"They tell quite the story, don't they?" Nabiki gestured towards the photos she had fanned out on Akane's duvet.
"B-but there's nothing bad about them. You see where he's jumping with her? Probably there was some kind of danger that Ryoga was rescuing Kasumi from. He's chivalrous like that."
"That would explain the jumping, true, but what about Kasumi holding Ryoga's hand?"
"Maybe she was worried about him? Kasumi is protective like that." Akane faked a smile. Perhaps she had buffaloed her way out of it.
"But how about…" Nabiki paused. "On second thought, it's probably best if I don't mention that."
"Don't mention what?"
"No, I can't. You're such an innocent girl, I wouldn't want to sully you by putting improper thoughts in your head."
"What improper thoughts?"
"I certainly won't show you that picture. Kasumi would never forgive me."
"Why? What's in the picture?"
"Something I can't in good conscience show to a minor."
"But you're a minor, too!"
"In age, perhaps, but I am a woman of the world. You, however, are far too innocent for such things. I'd be punished by the gods if I let slip that Kasumi had an adult relationship with someone."
"O-oh. That's a surprise."
Akane's reaction was far more muted than Nabiki had expected. She decided to try a little harder. "I certainly wouldn't dream of telling you that I have a photo of Kasumi and Ryoga coming out of a love hotel together." In fact, she did not have such a photo, so telling Akane she wouldn't tell her she had an image like that was technically a true statement.
Akane blushed slightly and looked away. "Kasumi is allowed to do what she wants with her life. It's her business if she wants…"
"If she wants what?"
Akane closed her lips tightly. She had said too much already.
"I'm surprised that you'd react like that. Finding out that your oldest sister is doing those kinds of things with one of your friends. Without even being married."
"But they're…" Akane stopped with a look of guilt on her face.
Nabiki's face lit up. "'But they're'? Are you saying that there's more to Kasumi and Ryoga's relationship than these photos imply?"
"I didn't say that!"
"Then what did you say?"
"Nothing!"
"You said 'But they're' the moment I said they weren't married. You won't tell me why you said that?"
Akane refused to make eye contact.
Nabiki sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to wait until Kasumi gets back and ask her then."
Akane's relief was obvious. Nabiki noted that while Ranma's poker face was notoriously terrible, Akane's wasn't significantly better.
"Oh! I know! I'll bet daddy knows about it. I'll just talk to him and find out what he knows!"
Akane paled. "You can't! Whatever you do, don't tell him!"
"Oh? Is there a reason you don't want me talking to daddy?"
"Just— Dad might jump to conclusions about things. It might cause troubles for Kasumi."
"Fair point. I suppose I can keep everything you tell me to myself."
Once again, Akane sighed with relief. So transparent.
"I can keep it to myself, as long as you really do tell me everything you know. And pay me 1000 yen."
"Nabiki!"
"Sorry, that's rude of me. With the family discount applied, that's only 950 yen."
Nabiki closed the door to Akane's room, leaving a shell-shocked sister behind. 'Kasumi and Ryoga. Interesting.' Nabiki, being considerably less prone to romantic fantasy than her younger sister, figured that Akane was reading a lot into it. Elopement? It seemed far-fetched. Still, crazier things had happened before. It might be worth investigating a bit. And besides, if she discovered the two of them really were up to anything, her father would surely pay to find out. And if she discovered that news independently of what Akane had said, then she would not be violating her promise to Akane not to tell him. Ah, technicalities.
It was funny imagining Kasumi and Ryoga as a couple. Obviously anyone attracted to women would find Kasumi desirable. And Ryoga was quite good looking himself. He might have been dumber than a crate of broken Slinky™ toys, but physically, he was top-notch. But other than that, did those two actually have anything in common?
She noted that she needed to research Ryoga a bit more. Was there family money? If Ryoga really wasn't in a relationship with Kasumi, it might be worth it to get him to buy her a few necessities of life. A Fendi handbag, for instance.
'Whoops. Forgot to tell Akane that I was bluffing about the love hotel picture. Ah well, I'm sure she won't spread rumors. And even if she does, I can enjoy the ensuing chaos.'
Ryoga hadn't been to many parties before, so he didn't really have a standard to measure by, but this was at least an interesting experience.
It wasn't a bad evening or anything. The dinner had been really nice. Really delicious in fact: the freshest of fresh vegetables, and fish right off the boat. Just what you expect from somewhere with both farms and fishing boats. And along with the food was a small village full of people who seemed genuinely happy to see him. It made him feel a bit proud of himself. All the wandering, all the effort, all the endurance of getting through day after day—maybe it was all worthwhile.
After the meal was over, he was surrounded by a circle of young men who (politely) demanded he tell stories from his wanderings. And Ryoga never thought of himself as a storyteller, but his audience seemed to be hanging on his every word.
'This must be what it's like to be popular.'
Remembering Kusumoto's warning, he did try to keep an eye on Kasumi. Though perhaps the warning was a bit extreme. There didn't seem to be much boisterousness at all. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but she seemed to be having a nice conversation with a couple of elderly men.
This was a nice village with nice people. Maybe this could be the kind of place he might want to settle down in someday. Live somewhere where everybody liked him?
That is, if it's possible for him to settle down anywhere.
No. None of that. He wasn't going to let this nice evening be spoiled.
Kasumi hoped Ryoga hadn't noticed her spying on him a bit. But this was a unique situation. Normally, apart from his moments of anger, Ryoga's emotions tended very much to be on the muted side. But tonight he seemed delighted, he seemed proud. He seemed happy. This was a Ryoga she had rarely seen before.
It was good to see him smiling.
The party evolved as the evening went on. Bottles appeared, and the party became just slightly inebriated. The air grew hazy with cigarette smoke. Kasumi did not turn down drinks that were offered to her. She wasn't a frequent drinker, but it wasn't her first time by any means. Kasumi enjoyed the mellow feeling that alcohol gave her.
Loud music started playing. Tables were moved from the room and chairs were moved towards walls, creating a dance area in the middle.
The tables and chairs were moved from the floor, and men started dancing. One of the men, perhaps in his forties, invited her to the floor with a hand gesture. Kasumi hadn't really danced before. The day of her school graduation, she and her friends visited a nightclub, but back then, she didn't.
"I don't think I know how to dance," she said. The man shook his head and said something, but the music was just too loud: they were both being drowned out.
Seeing she couldn't hear him, he mimed a message for her. He waved two fingers around, then pointed them towards his ears, and finally swayed from side to side.
"Listen to the music–then move with it?"
As if by cue, the lyrics of the song touched on that subject, in English words easy enough that Kasumi could understand.
Let your body move to the music (move to the music)
Worth a try.
Ryoga was trying to keep a close eye on Kasumi, but, between the lights going down, the music going up, people dancing between him and Kasumi, and trying to be polite in conversation, it was becoming difficult.
Evidently it was obvious that his attention had wandered, because one of the boys grabbed his upper arm emphatically. Ryoga turned away from Kasumi to listen to him. Which was in vain, as the music was too loud to hear anyone talking.
He looked back to where Kasumi had been a moment before. She was gone. He whipped his head around looking for her.
"We've got some single guys in the village who might think of this as an opportunity. Ya get my drift?" were the words he'd been told earlier. Shit. He was supposed to be protecting her, and he let her disappear? What kind of man was he?
"Kasumi?" He stepped towards the dance floor, pushing past dancers. "Kasumi? Get out of my way, I'm looking for Kasumi!"
Bodies parted in front of him to reveal the one he'd been searching for, perfectly fine, dancing with a man. She stopped when she saw him. She smiled and said something, but he couldn't hear it.
"What?"
At that moment, the song ended. "...want to dance, Ryoga?"
"What?"
For some reason the men on the dance floor started cheering, when the next song started.
Everybody dance now
The loud beats of the song felt like they shook the building.
"I can't dance!' he said, drowned in sound.
She reached out her hands. She was so cute. And she was Akane's sister and she was off limits and he was scum and shouldn't touch her. Too much everything. His ears were ringing and his eyes burnt. People were jostling him. The air was terrible. His face was hot. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. Closing his eyes didn't help. Too much. It was too much. The noise, the people all around, the smell of cigarette smoke and beer. Kasumi dancing. Nothing felt real. It was like he was seeing through someone else's eyes. Had to get out.
Ryoga stumbled away. He bumped into someone. "Where's the door?" His own voice sounded like he was underwater.
The man held a hand up to his ear.
"WHERE'S THE DAMN DOOR?" Ryoga yelled.
The man pointed to his left and said something Ryoga couldn't hear. He shambled towards the exit, running into someone he hadn't seen, and didn't stop to help them up.
He wrenched the door open and rushed out. He felt immediate relief in the clear, clean air. He took several deep breaths from a hunched-over position. His pulse returned to normal. Gradually, he felt like he was seeing things through his own eyes again.
"Hey man, you okay?" Someone put a hand on his shoulder. Ryoga turned his head and looked up. It was a boy, around his age.
"Not really. But I'm doing better now."
"Yeah, our parties can get a little wild. I like to step outside myself from time to time to clear my head." He offered Ryoga a glass. "Need a drink?"
Ryoga looked at it suspiciously. "Is that?"
"It's just cold water."
He took it and quickly drank it down, then wiped his mouth. "Thanks."
"No problem. A little quiet, some fresh air, and a drink of water help calm me down."
Ryoga looked towards the hall he had just escaped from. "I'm not sure if I want to go back in there."
"Who says you have to? Nothing wrong with staying outside. I'm Yukio, by the way."
"Ryoga Hibiki."
Yukio smiled wryly. "I know. You think we'd ever forget you? Especially me. As you might know."
Ryoga looked confused. "Why would I know?"
The other boy sighed. "Dang. Yeah, I thought there was a chance you might not remember me. I was here when you fought the bear last year."
"I'm sorry, I don't remember your face."
Yukio waved a hand. "No, don't worry about it. It wasn't for all that long, and besides, you had more important matters on your mind. You were fighting a damn bear."
Ryoga chuckled. "I suppose. Were you one of the people sheltering in the village hall back then?"
It was Yukio's turn to chuckle. "I should have been. I was in my room, studying, since I had entrance exams coming up. And I was wearing headphones and blasting my music loud enough that I didn't hear the alarm call. So while the others were either in the village hall, or getting weapons to defend themselves, I was at my desk, going over irregular English verbs and singing along to Depeche Mode."
"Depech… what?"
"It's a music group. From England. The important thing to remember is that I was completely in my own little world. So I missed the alarm bells and the screaming. But I didn't miss when my window was shattered and a monster was breaking into my room. I honestly thought that was it, and I was about to die. I was so scared I had my eyes closed. And that's why I missed the greatest moment in my life."
"What was that?"
"When Ryoga Hibiki burst through my ceiling like a lightning bolt from Olympus. I saw what happened afterwards, though. You yelled and did some kind of flying kick. I thought you were dead for sure, but you knocked the bear straight through a wall. It was incredible! I wouldn't have believed it if I weren't right there. And then I watched you knock the bear unconscious with an umbrella. And if that weren't enough, you sat on the bear waiting for the forest service to come by with a truck."
"What about your room?"
"Oh, totally destroyed. I had to move to a different house for a few months."
Ryoga looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that."
"I'm not!" He pushed Ryoga's face so they were looking eye-to-eye. "You saved my life! You were like some kind of superhero! I'd never be able to repay what you did for me. Do you have any idea how great you were?" Yukio hugged him.
"I don't think I'm that great. I just did a martial artist's duty."
"No, I need you to accept that you're amazing! You're so strong and brave." He squeezed Ryoga again. "Your girlfriend must really love you. Miss Kasumi is a lucky lady."
Ryoga blushed. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. Kasumi and I aren't like that. We're just friends."
Yukio relaxed his hold. "Really? You're not joking?"
"Really."
"Hmm." Yukio still had his arms loosely around Ryoga. He looked up. "Oh, they're playing my favorite song!" He took Ryoga's hand and pulled him to just outside the village hall. Yukio hummed along with the soft rock ballad. When the song came to the chorus, he sang it along with the singer.
Daremo ga naiteru
Naida wo hito niwa misezu ni
He looped his arm around Ryoga's back and swayed to the music.
"What's this song about?" Ryoga asked during an instrumental sequence.
"Tears. It's about how everyone cries inside and they try to hide it. But there's no point in hiding it, really, isn't it? Everyone cries, so nobody should be ashamed of it." The chorus returned and Yukio sang it again.
Daremo ga aisuru hito no mae wo
Kizukazu ni toori sugite ku
The song faded and was followed by a louder dance song, so Yukio led them further away so that it was quieter. "You know what? This idea might sound sudden and a little crazy, but I think you should think about it. You ready?"
A nonplussed Ryoga nodded.
"Here goes: you ought to live here. You're not the big city type, I can tell. Anyone who can manhandle animals like you should be out here in the country. You could move into my house–we've got a spare room. We could even go to high school together. And you're so strong and good-looking, you'd be the king of the school in no time."
His kneejerk instinct was to reject the idea as ridiculous. But was it? Moving here, huh? Earlier, he'd had thoughts along those lines. Maybe that was something he should actually consider doing. He could do worse than live someplace where he was everyone's hero. A fresh start in a new place. Shirokuro would love living in the countryside. She'd be able to run around as much as she wanted. Dogs don't belong in the city.
"I'll… I'll think about it."
Yukio's face lit up. "Will you really?"
"I'll think about it. Really."
Yukio grinned and wiped his eyes. "Wow. Just hearing you say you'll think about it makes me so happy, some tears leaked out. See, the song was right, everyone does cry. And I'm not ashamed at crying in front of you." He looked at Ryoga for a few moments. "I hope you decide to come live here. You'd be the legendary protector of Kuibetsu. Someday they'd elect you the mayor, I'm sure of it."
Ryoga pushed slightly at Yuko, embarrassed. "Come on."
"No, seriously, they would. Everyone loves you here. I love you. And I'm so happy I got to see you again. I'm so happy I had a chance to tell you." Yukio brought his hands up to the sides of Ryoga's face. "I love you so much, Ryoga." He leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth.
Ryoga froze.
Yukio stepped back and looked at him adoringly, holding his hands. "I hope you choose to live with all of us." He let his hands go and walked back towards the village hall. "Miss Kasumi," he greeted her as she left the building, which she returned with a slight bow.
She approached the still-shocked boy and lightly touched his arm. "You looked a bit upset back in the hall. Are you feeling a bit better now?"
Having received no answer, she continued. "I would have come out here earlier, but I saw that you and that nice boy were having a conversation, so I didn't want to interrupt."
"He… he kissed me."
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, he did."
"Why did he kiss me?"
"He likes you, I suppose."
His eyes searched out hers. "Why would he like me?"
"Some boys like boys, and…"
"No. Why would he like me?"
She touched his arm softly. "Are you all right, Ryoga?"
He looked away from her gaze. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Tonight… is this what parties are like?"
"What?"
"I haven't really been to one before."
Kasumi chuckled. "Not me, either. I'm such a homebody."
"I can't dance. I've only ever done festival dances. And everyone else was…"
She took both his hands. "I'll teach you. I just learned myself, but I think I can teach you."
"I don't want to go back in…"
"We'll stay out here. Come on." From inside the hall, a ballad had started playing. She started swaying to the slow rhythm, and he couldn't help but sway along to the beat.
He couldn't understand the words of the female singer, but there was a quiet gentleness to them. When Kasumi released his left hand, and set her hand on his side just above his waist, he was a little startled. "What?"
She leaned in slightly. "Nothing bad is going to happen, Ryoga. Don't worry."
He nervously put his hand on her side as well. Her smile relieved his concerns he had transgressed somehow.
The chorus was a bit more upbeat and so Kasumi swayed a bit faster.
Heut komm' ich, heut geh' ich auch
Und morgen ist es dann vorbei
Vielleicht bleib' ich auch
Gestern, das liegt mir nicht
Heut brauch' ich Liebe, die endlos ist
Once the song ended, Ryoga moved his hands away, perhaps a bit hastily.
"Are you feeling a bit better?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
He felt like this was a moment he should remember. Her smile, lit by the nearly-full moon, the muffled sounds of dancing and music from the village hall, the touch of her hand.
The smell of cigarettes had gone, and Ryoga rather liked the faint smell of wine on her breath.
Notes:
The story has a header image now! Art by Beedok (who has also been very encouraging in getting me to write this).
"Kuibetsu" is a made-up place, the only such one in the story so far.
The four songs directly referenced in the story are:
"Vogue" by Madonna
"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" by C+C Music Factory (ft. Martha Wash)
"悲しみは雪のように (Kanashimi wa yuki no youni)" by Shogo Hamada
"? (Fragezeichen)" by Nena
The first two are very famous outside of Japan, the third and fourth less so. I was looking up Japanese hit songs of the era this story takes place (1992), and this one immediately clicked with me. Nena is best known outside of Germany mostly for "99 Luftballons", but she/they (the name "Nena" is both the name of the band and of the lead singer) produced a series of great songs.
I've put together a Spotify playlist of these songs (along with a Depeche Mode number of the era). However, this being ffn, I can't link to it. The version of this chapter posted at Ao3 does contain the link.
I hope you enjoyed reading. I'm glad there was a much shorter wait for this chapter.
This had already been my longest non-anthology story I've posted-with this chapter, this story surpasses even that caveat. It is now the longest story I have ever written, full stop. I'm past the looking-glass, people!