Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and its characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi. This story is for the free use and enjoyment of those who read it.
Schools United
Chapter Three
By Michael Fetter
Silent and dark, blending in with the background, the night and the ninja had much in common. It was the main reason they both wore black the little ninja suspected.
He had been practicing his craft on orders for the past few weeks, waiting for the opportunity to report back to his master. A ninja has his loyalties after all. Of course, that could be unfortunate when they were life long bonds to the Kuno siblings.
* * *
They concluded the mountain exercises about a month later. Ranma had them drilled in endurance, strength, and body toughening. She would have stayed longer, but there was no point in some of those exercises while Hiro was so young. Plus the bruises on her body had not completely healed so she couldn't partake in some of the training.
"Where to now, Okaasan?" During the more private moments, Akane had started to call her by her first name, but Ranma had insisted she refer to her as 'Okaasan' when Hiro was about. Ranma would've preferred to be called 'Okaasan' all the time, but she wouldn't push it with Akane. The girl would learn on her own.
"Kyoto." Ranma smirked a bit at Akane's facefault.
Picking up her jaw, Akane made up the distance separating them in two bounds. "You just made us travel way up North! Why would you now want to head to Kyoto?!"
"Because the beaches make good speed training." This seemed to fluster Akane a little bit more.
"There are beaches much closer to where we are, Okaasan." She wasn't going to get mad, she wasn't. Akane started to stomp and ball up her hands though.
Becoming annoyed, Ranma stopped to face her daughter. "Stop your foolish whining this instant!" Six years of motherhood certainly did teach you how to deal with kids. "If you did not want to train then you should not have come along."
Akane paled under the verbal abuse. It really was like having a mother scold her. Taking a moment to regain her senses, Akane heard Ryouga snicker behind her. The pervert hadn't done anything but gotten on her nerves since Okaasan had found him. "What are you laughing at pervert!?!"
"You, tomboy." Never in his life did he think he would come to quote or even agree with the old Ranma about Akane. Ryouga had just never seen Akane in her true light. The past weeks, she had been abusive, easily angered, and very unladylike. Nothing like Tendou-san, Ryouga noted. After that thought, he got very confused and watched the redhead walking ahead of them.
Following his gaze, Akane assumed the boy was ignoring her to look at her mother's butt. "You HENTAI! RYOUGA NO BAKA!"
"Akane! Ryouga!" Again, Akane was stopped from swinging her mallet by Okaasan's voice.
"Hai?" They called back in unison.
"Hold each other's hand. I don't want you getting lost." Ranma commanded.
They could only sputter in response, giving the other a dirty look before returning to Ranma. "NO WAY!"
"I'm not touching this pervert!" Akane yelled.
Ryouga complained just as loudly. "There's no way I'm holding this tomboy's hand!"
Stopping in her tracks, Ranma turned to regard the young adults, finding great amusement in their responses. They were fighting just like she and Akane used to do. This was working out better than she could hope for. Giving the two a withering stare, Ranma spoke again. "Do I really have to repeat myself?"
The two gulped as they watched Ranma finger the hilt of her katana. Hiro was watching from Ranma's side at her sister's scolding. He wondered why Akane would have to hold Ryouga's hand for punishment. Directing one more glare at Ryouga, Akane grabbed the boy's hand and started dragging him after Ranma.
Not really seeing the point, Hiro grabbed his mother's free hand and continued their walk. Okaasan, he noticed, had another one of her small smiles, and wondered if that holding hands meant something he didn't understand?
After a few minutes of silence, Akane started asking questions again. "If we're going to Kyoto, why are we walking West instead of South?"
Ryouga snorted at the stupid question. "Isn't it obvious, tomboy? Tendou-san wants to get there by beach for training." His hand started to hurt as he finished the brief explanation. Interestingly, it was the same hand he was holding Akane with.
"Close, Ryo-kun." Akane stuck out her tongue when Ranma said he was wrong. "I also want to stop by Sapporo to give Akane's sisters a call. I don't want to make the same mistakes my father did with my training trip."
"Oh, Okaasan, you could never be that bad." Akane protested and was rewarded with an amused glance from Ranma.
"Suck up." Ryouga muttered.
This time Ranma had to cover her mouth as she chuckled.
"You're one to talk, 'Ryo-kun'!" Akane mimicked Ranma's voice and pressed down harder on the boy's hand. Ryouga fought back this time and the woods echoed with screams of 'pervert' and 'tomboy'.
A tug on her hand brought Ranma's attention to Hiro. "Are they gonna fight like that all the time, momma."
"No, not all the time." Just most of it. Ranma picked up the pace slightly and increased the distance between the two pairs to save her hearing. Boy did this bring back memories, Ranma thought happily.
There was some muffled chortle from the pair.
"Shut up, Ryouga." Akane grumbled, testing the strength in her hands.
Ryouga laughed a little more, for some reason, unable to kill his amusement.
"Shut UP, Ryouga." Akane growled a little more.
"Bwahhahahahahah!"
"Ryouga no BAKA!" Thanks to the distance separating them, Ranma was unable to stop Akane this time. The girl smirked as she watched the Ryouga dot ascend the nearest mountain range and disappear. Finally, she was alone with Ranma without that pervert getting in her way.
Ranma sighed, shaking her head. "It had to happen eventually." She commented, following Ryouga's arc over the terrain. "And his luck was holding out so well." Ranma grimaced as she shifted the heavy pack on her shoulders into a better position. Her left hand fell to her side again, the blue ki glowing through her fingers.
* * *
Sapporo, Nation's Inn Hotel and Restaurant. Ranma found the room in good order. There were two beds, nightstand with alarm clock and phone, TV and mirror across the room, and a bathroom with the usual hotel compliments of shampoos and soaps. With a sigh of relief, she let the heavy pack settle onto the floor beside one of the beds and rubbed her aching shoulders.
Maybe she sat down too quickly and pulled on some sore muscles, but her side once again ached. Okaasan tried to make as little a spectacle of it as possible, letting the soft glow flow through her left hand and onto her side. It helped soothe the pain, but could not abate it entirely.
The broken rib had been giving her trouble as she tried to keep up with the training her son and daughter were performing. On more than one occasion Okaasan had to concede for the day before the pain became too much. That was the big problem with bones.
Okaasan can control her ki so well that she can have it concentrate on injuries. Most of the time it was a scrape or bruise, Hiro's usually, but bones needed to be set first. Ribs, to her great agitation, could not be set. So it was healing in a slightly different angle than she would have hoped for.
"C'mon squirt." Akane called for her little brother as she entered the room. "The sooner we get cleaned up the sooner we can eat."
Tuning out the sounds of her children unpacking and the drama of who got the shower first, Ranma turned to the phone at the bedside. From the sound of a running shower, she guessed Akane had gotten their first since Hiro still insisted on baths. It was for the best since she would have to watch him to be sure he didn't have any trouble.
Ranma preferred to go after her children considering the temperature of water she normally used.
Hiro dropped down onto the bed beside her, bouncing on the springs as he landed.
Annoyed Okaasan eyed her son, which had the desired effect. She didn't see his face turn somber as she typed in the number of Nabiki's office. That was another reason for stopping in Sapporo and not a smaller city closer to the beach. Nabiki had gone into work as a mutual funds director. It made little sense to Ranma, except that people gave Nabiki money to invest and she got a percentage off of what they earned.
The phone on the other side rang once and picked up immediately by Nabiki's secretary. "Moshi moshi, Tendou Mutual, how can I help you?"
Ranma was taken aback for a moment as she realized the voice was male and young. "Uh, Tendou Nabiki please."
"Who may I tell her is calling?" the young man asked pleasantly.
"This is her mother."
There was a momentary pause while the young man spoke to Nabiki through an intercom, putting her on hold. The music she often associated with elevators beat a steady, annoying rhythm. No doubt, Nabiki used it to make people all the more grateful to talk to her when she answered. "Okaasan?"
Ranma pushed the song from her mind as she heard Nabiki's voice. "Afternoon, Nabiki-chan."
"Good afternoon, Okaasan. Where are you?"
Ranma looked over at Hiro as she felt the bed tremor when he slid off. "Sapporo, Nation's Inn Hotel."
Noticing her look, Hiro sighed and sat down on the floor and fiddled with the contents of his backpack to pass the time.
"You should have called me. I could've put you up somewhere nicer."
Ranma noted that Nabiki hadn't offered her own place to stay. That likely meant Nabiki's condo was not stocked with any decent food and her maid hadn't performed a weekly cleaning yet. "Nonsense. This hotel suits our needs just fine. Was that a new secretary answering your phone?"
"Who? Sean-kun – I mean Nevers-san?"
Quirking an eyebrow, Ranma wondered if this was Nabiki's first interest in the opposite sex for anything but money. "I assume he had all the qualities you were looking for in a secretary?" she asked with some amusement.
There was a momentary pause. Ranma imagined Nabiki blushing, hard as she rarely blushed. "Of course, he can type and everything." Nabiki sarcastically remarked. "Hey, I know, why don't we get together for dinner tonight and you can tell me about the guy who's been asking around for you."
"Excuse me?" Ranma couldn't think of any man who might be looking for her. Most she knew were students at the dojo or parents to students at the dojo.
"Don't worry. I didn't tell him anything. I know you aren't scouting out available bachelors and he didn't give a business title."
"Thanks, Nabiki." Ranma frowned as she considered why someone might be looking for her. She'd have to set it aside for now though. "Could you do me a favor and find out what happened to Ukyou?"
"You sure about that, Okaasan?"
Images flashed in Ranma's mind where Ukyou was yelling for her to leave the Ucchan. Whatever happened in the past, she had to know if Ukyou was all right now. The girl's suffering was at least indirectly her fault. "Yes. Bring whatever you find to dinner tonight. Where should we meet you?"
"I'll pick you up at six at the hotel, Okaasan."
Smiling, Ranma thanked her daughter and said her goodbye. When she finished, Akane was walking out of the bath, her hair in a towel, and another around her waist. Hiro walked into the bath saying he wouldn't need any help. Okaasan nodded and listened for the sound of running water before turning back to Akane.
"Whom were you talking to?" she asked, drying out her hair in front of the mirror and brushing it down.
"Your sister, Nabiki. She's going to pick us up at six for dinner."
"That's nice." Akane smiled at her in the mirror then pulled her towel from her body. She frowned when Ranma looked away, uninterested. With the towel in her hand, she tried making a production of drying her self off, but no sway of the hip or unnecessary lift of an arm pulled any attention.
Okaasan did stand up after a moment and leave for the bathroom. "Try to learn some feminine modesty, Akane."
In the bath, Hiro sat lazily building lather in his hands. He heard the door open and close and knew who it must be. Sighing, Hiro dropped his hands back into the water and stared at the rippling surface.
"Is Ryouga-san gonna visit us again, Okaasan?"
Ranma stopped to frown at herself in the mirror as she removed her kimono. She couldn't watch Hiro in the tub while female because it would most likely cause some of the warm water to splash in her direction and effect the change and rip her clothing.
She could see the deep purple covering the area on her left side where the rib was broken. It was looking better, but only just.
Sounds from the other side of the door told Okaasan that Akane was finished drying and getting dressed. She wondered how long it would be before Ryouga could possibly find them again. With the traveling and his bad sense of direction it was a small chance they would ever see him again for many weeks. By that time, Akane should have either given up on her silly ideas or Ranma would have to confront her directly about them.
"Some day, Hiro-kun." Okaasan replied, undressed and sitting herself down beside Hiro outside of the tub. She reached in to cup some water in her hands to pour through his hair.
The change rippled through her body and he could feel his legs slide across the floor to accommodate the greater mass. Ranma looked at his hands for a moment. They were larger and displayed more obvious strength than her female form.
It had been many months since he last adopted his original form. Ranma reached back and grabbed the extra towel from a rack and wrapped it about his waist.
"Okaasan?" Hiro turned around in the tub to stare at his cursed mother. "How come you haven't done that in a long time?"
Ranma reached in to the water again to pour through Hiro's hair before grabbing the shampoo. "I haven't felt a need."
"How come?"
Hiro remained still while Ranma started washing his hair, scrubbing the shampoo into his scalp. "Because I don't need to change to take care of you."
"Is it bad?"
His hands stopped and Ranma looked down at his son, concern in his eyes. "What?"
"Is changing bad? Does it hurt you, Okaasan?" Hiro asked, staring into his 'mother's' eyes. He wanted to understand Okaasan, but every time Hiro thought he figured something out, Okaasan would change the rules.
Ranma blinked while he considered the question. He took nothing lightly when it came from his son. Molding his son into a manly man started with entertaining his questions and treating him like an adult on occasion. "Yes, I think changing is bad. It hurts more than just me, though. It hurt my friends and your sisters."
"Oh." Looking back into the water, Hiro looked guiltily at the steam rising off of it. "I'm sorry."
"What for, Hiro-kun?"
"We shoulda stayed in the mountains. There wasn't so much warm water out there."
Ranma frowned and rinsed his son's hair of the shampoo. Hiro was not a very good liar. "You missed seeing me like this." Okaasan stated, cupping more water in his hands.
Shrugging, Hiro continued to stare at the water. "I don't know. I didn't really when Ryouga-san was around."
His hair was clean and there wasn't much more Hiro would need Ranma's help for. The boy held onto Okaasan's hands while he climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel. "Is it bad that I sometimes miss Otoosan?" Hiro asked.
Ranma flinched, but kept it from his son's eyes. He would like to have said yes, it was bad to ever think of Soun, but he couldn't. Soun, for all his faults, was still Hiro's father. There was never any love lost between them, but Soun had certainly made an impact on Hiro. The boy obviously loved his father and probably found it difficult to understand why Ranma did not.
"No Hiro, it's not bad for you to miss him."
At the door to the bathroom, Hiro turned around. "Do you ever miss him, Okaasan?"
Ranma sought some strength within himself to do the compassionate thing, but he had trouble just holding Hiro's gaze. He turned his back on Hiro and sat down beside the tub again, reaching in for the drain stopper. "Go get dressed for dinner, Hiro."
The door opened and closed quietly as little footsteps left the bathroom. Fresh water rumbled into the tub, cooling off the steam and dropping the temperature within the room. Ranma let the cool water run over her hands, raising goosebumps along her body as she watched the tub refill.
Even dead Soun was still tormenting her. She understood the need for parents, a mother and a father. Ranma hated herself for still feeling a desire to see her own father again. Genma had been the only one she'd known for most of her childhood. She still resented many of the things he did to her, but that didn't mean his absence didn't pain her in some way.
Okaasan hoped that in time Hiro would forget about Soun entirely, but that would just be repeating her father's mistakes. She wanted to give Hiro better so he wouldn't know . . .
A tear disappeared into the cold water as Ranma held her self up over the lip of the tub. "Damn you Soun." She cried. "Can't you ever leave me in peace?"
* * *
Scorched earth and smoldering bodies were all that remained towards the conclusion of the world's most epic of battles. Only a handful of warriors remained to finish this blood bath of fights. They were the skilled, experienced, seasoned samurai, pinning deadly sharp steel against each other in powerful display of ability.
"Stand down you scum!" Cried the lone warrior of good. His was the task presented by the Gods. Only within his destiny was there a chance to rescue the damsel, a fair maiden of spirit and warmth. In the Lord's domain she was a state treasure beyond comparison.
The man wore silken garb beneath the hard shine of dragon scales, an armor he secured with the defeat of the evil atrocity. Each plate was another intricate display of green scale, locking tightly with the next to create an impenetrable suit of Japanese armor. There used to be a mask covering his face, but somewhere in this bloody war it had become lost. The dark curls of his hair and hard lines of his solemn face could be seen as lightning crashed upon the ground around them.
Fighter trash of some honorless nation he stared down with holy virtue. These men, no matter the numbers, would fall at his feet with each swipe of his katana. Cowards, all of them. The samurai faced off against the remaining six curs who dared to bar his path to save his love.
"This is where you stop, Knight of God!" the leader of the final pack looked much like the slobbering dogs he saw scavenging the outlands on his travels. They each carried jagged swords and wore armor easier to compare with rags than any true protection.
A second man grinned and readied a charge at the single warrior of light. "I will take pleasure in smearing your insides across my blade!"
"I would not waste my time to parlay with such rabble." The knight stated, standing ready for the attack. "Come, fight me and see if your pathetic skill could even compare to my divine justice!"
Dark purple and green swirled amongst the gathering clouds. The wind picked up, forcing some of the men to shift stances to hold themselves upright. The knight simply stood, the changing chaotic world around him unable to penetrate his defenses.
Raising his sword, the knight stared blankly ahead of him, as if the fight to come was beneath his notice. Then, with a sharp battle cry, he charged the struggling group of enemies, slashing and piercing his way to their vulnerable areas in their defenses. There was no mistaking how this man had survived for so long. The skill and savagery he displayed completely overwhelmed the remaining fighters, giving them barely a chance to scream in pain before they died.
Through it all, the knight had remained clean of any blood. Not even the sweat for such a workout appeared on his clothing. With solemn grace, he sheathed the katana at his side and strode forward to the goal of his campaign.
On top of the mountain the war had waged about, a small patch of green remained to hold its prisoner in relative comfort. She was shorter than the knight, her small frame demure and voluptuous. This was the reason men fought war, the sight of this beauty. To run your hands through her silky red hair, feel the warmth of her spirit, or the sweetness of her mouth any man would charge into battle. And it was he, a knight of God, who found his way to his beautiful pigtailed goddess.
"Ah, lovely damsel, I come to free you of this horrid confines. I doth thank my nightly prayers that I find you unharmed. Come and I shall whisk you away from this demon infested land." The knight extended his hand outward, but the red-haired woman did not accept. Instead she pulled her clothes in tightly about her body.
"You should go, Sir Knight, and leave me to my fall from grace."
Not understanding, the knight stepped forward, hoping to hold her close. As he approached he began to notice the smaller details of her fine kimono that had escaped his eye before. There was the finely woven gold thread creating an intricate pattern of a dragon along her bodice, and more importantly, the rips along its seams.
"What is this?" the knight asked, worry in his eyes. "Has some villain brought an ill against thee?"
"More than an ill I fear."
The knight reeled back in shock as the goddess pulled forward a young boy, hiding behind her. Cool, hard control returned after a moment and the knight looked gravely upon this new transgression. "Some demon had defiled an agent of Heaven and would condemn thee for a thousand life times to Hell for his blackness. And now, it would fall to my shoulders, and repair his misdeed."
Bowing her head, the goddess held the boy close. "Thank you valiant knight."
Without another word, he strode forward, katana pulled once again from its sheath and held gravely in his hands. "Be cleansed with my divine contrition, pigtailed goddess."
Upon a ground of living green, flowed red like a river to his feet. Bodies, headless now, can no longer know their faults and see their shame. They have found peace in the gray, clouds parted to give a ray of light as consolation for a loss to one world and gift for the next. The knight felt pain for what he'd done, but with his purpose fulfilled and his damsel, goddess of fiery beauty, saved, he would meet them again.
Knight of God, Herald of Divine Justice, Jewel upon the World of Sin, Kuno Tatewaki raised his blade once more, the point brushing against the scale skin of dragon armor. "Be cleansed and seek higher places."
* * *
The four of them sat around a large table in the center of an opulent restaurant that focused on classier European dishes. While Nabiki could browse the menu board and chose a proper meal, the rest had trouble deciphering half of the words used. In the end, Okaasan suggested Nabiki order for all of them.
"Red wine, Okaasan?" Nabiki asked, looking over the single-page menu of various alcoholic beverages.
Ranma shook her head no. "I don't drink. Tea will suit me fine."
Nabiki frowned for a moment then went to her sister. "Akane?"
"Uh, I . ." she couldn't help but think of all the parties she went to during college. "No, I don't drink that much either."
"Oh well, tea all around I suppose." She handed the menu to the waiter, watching him stuff the bill in his pocket and shuffle off to another table.
"So." Nabiki took a good look at those assembled. "Things must be going okay. I don't see any bruises or cuts."
"Really?" Okaasan mused. "I would have thought that meant things were going slow."
"Did you ever stop to consider that martial arts and sadism are one in the same."
Frowning, Akane came to the defense of her chosen life path. What Nabiki was suggesting was something akin to heresy in a martial arts family of their caliber. "It's kinder than scraping for dying companies and toying with the job security."
Nabiki narrowed her eyes at her little sister. "I think you forget who you're talking to little sister. What I do brings money to the family and keeps you clothed, fed, and warm at night."
"Maybe I don't want your dirty money anymore."
"Convenient that you waited until you were finished with college and back with Okaasan to come to that decision." Nabiki sneered. She'd seen all the little signs, some so small a tank would fit without a problem. Each of Akane's pathetic attempts to win Okaasan's heart again, make her Ranma again. Well it didn't seem to be what Okaasan wanted and it wasn't what she wanted.
Akane's anger was turning into a white-hot fury as she thought of how her sister was trying to make her feel guilty. What gave her the right to toy with her life? Nabiki had been pulling schemes and playing with her head since they were little. "Lots of that money came from pictures you sold Kuno of me."
"Don't flatter yourself, Akane. The money I got for those shots would barely cover the tip I gave the delivery boy each time you cooked." Her voice was rising. Nabiki never raised her voice in business deals, but this wasn't business, was it? Family came that much closer to the heart.
"Enough!"
The restaurant went silent as all eyes turned to the person who's palm smacked the table hard enough to make it jump. Okaasan paid little heed to anyone but her family. No one else really mattered, but someone would pay for this embarrassment later. Right now she had to hold her attention on Akane and Nabiki to keep people's respect.
"You girls," her voice returned to a lower tone that still sounded harsh to everyone's ears, "will cease this foolish behavior or we will be calling it an evening."
To most it sounded like a mother sending her children to bed without dinner, but Akane and Nabiki felt a deeper pain in Okaasan's words.
Nabiki was the first to understand her mistake, smart girl as always. "I'm sorry, Okaasan. I didn't mean to insult you." Sometimes she found it hard to believe that anything got to Okaasan. She could pull on a face of absolute indifference that left Nabiki's in its shadow. "Please excuse me. I just need to freshen up." She stood up, draping her napkin across the back of her chair.
Leaning back in her chair, Akane almost made herself look smug. It was the look Okaasan gave her that said she did not win that fight either. Coughing into her hand, Akane excused herself as well and headed for the bathroom.
"Okaasan?"
Ranma turned back to Hiro sitting at her right, an empty glass of water in front of him. "Yes?"
"I have to go too."
Sighing, Okaasan leaned back in her chair. "Can you hold it until your sisters get back?"
Hiro nodded, fidgeting in his seat.
* * *
If the door were hinged properly, Nabiki was certain she might have slammed it behind her as she entered the ladies' room. She strode straight for the nearest sink and twisted the faucet to release water cold enough to douse the fire running through her blood. How dare her sister judge the way she lived!
It was all true. Okaasan was, until recently, running the dojo and it was making some profit, but college had not been inexpensive, nor raising another sibling, or helping out her older sister. All these things were funded in no small part by Nabiki's contribution. She left her life behind long ago to give her family a future. There was no way Akane, or anyone, was going to tell her she was no longer needed and condemn her for what she had done.
The argument should have been avoided, she understood. While the abuse she delivered her little sister and one time fiancée made her guilty now, Okaasan's own sacrifice and subsequent healing affect were not to be forgotten.
Nabiki closed her eyes as she doused her face with the cold water. How funny that the cold was such a constant in her life. Ranma may have been cursed with water, but she most often felt the chill running through her veins. After mother, her birth mother, died it was all Nabiki could do to go on. Her family needed her then and she adapted. The vicious businesswoman she was kept the dojo afloat while her father mourned, in length.
Ice Queen was not a one-time nickname. It followed her through high school and college. She never dropped the act; it had become her role on the world stage. She remained hard and she remained alive, it was one of her philosophies in life.
Then Okaasan came along. Nabiki had been there when Ranma . . . After a while at college, she returned to see a changing household. Soun no longer cried as often as he did. Nabiki had misunderstood for a while what this meant. Her father's sudden outbursts of emotion were a large part to his grievement, but the change seemed more sudden than Okaasan's emergence.
She remembered the first time she 'met' Okaasan. Hiro was still only an infant suckling at his mother's breast. That was also how she met her little brother. While Okaasan was holding her child tenderly, she seemed to be in a far off place at the same time. Her eyes were closed to let her mind wander. Nabiki no longer recalled what exactly had been said, but she made some rude comment that may have been tolerated by Ranma, but Okaasan simply opened her eyes and stared at her. Those eyes were so hard Nabiki felt she had choked on her tongue before she could look away.
It was a week before Nabiki spoke to Okaasan again. This time in a respectful tone and manner, she was responded to with kind words and maternal grace Nabiki would never had expected then. She watched Okaasan tend to Hiro with unconditional love and Soun with unquestioned obedience.
By the end of her vacation from college, it hurt Nabiki so much to have Okaasan only treat her as a passing acquaintance that she broke down and cried. Okaasan spent all the time Nabiki needed to finally purge all the emotions she had kept bottled up since childhood. There was no one else in her entire world that would listen so carefully and respond so tenderly to her pleas that Nabiki made an effort to take Okaasan into her heart, the mother she needed for so long.
Okaasan had forgiven them all, but in her own way she was asking for that same forgiveness. It had been passed unconditionally between mother and daughter, she knew that. That was why it hurt sometimes to remember. She loved Okaasan and that was why she hated herself.
The door swung open again as Nabiki splashed her face a second time, clearing away the running mascara. She could see Akane walking into the bathroom and smoothed out any tears that may have developed, the mask returning, her role being filled again.
"You bitch."
Akane growled, but made no retort to her defense. She may not be on the same level intellectually as Nabiki, but she was not her sister's doll to toy with any longer.
Nabiki turned around, leaning against the sink and eyeing her little sister with a cold gaze. "You don't even realize how what you did hurt Okaasan, do you?"
Knuckles cracked as Akane formed a tight fist with her left hand. "I don't give a damn about Okaasan. I'm trying to get Ranma back. It should never have been like this. He deserves another chance."
"Is that why you brought the ring along?" Nabiki scoffed at her sister, always resorting to violence like it could solve anything.
There was a long silence as Akane stared nervously at her sister. She'd gotten angry again and said too much. There was no other way Nabiki would've known. Her hand reached into a pant pocket to extract the simple gold band. Of course Nabiki would remember it. Her sister helped her pay for it. It was an engagement ring she had bought for Ranma a long time ago.
"Really, little sister. You are far too easy to see through. This scheme of yours, if you could really call it that, is not going to work." Akane only looked at the ring in her fingers as she considered for the briefest second what Nabiki was saying.
"Fuck you, Nabiki." She wrapped the ring in her fist and stared hard back at her sister. "Ranma and I were destined to be together. We love each other and we will be together like we were meant to be."
Nabiki laughed a brief, sharp release like a gunshot. "I would've thought you had more sense than that, Akane. There is no Ranma anymore. Okaasan is here now because she has to be. It couldn't be any other way after . . after what happened . ."
"Oh?" Akane eyed her sister carefully. "And you know what happened?"
Nabiki's eyes turned sad and fell to the floor. She knew Okaasan had forgiven her without knowing why, but she worried sometimes that Ranma wouldn't. It scared Nabiki to think that any piece of Ranma may be left, to feel pain for how things were. She wanted to believe that Okaasan was the shield from that pain. That was why Nabiki believed Ranma was gone forever.
"Whatever. Just don't get too upset when reality bites you on the ass, little sister." Finished, Nabiki left the bathroom. There was nothing more on the subject she wanted to discuss with Akane. Let the spoiled brat learn on her own, bear the pain herself.
Akane stood in the bathroom for some moments stewing over the harsh treatment of her sister's. Some of it had gotten too close to a pain she was only just beginning to understand. Her thoughts lingered briefly on what Nabiki might know of what had happened. How their lives had been changed so dramatically.
The door opened again and Hiro walked in, followed closely by Okaasan. Akane's anger deflated quickly with Hiro's presence. She liked the boy and was truly beginning to see him as family.
"Problems Akane?" Okaasan asked though she was implying more if she had settled her differences with Nabiki.
Smirking, Akane pocketed the ring in her pants again before Ranma could notice. "Just needed to freshen up, Okaasan. I'll see you back at the table."
Ranma watched her daughter leave the restroom before leading Hiro to one of the stalls. She'd felt something strange when her daughters had left the table and it had preempted her to take Hiro to the restroom sooner. It wasn't the sense of danger she sometimes felt when she was younger, but a notion of a presence. Something dark, concealed within the shadows of her mind.
She'd do her best to monitor it when it next appeared.
* * *
After some quiet moments, dinner was finally served and the tense atmosphere broke somewhat. They each had a plate of past that tasted only a bit better than their moods.
That too had eventually passed and Ranma was back in the luxury car with Hiro and her daughters on their way back to the hotel.
"You okay, Hiro-kun?" Nabiki asked at her brother's side. She sat with him while Akane took a seat beside Okaasan. Her eyes narrowed marginally at the less than subtle play. "You've been quiet most of the night."
Hiro shrugged and continued to look out the window. He spared a moment to look again at Okaasan's firm mask before returning to the outside world slipping by.
Frowning, Nabiki tussled the boy's hair affectionately and saddened when he only knocked her hand away. This was the other reason she understood Okaasan to be upset. She, Akane, and Kasumi may be Okaasan's daughters, but Hiro was her true and only child. Nabiki made no illusions to where Ranma's heart and soul now sparked. Okaasan had commented on Hiro's manliness enough to let her intentions be understood. She liked Hiro for that reason most of all.
This was Ranma's true second chance, something Akane did not yet see. Nabiki wanted Hiro to be strong and happy almost as much as Okaasan did.
The car pulled up to the lighted entryway for the Nation's Inn Hotel. A driver opened the door and helped each of them out. Okaasan gave Nabiki a kiss on the cheek for goodnight and started walking her son back to their room.
"Oh, Okaasan!" Nabiki ducked her head back into the car and rummaged through her papers in there. The cover sheet was missing, but she remembered the address after reading it over and over again during her search. "I almost forgot to give you this."
Ranma accepted the few papers she was handed and leafed through their contents. Nabiki had scribbled on the top of one the address to an old friend's home.
"When will you be going there?" Nabiki asked.
Ranma folded the papers once and fitted them into a pocket of her kimono. "We'll be leaving Sapporo tomorrow morning. It may be some weeks before we arrive."
Nodding, Nabiki settled back into the car. "I hope things go well between you and Ukyou."
Okaasan thanked her daughter and waved as the car pulled away from the hotel.
"Is that why we're going to Kyoto?" Akane asked angrily.
Okaasan simply passed her by, not a word or a glance as she led Hiro into the lobby. If Akane wanted to speak with her then she would learn to control her tone. She had no need for thoughtless children.
Grinding her teeth, Akane waited outside counting backwards from ten. She was losing her control all over again. Ranma would never be hers if she kept losing her temper. Slightly mollified, Akane entered the lobby and headed for the elevator.
* * *
She'd read the reports, both police and psychiatric. Kuno Tatewaki, age 26, was being treated by personal doctors for severe delusional schizophrenia. She passed most of the doctor's specifics until she came to the most recent event to cause his breakdown.
Kuno had been slightly mad to begin with. That is if you can call a fish slightly prone to water.
Sometime about a few weeks ago, Kuno was caught ripping apart what used to be the Tendou dojo. He had clawed through every floor board and wall stud in an attempt to find his lost love. Apparently, he was still dogging the youngest Tendou daughter, believing she was somehow meant to be his. Kuno often went into soapbox rantings in the middle of his college campus or anywhere Akane went, declaring his love and how he would sever Saotome Ranma's dark sorcery.
He'd been arrested many times, but the bail was always paid and he was back out on the streets in no time. Kuno still dressed in his hakima and wore the bokken on his hip. Luckily he hasn't attacked anyone but Tendou Akane, though she had yet to press charges.
When asked why he assaulted Akane, Kuno responded that she was the only free love to be conquered. This puzzled some of the doctors and they ran through their own investigations on the matter.
None of this truly interested the woman holding a small bundle in her arms. She'd watched Kuno intently for the past few days and felt certain this was the ally she needed.
Two hospital guards lay unconscious by the door, no match for the woman's skill in the Art. She strode forward until she stood before the doped and drooling form of Tatewaki. They had him dressed up in a plain hospital gown, wrists and ankles lashed to the wheelchair he was in. There was a constant IV drip running to his left arm, keeping the young man heavily sedated.
"It will take some time for these drugs to where off." The woman whispered as she began removing the needle and various monitors. "But it will be well worth the wait."
Unraveling the bundle, the woman revealed Kuno's usual kendo garb, presenting the clothing for his inspection. "I have everything you need." The bokken she presented with her right hand made Kuno groan in frustration.
The woman smiled and dressed Kuno quickly. The drugs would be days in wearing off completely so Kuno remained in the wheelchair when he was finished being dressed. The bokken was left in Kuno's hands across his lap to appease his frustration.
"So much has happened since you have been in here. When I show you, you will be so happy." They started heading out of the hospital room and into the main hallway. The smile on her face turned to a malicious grin as she pushed Kuno's wheelchair out into the sunny afternoon.
"I'm sure you have been practicing." She commented already knowing the truth of her words. "Soon your skill in kendo will vanquish Saotome Ranma's sorcery. I swear it."
Kuno's drugged mind started to laugh. If he could, the streets would reverberated with his maniacal joy. It came out as a gurgling sound, saliva bubbling between his lips and dripping down his chin.
End Chapter Three
* * *
I will be beginning a contest to see who can solve this little mystery of who messed up Ranma's life. The prize right now is a posting of the winner's name on my website. You're drooling now, I can tell. Anyway, I would entreat anyone interested to submit a small story of their own detailing how the sabotage was done and I will pick and choose those clever guesses to go up on my site before the solution is revealed.
Don't panic just yet because there are still a number of chapters yet to be released. Good luck.
Until then, send C&C to jehtek@hotmail.com
Or visit my website for more of my fanfics at www.geocities.com/jehtek
Ja ne.