**********************************************
After the Fall - Chapter 1, the Mysterious Boy
**********************************************
Kuno Tatewaki stood outside his new home, wondering at its beauty. He hadn't looked upon the place in two years, and it felt as if it had been many more since he'd truly _seen_ the place.
The sign on the door had changed, reflecting the alteration of ownership. It now read "Tendo/Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts". The new owners had indeed been kind to allow a boarder to stay on, though perhaps the fact that their sister -- the Dojo's financial manager -- had asked had been a good incentive. Tendo Ranma and Akane were truly generous.
In fact, they had come to the door to welcome him. Kuno appraised them, not quite believing his eyes, then remembering that two years had indeed gone by. Tendo Akane was indeed lovely but he could see now that she was at best second to her beautiful sister Nabiki. Tendo Ranma, meanwhile, was even more physically impressive than he had seemed.
Kuno did the only thing he could think of. He dropped to one knee, and began a speech.
"I thank you, all of you in this kind family, for being so good to one who has caused you such pain. I feel as if no apology I can give for my actions will be enough, but I still would humbly ask for absolution. You have my eternal gratitude, and loyalty, though I believe that to declare the loyalty of my entire family would be... misleading... at best."
The two came forward. Saotome -- no, TENDO -- Ranma lifted him to his feet, and spoke.
"We're here to help, Kuno. I know most of the stuff you did wasn't your fault anyways -- I saw both the list and Doc Tofu's _reaction_ to the list of that stuff your sister'd been putting in your food. Still, if you feel the need to work to repay some debt, there are a few things you can do. Ya can have a talk with Nabiki about the money she spent putting you through rehab, since it did come out of her college fund."
Kuno nodded, not believing that someone would make such a sacrifice for one such as him. To have done something like that, for someone fallen as low as him, she was truly an angel.
"Second, ya consent to be our student, in Anything Goes Martial Arts. Yer too good a martial artist to go to waste. Yer training begins in the morning, and ya learn EVERY category to at least first dan level -- including the Kuonji School of Okonomiyaki Cooking, since Ukyou is one of my instructors."
Kuno began to break down, choking back tears. His rival for all that time thought that highly of him...
"Third, ya sign on as an instructor. We'll pay you, of course. Been meaning to start teaching a few weapons besides Spatula, and your swordsmanship is much better'n mine. Besides, you have the experience with the old kendo club anyways."
Kuno began weeping. This was truly too much. His old rival, the woman he'd annoyed, thought so highly of him that they wanted him to teach at their school.
"Anyways, enough with that. Nabiki seems ready to show you to your room. We've set up the guest room for you, it's yours until such time as you move out or other arrangements need to be made. Unless I miss my guess Kasumi should be done putting the finishing touches in, so go figure it out. We brought over a few minor things from your old house, you can decide what you do or don't want."
Kuno walked up the stairs, his angel Nabiki pulling on his hand, his mind reeling. They were being so... nice. To him. Nobody, not even his family, had been that way.
Tatewaki Kuno walked into his room, and stood in the center, looking it over while Nabiki proceeded to make herself comfortable on his bed. It looked nothing like his old room, despite the presence of half of his furniture as well as his bokken resting in the corner. He looked again. It actually looked _normal_. No pictures of Akane Tendo or the Pigtailed Girl anywhere to be seen. No old relics or imagined relics of various master swordsmen. No mementoes of anything from his past life.
Wait. There was one thing. It seemed like an afterthought, barely worth noticing. There was a photo stand on his desk. In it were two photos. One was of his dear, departed mother, the only one of his family who'd ever been kind to him.
The other photo was startling. It was of two twelve year old children. He stared at a moment at it, trying to place it. The young boy in the photo was wearing black pants, a blue samurai-style shirt, and had a rather short and ragged buzz cut. In one hand was a bokken. The other arm wrapped around a twelve-year-old girl, with short brown hair and large brown eyes.
Kuno took a good long look at the beautiful woman before him. He slowly took in every inch of her, from toes to head, and drank in her beauty before gazing into her eyes. He tried to summon up a torrent of poetry, to properly compliment her not only for her external beauty but to repay her in some small way for still caring for him even through all his trials.
Only two words came out.
"Thank you."