Choices Made, Roads Taken.
Chapter 8: Meanwhile, Back in Nerima
What has happened so far: After being rescued from the 'man among men' suicide pledge, Ranma has left Nerima in order to get his life in order. However, just because Ranma's gone, that doesn't mean Nerima has suddenly gone quiet. Or does it?
-----
Akane stood in the middle of the Tendo Dojo. There was a three by three grid on the floor with forty centimeter high partitions separating the half meter square cells. Each square was numbered from one to nine. Akane nodded to Kasumi.
"One Seven Three Two Zero Five Zero Eight Zero Seven Five Six Eight Eight Seven Seven Two Nine Three Five Two Seven Four," Kasumi said in quick cadence.
With each number, Akane hopped from her square to the one named as fast as she could, her feet barely clearing the partitions. When Kasumi said zero, Akane would twist in place. At first she had done this without the partitions and without having her ankles strapped together.
"Four Six Three Four One Five Zero Five Eight Seven Two Three Six Six Nine Four Two Eight Zero Five Two Five," Kasumi continued.
At Jeff's suggestion, she varied the size of the squares and the height of the partitions. Kasumi got the number sequences from an old math reference book that she happened to have. Every time Akane hung up a load of laundry, Kasumi would run this drill with her.
"Three Eight One Zero Three Eight," Kasumi concluded.
Akane froze. "Why did you stop?"
"That's the end of the series. You finished it."
"I did? I did! Thank you." Unstrapping her ankles, Akane grabbed her sister in a fierce hug. It was the first time she'd finished series that long without tripping on consecutive tries. She was finally making progress. Akane released her sister and quickly snatched up a jump rope.
'To think I laughed at Jeff when he suggested this,' she told herself. Jumping rope was for little kids she had said. Then Jeff started whipping around a spare piece of clothesline at speeds she found incredible. Keeping it up for ten minutes before snagging his ankles on a triple jump was impressive too.
In the six weeks she'd been jumping rope, she'd built speed and endurance. She was even trying a few of the tricks that Jeff had shown her. She'd given up jogging and instead ran five to eight kilometers a day. She still broke concrete blocks and performed katas against her practice dummies. Finding a balance between what she already did and her new exercises had been difficult, but fulfilling.
Akane didn't notice when Kasumi left, but did notice when Kasumi returned. She was holding a letter in her hand.
"Akane, it's from Ranma."
-----
Kuonji Ukyo poured batter on a hot grill and got ready to add the toppings for a shrimp okonomiyaki. She winced internally as her left arm was still a little sore from her Anything Goes lesson with Saotome Genma the day before. For someone who taught his son not to attack women, Genma didn't seem to have any qualms about doing so himself.
With a full load of mini-spatulas, flour bombs and her combat spatula, she could hold her own against Genma for a while if given room to maneuver. Her victory against him when she first tracked him down had been a fluke. In close quarters, or without her weapons, Genma could stomp her. And had done so every Sunday for the last six weeks.
It bothered her that she was paying for the privilege of getting beat up once a week. If Ranma hadn't asked her to take Anything Goes Lessons, she'd have never done it. Given her choice of taking lessons from Genma or Soun, she chose Genma because Ranma was a lot better martial artist than Akane.
Ukyo also had trouble reconciling the woman who almost killed Ranma with Saotome Nodoka. The Saotome clan sword was still stuck in the ceiling above the Saotome family shrine. The woman who nearly killed the man she loved was a quiet, polite homemaker. Nodoka informed Ukyo that the sword would stay where it was until and unless Ranma claimed it himself. How Jeff managed to stick it up there in the first place was a mystery.
"Here you are," Ukyo flipped the finished okonomiyaki onto a plate and presented it to her customer. She scraped the grill in preparation for a pork with extra cabbage.
The martial arts lessons were fairly straightforward. The ideas behind them where much less so. But the more she thought about them, the more they made a strange kind of sense. Which was scary when she considered the founder of Anything Goes.
Speaking of whom, Happosai had breezed through Nerima a few weeks back, closely chased by Pantyhose Taro. From what she heard later, there was something about water from the "Spring of Drowned Virtuous Man" that was really from the "Spring of Drowned Twins". The thought of two Happosais had bothered Ukyo, but nothing came of it.
She finished serving her customer and the door to her shop opened with a ring. Ukyo relaxed once she saw it was just the mailman. Along with some advertisements (pitched) and her electric bill (filed) was a letter. From Ranma.
-----
Genma was flat on his back with his head under the kitchen sink. He gave the wrench in his hand another turn. He hated the various chores his wife had found for him since he had returned to his home. He hated that he couldn't play shogi or go with Soun all day, every day. He hated the fact that he couldn't take refuge from his wife with a splash of cold water. He really hated the fact that his wife had made him work as a rent-a-panda.
But he admitted that his wife had done a good job keeping the house in order during his sixteen year absence. He and his wife went to visit Soun every Saturday. He couldn't argue with the money he made while working. Up to twelve thousand yen a hour wasn't chicken feed. Most of all, he didn't mind sex on a regular basis.
"Try it now dear," he told his wife.
Nodoka turned the tap and water flowed out normally. She'd had more plumbing problems since her son had first arrived than in the many years he and her husband had been gone. It was somewhat vexing. She felt that the more time her husband spent human, the more problems she had. Which was true after all.
Nodoka missed her son horribly. If not for that damn promise she had accepted, how would the last sixteen years have been different? Would her son be as manly as he was? Would she and Genma have had other children? She was probably too old to have more children now. She'd missed her last period. Early onset of menopause she guessed.
"It's working fine. Thank you husband. Now remember, we have the Yamashita birthday party tonight from 6 to 8, so go get ready," Nodoka told her husband.
It was nice to have Genma around the house again. It was nice to go to the Tendo's each Saturday. The Tendo girls were a joy, each in their own way. It was even nice to have the Kuonji girl come by on Sundays. Her son had apparently asked the young woman to take Anything Goes lessons. Otherwise, she would have forbidden it, despite Ukyo paying for the lessons.
She was not happy about with her husband when she found out about the Kuonji engagement, but she couldn't fault the girl for wanting to marry her son. But the Tendo engagement was paramount. Family honor required it. Kuonji-chan might make a good mistress once her manly son married one of the Tendo girls. Something to think about anyway.
Nodoka was still woolgathering when she heard a quick double knock on the door. That would be the mailman. It was that time of day.
-----
Dear Tendos,
I've been in America a month, so I thought I should write you and let you know how I am. Although I expect it will take a couple of weeks before this letter gets to Japan. I am fine. The weather here has been very nice although it looks like it will rain later today.
Jeff and his wife Anne say "Hi." I think Bill would too if he could talk. They have been very nice to me. I am learning a lot of English and other stuff too. Although I'm not sparring as much as I'd like. Jeff says he should be able to find me some decent sparring partners soon. He hasn't got any better since the last time he was in Nerima, but he says that I have got better since the last time he saw me.
You can write me back at the address on the envelope. I hope to hear from you soon.
Ranma.
Kasumi had opened and read the letter as soon as she saw that it was from Ranma. Being computer printed, the letter wasn't in his atrocious handwriting. It had thrown her off for a moment. Also enclosed were two smaller envelopes.
Tucking the one with her own name on it into her apron, she went to the dojo to give the letter and the remaining envelope to Akane. While Akane was reading the letter and weighing the smaller envelope in her hand, Kasumi discreetly went to her own room to read what Ranma had sent her.
Dear Kasumi,
I hope that this letter finds you well. It should, because without me and Pops around it must be a lot quieter. Not to mention fewer messes and less cooking and cleaning to do. I never realized how much you do until I started doing some of it for myself. I know I ain't said this enough, but "Thank you".
I'm doing my own laundry again, just like when I was traveling with Pops and I do some of the cooking. Could you send me some recipes so that I can show them to everyone here? I am sending you the recipe for "Two Alarm Chili". One of Jeff's friends gave it to him, Jeff gave it to me and now I'm giving it to you. I think everyone back home will like it.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Ranma
Along with the recipe, was a card with a phone number and the words, "For emergency use only". It wasn't the same number as before.
'Oh Ranma, I hope you come home soon,' Kasumi thought to herself.
When Ranma and his father arrived, she had adjusted her household routines to get everything done in the same amount of time despite there being two more people to cook and clean for. Subtract those two people and add the help that Akane gave anywhere other than the kitchen and Kasumi was left with a small surplus of time for herself.
Since Tofu-sensei was no longer around to borrow books from, Kasumi was trying a few different things. Possibly without realizing it, Kasumi was living more for herself than at any time since her mother had died.
Akane sat on the floor of the dojo, her workout forgotten. She quickly read the brief letter Ranma had sent, and then opened the envelope with her own name on it. What did Ranma have to say to her that he wanted to keep private? Just then, P-chan nosed open the door to the dojo and bounded over to Akane.
Picking up her pet pig, Akane said, "Hello P-chan. Look, Ranma finally sent a letter." Her pet had been around a high percentage of the time for the last month and a half. It was if he knew that she needed the company. Ryoga had also been by a few times during Ranma's absence. Because he wasn't in 'Saotome Ranma, Prepare To DIE' mode, it had been nice. With her pet pig propped on her lap, Akane read Ranma's private note.
Dear Akane,
I hope things are going well for you. How has school been? Jeff is teaching me math and science and his wife teaches me English, reading and history. I have been learning a lot. Jeff says it's because of a "zero distraction environment". I guess he means because of no fights with Kuno or Ryoga or anybody. Which is good for learning stuff, but it's boring.
Since I'm not there, your distraction level has gone down too I bet. I hope Kuno (any Kuno) ain't giving you trouble. Not that I miss pounding the tar out of bokken boy or nothing. Are you doing the agility drills that Jeff showed you? He won't tell me what they are. And are you and Ukyo getting along and watching out for each other like I asked? It would mean a lot to me.
I haven't made many of the decisions that I came to America to make, but I am learning enough to make the right decisions when the time comes.
Finally, I need to apologize for something. I should have told you what I was doing when I went to see my mother before all this started. Despite that being how Pops found out the first time I tried to see Mom, I still should have told you. You had the right to know. I am sorry I didn't tell you.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Ranma.
Akane read the letter, couldn't believe what she had read and read it again. Ranma was apologizing for something? She knew that the incident with his mother had changed him. But this much? Since the letter was printed on a computer, only Ranma's signature identified it as coming from him. Otherwise she would have sworn that someone else had written it.
There were still traces of the old Ranma. The part about Kuno showed that. But for the most part it seemed Ranma had done a lot of growing up since that night seven weeks ago. Maybe she ought to do something about that.
-----
Dealing with a heavier than usual after school rush left Ukyo barely enough time to prepare for the dinner rush. The letter from Ranma didn't get read until after closing time.
Dear Ucchan,
I'm sorry I haven't written before, but I think it's because I didn't really have nothing to say. It's been a month since I left, but somehow it feels more and less than that at the same time. Overall, I'm doing pretty good. I hope you are doing good too.
The weather here has been pretty nice, very few freak rain showers like at home. The rain here gives you plenty of warning. It probably won't start raining until after I get this letter in the mailbox.
Jeff wants the recipe for your okonomiyaki sauce. His tries at okonomiyaki are edible, but they're not even close to being as good as yours. I think the sauce would help though. Jeff and his wife have been very nice to me. I think you and Anne would be good friends. She reminds me of you, but I don't know why.
Are you and Akane watching out for each other like I asked? I hope Shampoo hasn't made it necessary. (Don't worry if you see Ryoga around, I asked him to keep an eye out for Akane. I ain't worried about you since you can take care of yourself.)
You can write me back at the address on the envelope. I hope to hear from you soon.
Ran-chan.
Ukyo sat on the edge of her bed and thought about what Ranma had written. If she'd had an address to send it to, she would have written Ranma a letter long ago. Checking the return address, Ukyo noted that it was for a post office box, not a street address. Just another ploy by Jeff to keep Ranma's exact location secret Ukyo guessed.
It was nice that Ranma was doing well. The part about okonomiyaki was clearly Ranma's stomach talking. Since she obviously couldn't send okonomiyaki through the mail, she'd send one of her sauce recipes. But what did Ranma mean when he said that Anne reminded him of herself?
She remembered the picture that Jeff had shown her. Ukyo didn't think she looked anything like the woman. Maybe he meant personality wise. That had to be it. But would that get her any closer to being Ranma's only fiance?
The fact that Ranma thought she could take care of herself warmed Ukyo's heart. Although truthfully, she and Akane hadn't magically become best friends since Ranma left. Shampoo had been keeping such a low profile, that there had been no need for Ukyo to keep an eye out for Akane. Or vice versa, even if Akane had been inclined to do so.
Since it was kind of late to begin with, Ukyo put off writing Ranma back for the moment. Maybe during lunch at school. Kamis knew that she'd have no time for it during the breakfast rush in the morning.
-----
"Husband! There's a letter from Ranma," Nodoka called out.
Genma set down the glass of water he'd been about to douse himself with and read over his wife's shoulder. Genma was surprised that his son had written home. He wasn't expecting to hear from him until he returned from his nonsensical trip to America.
Dear Mother and Father,
It has been a month since I arrived in America. I thought you should know that I am fine. Jeff and his wife have been very good to me. The weather here has been nice, although it looks like it will rain later today.
Father, I would like to thank you for teaching me that anything can be made into martial arts practice. It has been very helpful in my studies. I am learning a lot.
Mother, I don't know when I will be coming back to Japan. But you are a part of my life and I do not want a misunderstanding to separate us. You were doing what you thought was right. I realize that. But knowing why I nearly died does not mean I accept the reason for it. It may be that night will always stand between us. But I hope the day will come when I can have the mother I never knew and you can have the son you have always wanted.
Ranma.
Nodoka cried and Genma comforted her the best he was able.
-----
Tendo Nabiki was not a happy camper. Without Ranma as a focus, her entire financial empire was in bad shape. She should never have allowed herself to become so dependent on one income source. Through sales of photographs, fight betting and an occasionally alluded to but never invoked threat against those who owed her money, Ranma had become involved in over 80% of her incoming cash flow.
Her back stock of Ranma-chan photos was running low. She would be able to squeeze maybe twenty or thirty thousand yen out of Kuno with those. And as much as she hated to admit it, selling pictures of her own sister was starting to bother her. (The market for those had picked up somewhat, but nowhere near enough to offset her other losses.) One dimwitted senior had asked for pictures of Kasumi, and once Akane found out about it, said senior ended up eating through a straw. Whether that had anything to do with Nabiki's reluctance was a matter between her and her conscience.
She didn't even have Ranma's debts to collect interest on anymore. She'd slightly exaggerated the amount she felt Ranma owed her for existing and that damned American had written a check on the spot. With ten percent added for a currency exchange fee. She suspected Anderson-san had serious money behind him, if she'd could figure out an angle, then that money would naturally be hers.
But she'd have to be careful. She had seen him tear a coin in half, and while she knew several people who could duplicate that feat, it was enough to require caution. Jeff's tolerance for nonsense was minimal. Nabiki remembered where Kodachi had wound up after tangling with him.
If only Kasumi would tell her what had happened that night. If only anyone would tell her what happened that night. All those involved were being remarkably tight lipped about it. The only thing that everyone agreed on was that Jeff blocked a killing stroke from the Saotome clan sword. She'd seen the sword embedded in the ceiling above the Saotome clan shrine on one of her visits to Auntie Nodoka. A close up examination of the weapon while standing on a step ladder gave no clues to work with.
Auntie Nodoka said she'd had her eyes closed at the critical time. Genma had been steeling himself against plunging a tanto into his own body. Ranma had been bent over the chopping block and probably saw nothing useful. Although getting what details Ranma did have would be easy enough once she had the chance to question him. Jeff wouldn't give her the time of day, let alone say how he'd done it. Which left Kasumi as the only available witness to the events of that night. And Kasumi... wasn't talking.
All of which meant Nabiki was not a happy camper. She sat in her room and fumed and thought of ways to shake some money loose from the tree that was Nerima. Then came a knock on her door.
"Nabiki, Ranma wrote a letter to the family. Akane has it in the dojo," Kasumi stated from the other side of the closed door.
"Thank you Onee-chan," Nabiki replied. The cash register in her head made an almost audible 'K-Ching!' Nabiki nearly hurried downstairs. She saw that one of the weird agility drills the American had shown Akane was set up in the middle of the dojo and that her sister was sitting on the floor nearby. Her pet pig was in her lap and she was staring absentmindedly at the pieces of paper in her hand.
"So the ever wandering one deigns to write those he left behind? I'm touched. Truly," Nabiki observed sarcastically.
Akane rose and handed Nabiki about half the papers she had. "Here. He doesn't say much," Akane said disappointedly.
Nabiki noticed that Akane held some things back, "What about the rest of it?" she asked.
"The rest of it is a private message for me."
Nabiki peered at what remained in Akane's hand before Akane quickly put it behind her back and out of reach. "Really? Something embarrassingly intimate I hope," Nabiki deadpanned.
Akane blushed. "No! Nothing like that."
"Then why the reaction little sister?" Although if it HAD been embarrassingly intimate, Akane would have lived up to her name and not been just slightly pink.
"Because it's for me. Not for you."
Changing to a light hearted tone, "You know I'm going to bug you until you show me, so why not just give in now and save time?" Nabiki asked.
Akane thrust the remaining papers into her sister's hand. "Fine. And if you find anything embarrassingly intimate in this, let me know. I'm going to go take a bath," she said heatedly. At the mention of the 'b' word, P-chan took off in mortal fear. Ryoga had better things to do than have his cover blown.
-----
Nabiki figured that she should be able to sell the contents of the letters to a few interested parties. The return address alone was worth quite a bit. Although a street address would have been better. Ukyo would pay a decent price. Best to talk with her tomorrow at school. It was too late to approach the Kuno compound safely. Besides, she needed to separate the information into packets for separate sale to Kuno-chan and his sister. But Shampoo had a standing offer for any and all information that turned up about her 'airen'.
How much could she squeeze out of the Amazon without undue risk? Was there anything that would put her or her family in danger if Shampoo (or Cologne) knew it? These were the type of questions that Nabiki loved. She was so involved in solving them, she nearly missed dinner.
-----
Going over the letters again after dinner, the only thing Nabiki thought she should edit out was Ranma asking if Ukyo and her sister were looking out for each other. To the best of her knowledge they weren't, but there was no need for Shampoo to suspect the two might be allying against her at Ranma's request. Nabiki already knew Ranma had had some harsh words with Shampoo prior to leaving. No need to aggravate her unnecessarily.
The sale went well enough. A thousand yen for the contents of the main letter, three thousand more for the parts of the note to Akane that Nabiki felt safe to sell and five thousand yen for the return address. Nabiki didn't feel she could have safely pressed for more money. Shampoo was stressed. Nabiki also noticed that Cologne was nowhere in sight.
Business successfully concluded, Nabiki left the restaurant and literally bumped into Mousse just outside the front door. He looked bad. Mousse had a freshly blackened left eye and a few assorted bruises that were still healing.
"Mousse, you lose a fight with Ryoga?" Nabiki asked although she was aware of the most likely cause for the damage.
"No. Why would I fight Hibiki?" he asked guardedly.
"You know, other than the time you tried to turn my sister into a duck, you've been a pretty good guy. Why do you let Shampoo do this to you?" Nabiki wasn't sure if it was curiosity or concern that asked the question.
"Because I love her. She's been under a lot of stress lately. By taking it out on me, she hasn't been taking it out on other people. It's for the best really." Mousse sounded very convincing.
"She must really hate you," Nabiki observed.
"No she doesn't," Mousse answered quietly.
"Take a look in a mirror Mousse. If this keeps up, she's going to kill you."
Mousse calmly explained, "Tendo, when Shampoo wore the Reversal Jewel, she still hit me. That means she doesn't hate me. Somewhere, maybe so deep inside she can't see it herself, she doesn't hate me."
'Magic, why the hell is it always magic?' Nabiki asked herself. "Don't die because a piece of junk jewelry says something. Shampoo could love you more than Ranma and still kill you if those bruises on your face mean anything."
"Why the hell should you care Tendo?" Mousse asked before he turned and limped into the restaurant, effectively terminating the conversation.
'Why indeed?' part of her mind inquired of the rest. Nabiki hated being asked questions she didn't have answers for. Even when she was asking the questions herself.
-----
Shampoo lay on her bed and fumed about the injustice of it all. Her airen had left her behind and she could do nothing. Nothing. What kind of Amazon was she if she let a mere male, even Ranma, dictate her actions? Once again, she fought down the urge to eliminate her rivals. She had no desire to find out what form Ranma's retribution would take. For one brief moment she had seen that Ranma was truly upset with her. If there was any chance for a future with Ranma, she would have to keep her temper.
Normally, she would have worked her frustrations out on Mousse, but Cologne had said that if she injured him again, she would have to take over his duties. Her own father was no warrior and Cologne was too busy with a project of her own to spar. The pressure had been almost unbearable when Mercenary Girl showed up.
Although it cost far too many yen, Shampoo purchased the return address from Tendo Nabiki. Now she could track down Ranma. Even though it was only a PO Box, that would be enough to act. Finding the post office would be easy enough. Waiting for Ranma to pick up his mail would require only the patience any successful hunter had. It was time to act.
END CHAPTER 8
-----
Chapter 8: Meanwhile, Back in Nerima
What has happened so far: After being rescued from the 'man among men' suicide pledge, Ranma has left Nerima in order to get his life in order. However, just because Ranma's gone, that doesn't mean Nerima has suddenly gone quiet. Or does it?
-----
Akane stood in the middle of the Tendo Dojo. There was a three by three grid on the floor with forty centimeter high partitions separating the half meter square cells. Each square was numbered from one to nine. Akane nodded to Kasumi.
"One Seven Three Two Zero Five Zero Eight Zero Seven Five Six Eight Eight Seven Seven Two Nine Three Five Two Seven Four," Kasumi said in quick cadence.
With each number, Akane hopped from her square to the one named as fast as she could, her feet barely clearing the partitions. When Kasumi said zero, Akane would twist in place. At first she had done this without the partitions and without having her ankles strapped together.
"Four Six Three Four One Five Zero Five Eight Seven Two Three Six Six Nine Four Two Eight Zero Five Two Five," Kasumi continued.
At Jeff's suggestion, she varied the size of the squares and the height of the partitions. Kasumi got the number sequences from an old math reference book that she happened to have. Every time Akane hung up a load of laundry, Kasumi would run this drill with her.
"Three Eight One Zero Three Eight," Kasumi concluded.
Akane froze. "Why did you stop?"
"That's the end of the series. You finished it."
"I did? I did! Thank you." Unstrapping her ankles, Akane grabbed her sister in a fierce hug. It was the first time she'd finished series that long without tripping on consecutive tries. She was finally making progress. Akane released her sister and quickly snatched up a jump rope.
'To think I laughed at Jeff when he suggested this,' she told herself. Jumping rope was for little kids she had said. Then Jeff started whipping around a spare piece of clothesline at speeds she found incredible. Keeping it up for ten minutes before snagging his ankles on a triple jump was impressive too.
In the six weeks she'd been jumping rope, she'd built speed and endurance. She was even trying a few of the tricks that Jeff had shown her. She'd given up jogging and instead ran five to eight kilometers a day. She still broke concrete blocks and performed katas against her practice dummies. Finding a balance between what she already did and her new exercises had been difficult, but fulfilling.
Akane didn't notice when Kasumi left, but did notice when Kasumi returned. She was holding a letter in her hand.
"Akane, it's from Ranma."
-----
Kuonji Ukyo poured batter on a hot grill and got ready to add the toppings for a shrimp okonomiyaki. She winced internally as her left arm was still a little sore from her Anything Goes lesson with Saotome Genma the day before. For someone who taught his son not to attack women, Genma didn't seem to have any qualms about doing so himself.
With a full load of mini-spatulas, flour bombs and her combat spatula, she could hold her own against Genma for a while if given room to maneuver. Her victory against him when she first tracked him down had been a fluke. In close quarters, or without her weapons, Genma could stomp her. And had done so every Sunday for the last six weeks.
It bothered her that she was paying for the privilege of getting beat up once a week. If Ranma hadn't asked her to take Anything Goes Lessons, she'd have never done it. Given her choice of taking lessons from Genma or Soun, she chose Genma because Ranma was a lot better martial artist than Akane.
Ukyo also had trouble reconciling the woman who almost killed Ranma with Saotome Nodoka. The Saotome clan sword was still stuck in the ceiling above the Saotome family shrine. The woman who nearly killed the man she loved was a quiet, polite homemaker. Nodoka informed Ukyo that the sword would stay where it was until and unless Ranma claimed it himself. How Jeff managed to stick it up there in the first place was a mystery.
"Here you are," Ukyo flipped the finished okonomiyaki onto a plate and presented it to her customer. She scraped the grill in preparation for a pork with extra cabbage.
The martial arts lessons were fairly straightforward. The ideas behind them where much less so. But the more she thought about them, the more they made a strange kind of sense. Which was scary when she considered the founder of Anything Goes.
Speaking of whom, Happosai had breezed through Nerima a few weeks back, closely chased by Pantyhose Taro. From what she heard later, there was something about water from the "Spring of Drowned Virtuous Man" that was really from the "Spring of Drowned Twins". The thought of two Happosais had bothered Ukyo, but nothing came of it.
She finished serving her customer and the door to her shop opened with a ring. Ukyo relaxed once she saw it was just the mailman. Along with some advertisements (pitched) and her electric bill (filed) was a letter. From Ranma.
-----
Genma was flat on his back with his head under the kitchen sink. He gave the wrench in his hand another turn. He hated the various chores his wife had found for him since he had returned to his home. He hated that he couldn't play shogi or go with Soun all day, every day. He hated the fact that he couldn't take refuge from his wife with a splash of cold water. He really hated the fact that his wife had made him work as a rent-a-panda.
But he admitted that his wife had done a good job keeping the house in order during his sixteen year absence. He and his wife went to visit Soun every Saturday. He couldn't argue with the money he made while working. Up to twelve thousand yen a hour wasn't chicken feed. Most of all, he didn't mind sex on a regular basis.
"Try it now dear," he told his wife.
Nodoka turned the tap and water flowed out normally. She'd had more plumbing problems since her son had first arrived than in the many years he and her husband had been gone. It was somewhat vexing. She felt that the more time her husband spent human, the more problems she had. Which was true after all.
Nodoka missed her son horribly. If not for that damn promise she had accepted, how would the last sixteen years have been different? Would her son be as manly as he was? Would she and Genma have had other children? She was probably too old to have more children now. She'd missed her last period. Early onset of menopause she guessed.
"It's working fine. Thank you husband. Now remember, we have the Yamashita birthday party tonight from 6 to 8, so go get ready," Nodoka told her husband.
It was nice to have Genma around the house again. It was nice to go to the Tendo's each Saturday. The Tendo girls were a joy, each in their own way. It was even nice to have the Kuonji girl come by on Sundays. Her son had apparently asked the young woman to take Anything Goes lessons. Otherwise, she would have forbidden it, despite Ukyo paying for the lessons.
She was not happy about with her husband when she found out about the Kuonji engagement, but she couldn't fault the girl for wanting to marry her son. But the Tendo engagement was paramount. Family honor required it. Kuonji-chan might make a good mistress once her manly son married one of the Tendo girls. Something to think about anyway.
Nodoka was still woolgathering when she heard a quick double knock on the door. That would be the mailman. It was that time of day.
-----
Dear Tendos,
I've been in America a month, so I thought I should write you and let you know how I am. Although I expect it will take a couple of weeks before this letter gets to Japan. I am fine. The weather here has been very nice although it looks like it will rain later today.
Jeff and his wife Anne say "Hi." I think Bill would too if he could talk. They have been very nice to me. I am learning a lot of English and other stuff too. Although I'm not sparring as much as I'd like. Jeff says he should be able to find me some decent sparring partners soon. He hasn't got any better since the last time he was in Nerima, but he says that I have got better since the last time he saw me.
You can write me back at the address on the envelope. I hope to hear from you soon.
Ranma.
Kasumi had opened and read the letter as soon as she saw that it was from Ranma. Being computer printed, the letter wasn't in his atrocious handwriting. It had thrown her off for a moment. Also enclosed were two smaller envelopes.
Tucking the one with her own name on it into her apron, she went to the dojo to give the letter and the remaining envelope to Akane. While Akane was reading the letter and weighing the smaller envelope in her hand, Kasumi discreetly went to her own room to read what Ranma had sent her.
Dear Kasumi,
I hope that this letter finds you well. It should, because without me and Pops around it must be a lot quieter. Not to mention fewer messes and less cooking and cleaning to do. I never realized how much you do until I started doing some of it for myself. I know I ain't said this enough, but "Thank you".
I'm doing my own laundry again, just like when I was traveling with Pops and I do some of the cooking. Could you send me some recipes so that I can show them to everyone here? I am sending you the recipe for "Two Alarm Chili". One of Jeff's friends gave it to him, Jeff gave it to me and now I'm giving it to you. I think everyone back home will like it.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Ranma
Along with the recipe, was a card with a phone number and the words, "For emergency use only". It wasn't the same number as before.
'Oh Ranma, I hope you come home soon,' Kasumi thought to herself.
When Ranma and his father arrived, she had adjusted her household routines to get everything done in the same amount of time despite there being two more people to cook and clean for. Subtract those two people and add the help that Akane gave anywhere other than the kitchen and Kasumi was left with a small surplus of time for herself.
Since Tofu-sensei was no longer around to borrow books from, Kasumi was trying a few different things. Possibly without realizing it, Kasumi was living more for herself than at any time since her mother had died.
Akane sat on the floor of the dojo, her workout forgotten. She quickly read the brief letter Ranma had sent, and then opened the envelope with her own name on it. What did Ranma have to say to her that he wanted to keep private? Just then, P-chan nosed open the door to the dojo and bounded over to Akane.
Picking up her pet pig, Akane said, "Hello P-chan. Look, Ranma finally sent a letter." Her pet had been around a high percentage of the time for the last month and a half. It was if he knew that she needed the company. Ryoga had also been by a few times during Ranma's absence. Because he wasn't in 'Saotome Ranma, Prepare To DIE' mode, it had been nice. With her pet pig propped on her lap, Akane read Ranma's private note.
Dear Akane,
I hope things are going well for you. How has school been? Jeff is teaching me math and science and his wife teaches me English, reading and history. I have been learning a lot. Jeff says it's because of a "zero distraction environment". I guess he means because of no fights with Kuno or Ryoga or anybody. Which is good for learning stuff, but it's boring.
Since I'm not there, your distraction level has gone down too I bet. I hope Kuno (any Kuno) ain't giving you trouble. Not that I miss pounding the tar out of bokken boy or nothing. Are you doing the agility drills that Jeff showed you? He won't tell me what they are. And are you and Ukyo getting along and watching out for each other like I asked? It would mean a lot to me.
I haven't made many of the decisions that I came to America to make, but I am learning enough to make the right decisions when the time comes.
Finally, I need to apologize for something. I should have told you what I was doing when I went to see my mother before all this started. Despite that being how Pops found out the first time I tried to see Mom, I still should have told you. You had the right to know. I am sorry I didn't tell you.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Ranma.
Akane read the letter, couldn't believe what she had read and read it again. Ranma was apologizing for something? She knew that the incident with his mother had changed him. But this much? Since the letter was printed on a computer, only Ranma's signature identified it as coming from him. Otherwise she would have sworn that someone else had written it.
There were still traces of the old Ranma. The part about Kuno showed that. But for the most part it seemed Ranma had done a lot of growing up since that night seven weeks ago. Maybe she ought to do something about that.
-----
Dealing with a heavier than usual after school rush left Ukyo barely enough time to prepare for the dinner rush. The letter from Ranma didn't get read until after closing time.
Dear Ucchan,
I'm sorry I haven't written before, but I think it's because I didn't really have nothing to say. It's been a month since I left, but somehow it feels more and less than that at the same time. Overall, I'm doing pretty good. I hope you are doing good too.
The weather here has been pretty nice, very few freak rain showers like at home. The rain here gives you plenty of warning. It probably won't start raining until after I get this letter in the mailbox.
Jeff wants the recipe for your okonomiyaki sauce. His tries at okonomiyaki are edible, but they're not even close to being as good as yours. I think the sauce would help though. Jeff and his wife have been very nice to me. I think you and Anne would be good friends. She reminds me of you, but I don't know why.
Are you and Akane watching out for each other like I asked? I hope Shampoo hasn't made it necessary. (Don't worry if you see Ryoga around, I asked him to keep an eye out for Akane. I ain't worried about you since you can take care of yourself.)
You can write me back at the address on the envelope. I hope to hear from you soon.
Ran-chan.
Ukyo sat on the edge of her bed and thought about what Ranma had written. If she'd had an address to send it to, she would have written Ranma a letter long ago. Checking the return address, Ukyo noted that it was for a post office box, not a street address. Just another ploy by Jeff to keep Ranma's exact location secret Ukyo guessed.
It was nice that Ranma was doing well. The part about okonomiyaki was clearly Ranma's stomach talking. Since she obviously couldn't send okonomiyaki through the mail, she'd send one of her sauce recipes. But what did Ranma mean when he said that Anne reminded him of herself?
She remembered the picture that Jeff had shown her. Ukyo didn't think she looked anything like the woman. Maybe he meant personality wise. That had to be it. But would that get her any closer to being Ranma's only fiance?
The fact that Ranma thought she could take care of herself warmed Ukyo's heart. Although truthfully, she and Akane hadn't magically become best friends since Ranma left. Shampoo had been keeping such a low profile, that there had been no need for Ukyo to keep an eye out for Akane. Or vice versa, even if Akane had been inclined to do so.
Since it was kind of late to begin with, Ukyo put off writing Ranma back for the moment. Maybe during lunch at school. Kamis knew that she'd have no time for it during the breakfast rush in the morning.
-----
"Husband! There's a letter from Ranma," Nodoka called out.
Genma set down the glass of water he'd been about to douse himself with and read over his wife's shoulder. Genma was surprised that his son had written home. He wasn't expecting to hear from him until he returned from his nonsensical trip to America.
Dear Mother and Father,
It has been a month since I arrived in America. I thought you should know that I am fine. Jeff and his wife have been very good to me. The weather here has been nice, although it looks like it will rain later today.
Father, I would like to thank you for teaching me that anything can be made into martial arts practice. It has been very helpful in my studies. I am learning a lot.
Mother, I don't know when I will be coming back to Japan. But you are a part of my life and I do not want a misunderstanding to separate us. You were doing what you thought was right. I realize that. But knowing why I nearly died does not mean I accept the reason for it. It may be that night will always stand between us. But I hope the day will come when I can have the mother I never knew and you can have the son you have always wanted.
Ranma.
Nodoka cried and Genma comforted her the best he was able.
-----
Tendo Nabiki was not a happy camper. Without Ranma as a focus, her entire financial empire was in bad shape. She should never have allowed herself to become so dependent on one income source. Through sales of photographs, fight betting and an occasionally alluded to but never invoked threat against those who owed her money, Ranma had become involved in over 80% of her incoming cash flow.
Her back stock of Ranma-chan photos was running low. She would be able to squeeze maybe twenty or thirty thousand yen out of Kuno with those. And as much as she hated to admit it, selling pictures of her own sister was starting to bother her. (The market for those had picked up somewhat, but nowhere near enough to offset her other losses.) One dimwitted senior had asked for pictures of Kasumi, and once Akane found out about it, said senior ended up eating through a straw. Whether that had anything to do with Nabiki's reluctance was a matter between her and her conscience.
She didn't even have Ranma's debts to collect interest on anymore. She'd slightly exaggerated the amount she felt Ranma owed her for existing and that damned American had written a check on the spot. With ten percent added for a currency exchange fee. She suspected Anderson-san had serious money behind him, if she'd could figure out an angle, then that money would naturally be hers.
But she'd have to be careful. She had seen him tear a coin in half, and while she knew several people who could duplicate that feat, it was enough to require caution. Jeff's tolerance for nonsense was minimal. Nabiki remembered where Kodachi had wound up after tangling with him.
If only Kasumi would tell her what had happened that night. If only anyone would tell her what happened that night. All those involved were being remarkably tight lipped about it. The only thing that everyone agreed on was that Jeff blocked a killing stroke from the Saotome clan sword. She'd seen the sword embedded in the ceiling above the Saotome clan shrine on one of her visits to Auntie Nodoka. A close up examination of the weapon while standing on a step ladder gave no clues to work with.
Auntie Nodoka said she'd had her eyes closed at the critical time. Genma had been steeling himself against plunging a tanto into his own body. Ranma had been bent over the chopping block and probably saw nothing useful. Although getting what details Ranma did have would be easy enough once she had the chance to question him. Jeff wouldn't give her the time of day, let alone say how he'd done it. Which left Kasumi as the only available witness to the events of that night. And Kasumi... wasn't talking.
All of which meant Nabiki was not a happy camper. She sat in her room and fumed and thought of ways to shake some money loose from the tree that was Nerima. Then came a knock on her door.
"Nabiki, Ranma wrote a letter to the family. Akane has it in the dojo," Kasumi stated from the other side of the closed door.
"Thank you Onee-chan," Nabiki replied. The cash register in her head made an almost audible 'K-Ching!' Nabiki nearly hurried downstairs. She saw that one of the weird agility drills the American had shown Akane was set up in the middle of the dojo and that her sister was sitting on the floor nearby. Her pet pig was in her lap and she was staring absentmindedly at the pieces of paper in her hand.
"So the ever wandering one deigns to write those he left behind? I'm touched. Truly," Nabiki observed sarcastically.
Akane rose and handed Nabiki about half the papers she had. "Here. He doesn't say much," Akane said disappointedly.
Nabiki noticed that Akane held some things back, "What about the rest of it?" she asked.
"The rest of it is a private message for me."
Nabiki peered at what remained in Akane's hand before Akane quickly put it behind her back and out of reach. "Really? Something embarrassingly intimate I hope," Nabiki deadpanned.
Akane blushed. "No! Nothing like that."
"Then why the reaction little sister?" Although if it HAD been embarrassingly intimate, Akane would have lived up to her name and not been just slightly pink.
"Because it's for me. Not for you."
Changing to a light hearted tone, "You know I'm going to bug you until you show me, so why not just give in now and save time?" Nabiki asked.
Akane thrust the remaining papers into her sister's hand. "Fine. And if you find anything embarrassingly intimate in this, let me know. I'm going to go take a bath," she said heatedly. At the mention of the 'b' word, P-chan took off in mortal fear. Ryoga had better things to do than have his cover blown.
-----
Nabiki figured that she should be able to sell the contents of the letters to a few interested parties. The return address alone was worth quite a bit. Although a street address would have been better. Ukyo would pay a decent price. Best to talk with her tomorrow at school. It was too late to approach the Kuno compound safely. Besides, she needed to separate the information into packets for separate sale to Kuno-chan and his sister. But Shampoo had a standing offer for any and all information that turned up about her 'airen'.
How much could she squeeze out of the Amazon without undue risk? Was there anything that would put her or her family in danger if Shampoo (or Cologne) knew it? These were the type of questions that Nabiki loved. She was so involved in solving them, she nearly missed dinner.
-----
Going over the letters again after dinner, the only thing Nabiki thought she should edit out was Ranma asking if Ukyo and her sister were looking out for each other. To the best of her knowledge they weren't, but there was no need for Shampoo to suspect the two might be allying against her at Ranma's request. Nabiki already knew Ranma had had some harsh words with Shampoo prior to leaving. No need to aggravate her unnecessarily.
The sale went well enough. A thousand yen for the contents of the main letter, three thousand more for the parts of the note to Akane that Nabiki felt safe to sell and five thousand yen for the return address. Nabiki didn't feel she could have safely pressed for more money. Shampoo was stressed. Nabiki also noticed that Cologne was nowhere in sight.
Business successfully concluded, Nabiki left the restaurant and literally bumped into Mousse just outside the front door. He looked bad. Mousse had a freshly blackened left eye and a few assorted bruises that were still healing.
"Mousse, you lose a fight with Ryoga?" Nabiki asked although she was aware of the most likely cause for the damage.
"No. Why would I fight Hibiki?" he asked guardedly.
"You know, other than the time you tried to turn my sister into a duck, you've been a pretty good guy. Why do you let Shampoo do this to you?" Nabiki wasn't sure if it was curiosity or concern that asked the question.
"Because I love her. She's been under a lot of stress lately. By taking it out on me, she hasn't been taking it out on other people. It's for the best really." Mousse sounded very convincing.
"She must really hate you," Nabiki observed.
"No she doesn't," Mousse answered quietly.
"Take a look in a mirror Mousse. If this keeps up, she's going to kill you."
Mousse calmly explained, "Tendo, when Shampoo wore the Reversal Jewel, she still hit me. That means she doesn't hate me. Somewhere, maybe so deep inside she can't see it herself, she doesn't hate me."
'Magic, why the hell is it always magic?' Nabiki asked herself. "Don't die because a piece of junk jewelry says something. Shampoo could love you more than Ranma and still kill you if those bruises on your face mean anything."
"Why the hell should you care Tendo?" Mousse asked before he turned and limped into the restaurant, effectively terminating the conversation.
'Why indeed?' part of her mind inquired of the rest. Nabiki hated being asked questions she didn't have answers for. Even when she was asking the questions herself.
-----
Shampoo lay on her bed and fumed about the injustice of it all. Her airen had left her behind and she could do nothing. Nothing. What kind of Amazon was she if she let a mere male, even Ranma, dictate her actions? Once again, she fought down the urge to eliminate her rivals. She had no desire to find out what form Ranma's retribution would take. For one brief moment she had seen that Ranma was truly upset with her. If there was any chance for a future with Ranma, she would have to keep her temper.
Normally, she would have worked her frustrations out on Mousse, but Cologne had said that if she injured him again, she would have to take over his duties. Her own father was no warrior and Cologne was too busy with a project of her own to spar. The pressure had been almost unbearable when Mercenary Girl showed up.
Although it cost far too many yen, Shampoo purchased the return address from Tendo Nabiki. Now she could track down Ranma. Even though it was only a PO Box, that would be enough to act. Finding the post office would be easy enough. Waiting for Ranma to pick up his mail would require only the patience any successful hunter had. It was time to act.
END CHAPTER 8
-----