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 Four
By Michael Fetter
It was a dark and quiet night for once in Nerima. The city was not licking its wounds after a major battle or repairing the usual damage that came with a group of martial artists. It had been quiet a lot recently.
It was the quiet that upset people the most, however. In the quiet you could hear the voices of your own doubts. They used the noise to drown out the reasoning that could contradict their lives. Were they good students? Does he love me? Should I stop by the hospital later?
She, the quiet stalker of these quiet times, had her own doubts. Her heart could not guide her on the right path. Too many attempts had been met with disaster. Where had she gone wrong?
Upon the rooftops, she rested on the edge to await her answer. The home below her used to be so energetic. Something was always happening in these walls. It made her laugh sometimes, how crazy life could become in this little town.
Her answer was coming. Tonight, she decided.
As the night dragged on, the clouds overhead began to gather, blotting out the bright moon. It was truly dark now. No light to see the shame and agony on a person's face.
She waited more hours than she cared to recall, the whole time rocking on her heels. Things would happen soon, but what of the outcome? When she had her answers would there be a life to return to? Everything would be decided, tonight. She had decided.
The lights below finally blinked out and she was left with the bitter winds of a rising storm and the deep rumbles of far off thunder. She thought that maybe her heart was the thunder and the blood in her veins, a cold river through her body. It would explain the adrenaline in her system. Something had to be done with it or she would explode. Tonight, everything would have her answer, she decided.
Nimbly edging her body over the lip of the roof, she opened the window below and dropped onto the sill. Her eyes attuned to the darkness that had enveloped the house; she could make out the details of a simple room. There was a single futon laid out and a body rested motionless on the mattress. The only other decorations were a small desk, dresser, and a tote bag sitting in the corner.
She wasn't there when the occupant had been returned to the home or the eight months before when this all started.
Behind her, the window rattled slightly as a new wave of thunder washed over the house. The occupant didn't stir except to mumble at dreams.
She crossed the room with more care than she could show an egg beneath her feet. There would be no mistakes tonight, not before she received her answer. The blade in her hands was petition to her question, a desire that brought her here.
Thunder followed by a brief flash of lightning broke the stillness in the room. She had to close her eyes quickly before the truth was given to her before she could handle it. Things had to come gradually, as they could not come in the light.
The one beneath her spoke more clearly this time. She was afraid they had woken, so listened and remained hidden in the dark.
"No . . don't do it." They shifted again in their sleep to face her, the covers pulling away from their shoulders. "You can't . . I can't . . stop . . please . ."
Lightning struck before the thunder and she had no warning to close her eyes. For the second there was light, she could see. The truth was terrible and more painful than she could have imagined. There were things in her life she never wanted to see, to believe they could happen.
The young bruised redhead, lying in her futon, was crying, cradling her pronounced stomach protectively. She was crying and it was not her life that she was attempting to preserve with those tears.
Dropping the blade, she stepped away from the terrible reality one could find only in the light. How could she come here? What would she have done after the knife sank in to the hilt? The light had to come sometime and the answer would have been worse.
She had her answer now. There was no longer a place for her here. There was no place for someone who raised a knife to a love and their child. The answer was terrible and cost her dearly. All she could do was leave.
She had her answer, she decided. It came on a dark, quiet night when the truth stabbed her in a flash of light.
* * *
Kodachi descended the steps of her private jet and onto the tarmac of the small airport runway. Men carrying her bags loaded them into a black luxury car, the driver opening a door for her to enter.
She still held the note in her hand. Sasuke had reported in to her a day ago to announce the pig-tailed girl's arrival. Of course, she now realized the pig-tailed girl had a name and new hairstyle, but that was the easiest way to reference the woman. All those years of calling the redhead her rival and Kodachi did not know her proper name. Tendou would work; she frowned at the thought. What happened those many years ago had been her fault, Kodachi told herself.
The car started to pull away from the plane, headed in the direction of the downtown area and one of the pricier hotels. There was always an image to uphold in the Kuno family. Though having an absent father with a palm tree growing on his head and an insane brother did spoil their reputation some, Kodachi was hoping to fix some of that now.
It was half of the reason she was here in the first place. After a brief time in lock up and some bedtime in a hospital, Kodachi had woken up to life as if the past sixteen years had been a long dream. Her doctor informed her of the over production of some chemicals in the brain that caused certain delusional behavior. Apparently, locking yourself up in a basement with the byproduct of chemical experiments was not safe for the sane mind.
Kodachi was able to see clearly all the stupid things she had done in her life and felt most indebted to the pig-tailed girl. At first, Sasuke's news of Tendou Soun's death hadn't touched any memories until he reminded her of the marriage. She was on her way to offer her condolences at the funeral when she was told the redhead hadn't bothered to show up herself.
Recalling the circumstances for the marriage had not been easy. Kodachi needed some closure on the issue to sooth her shame. "How will you greet me, pig-tailed girl?" Kodachi asked no one. "Would you forgive like the kind soul I remember or will you scorn a dishonorable woman as is justly deserved?"
* * *
Turned down again. Ukyou looked over the paper in her hands, reading it again, hoping she had been mistaken. The same printed word remained, silently mocking her sadness.
Unsuitable.
Was that true? Was she really a bad candidate for a parent? She had been trying hard for these past couple of years to push her adoption request through. It was obvious she would never have a child of her own. So torn up when it happened, Ukyou had shut herself off completely from men, people in general really, only making appearances as a cook.
There were still dreams of being held in someone's arms, but when those dreams took a face, Ukyou often woke with a cold sweat. It still hurt to think of what she had done to him, the love of her life, her Ranchan.
He had been her perfect match. A man she fell completely in love with. Not an easy thing to do considering the time she spent as a man and seeking revenge on Ranma. There would never be another man to affect her so, she thought drearily. She had tried, sort of.
After her departure from Nerima, Ukyou kept herself locked up in the new restaurant with her father. He tried to get her interested again, hiring new busboys all the time, but Ukyou never looked twice at anyone. The depression and finality of her situation seemed to work into the old man's heart after a while and he mourned that she would never know love as he had.
That had been all nice and neat, but when Ukyou dug beneath the surface, she found her father upset that there would not be an heir. It had upset Ukyou at first and then she thought about it for another four years and became depressed as well. That was when her trips to the adoption agencies began.
Ukyou submitted another request every month to be certain she was being heard, but every few months she would get a rejection.
Pinching the space above her nose, Ukyou closed her eyes and tried to close off the outside world. It wasn't easy with all the commotion coming from the seating area. At least it was dinnertime and okonomiyaki seemed to be less popular at that hour.
Her business was centered between the downtown area and the nearby residential areas so she could attract business and school crowds alike. There were plenty of customers, many loyal to her restaurant and the greatest okonomiyaki chef in all of Japan.
"Good news this time I hope, Lady Ukyou."
Without looking up, Ukyou tore the letter and tossed it into the trash bin near the door. That was really all the answer she needed to give. "How are we doing with customers, Konatsu?"
The kunoichi wiped his hands against the waitressing outfit and pulled out the customer checks. "That seems to be it for the evening. The last customer was just leaving as I came back here."
Here was the closed off stock room where Ukyou had planned to read her approved adoption request. Of course, on the good chance it wasn't, Ukyou placed a bottle of sake near the chair she sat on.
Ukyou stood up, the wood chair's legs scraping along the ground. "Why don't you take the rest of the evening off, Konatsu. I want to close up by myself tonight."
Konatsu nodded, completely used to these occasional requests for solitude. He had been worried Ukyou would try-
"Oh, get going already!" Ukyou mock scowled the reluctant cross dresser. As strange as he was, she had softened up to the boy a little, but never romantically. He had been there the first time and it would likely be longer still until he forgot about that night.
Ukyou flipped the sign on the door to declare the restaurant closed as she herded the ninja out. She wasn't certain what he did, but Konatsu went out on most evenings, coming back late, smelling of soap and roses. Probably going to a public bath, Ukyou thought. It didn't sound like a bad idea to her.
After cleaning tonight she would likely head up to her own bathroom and try soaking in the tub. Ukyou unconsciously rubbed the scars running along the inside of her wrists.
Ding! Ding!
Ukyou frowned as she realized she had forgotten to lock the door. That wouldn't be the kunoichi come back already so it must be a customer who missed the sign. Sighing, she headed back into the main room, dropping the grill scraper on the counter as she went. "I'm closing up for the-"
"Hello Ukyou."
Ukyou blinked and looked at the person who had entered her restaurant. Her first passing glance, Ukyou had believed it to be some old woman. The sad voice had almost completed the image, but the tone was young and soft, just like, "Ranma?"
Ranma nodded with a small smile.
It was amazing. The years had really changed her old fiancée. Ukyou thought of the young, cocky, smiling, and handsome martial artist when she remembered Ranma. The person before her, she was older and stately, wearing a formal kimono and carrying a katana in her right hand. The face was quiet, lacking the spirit Ukyou had loved, with dim blue eyes rather than the vibrant ocean color. Ranma's hair hadn't obviously been cut in some months. The fiery red locks would hang to just above her shoulders if it wasn't pulled back to a small bound braid.
"Ranma?" Ukyou asked again, still not quite believing her eyes. It wasn't supposed to be like this, Ukyou was pained in her thoughts. Ranma was supposed to be her loving husband by now and they should have had their own child to look after. That was what she had wanted.
Ranma took a step closer to embrace her friend, but Ukyou shrank away as she would from a fire. The smile faded and Ranma put her hands back down to her sides. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Kounji-san." She spoke evenly, flat and emotionless, but the way her arms sagged just a bit more showed how crestfallen she was.
Ukyou waited silently. It looked like Ranma had more she wanted to say, but finally she turned away and headed for the door. A small scrap of paper was left behind, partially crumpled by Ranma's hand.
She dropped to the floor as the bell chimed with Ranma's departure. Tears started to run down her cheeks as Ukyou pulled her legs in closely to her body, wishing for all the world that she were dead. That had not been Ranma in her restaurant. That woman might have worn one of his bodies and spoken with his voice, but Ukyou didn't need more than the moment to know it was not her Ranchan.
Why? Ukyou cried. Why did she have to come here? Didn't she know how painful it would be for her to see her wasted life so clearly?
Ukyou gave up on trying to dry her eyes and just held her legs closer. Whatever flimsy barrier she had erected over the years had been struck down. She was still on the floor when Konatsu returned, smelling like soap and roses. Ukyou wished she had gone straight to her bath that evening.
* * *
"How did it go?" Akane asked as she heard the hotel room open late in the evening. She and Hiro had gone to bed some time ago after watching an old anime movie. Hiro was currently rolled up on his side beneath the covers of the bed he shared with Akane.
Ranma did not answer at once. Instead she closed the door quietly behind her and crept to Hiro's side, checking his sleep with motherly regard.
On top of the covers, Akane watched Ranma set the katana on a table before depositing herself in the stiff hotel chair. Okaasan's left hand came up to hold her head, covering her tearing eyes from sight.
Akane hadn't been thrilled when she learned Okaasan planned to visit her ex-'cute fiancée'. A meeting was bound to leave one or both hurt after revisiting old wounds.
* * *
Konatsu was about to return to the place he called home. As the night wore on, a half moon could clearly be seen, illuminating the streets with a living sparkle. The kunoichi loved the way late night dew reflected the city lights. It hadn't been like this in Nerima. No nightlife at all.
His keys jingled once they pulled from within the folds of his kimono. Beautiful long strands of hair, which he had spent over an hour putting up, had fallen in places to drift lazily in the wind. Konatsu smiled to himself, thinking again of some funny instance from that evening out with his friends.
Konatsu was shaken from the memory as he almost stumbled into the door on the side entrance path. He stared into the storeroom for a moment, wondering why the door had been left open. He stepped in further, his feet grinding something against the floor. Taking his foot away, Konatsu saw small shards of glass shining back at him.
The restaurant had been broken into. He didn't notice at once, but the glass to a small window set high on the adjacent wall was shattered. Someone must have reached through there to the door's lock, difficult but not impossible. A cold chill ran through his spine as he heard sounds of a working grill. The sensitive ears of the kunoichi could tell the pilot light was not lit.
He gasped. "Lady Ukyou? Are you in here?!"
There was a small crash from somewhere in front of the building.
He'd been gone a long time, almost four hours. That was plenty to suffocate on the fumes. Thank God she didn't decide to blow up the restaurant or there wouldn't be any hope at all. After all this time, Konatsu thought for sure Ukyou would not try something like this again.
"Ukyou-sama!" He called again. "Can you hear me?!"
Running through the building, he found more glass in the front area. On the floor near the counter, a bundle of roses, neatly done up with red ribbon have been discarded carelessly on the floor. No sign of anyone still being in the room.
Konatsu came into the kitchen area. He found her there.
Ukyou was lying face down beside the grill. Her chef's uniform was slightly ruffled and there was a leaking bottle of sake in her left hand.
It wasn't hard to imagine what had happened. Ukyou had decided to drink to forget her problems. She'd done it many times before. This time, however, someone chose tonight to break in, found her mostly drunk, knocked her around, and threw her into the kitchen, leaving the gas on to suffocate her in her sleep.
Moving quickly, Konatsu turned off the gas and grabbed Ukyou under the arms, dragging her out of the kitchen. A quick check of her breathing showed Ukyou to be in no danger. The killer certainly hadn't planned on him being back when he was or Ukyou would be dead by some other means.
"Don't worry, Lady Ukyou. I'm calling the police and paramedics. We'll get you taken care of quickly." Konatsu spoke more to reassure himself. He found the phone and dialed the police since they would get a handle of an ambulance faster for him.
"Hello?" the other side picked up. "Yes, I'd like to report a break in and attempted murder. My friend is unconscious and she might have inhaled some amount of gas. At the Ucchan's yes." Konatsu listened to the young man's instructions while cars were being dispatched. "I don't think they are here anymore, but could you please hurry. They may be close by-Excuse me."
Something on the floor caught Konatsu's eye. Phone in one hand, he reached down to pick up the crumbled piece of paper, unraveling it as he stood up. "I think I know where the killer might be staying."
* * *
"Oh, Ryouga!"
The 'Lost Boy' turned at the call of his name. He'd been walking through the forest in Japan, he hoped. The prayers were answered as he realized the woman waving to him from the clinic was Kasumi. Sighing a deep breath of relief, Ryouga focused on Kasumi and attempted walking to the clinic's entrance.
"How nice to see you." Kasumi bowed with a pleasant smile. "It's been a long time, Ryouga-kun."
He agreed, a long time. Still, it seemed a miracle that Kasumi was being as kind as she was. Akane was not the only person to know of what he'd done, Ryouga was certain. But Kasumi was always such a kind and forgiving soul. She could've been hiding her anger with an innocent mask. "Hi, Kasumi. You're looking wonderful." Ryouga responded politely.
"Thank you." A hand on his shoulder, Kasumi led Ryouga into the clinic. "You haven't met the twins yet and I'm sure Dr. Toufuu would like to say hi."
Ryouga nodded reluctantly and let himself be led into the clinic. So he was back in Nerima for the first time in a long time. He thanked whatever gods were watching him that he hadn't left the hemisphere.
Inside there was a group of patients reading magazines and nibbling on the cookies Kasumi left out. No one looked the least bit nervous to be there with Kasumi at the same time. The years must have given Toufuu control over his love madness. Ryouga didn't recognize any of the people so he wondered if they knew how Toufuu used to be.
"Kei! Yuri!" Kasumi called from the base of the stairs. Ryouga waited silently, watching his surroundings nervously. Being in the presence of the Tendou and Ranma's old friends put him on edge, expecting to be attacked and yelled at.
Two children, almost identical in appearance descended the stairs, feet clomping each of the steps as they hurried. Reaching the bottom, Ryouga could see they were covered in some colored, child safe, paint.
Frowning at the dirty clothes, Kasumi pulled at Kleenex from her pocket and cleaned the twins' faces a little. "You're keeping the paint on the drop cloth I set down, aren't you?"
The twins nodded and suffered their mother's attention as she rubbed at the stains on their cheeks.
"I want you to meet someone. This is Hibiki Ryouga." She presented and Ryouga took a step forward, a small smile on his face. He didn't remember much of his childhood, one forest was the same as another to him, but he was glad to see how happy Kasumi's children were. Ryouga liked to imagine his childhood would've been just as happy without the family's bad sense of direction. "He was an old friend of your grandmother's."
Ryouga coughed into his hand, but made no comment.
The examination room door opened and Toufuu stepped out. He looked much as Ryouga remembered, black gi, short pony tail, and the little circular glasses. The doctor still moved with a martial artist's grace, silent and controlled. "Were you calling, Kasumi-chan?"
Introductions had gone well enough that Ryouga smiled at the doctor. It wasn't returned. Toufuu looked at Ryouga, checked on his family, then back to Ryouga. "What are you doing here?" Ryouga doubted anyone had ever heard such a harsh tone from the good doctor.
Kasumi scolded her husband, putting a hand on Ryouga's shoulder. "That is no way to treat a guest, Toufuu."
The older man did not apologize, simply looked at Ryouga with contempt and walked back into the exam room. "I have patients to attend to."
Deflating just a bit, Ryouga turned back to Kasumi and bowed. "I should probably be going. Tendou-san is expecting me to help her train."
"Oh! You've seen Okaasan?" her hand reached out for his and dragged Ryouga upstairs to a smaller seating area, the living room he suspected. "Tell me, how is she doing? Did Akane catch up with her?"
Blinking, Ryouga looked around the room. The twins had followed them and were waiting patiently for his answer. Kei, she had a yellow gi Ryouga imagined was a hand-me-down from Akane; she was perched on Kasumi's lap. Yuri, dressed in some black slacks and big red shirt, sort of like Ranma's, was next to Kasumi, feet tucked under her legs, Indian style. "Uhm, are you sure this is okay? Toufuu-sensei didn't seem too happy to see me."
"Well, he was very worried for Okaasan's child when they returned. I should probably be mad at you as well, but if Okaasan is letting you train her, I suppose you were forgiven. It wouldn't be right for me to be mad if Okaasan isn't."
There was a long pause while Ryouga considered what Kasumi said. Tendou-san had been nice to him, affectionate almost. It was possible she had forgiven him, but Ryouga couldn't forgive himself just yet. He owed it to Tendou-san to help out with Hiro's training at least. There was some honor staked in that deal. Smiling, Ryouga settled down in the couch a little more and patiently answered all of Kasumi's questions. She asked about their health, where they are, what he'd been doing for the past several years.
After some time, Yuri and Kei went back to their room and left Ryouga alone with Kasumi. He'd been waiting for this. There were some questions he'd wanted to ask, but didn't feel right about bringing them up with children in the room.
"Kasumi, what was it like for Tendou-san after . . . after what happened?" he asked.
Kasumi set down the tea she was sipping, a sadness bearing down on her shoulders. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked at all. She looked out the window to the large tree in the clinic's yard, seeing something that made her sag a little more in depression. "Lonely."
He was no stranger to the feeling, but the way Kasumi was expressing it, like death would have been kinder, he wondered if Ranma had redefined the word with her experience.
"Pregnant, Okaasan couldn't go to school and she was sitting around the house most of the time. People came by at first, to try and cheer her up and she appreciated it, but they pitied her too much. You know how Okaasan was before, so full of pride." Kasumi smiled briefly at the image of a young Ranma, smirking arrogantly, flipping through the yard.
The smile died, completely, as Kasumi continued. "Her friends stopped coming over after the first month. There were still challenges by strange fighters, but they were sent on their way when they couldn't find a 'worthy opponent'. Okaasan couldn't defend her title and they mocked her." Her hands balled as she remembered the different challengers, pointing and laughing at the greatest martial artist in the world. Anger, Kasumi turned red, her jaw tightening somewhat. "Eventually word was spread that Saotome Ranma was . . ."
He didn't need to hear it. Ryouga had heard the jibes people had made at Tendou-san. They called her weak, a housewife, and a joke. He laughed the first times he heard it, but eventually Ryouga stopped laughing. A great rival like Saotome Ranma shouldn't be turned into the butt of people's jokes.
"We weren't any better." Kasumi's hands relaxed and she stared at them for a while. "Eventually we all gave in and I think it hurt Okaasan a lot. She stopped speaking for a long time. No one could get her to open up anymore."
* * *
Her eyes were closed as she looked inside herself for the strength to go on. Without the normal hustle and bustle of her life, Ranma spent a lot of time thinking. Staying alive required more than a physical fitness. She went through her memories, reliving the days of her past life behind closed eyes.
Seeing life through closed eyes held you that much closer to the present. While Ranma tried to remember the battles she had suffered through, the sounds of the house kept reminding her of reality. She focused harder, straining at her inner powers to close everything else out.
Ranma sputtered back to the surface of consciousness. The harder she tried, the more forceful the present became. She couldn't block it out and that frustrated her to no end. She didn't want to keep coming back to these same four walls. Without the fat panda, her room seemed too big and empty. By the light entering her window, she guessed it was late in the afternoon, about the time school should be ending.
Not a year ago, she would have been male, some of the time, and walking back home along the fence at this time. She likely would've slept through most of her classes, gotten into fights with Kuno, and dodged around the courtyard with her fiancées hot on her heels.
Birds chirped outside of her window drawing her away from the past once again. Ranma cursed, not for the first time, at how her life was turning out. The big belly, swollen to the size of a watermelon, even seemed to mock her condition, forcing her to lie and walk as only it desired. She dreamt of times that she could see her feet without needing a mirror. Never in her life would Ranma consider hurting a child, but the one kicking her in the womb was pushing that resolve.
"Tadaima!" Akane was home.
Rolling to her side, Ranma started pulling herself out of bed. She only stayed here most of the time because she was too weak to get much further away from Soun. Tired of the big sheets and thick pillows that kept her head propped up, Ranma grabbed one of her cotton robes hanging off a nearby chair.
The floorboards squeaked slightly as Ranma crossed the room and opened the door. She could hear Akane downstairs, grabbing a snack from Kasumi and sitting down to watch a little TV before heading upstairs to do her homework. At least her ex-fiancée could distract her for a little while.
"Oh, you're up." Soun looked away from his newspaper as Ranma walked slowly down the stairs. He stood up and went to her side to offer some support, but Ranma glared at him, sending Soun back to his seat.
By the sound of shuffling, Ranma could guess Kasumi was working on making dinner for the family. She headed to the living room where Akane was lounging on the couch, some cookies and milk set on the table in front of her, her book bag resting on the ground at her feet. "Hey." She moved about the couch to sit beside the other girl.
Akane glanced away from the TV to look at her for a moment before hastily setting her eyes forward again. "Hey."
Ranma sat silently for a few minutes, watching the TV with Akane but not really paying attention to the show. Soun's paper ruffled in the background, telling her he was ignoring the world again. "How are things going, Akane?"
A shrug. Akane didn't turn away from the TV but her eyes flashed in Ranma's direction for a quick glance.
"Ain't getting hassled anymore I guess." This was their senior year, or Akane's anyway. Kuno should have gone off to college long ago so there shouldn't be any further problems with her fan club.
Another noncommittal shrug and Akane took a bite out of her chocolate chip cookie.
"Ya ain't seen Hiroshi or Diasuke around, have ya?" Ranma asked hopefully. "Haven't seen'em in a while."
Akane blinked and looked about the room for something. There was a quick shake of her head and she picked up her book bag. "I should get started on my homework."
"Uh . . Need any help?" She may not be good at school things, but Ranma was desperate to do anything that kept her mind occupied for a while.
Stopping at the base of the stairs, Akane looked about the room again. "No, I'm meeting friends at the library to study for finals."
Sadly, Ranma watched Akane head out the front door before slumping back into her seat.
"You shouldn't be worrying about those things anyway. You have a baby to concern yourself with." Soun remarked casually, hoping for any response from his new wife.
Ranma simply stared at the TV that had been left on. She hadn't noticed the show was some sort of girlie anime until now and turned it off with disgust.
"You should be lying down in your condition, Ranma-chan." She jumped as Kasumi tapped her on the shoulder. The girl could be as silent as the wind on occasion.
"Kasumi." Soun scolded her gently. "Be respectful when talking to your mother."
Kasumi blinked then looked down at the silently seething Ranma-chan. "Uhm . . . I'm sorry . . O-Okaasan." They left the room quietly, Kasumi helping Ranma walk up the stairs to her room.
* * *
Kasumi allowed him to stay though he could see it in Toufuu-sensei's eyes that he was displeased. Dinner would have been a quiet affair if not for the twins asking questions so often. It was funny, listening to them, how they spoke at once, youthful voices so similar before puberty.
A call had come earlier in the evening for Kasumi. Nabiki had just gotten a call from Tendou-san in Kyoto. He'd missed almost two weeks of training now and Tendou-san was likely preparing to leave the country. Ryouga became depressed as he imagined himself unable to catch up with her and Hiro. It hadn't been said, but Nabiki guessed that Tendou-san would eventually visit China and the Joketsuzoku when she finished with Ukyou.
Toufuu had nodded and told Ryouga he should hurry to meet up with them again in Kyoto before they left. It was a none to subtle way of saying he should be gone in the morning. Ryouga inclined his head, not bothering to ask where in Kyoto Tendou-san would be. It was likely he would run into her blindly before being able to follow any directions correctly.
The home above the clinic was not very large, only the two bedrooms, bath, and living room. Ryouga was allowed to stay in the waiting room downstairs. Some sheets were spread out over seats and he rested, staring up at the ceiling.
"We learn from the mistakes of our past and move on." He whispered. Tendou-san had said that to him the first time he asked why she wasn't angry. Ryouga had expected her to act more as Akane had, beating him into the ground when she was given the chance, yelling more often than not.
Tendou-san was a kinder, more compassionate woman than she showed herself to be. The first day he met her, Ryouga was captured by her beauty, now he thought of her spirit. It hurt him that she was suffering so for her past.
Given the chance, he would like to have held her close in his arms, comforting her in all the ways she needed.
Was that right, though? What would any of that really cure? He felt the stirrings in his heart for Tendou-san that he had once felt for Akane, but was that learning from his past? Could he be making another mistake just thinking about it?
Ryouga rolled onto his side, resting his head on his forearm. Toufuu-sensei certainly wouldn't be happy if he were able to get anywhere with Tendou-san. And the others, Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane, they were all devoted to Tendou-san in one way or another.
Sighing, Ryouga tried to lose himself in sleep. He had to catch up with Tendou-san no matter what.
* * *
The master bedroom was larger than any of the other bedrooms but it was made small enough to fit atop the clinic. Kasumi never minded so long as she shared the room with her husband. Toufuu had taken some time to get over his love hysteria, but when he did, it was like a romantic dream.
She continued to study his books, learning many of the archaic medical practices with some hands on experience. A few more years and Toufuu said she would know enough to take the doctor exams like he had. It was something she had always wanted, to be a doctor.
Kasumi imagined herself saving people's lives and how happy they would be to see her, sickness or health, someone that helped ease the pain. Just like Toufuu, she would go to the dojo and help her family, fix their scrapes and mend their broken bones. She imagined that Ranma would have been her most prominent patient with all the injuries he got from . . .
"Kasumi? Is something wrong?" Toufuu asked, coming up behind her and rubbing her arms.
She finished folding the shirt in her hands and placed it in the drawer with her others. Her head hung on her shoulders for a moment while losing herself in her thoughts, the touch of cotton beneath her fingers. "Just thinking."
"Tell me." He asked, pushing the glasses up his nose more comfortably.
Following Toufuu's lead, Kasumi sat down on the bed and turned her gaze out the window, to the darkening skies, the bright moon shining through the curtains. "Why is Okaasan on this voyage now?"
It was a rhetorical question, Toufuu suspected, and let it be answered by silence.
After a moment, Kasumi went on to explore her own thoughts out loud. Maybe hearing them spoken would give her new insight. "She's looking for something and I'm afraid of what she might find. Akane, Ryouga, Ukyou . . Shampoo is likely to be next if they make it to China. Is she hoping to find her way back to Ranma through one of them?"
"What that be so bad?" Toufuu asked. He had his own thoughts on what it would mean. Okaasan was a very important person to Kasumi and her sisters. Whatever happens, it was going to effect them all. Even he would not be immune to the changes that may come over her. He kept it all hidden with the role of a doctor, so she wouldn't see the disappointment one way or the other. "If it makes her happy, isn't that what matters?"
She nodded. "Of course. I want Okaasan to be happy." The smile slipped at what went unsaid.
"What do you want to do, Kasumi-chan?"
"What?" she looked up into his knowing eyes. "I don't know wh-"
"Of course you do." He said quietly, reassuring her with a hand on her shoulder. "Something important is going to happen and you want to be there went it happens."
Shrugging, Kasumi looked down to her hands. "It was just a feeling I was having. That Okaasan might be-"
"I know." He kissed her and she held him tight. "Talk to your sister, make the arrangements, and I'll take care of things here."
Kasumi smiled and kissed her husband again. "Thank you, Toufuu."
"Of course." He smiled back. "I care about Okaasan too."
* * *
Okaasan woke up early the next morning. She stretched for a moment where she lay in the bed. Under the covers she still wore her under layering to the kimono she had on last night.
The room was still dark as she began to stir, making the bed creak only slightly. Hiro still slept, just as deeply as Ranma used to.
Okaasan yawned and straightened out her arms, the joints and her shoulders pulling on sore muscles. Remaining quiet in the mornings, she looked around the room for Akane, but only found the open pack in the corner.
Nodding, she headed for the bathroom. It took only a half-hour to wash, brush her hair and teeth, and dress for the new day. Okaasan exited the bathroom just as someone came into the door.
"Daughter?"
There was a snort. "You can call me Akane, Ranma." The girl said. Akane had her sweats on. She wore them for her morning jogs around the block back at the dojo.
"You can call me Okaasan, Daughter." Ranma returned with a bit of anger for how disrespectful Akane was being.
"Fine." Akane frowned and headed for the bathroom. "Gotta take a shower. Worked up quite a sweat." She commented.
Ranma nodded, spotting the large stain on the front of Akane's shirt. With the bathroom door closed in her face, Okaasan headed back into the main room to find Hiro slowly rolling about in the bed, trying to hide his face from the morning sun. "Good morn-"
Knock. Knock.
Okaasan stood up to answer the door. "Who is it?"
"This is Detective Tagawa with the Kyoto Police Department. Open up." Came the gruff male response.
* * *
Okaasan was the first to step out. It had been a long day and she could tell her children were tired if not a little upset. Being questioned and detained by the police had its own kind of stress associated with it. Some time into the interview, about three minutes, Akane had blown up at one of the officers and was sent to lock up. They released her but only after Okaasan's cooperation and insistence that there would be no more trouble.
It likely had something to do with the officer knocking down the bathroom door while Akane was showering that gave her such a bad temper. This once, Okaasan wasn't going to blame her daughter's short temper on bad control.
Hiro, at least, was handed over to a child care facility during the interview. He resisted, but gave in once Okaasan had soothed whatever fears the boy had of never seeing her again. Nine hours later and thirty thousand-yen lighter for bail, a pleasant female officer dropped Hiro off at the station and they were on their way.
"Well that was a perfect waste of time." Akane growled.
Okaasan didn't dispute Akane's grievance, but she was also concerned for Ukyou. Through it all, the only information the police were forthcoming with was the address of the restaurant.
"Come along Hiro." She held the door for the boy, who was staring at someone further down the building steps. Okaasan followed his gaze to a young woman, about the same age as herself, skirted business suit, long brown hair, and a very condescending demeanor. "Kuno-san?"
Kodachi grinned and walked up a few steps to put herself on the same level as Ranma, still taller than the redhead by a six inches. "You kept me waiting long enough." It was a pleasant enough voice for Kodachi. Okaasan rather expected to hear that dreadful laugh and pit against a hundred gymnastic pins from nowhere.
Edging warily closer to Hiro, Akane tried to size up her old rival. "Waiting? What for?"
"What a dreadful way to be treated by an old friend." She commented like they were remarking on the weather. Kodachi had the same feel of menace about her, but it was more controlled, honed with experience. A fight had yet to break out, but that didn't mean Kodachi didn't have something else in mind. "So do they have any suspects for Miss. Kounji's assailant?" she eyed Akane for a moment. Memories were a little hazy with chemicals, but the girl's violent temper was a certain truth only Tatewaki could hide himself from.
Akane growled and balled up her fists, but was restrained by Okaasan.
"I was made aware of a bundle of roses being left at the scene, Kuno-san. A paralysis potion maybe?"
Now the laugh came. Not as boisterous or maniacal as her youth, but certainly disturbing to listen to. "Oh, pig-tailed girl, you have such a wit! Hohohohohoho!"
On his own, Hiro drew back a little to place Okaasan between himself and the crazy woman.
There was no pigtail to speak of anymore, but Okaasan decided the detail was a minor one at the moment. "Then what are you doing here, Kuno-san?"
Settling her features into a subtler smile, a sneer really, Kodachi made a show of pressing down her suit jacket. It was a dark shade of purple, almost black, trimmed to her sides in a conservatively provocative display. The little flash of white material at her breast pocket, the diamond necklace made of little roses, and the silver watch that screamed expensive were all just the little ornaments Ranma would have suspected to see on the bourgeoisie lunatic. "I haven't wasted my time with little needs to overpower someone physically. Instead I strike down my competitors with the tool of the nobler class, intelligence."
"Thought she looked a bit plump." Akane murmured for Hiro amusement.
Kodachi caught the boy's laugh with a look; he shut up quickly. She bent down at the knees to look him in the eyes, the smirk fading just a bit. "This is your son." It could've been a question.
Okaasan nodded. "Hiro."
Angling her head this way and that, Kodachi seemed to find something amusing with him. "Reminds me a bit of Ranma, I think."
"I've noticed." Ranma frowned slightly.
Straightening, Kodachi looked at Ranma seriously, holding her by the shoulder. "I did not come for any true pleasantries, pig-tailed girl, but to warn you of my brother."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Somehow he has escaped from his personal 'care'. They brought it to my attention he has become obsessed with you once again."
Ranma knew from the tales Akane brought home from college that Tatewaki was a menace, but little more. Weaker though she was, Ranma was fairly certain she could defend herself against the other Kuno sibling. "Then I am forewarned, thank you, Kuno-san."
"But of cou-"
"Ranma?"
They looked to the speaker, Kodachi expecting to find her lost love somehow and Ranma finding, "Ukyou? Are you all right?"
The chef nodded and stepped lightly down the stairs to meet them at the sidewalk, Akane had taken hold of Hiro at some point during the conversation with Kodachi. Konatsu was not far behind as he had waited all day for the police to finish their questioning. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
Konatsu took another step closer and curtsied deeply to Ranma. "My apologies, Tendou-san, for involving you. I only saw the scrap of paper lying upon the ground and assumed the number would-"
"Yes, I understand." Okaasan placed a gentle hand on the kunoichi's shoulder. "I'm sure I would've done the same in your situation."
"Thank you." He ended his curtsy and stepped back behind Ukyou.
The chef stared a moment at the redhead in front of her for a long moment then shook herself of whatever reverie had been playing through her mind. Noticing the others staring at her, Ukyou smiled wanly. "I'm sorry about the way I treated you last night, Ra . . Tendou-san."
"There is no reason to-"
"Please allow me to prepare dinner for all of you to apologize." She said quickly, not wanting to be cut off or walked out on again. Ukyou waited with her head bowed while she imagined Ranma looking her over with disgust. There was a tapping dark purple shoe just in her line of vision at this angle. She looked up and down again quickly. "You are invited as well, Kodachi."
The last came out a little strained, not unexpected, Ranma glanced at the pompous woman. Okaasan decided to accept rather than have herself cut off with another desperate protest. She didn't like to see her old friend that way.
Ukyou bowed. "Thank you." Uncertain on how to proceed, Ukyou settled for the silence and started to lead the small group to her restaurant, but Kodachi protested staying on her feet and had them all ride in her limousine parked just down the street.
Ranma was still slightly wary of Kodachi, but had seen nothing to suggest the woman meant any ill will to her family. If not for Ukyou, the head of the Kuno conglomerate might be on her way home again. Akane still held Hiro protectively while they sat across from herself and Kodachi with Ukyou.
The dark luxury car pulled away from the curb and started to drive up the street, directions already displayed upon a computer console at the driver's right. It moved like a boat in the sea, feeling the motion of a cresting wave beneath its bow, but not truly sensing any forward momentum.
End Chapter Four
* * *
I've been getting some guesses already for my little contest, so I'm going to complicate things just slightly. I would like all interested participants to send in their solution in story-style. The whole idea about my site and its stories is getting some creative feedback, which requires straining that imagination muscle a little. This doesn't have to be complicated, just some simple dialogue or essayish stuff, whatever you like, just have fun with it!
Just so you know, I have a total of eleven chapters planned right now so you do have time to work out those solutions. Plenty of clues left to find. So keep reading and Good Luck!
Send C&C to jehtek@hotmail.com
Or visit my website at: www.geocities.com/jehtek/
Ja ne.