, 'idiot that I was then.'
"Akane suggested that maybe the other girls shouldn't work out with them today," Kasumi added, interrupting his musings, "Something about not wanting to set her off again. I assume she meant Sayuri."
"That's fine, we can practice by the koi pond," Ranma agreed, "Besides, the fish and the water movement might help them relax. I'll go change, and let them know I'm here. Oh, and do we have the things for stir fry?"
Kasumi thought for a moment and said, "Mostly. I'll need to run to the market and get some scallions, and we're out of bean sprouts. Why?"
"Well, remember Sayuri saying she liked stir fry?" Ranma replied, "I thought we could make something special for her. And I'll help, since I know that's extra effort for you."
"That's very kind of you, doing something special for her," Kasumi said.
Ranma shrugged and replied, "She's family, she's worth it."
Ranma waited for Nabiki and Hinako to join her outside by the koi pond. While she waited, she sat in the lotus position, and rested her hands on her knees while she took several deep cleansing breaths, her eyes closed and her face in calm repose. 'I wish Pop had learned to do this, he might have been a better person for it,' she thought, as feelings of peace washed through her body.
"Ranma," Nabiki said, tentatively, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but are you ready?"
Ranma opened her eyes and smiled at Nabiki. "Sure, sis. Just doing a different form of meditation, is all. Now, before we start, the reason it's just the three of us, is that Sayuri is still upset from lunch today. I don't know why she is, but Akane asked that we not disturb them," Ranma said.
Nabiki frowned slightly and said, "If the little bit of teasing that you guys did about Hiroshi set her off like that, there's something else going on."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, so let's just get on with our meditation exercises," Hinako said, with an impatient sniff, "We need to get Nabiki all buff for her new boyfriend."
Nabiki glared at her friend for a moment, while Hinako giggled. "I thought you were the one with a crush on Hiroshi," Nabiki shot back, finally.
"That was pretty lame, especially for you," Ranma said with a giggle, "I know you can do better than that." That earned a glare from Nabiki also. "Okay, enough teasing, let's do our exercises, before Hinako and I go help Kasumi in the kitchen," Ranma said.
"You're gonna help tonight?" Hinako asked.
"Yep, I wanted some stir fry tonight, sort of giving Sayuri a little treat after the day she had," Ranma said quietly, "So are you two ready? We'll do the first kata." She stood up and waited for the other two girls to get in position. "Okay, follow me," she said.
Souta shifted uncomfortably next to his girlfriend, as once again he could feel something boiling off of her, some emotion he wasn't quite able to put his finger on. His discomfort wasn't eased by the events of the last several hours. Her lack of conversation when he had called her last night she had explained as one part exhaustion and two parts embarrassment for her behavior at lunch, so he had accepted that response with a bit too much alacrity. But her brief hug this morning, with only a minimal greeting had caused warning sirens to go off in his brain. While he didn't really consider himself a ladies man, in spite of his reputation, one that he strenuously encouraged, by the way, if only to maintain face with the rest of the randy upper classmen, he had been in enough relationships to recognize when things were about to fall apart. And now, with Sayuri once again glaring at the apparently oblivious new couple in their midst, it was plain as the nose on his face that he needed to have an interesting discussion with his supposed girlfriend as soon as possible.
Nabiki opened her bento, ignoring the stare from Sayuri, and once again pulled out a present for Hiroshi. "Here's a little something from your girlfriend, Hiroshi," she teased, handing him another wax-paper bundle.
Opening the gift, Hiroshi was surprised to find a small selection of sushi. "Cool it on the girlfriend thing," Hiroshi whispered, "I don't want to upset Sayuri like yesterday."
Nabiki smiled apologetically and nodded. "Be careful with the sushi," she warned, "I think she was a bit generous with the wasabi when she made the mackerel, and the shrimp. There's some pickled ginger in my box for clearing your palate after each piece."
Hiroshi used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of sushi and popped it in his mouth. His eyes bulged slightly as he felt the bite of the horseradish. After he had swallowed, he opened his mouth and fanned it for a second. "Whooo, you weren't kidding. I like spicy, that was just a tad strong," he said after drinking some water. He picked up a small piece of the ginger from Nabiki's box and chewed on that.
"Ukyo, you look in good spirits today," Yuka said, "Did you and Konatsu have FUN last night?"
Ukyo blushed furiously as Yuka pressed her advantage. "You are so busted girl," Yuka crowed, "Now spill. How was it?"
"It wasn't anything like that," Ukyo protested weakly, "We're still waiting until we get married. No, what I'm excited about is what day it is."
"Huh, that doesn't make any sense," Akane said, her face puzzled.
"Oh, it's just that my sauce is finally ready to be opened," Ukyo replied, not clearing anything up as far as anyone there was concerned. Though, Akane thought she saw an odd look on Ranma's face, a look that there was something that he was trying to remember, that was just out of his reach for the moment.
"What sauce? What are you talking about?" Daisuke asked.
"I made my father's legendary sauce ten years ago today. I get to open it up and see how it tastes this evening. I'm so excited, I just hope I made it right," Ukyo replied.
Ranma's face paled as something finally clicked. 'The sauce! What am I going to do about that?' he thought.
'He remembered something,' Nabiki and Akane both thought simultaneously. They traded looks as if to say, "This can't be good."
Souta stood up and extended his hand down to Sayuri. "We've got a few minutes until the bell, and I need to talk to you," he said.
Sayuri avoided his eyes but stretched out her hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She handed him her bento and the two of them walked off.
Souta led Sayuri behind the boy's gymnasium, and into the small wooded area next to the track, where he hoped for a little privacy.
"What's this all about?" Sayuri asked, her voice trembling.
Souta sighed heavily and replied, "I've been noticing things that concern me, Sayuri. And I decided that we needed to talk about them and clear the air."
Sayuri dropped her eyes to the ground and said, "Go ahead then. I'm all ears."
Souta ran his hands through his hair, procrastinating for a moment and then said, "I care a great deal for you, Sayuri. Whatever else you hear, don't forget that, please. But, I can't help but notice your reaction toward Hiroshi. You hate the idea that he might be finding someone else to date. It's almost like you were using me for a while until you could figure out a graceful way to start dating him again."
"No!" Sayuri exclaimed, "It's not like that at all. I would never do that. I care for you."
"It's okay if you are, Sayuri. I knew that was a risk when I asked you out so soon after you broke up with him," Souta said, sadly, "I have to admit the reason I asked you out in the first place was to make my mom happy. Our parents wanted us to date, and when she found out that you had broken it off with Hiroshi, she strongly suggested I ask you out."
"I know. I figured that out after I had that fight with my mother," Sayuri said, finally looking him in the eyes, "But at the time, I didn't care."
"But now you do, don't you?" Souta asked sadly.
Sayuri clasped her hands together and hung her head. "Yeah, I guess I do," she replied almost inaudibly. Silent tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Souta sagged back against one of the trees and said, "That's what I was afraid you'd say." He sighed once more and added, "This isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. You need to decide who you want to be with, since it's apparent to me that you are confused. Don't wait too long or you might lose us both."
"What do you mean?" Sayuri asked, afraid of the answer.
"I'm letting you go," Souta said, "I have to. It's a cliché, I know, but the reason it's a cliché is because there is a nugget of truth to it. The old saying, if you love someone, let them go, because if it is really love, they'll come back."
Sayuri sniffed back a tear and said, "I never wanted to hurt you."
"I know, and I hate being noble like this, but you know, I don't have a choice," Souta said sadly.
Sayuri cocked her head to one side and said, "Of course you have a choice. You could have stayed with me."
"Not really. I could tell that it hurt you greatly to see Hiroshi with Nabiki. That tells me that you have feelings still for him. Not surprising really, you dated him for so long. And remember, my sister's supposed to be a temple priestess. She'd kill me if I actually hurt a girl emotionally."
"Supposed to be a priestess? Isn't that one of those all or nothing things?" Sayuri asked interested in spite of the pain she was feeling. Though if she was being honest with herself, it didn't hurt like she thought it should have.
"I don't think she and her boyfriend are quite as chaste as Mom would like me to believe," Souta said with a tired grin, "And I'm almost positive I saw a couple of rings on the chain she wears around her neck."
"You are a good boyfriend," Sayuri began.
"Were," Souta interrupted, "Maybe we'll get back together again, maybe not." He sighed and said, "Dry your tears, and then you'd better get back to class." He bent down and gave her one last chaste kiss.
"What about you?" Sayuri asked, as she wiped her eyes.
"I'm a senior," Souta said, with a mock air of importance, "They won't care if I'm late. Now, you on the other hand will end up with bucket duty."
"Thank you, Souta," Sayuri said finally, "I did enjoy our time together." She touched his cheek with her hand, and then turned and walked off.
Souta gazed after her, and said, once she was out of earshot, "Man, it really sucks being this noble."
Sayuri raced into the classroom and sank gratefully into her seat, just before the tardy bell rang, slightly out of breath. The detour she had made to wash her face in the girl's restroom had taken longer than she had intended, but there was no way that she was going to show up in class without removing the evidence of her tears. Even so, her eyes were slightly red from her crying, so she kept her head bent down and looked through her bangs at the front of the room.
Yuka glanced up as her best friend ran into the room and slid into the desk next to Hiroshi. Unbeknownst to Sayuri, Yuka had watched from the window as the other girl had sped across the campus grounds, so she knew something was wrong with Sayuri. 'If Souta has hurt her, I'll make him wish he never been born,' she thought protectively, 'Or better yet, I'll let Akane handle him.'
Hiroshi could tell his former girlfriend was upset as she sat down in the desk next to him and pulled out her textbook. While he was a typical boy, he had dated her for nearly a year, and he had gotten reasonably adept at determining her emotional state. 'Though it sure took me a long time,' he thought to himself, the voice in his head remarkably like Sayuri's, a thought which caused a small smile to appear on his face. 'I wonder if I should talk to her, or would that make whatever it is worse. She did go off somewhere with Souta,' he thought. He glanced over at Yuka and saw what he expected was the same worried expression on her face that he imagined was on his own.
Yuka mouthed, "I'll talk to her." At Hiroshi's slow nod, she turned and awaited the teacher to begin her lecture.
Akane frowned thoughtfully as she watched Sayuri as she sat in her desk, hiding her face from the rest of the class. She had seen Souta trudge drearily into the school building from the direction of the gym, a look of resignation on his face. And from the way Sayuri was sitting, it was obvious that something had happened between the two of them, something probably bad. She caught the worried look that Hiroshi had sent Yuka's way, and the slow nod that he had given her. 'Good, Yuka is going to find out what's wrong,' she thought, 'Should I give her another shoulder to cry on? Now, what was going on with Ranma?' She turned to look worriedly at her husband as he stared vacantly out the window.
Miss Morisato cleared her throat and said, "Class, open your textbook to page 114. Today we will be reading some short excerpts from various books and comparing them." She was answered by the rustling of pages as the students opened their Literature book to the appropriate page. "Pay attention in particular to the ways the various characters are developed in each reading, and note the use of any literary device, such as irony, as we read. There will be an essay assignment based on the discussion, which will be due next week, so you'll have the weekend to work on it." She ignored the couple of groans she heard as she turned to the first passage.
"Well that was a wasted hour that I'll never get back," Daisuke said to his girlfriend as they put their things away. He picked up her bookbag, and stood up.
"I'm gonna talk to Sayuri for a few moments. Wait for me by the gate, okay?" Yuka asked.
"Sure, see what happened to her. She sure seemed to be unhappy," Daisuke said. He glanced around and saw that the teacher was busily talking to a couple of students about the essay she had assigned right after lunch. Bending down, he kissed Yuka, and then headed out the door.
"Hey, Sayuri, do you have a minute?" Yuka asked.
Sayuri shook herself out of her reverie, as she had not even realized that the bell had rung for the end of class. "Sure," she replied to her friend, "I need to talk to you anyway." She looked around and saw that the room was mostly empty, except for the unfortunates that had drawn cleanup duty. "Let's go up to the roof," she said, "I'd just as soon not have anyone listening in."
"That's fine with me, let's go," Yuka said. She linked arms with her friend, and the two of them headed out the door, with Sayuri slinging her bookbag over the other shoulder. "Where's Souta?" Yuka asked, "Doesn't he normally walk you toward the Tendo's?"
Sayuri sighed and said, as they climbed the stairs up to the roof, "I doubt he'll be doing that anymore. He basically gave me an ultimatum today at lunch."
Yuka waited while several lower classmen rushed down the stairs toward the ground floor and then said, "That doesn't sound particularly good." She led Sayuri up to the service stairs and opened the door. The two of them walkedout and the door closed behind them.
"No, it wasn't. I guess he's noticed my reaction to Hiroshi and Nabiki flirting," Sayuri said sadly, "And, well, he basically told me to decide who I wanted to be with, and broke up with me."
"That's a bit rough," Yuka said sympathetically.
Sayuri shrugged her shoulders and said, "Maybe, but he was right. I enjoyed being with Souta, he is fun to be with, witty, handsome, a good kisser. But he deserves someone who isn't yearning for someone else. My feelings for Hiroshi haven't changed, they haven't gone away. I still feel my heart race when he looks at me."
"Then why are you talking to me instead of to him?" Yuka asked, "He needs to know that you want him back, not me."
"Because I'm scared," Sayuri replied, "What if he's moved on already? He and Nabiki have been cozy this week. They went to the carnival together, and when I saw them, they were holding hands, or he had his arm around her waist."
"I doubt he's gotten over you that quickly," Yuka said spiritedly, "If anything, Nabiki is just being friendly."
"That's what I'm worried about, Nabiki being friendly. She's different for some reason. You should see her at the house, the way she behaves is so different. She's even getting more serious about martial arts," Sayuri said, getting agitated.
"Calm down," Yuka said quickly, "You're working yourself into a panic attack. Just go talk to him. Or talk to Nabiki. After all, you're living with her."
"I can't do that. What if she's decided she wants him? How can I compete with her? I mean, she's built better than I am, she's smarter," Sayuri began to rant.
"So, aren't you better off knowing what the situation is?" Yuka asked patiently.
Sayuri began to cry, as she had successfully worked herself into a tizzy. "How could I have been so stupid? To break up with the boy, no the man, I love over something so stupid. If only I had let him explain," she wailed.
Yuka pulled her into a hug, and began rubbing her back. "Sayuri, this is silly. You need to pull yourself together and find out what's going on. All of this worry is probably for naught. I can't imagine Hiroshi dating someone else so soon after the two of you broke up."
"Why not? I did!" Sayuri cried, "Stupid girl, stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Yuka grimaced and said, "He was heartbroken according to Daisuke. In fact, I know he told Dai that he wanted to get back together with you last week."
"Really?" Sayuri asked, her face lighting up for a moment. Then her mood shattered as she cried, "But, but that was before he went out with Nabiki."
"Oh for crying out loud, girl!" Yuka exclaimed, "Get your ass in gear and go talk to them. I swear, you're being a drama queen about this whole thing."
Sayuri hiccupped a couple of times and then dried her tears. "I guess I am being an idiot," she said, "Thanks for letting me get you all wet."
"What are friends for?" Yuka asked, with a gentle smile, "Go on now and find out. Just make sure you stop at the restroom and freshen up. You really shouldn't cry, it makes you all blotchy."
Sayuri smiled wanly and the two girls headed back downstairs, with them indeed stopping in the first floor restroom so Sayuri could wash her face and remove the evidence of her crying. The two friends then headed out of the building to find Daisuke. As they neared the gate, Sayuri slowed down as she could see Hiroshi was standing there talking to Daisuke. She grabbed Yuka by the arm and hissed, "Don't tell them anything about Souta and I, please?"
"Why not?" Yuka asked, perplexed.
Sayuri replied, "I want to talk to Hiroshi alone, but I'm still too shaky to do it today. I want to wait until tomorrow."
Yuka stared at her for what seemed to be an extremely long time, but then she nodded her head in an abrupt manner. "Okay, I'll not say anything. But I don't like keeping things from Daisuke, so don't wait too long," she said, reluctantly.
"Thanks," Sayuri said, letting Yuka go, "Let's go join them."
The two girls walked up, Yuka flowing into Daisuke's arms. "Sorry it took us so long, Daisuke. You know us and girl talk. We just lost track of time," Yuka said.
"That's okay, Hiroshi and I were busy talking about things. I didn't even notice how long it had been," Daisuke said easily, "You ready to go home?"
"Yeah, it's been a long day," Yuka replied. She said, "We'll see you two guys tomorrow, okay? And don't forget what we talked about, Sayuri."
"Sure, you two have fun tonight," Hiroshi said with a grin.
"Yeah, bye, see you tomorrow," Sayuri said as she watched them walk off holding hands.
"You mind some company?" Hiroshi asked.
"Uh, yeah, I mean, no, er, sure I'd like some," Sayuri replied, all flustered.
"Then I'll walk you to Ranma's house. Oh, that reminds me, he said to tell you that he and Akane would be late tonight. Something about swinging by Ukyo and talking to her," Hiroshi said. He grinned and took her book bag out of her hand and swung it over his shoulder.
"But you live the opposite way," Sayuri protested.
Hiroshi shrugged, and said, "I'm not letting you walk there by yourself, and besides I need the exercise." He turned to head down the street. "Coming?" he asked, when she hadn't moved.
Sayuri smiled weakly and joined him.
"Are you feeling better? You looked sort of upset when you came back from lunch," Hiroshi asked.
Sayuri frowned quickly, and replied, "Not really, but I'll survive. Talking to Yuka helped a little."
"That's good. She's a really nice girl, a good friend. Daisuke is a lucky guy to be engaged to her," Hiroshi said.
"They make a good couple," Sayuri agreed. 'Like we did,' she thought, as her face paled. She fell silent and started nibbling on the end of her hair.
"Where's Souta? I thought he normally walked you home," Hiroshi asked after a few minutes of slightly awkward silence.
"Um, something came up and he couldn't stay," Sayuri lied. She stared down at the sidewalk.
Hiroshi frowned imperceptibly and said, "Well, that stuff happens. So, what do you think of our new teacher, Miss Morisato?"
Sayuri replied, "She seems nice enough. Appears to know the subjects that she teaches reasonably well, but she's a little too eager to have us write papers."
"Tell me about it. I really don't look forward to working on that one she dumped on us in Lit. You know how much I enjoy reading," Hiroshi said, with a wry grin.
"Yeah, not at all, as I remember. Honestly, Hiroshi, if I hadn't of nagged you all last year to do your writing assignments, you would have flunked that class," Sayuri retorted.
"Feel free to nag me this year," Hiroshi said, with a cheeky smile.
Sayuri giggled and said, "Fine, I'll do that."
"I miss that," Hiroshi said quietly.
"What?" Sayuri asked, surprised.
"Your giggle," Hiroshi replied, "I miss hearing you giggle. And it's such a cute giggle."
Sayuri smiled shyly and said, "Thank you. I never knew that before."
"You're welcome," Hiroshi said simply. He smiled and added, "This is nice, you know."
"Huh?" Sayuri asked.
"You, me, together. I like this, being with you," Hiroshi said.
Sayuri sighed and said, "I do too. Why were we so stupid?"
"Nobody ever said relationships were easy," Hiroshi replied.
"Yeah, isn't that the truth," Sayuri said. She hesitated and asked, "Did you have a good time with Nabiki at the carnival, you know on your date?"
Hiroshi blushed and replied, "It wasn't really a date, Sayuri. Just two friends going, and we had Hinako tagging along. But, yeah, it was fun. It was neat watching the two of them together. How was your date with Souta?"
"It was okay. He's easy to talk to, and we had some fun," Sayuri replied finally, her eyes misting.
"That's good. Hey, wait, why did that cause you to cry?" Hiroshi asked.
Sayuri stopped and turned to Hiroshi, her face miserable. Hiroshi dropped their bookbags to the ground and pulled her into a hug.
"Hey, what's the matter? Did I say something wrong?" Hiroshi asked, as he felt her tremble in his arms, and felt his shirt dampen from her tears.
"Just hold me, please," Sayuri pleaded.
Hiroshi chuckled and said, "I believe I already am." 'And this feels so good,' he thought, 'Like she's back where she belongs.'
After several minutes, Sayuri sniffled and pulled away. Hiroshi handed her a handkerchief and let her dry her eyes. Once she was finished, he picked up the book bags and the two of them headed down the sidewalk.
"Now, do you want to tell me what that was all about? Did Souta do something to upset you?" Hiroshi asked, "You've been unhappy ever since he took you somewhere to talk during lunch."
"I'd rather not talk about it today," Sayuri replied, tiredly, "But, Souta didn't do anything wrong. Can we put this off til tomorrow?"
"Sure, but I'll hold you to that," Hiroshi replied.
Sayuri asked, "What about you and Nabiki? Do you like her?"
"Where'd that come from?" Hiroshi asked.
"Because the two of you have been flirting with each other the last several days," Sayuri replied in a weak voice.
"That's ridiculous," Hiroshi protested, "We haven't been flirting with each other. Just some harmless teasing." He paused and exclaimed, "Wait a minute! You're jealous!"
Sayuri blushed and stammered, "Maybe a little."
"I think I'm missing something here," Hiroshi began, only to have Sayuri place her little hand over his mouth.
"I'm just confused about things," Sayuri said. She fell silent for a few moments and then said, in surprise, "Oh! We're here already. Thanks for walking me home, Hiroshi." She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips and ran through the gate.
Hiroshi stared after her thoughtfully and then touched one finger to his lips where she had kissed him. His face lightened up and he began to whistle as he headed back to his home.
Ukyo looked up from the grill as the bell over her front door chimed, her face fixed in a professional smile. "Hello, welcome to, Oh, hi, Ranchan, Akane, I didn't know that you were planning on coming by," she said, changing her greeting in mid speech as she saw the two girls walk in. She hid a smile at the fuming expression on Ranma's face, her wet red hair plastered to her head, and the big grin on Akane's. "Need some hot water, sugar?" she asked.
"Naw, it's okay. I'd just have to change back when we get home, anyway," Ranma said, after one final glare at Akane.
"Sorry, dear, but how do you attract water like that?" Akane asked, her eyes dancing.
"Just lucky I guess," Ranma replied.
"Yeah, just what are the odds that someone would miss the plants on her windowsill with her watering can, just as you were walking by," Akane said.
"Why would you have to change back?" Ukyo asked, confused.
"It's not important, I'll explain later," Ranma replied.
Ukyo asked, "Can I get you guys something?"
"No, we just wanted to stop by," Ranma replied, after a brief hesitation.
"Go on, tell her," Akane hissed.
Ranma looked at her wife, and sighed. She knew telling Akane what she had remembered was going to come back and bite her in the ass. Once Akane had heard the tale of the sauce, she had insisted that Ranma talk to Ukyo and tell her the truth. "Have you tried your sauce yet?" she asked.
"No, I was going to wait until the afternoon rush was over," Ukyo replied, "Why do you want to try it too?"
Ranma replied, "No, not really. That's not why we came by."
"Ranma!" Akane growled.
"This is hard," Ranma shot back. She sighed again, and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Okay, something is going on here and I want to know what it is," Ukyo said.
"Well, it's just that, I mean, well, you know," Ranma began, and then looked helplessly at Akane.
"Just tell her what you told me," Akane said to the unasked question.
"It's your sauce. It's not what you think it is," Ranma said, slowly. She hesitated and then asked, "Do you remember the day you made it? Ten years ago."
"Of course, I remember you were there, and kept bouncing around. That was very distracting and I had to tell you to settle down. I was in a big hurry because I had borrowed my father's secret recipe, and needed to get everything put together before he noticed it was gone. Then I sealed the jar up tightly, and now ten years later it's finally aged to perfection," Ukyo replied, her tone light.
"Yeah, I remember that too. I wanted a taste of the sauce real bad," Ranma said, her eyes shadowed.
"Oh, Ranma, you're afraid that you might have caused me to make a mistake. Don't worry, I know I mixed it right," Ukyo said. She glanced around the half-empty restaurant and realized that everyone was served. She said, "Oh good, it looks like things have slowed down." She pulled out a jar from under her counter and placed it next to the grill. She unsealed the jar, and said, "I sure hope it turned out well." She stuck a ladle in the sauce, and drew out a small amount. She put her finger into the ladle and then licked her finger. Her eyes opened wide as she cried, "This is horrible! I'm a failure." Beads of sweat came rolling off her head.
Ranma groaned and said, "No, that's not true. I have a confession to make. That night, I snuck back to your camp, and well, I wanted to sneak a taste. But, when I opened the jar, I spilled it all over the ground. I thought I remembered what you had put in it, but it may not be right. You didn't make that sauce, I did, and it's my fault that it tastes bad." 'I'm sure not going to get in the same mess that I did last time,' she thought.
"You don't have to lie about that to make me feel better, Ranchan, but it's sweet of you to try," Ukyo said, "No, this is my failure." She sat down and placed her head in her hands.
"Ucchan, I'm not trying to make you feel better. I did spill your sauce ten years ago," Ranma repeated, "Please believe me."
"She's telling you the truth, Ukyo. That's the same thing he told Nabiki and I before the two of us came over here," Akane added.
Ukyo looked up, her eyes shining, and cried, "You're such good friends. You even coordinated your story to make me feel good."
Ranma and Akane traded looks of amazement.
"As atonement for making such a horrible sauce, I'll just have to eat it all," Ukyo said, as she poured some batter on her grill.
"We may be your friends, Ukyo, but I wouldn't lie to you about this. On my honor as a martial artist, I spoiled your sauce," Ranma said, her eyes piercingly cold.
Ukyo froze. She looked at her and repeated, "On your honor as a martial artist?"
Ranma nodded grimly.
"That means you're serious," Ukyo said, her voice low. Suddenly, her eyes flashed angrily and she grabbed for her battle spatula.
"Now, Ucchan, don't do anything rash," Ranma said, backing up, her eyes gauging Ukyo's every move. She hissed at Akane, "Get back."
Akane scrambled to the door.
"Don't call me Ucchan, Saotome," Ukyo said furiously, "Only my friends can call me that!"
Ranma flinched as if slapped and tried, "Now, Ukyo, please, I am very sorry! I didn't mean to spill it and I did try to fix it."
By that time Ukyo was beside herself thinking about the ten years she had waited, anticipating the moment she could prove her abilities to her father and herself. And now that chance was gone, all because… "All this time you let me think that the sauce that would prove to my father that I was a worthy heir was aging as it should. You deceived me! You honorless bastard!"
"You can't mean that! Come on Uyko, I wasn't trying to deceive you, exactly. I just didn't want you to be upset over the sauce," Ranma cried, "I didn't even remember about it until you mentioned it at lunch!"
"You coward, you couldn't face me with the truth! Never again will I believe you! You are no friend of mine! Get out! You have no honor!" Ukyo screamed.
Ranma reddened and spat, "So you want to throw away my friendship over something that happened when we were six! Fine, then, Kuonji, we're through!" She turned to Akane and said, "Let's get out of here. I won't stay where I'm not wanted."
Akane looked at the expression on Ranma's face, the look of betrayal she saw there, and glared at Ukyo. "That was remarkably childish, Ukyo. You didn't just throw away one friendship, you lost several," she said, icily, "I'm disappointed in you. I suggest you find someone else to sit with at lunch." She turned and followed Ranma out of the restaurant, ignoring the shattered expression on Ukyo's face.
All the anger drained out of Ukyo as she dropped her spatula with a loud clatter. "What have I done?" she wailed to the stunned customers. That broke the stasis that they had been in and the customers left en masse, scared by the manic expression on her face.
Konatsu walked in from the back to see the now empty restaurant. "What happened, dear?" he asked, "Where'd everybody go?"
"I screwed up big time, Konatsu," Ukyo said as she collapsed to the floor, tears streaming from her face.
Konatsu rushed over and dropped to his knees, cradling her in his arms. "What did you do?" he asked, worry plainly evident in both his face and his voice.
"I'll tell you in a moment, but, first, go take the banner down. I'm not really in the mood to cook anymore," Ukyo said weakly.
Konatsu gazed at her for a moment and then his face firmed. "Okay, my love," he whispered, causing Ukyo to caress his cheek for a moment with one trembling hand. He pulled her to her feet and then walked outside and took down the sign signifying that the café was open and folded it carefully. He walked back in and placed it on the shelf and then locked the front door. "Come, Ukyo. Why don't you go soak in the tub and then tell me what happened," he said in a soothing voice.
Ukyo headed up the stairs, essentially on autopilot, her mind replaying the disaster that had just occurred, wondering how she could have been such a fool.
Kasumi glanced up quickly as she felt something disturb the delicate balance of the house spirit, not a massive roiling of the wa, but still it concerned her. She left the kitchen, and headed down the long hallway toward the main entrance, just as she heard the door open and close and Sayuri's voice call out, "I'm home." A brief smile flickered across the serene woman's face as she realized that her family had indeed grown by one more.
"Hi, Kasumi," Sayuri said as she came padding around the corner in her stocking feet, her face still a little red from her blushing with Hiroshi.
"Did you have a good day?" Kasumi asked.
Sayuri shrugged, and admitted, "I've had better."
"I've got a fresh pot of tea in the kitchen, and some chocolate chip cookies," Kasumi said, "Would you like to join me?"
Sayuri looked at Kasumi for a moment, and then smiled weakly at her. She had received more mothering in the Tendo home in the last week than she had gotten from her own mother in several months, and knew that even after she finally decided to move back in with her parents, that the Tendo/Saotome house was going to feel more like home than the place she had spent her entire life in. "Sure, Kasumi, I'd like that. I could use some advice," she said.
"Ah, boy trouble, I assume," Kasumi said.
Sayrui eyes widened in astonishment as she set her book bag down on the floor by the stairs. "How do you do that?" she asked.
Kasumi giggled, a joyous sound that lifted Sayuri's heart. "You looked confused about something," Kasumi replied, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she wanted to smile, "And at your age, that usually means boy trouble."
"My age, huh?" Sayuri replied, with a brief grin, "So what words of wisdom can you give me from your advanced age? You're what, all of three years older than I?"
Kasumi giggled again and said, "There's age and then there is experience."
"Oh, so you're going to tell me about your experiences?" Sayuri retorted, "I'm not sure Doc would appreciate that. He's not here to defend himself."
"Not that kind of experience," Kasumi said, primly, as the two girls walked into the kitchen, where Hinako was busily munching on a cookie.
"So what seems to be troubling you?" Kasumi asked, after the two of them had a plate of cookies and a cup of tea in front of them.
"I just have a few things to work through," Sayuri replied, after a moment, "It's just been a rough day, hell, a rough couple of weeks. The meditation exercises that Ranma and Akane are showing us have been helping, though."
Akane's puppy, D-chan, came waddling in from the family room, carrying her stuffed puppy, growling playfully, as she bit the toy, causing it to squeak.
"Hey, girl, there you are," Hinako squealed as she slid to the floor to play with her.
"Akane already thinks you have stolen her away," Kasumi teased, "The only lap she sits in is yours."
"That's just because I'm home sooner," Hinako said, "And Akane's always working out with Ranma. Besides, I think D-chan doesn't know what to think about him. Remember what you told me about the puppy's reaction the first time she smelled Ranma after he had changed genders. How confused she acted?"
"I would have paid good money to see that," Sayuri said with a smile, "What did she do?"
"She sniffed Ranma for a second and then yelped in surprise," Kasumi said with a giggle. She frowned thoughtfully, and added, "It didn't help that D-chan nipped her fingers when Ranma bent down to pet her. Ranma growled at her for that and scared her."
"So that's why she ends up curled up at the end of our bed at night," Hinako said, "I'd wondered about that."
Kasumi said, "Before you showed up, she was sleeping in our room." She looked up as once again she felt something. She grinned suddenly and said, "I feel a disturbance in the force."
Sayuri laughed suddenly and asked, "Since when did you start channeling Obi-Wan-Kenobi?"
"I've just always wanted to say that," Kasumi admitted as she sprang to her feet, scaring the puppy. She moved quickly down the hall, to find a distraught Ranma leaning against the wall, with Akane wrapped around the smaller girl.
"Tell the girls that Ranma and I will be tied up this evening in the dojo, and that they'll need to do their katas by themselves," Akane said, her eyes hard.
"What happened, Akane?" Kasumi asked, worriedly.
Akane sighed heavily and replied, "Ranma went to Ucchan's to talk to Ukyo about this sauce that she had been aging for ten years that was supposedly her father's secret recipe."
"Yeah, but what she didn't know is that I was an idiot, and spilled her sauce, and tried to remake it for her," Ranma said in a tired whisper. She looked up at Akane, her eyes staring vacantly.
"She took a taste, and apparently it was awful. She was so upset that she thought she was a failure at making okonomiyaki, but Ranma finally managed to convince her that it was Ranma's fault," Akane continued, "Then, Ukyo went crazy, and basically declared their friendship over. She accused Ranma of being dishonorable."
"Oh dear," Kasumi said, sadly, "That just doesn't sound like her. What on earth got into her?"
"I don't know, Sis, but it hurt Ranma a great deal. We're going to go into the dojo and work off some stress. Don't let anyone in while I have the door closed," Akane said, biting off each word.
"Oh dear, you're pretty angry about this too, aren't you?" Kasumi asked.
Akane closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep, centering breath. "Yeah, Sis. I'm so mad I could just scream," she replied, again biting off each word, "But I can't let it out yet."
Kasumi frowned and said, "Don't let your anger rule you, sis. You, either, Ranma. That way leads to darkness."
Ranma nodded jerkily and said, "I know, and I'm trying very hard to understand why Ukyo did that. It just hurts, like someone tearing open a wound. I'll get over it, eventually, but it will take a while to forget our friendship. Especially since soon she'll be my sister-in-law."
Akane paled and said, "Poor Konatsu. He must not know what to think. I just hope he supports her. She'll feel betrayed if he does anything else."
Kasumi asked, carefully, "Knowing Ukyo the way I do, or at least the woman I thought I knew, she'll eventually realize that she did something wrong. I want you to think carefully about this. What will you do if she apologizes and asks for your forgiveness?"
Akane frowned at her and said, "We'll talk about that once we've exhausted ourselves, Sis." She pulled Ranma down the hall, with the intent to go out the back and into the dojo.
"When do you want dinner?" Kasumi asked quickly.
Akane replied, "Don't wait it for us. This may take a while." The two girls disappeared out the back door, leaving a concerned Kasumi behind.
Kasumi nibbled her lip for a moment, showing that the events of the last few minutes had seriously concerned the normally imperturbable woman. "Ukyo, what have you done?" she asked, as she felt the emotional storm roiling the atmosphere of the home, "This is so not good." With a heartfelt sigh, she headed back to the kitchen to let the two in there know of the latest contretemps.
Nabiki walked into the kitchen, dressed in her workout clothes. "Are you guys ready to go practice?" she asked.
Hinako grinned and said, "Sure, dear, I'm ready."
Kasumi walked in slowly and said, "I think the three of you need to work out in the front yard."
"Why is that, sis?" Nabiki asked.
"Because Ranma and Akane are pissed off and need to work off whatever is bothering the two of them by themselves," Kasumi replied.
"What angered them?" Nabiki asked, "They were fine when I talked to them after school let out." Her eyes narrowed and then she asked, "What did Ukyo do to Ranma?"
"Basically blew up at Ranma for ruining her sauce, and ended their friendship because of it," Kasumi said, her voice throbbing with emotion, surprising the rest of them. She rubbed her temples, the almost palpable emotions running rampant in the house causing her to have a massive migraine headache. 'There are times like these when I wish I wasn't that sensitive to the spirit of the home,' she thought with a mental sigh. She strived mightily to regenerate her equilibrium, knowing that her emotions would affect the atmosphere around the house even more than Ranma's and Akane's.
"If Ukyo has hurt either of them, there won't be anything left of her when I'm done," Nabiki growled.
"Let it go for now, Na-chan," Hinako said, soothingly, as she watched in amazement as the vein on Nabiki's forehead began to throb.
Sayuri grasped Nabiki and said, quickly, "We'd be better off leaving them alone."
"Sis, let them handle it!" Kasumi exclaimed, reaching one hand out to touch her sister.
Nabiki whirled and said, "NO ONE hurts my family and gets away with it."
Kasumi groaned as she realized that her emotional storm was affecting her sister.
"Na-chan, let's go see if we can find our center," Sayuri said, letting all of her problems go by the wayside, as her new family's distress made them pale in comparison. "We all need to calm down, none of us will do them any good if we stay angry," she continued.
Nabiki stared at her for a moment and then nodded jerkily. She took a deep breath, and then said, her voice flat, "You're right. And besides, neither of them would appreciate me stepping in to take care of the situation."
Sayuri smiled briefly, and then pulled the taller girl outside, followed by Hinako and, to everyone's surprise, Kasumi.
Once the four girls were outside by the pond, Sayuri took charge, surprising them all. "Let's just try meditation first," she said, as she sank gracefully to the ground, folding her legs beneath her in the lotus position. She waited until the other three girls joined her and then closed her eyes, emptying her mind of all of her racing thoughts.
Kasumi began to say her mantra in a low, pleasant voice, and the other three girls followed along as the even timbre of the sound swept through them, allowing all of them to clear themselves of their emotions and enter a calm meditative state.
"What are we doing in here?" Ranma snarled, as Akane all but shoved her into the dojo.
"We're going to work out your anger," Akane hissed in reply.
"Yeah, doing what?" Ranma asked, trying not to let her anger and depression cause her to snap at her wife.
Akane smiled icily and said, "The same thing I used to do to work off my aggression. See that stack of concrete blocks. You're gonna break bricks, wood, whatever, until you're too physically exhausted to be angry. Then, I'm gonna drag you into the furo for a long hot bath, to make you mentally exhausted. Somewhere in there, I'll give you a long massage to make sure that we've worked out any kinks in your muscles. Then if you're a good little girl, we'll go to bed."
Ranma breathed deeply and then grabbed her wife and kissed her roughly. "Acchan, I don't know what I would do if you weren't around to kick my ass when I needed it," she said, "If I ever am so foolish as to start taking you for granted, remind me of days like these." She stripped off her shirt, exposing her muscle t-shirt, and stacked up several concrete blocks. Sinking to her knees, she closed her eyes and with a loud cry of, "Kiaaaaaah," swept her hand down in a knife-edge and shattered the blocks, sending a spray of dust across the dojo floor.
Akane watched the redhaired girl for several minutes while Ranma battered the building supplies into rubble. A tired smile flashed across her face as she saw the rhythm begin to have its affect on Ranma. She sent up a silent prayer to whatever diety that wanted to listen that things would work out okay. Then she closed her eyes and began to perform a complicated exercise, one that Ranma had taught her several months ago, which would require her complete concentration. The two of them lost themselves in their art, allowing their frustrations and anger to dissipate in the simplicity of what they were doing.
Soun sat down at the dinner table and noticed that there were a few people missing. "Where's Ranma and Akane?" he asked.
Kasumi replied calmly, "They are indisposed, Daddy."
Nabiki snickered and said, sotto voce, "I've never heard it called THAT before."
"Oh, are they ill?" Soun asked, not hearing Nabiki's comment.
"'No, they just had to work some things out. There were some tensions that needed resolving," Sayuri replied, with a twinkle in her eye.
"I thought they were having sex," Hinako said.
A hush fell over the room for several minutes, until Nabiki snorted in laughter. Sayuri was the next to follow, as she began to giggle.
"Oh my," Kasumi said, her eyes dancing. She traded glances with her husband that promised she would explain later.
"Well I did," Hinako said affronted, crossing her arms under her breasts and pouting prettily.
"That may be the end result of what is going on, but that's not really something we needed to discuss in public," Kasumi told her.
"Would someone please tell me what is going on with my daughter and her husband?" Soun asked, angrily. He swelled into Demonhead Soun and spat, "HE BETTER NOT HURT MY DAUGHTER!"
"Honestly Daddy, you look ridiculous when you do that, calm down," Akane said from the doorway, dressed in one of Ranma's shirts, and apparently not much else.
"What can I get you, sis?" Kasumi asked.
Akane smiled and said, "Something to eat. For some reason, Ranma has worked up one hell of an appetite. And I'm a bit hungry myself."
"Oh, how did that happen, sis?" Nabiki asked with a smirk.
"Is it really any of your business, Nabiki?" Akanequipped serenely, "Let's just say, that once I got Ranma calmed down from what happened at Ucchans, I was very glad we sprung for the soundproofing in our room. Not to mention, the extra reinforcement of the floor joists."
"Akane!" Kasumi exclaimed as she prepared a large tray.
Sayuri asked, saucily, "So is Ranma all better now?"
"Oh, there's still a few things to work out, but I think I have him pretty relaxed right at the moment," Akane replied, blushing slightly. She gratefully took the tray from Kasumi and escaped upstairs, but not before Nabiki managed to get in a parting shot as she said, "Don't make me an Auntie yet, sis. I'm not ready!"
"What was that all about?" Tofu asked.
Nabiki exchanged a glance with Kasumi, only to have Hinako pipe up. "I'm not sure of all of the details, Tofu-san, but, apparently, Ranma-chan ruined some secret sauce that Miss Kuonji had made ten years ago. That upset her so much that she ended their friendship. Ranma-chan came home upset by what he sees as her betrayal of their relationship. He feels that he is being punished for something that he did when he was six years old, and for being honest about it now. He could have just not told Kuonji the truth, and allowed her to believe that she was a horrible cook, but instead, took the blame on himself," the young girl said, "At least that's what I figured out from what I overheard them talking about in the dojo."
Nabiki looked at Hinako with the respect that she was due. "I'm impressed, Hi-chan, I didn't know that you had put all of that together," she said.
"You're not the only one in this house who can put facts together, and no one pays attention to a twelve year old girl," Hinako replied with a smirk.
Kasumi said, "Ranma was very upset when the two of them got back from Ucchan's. It took Akane a long time to get Ranma relaxed enough to talk. I am so proud of the way that she handled things."
The next morming, Ranma staggered into the family room and collapsed next to his wife.
Tofu asked, "You look pretty tired, Ranma. Did you not sleep well?"
"Actually, I was doing pretty good," Ranma said, wearily, "At least until I woke up around five. I heard some sort of loud noise then. I couldn't get to sleep after that."
Tofu started in surprise and then looked guiltilydown at the table.
"I thought I had you tired out so that you would sleep peacefully," Akane muttered.
"Me too," Ranma agreed, "But once I was awake, I kept thinking about Ukyo. I don't want to lose her as a friend, but more importantly, she's supposed to marry Konatsu. And I got to thinking about what might happen there."
"I'm sure things will be okay, Ranchan," Akane whispered as she squeezed his hand.
Sayuri shuffled in, her hair still damp from her bath.
"Looks like you weren't the only one with a rough night," Nabiki said, "You okay, Sayuri?"
"Just had several things on my mind, and a decision or two to make," Sayuri said, sleepily, "And it kept me awake for a while." She covered her mouth as she yawned widely. "Sorry," she muttered.
Nabiki said, gently, "Do you need to talk to someone? Kasumi said you were upset when you came home, but you seemed to be okay when you took charge yesterday."
Sayuri clasped her shoulder and said, "We needed to pull together for Ranma and Akane's sake. All of you were so upset; someone had to be able to think straight. I guess it ended up being me. I was happy to put my little problem behind me and help my family."
Ranma looked gratefully at her and said, "I'm glad you feel the same way about us as we do about you, but, Sayuri-chan, if there's something troubling you, it's not a little problem."
"I'll be all right. I just need to talk to someone and get things straightened out, that's all," Sayuri said, "I'm actually feeling pretty good about things."
Kasumi walked in with a tray full of food, followed by Hinako with an equally large tray.
Sayuri ate quickly, and then rose from the table. "I need to get to school early, I've got something I need to do before class. I'll see you guys there."
"I hope things work out for you also, Sayuri-chan," Akane said, "Since you're obviously heading to school to talk to someone."
"Me, too," Sayuri replied, gaily, as she skipped off down the hall toward the front door.
Ranma stood up and then helped Akane rise. The two of them headed upstairs to get their schoolbooks. "Hiroshi, you think?" Ranma asked.
"I think so," Akane replied, "I think she's made up her mind about what she wants. The tension every time she saw Nabiki with Hiroshi was driving me crazy."
"I just hope Nabiki doesn't get hurt," Ranma said.
Akane chuckled and asked, "How much are you willing to bet that she was doing things with Hiroshi on purpose to open up Sayuri's eyes?"
Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, "You think she was trying to get them back together?"
Akane shrugged her shoulders, and replied, "Probably. She likes Hiroshi well enough, but only as a friend."
Sayuri opened the access door to the roof of the school, and then put her hands on her knees as she bent over panting for breath.
Hiroshi ran over and asked, "Are you okay, Sayuri?"
"Yeah," she gasped, "I just shouldn't have run up the four flights of stairs." She smiled ruefully and added, "Maybe I need to join the learn to love martial arts class that Ranma and Akane are teaching, instead of just the meditation portion that they are teaching me."
"Come on and sit down over here and catch your breath, and then you can tell me why it was so important for me to meet you here early," Hiroshi said as he guided her over to one of the hooded vents sticking up through the roof.
Sayuri looked askance at the dusty cover. "Wait a minute," Hiroshi said, as he laid out his windbreaker onto the surface."
Sayuri smiled as she sat down gingerly on the windbreaker. She took a deep breath, and said, "Thanks for coming so early. I know I probably scared you when I called first thing this morning, but I just had to talk to you before everyone else got here."
"Not a problem, though Mom was worried sick when you called," Hiroshi replied easily.
"You'll find out soon enough, I suspect, but Souta broke up with me at lunch, yesterday. That was why I was so upset all afternoon, and weepy afterwards," Sayuri said.
Hiroshi fought the effort to smile and just hugged her lightly. "I'm sorry about that, I know you like him," Hiroshi said, proud that his voice didn't reflect the fact that he wanted to dance around the roof in glee.
"Well, I do like him. But he was right. What was going on wasn't fair to either of us. He broke up with me because he knew that I still had feelings for you," Sayuri said, "And that until I resolved how I felt about you, I could never be his girlfriend, not wholeheartedly. I had a pretty restless night thinking about things, and well, I finally figured something out. I like Souta, he's funny, and bright. But, so are you. I was trying to use him to replace you. When I saw you with Nabiki, I realized that's what I was doing, and it just wasn't working."
"What are you trying to say, Sayuri?" Hiroshi asked, his eyes bright.
"That while I like Souta, I still love you," Sayuri said, shyly, her eyes downcast, "And that, if you still want me, I want us back together. I made a dumb mistake breaking up with you, and I'm not going to make a dumber mistake by trying to get over you by dating someone who's a reflection of you."
Hiroshi pulled her into a tighter hug and said, "I'd like that. I've missed being with you." He sighed then and added, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I do need to talk to Nabiki first."
Sayuri stiffened in his arms and hissed, "Why do you need to talk to her?"
"Because I owe her the courtesy of finding out about us from me, not from the rumor mill," Hiroshi replied, "Not that we were dating or anything, not really, but she has been there for me."
Sayuri dropped her head to her chin and said, in a tired voice, "I guess I can understand that. But, Hiroshi, one of the things that made me realize what was wrong was that I was getting jealous of the two of you."
Hiroshi chuckled deeply, and said, "There wasn't really anything to get jealous of. Now me, on the other hand, if I had seen you with Souta much more." He was stopped by the feel of Sayuri's lips against his. After what seemed like forever, he pulled back, and whispered, "Damn, I missed that."
"Oh, yeah," Sayuri said, looking happier than she had been in several days. She grinned impishly and said, "I think we have a lot of days to make up for." She pulled him back against her and kissed him again, messing up his hair by running her fingers through it.
Reluctantly Hiroshi broke the kiss, and sighed deeply. "You still need to talk to Souta and let him know what happened," he said.
Sayuri rolled in his arms and leaned against his chest. "Yeah, I'll talk to my old boyfriend, and you can talk to your old girlfriend," Sayuri said.
"Can't we stay up here for the rest of the day?" Hiroshi asked plaintively.
"I'd like that, but we can't stay here forever," Sayuri replied.
Sayuri waited until Souta came up the stairs to the school. She greeted him somberly and said, "We need to talk."
Souta nodded sadly and took her gingerly by the arm. "Might as well make it a tradition," he said as he led her around to the same spot as yesterday.
"I've been thinking about what you said to me yesterday," Sayuri said, not looking at him in the eyes.
"And decided on Hiroshi," Souta said with a rueful smile.
"And decided on Hiroshi," Sayuri agreed.
"I figured you would," Souta said, as he stared into the distance, "I had hopes, but I thought it would be too much to ask. But, I knew you weren't happy with the way things were, and your happiness is the most important thing to me."
"Damn," Sayuri said, sadly, as she remembered what Kasumi had told her what seemed an eternity ago. She sighed heavily, and reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so sorry, Souta. I wish you had never gotten caught up in this," she said, a tear running down her cheek.
"Don't cry, Sayuri," Souta said, "I'll be okay. It's not like I haven't heard this speech before."
"Take care of yourself," Sayuri said, "And don't give up hope. The one for you is out there."
"Go find Hiroshi. Tell him he's one lucky son of a bitch for me," Souta said.
Sayuri gazed at him for a moment and then left, choking back a sob.
Souta waited until she had turned the corner and then slammed his fist into a tree trunk, which resulted in a loud crack. "I thought I had found the one," he breathed. Then he winced as he stared at his wrist. "Shit that hurt, I think Ibroke it," he said, "I guess this means a visit to the nurse." He moved slowly back toward the school, not looking forward to the next several hours.
Hiroshi stood waiting at the gate to the schoolyard, waiting anxiously for Nabiki to arrive. Finally he saw her walking toward him, but to his amazement she was walking rapidly on the fence. Her face lit up with pleasure as she recognized him, and he moved to join her. She said something that he couldn't hear to Ranma and Akane,who both nodded. She jumped to the ground, staggering a bit, only to have him reach out and hold her steady.
"Thanks, Hiroshi. My dismount still leaves a little to be desired," Nabiki said, once she had caught her breath.
"We'll see you in class, Hiroshi," Akane said.
"You're getting better, Nabiki," Ranma added, as the two of them went through the gate and left the couple behind.
"You continue to amaze me, Nabiki," Hiroshi said, with a wide grin, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to turn into your sister."
"Oh, there would be worse things for me to do than to be like Kasumi. Sometimes I envy her," Nabiki said, with a grin.
"I was talking about Akane, and you know it," Hiroshi said.
"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Nabiki asked.
Hiroshi shook his head and replied, "You don't miss much, do you?"
"Well, let's see. Sayuri left to go to school early, much earlier than she needed to. And your standing here waiting for me," Nabiki replied.
"Then you probably already know what I wanted to talk to you about," Hiroshi said.
"Well, if it's what I think it is, I'm happy for the two of you," Nabiki said.
"Yeah, well, if you are thinking that Sayuri and I are back together, you're thinking right," Hiroshi said, watching Nabiki carefully, "And I wanted you to hear it from me. I know we weren't really a couple, but you've been fun to be with and I owed it to you."
"Thanks, that means a lot to me. I care for you a great deal Hiroshi, and all I ever wanted was for you to be happy," Nabiki said. She saw a worried expression begin to creep across Hiroshi's face and she giggled. "Don't worry, Hiroshi. I like you a lot, but I don't love you. I know the girl who does though; after all, she's been living at our house for a while now. And all I ever wanted was for you to be happy."
Hiroshi narrowed his eyes in thought as suddenly the yen dropped. His lips twitched, trying not to smile, as he accused, "You were setting us up, weren't you?"
"Maybe," Nabiki replied, "Does it really matter now?"
"No, I suppose not," Hiroshi replied.
Nabiki smiled warmly at him and said, "Of course, now I'll have to tell Hinako that you're not available anymore."
"She's a sweetie, but she's a bit too young for me," Hiroshi said, knowing full well she was teasing him.
Nabiki gave him an odd look and said, "Sometimes I think she's older than she appears. Just don't be a stranger. She'll miss you."
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. In fact, if Sayuri stays at your place, I'll probably be over there more often. It was just a little too awkward for me to hang around there before," Hiroshi replied.
"Well, then I guess this is the last time I should do this," Nabiki said. She reached up and kissed him. After a moment, she released him, and said, "To channel my sister. Oh my, she did teach you well." She pretended to fan herself as if she had overheated, and then threaded her arm through his and said, "Let's go find your girlfriend."
Author's Notes: I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. As always, constructive criticisms and comments are welcomed and appreciated. For those of you who sent signed reviews, I tried to answer whatever questions/comments you might have had. Unfortunately, due to the new rules, I can't answer any of the Anonymous reviews.
