Please don't go too hard on me, this is my first fanfiction and I'm a bit
nervous putting this out there for everyone to see. So please just bare
with me and input is appreciated.
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Soun woke drenched in sweat and his head pounding. Sure it could have been all the sake he and Genma drank the night before but what about the feeling of dread welling up from inside him. He looked at the clock, 6:30. Surely Kasumi would be up by now preparing for that mornings breakfast and chores.
Soun crept downstairs careful not to wake his daughters or houseguests. He couldn't shake this feeling of dread. Something felt terribly wrong but he couldn't figure out what.
"Hello Father" chirped Kasumi from the kitchen door. "Is there something wrong, you are not usually up at this hour."
"I'm fine Kasumi." Stated Soun trying not to attract attention to his growing nervous state.
Kasumi headed back into the kitchen to finish breakfast. Soun headed out to the dojo to see if he would work through this feeling of dread.
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On the other side of the world a young girl walks into her kitchen to see her Mom fixing dinner. "Mom, is there supposed to be black smoke bellowing out of the oven?" asked Kari, concerned yet giggling to herself.
"Damn it! There must be something wrong with this stupid oven, it is always burning everything." Yelled her Mom.
"Sure Mom, blame it on the oven. We all know you are a world class chef and that you could never possibly burn food." Kari smirked and opened the windows to let out the thick smoke.
"Kari, you got some mail today. I placed it on the table in the hall." Kari's Mom Lilly dumped the burnt dinner in the sink and grabbed the phone to order take out.
The phone on the other end of the line began to ring when suddenly Kari screamed in the other room. Lilly dropped the phone and ran to where her daughter was standing holding a letter in front of her. "For crying out loud I thought someone just killed you, do you really have to scream like that?"
"Mom, I got it! I have been accepted into the exchange student program. I get to go to Japan and study for a whole school year! Well, that is if you will just sign this piece of paper."
"What? When did you apply for the student exchange program and why didn't you ask me for permission? No, you can not go I will not sign that paper!"
With that Lilly stormed back off into the kitchen leaving a very confused Kari. "I thought she'd be proud of me. She's the one who pushed for me to take Japanese in school telling me I should know more about my heritage."
Kari walked into the kitchen finding her mom sitting at the table crying. "Mom, what's wrong? I thought you'd be happy with this. Why are you crying, it's not like I'd be going away forever. It's just one school year."
Lilly looked up at Kari, she was growing up so fast. She couldn't believe how beautiful she had gotten. Kari looked nothing like her, her own hair was light brown while Kari's was a deep black that almost looked blue in the sun. Her own eyes were blue while Kari's were a rich brown. She couldn't believe how different they looked. She shuddered, someday Kari would find out. She would find out that Lilly was not her birth mother and then there would be too many questions to answer.
Kari embraced her Mom, petting her head and trying to make her feel better. "Mom, you do know that one day I'll be moving out and well maybe you should start dating or something."
Lilly started to cry harder. "Damn, maybe I should keep my big mouth shut." Kari thought to herself.
Lilly was wrestling with her demons. She had lied to Kari for 16 years. The sudden mention of Japan brought back a load of things Lilly had thought she buried a long time ago.
Lilly quickly stood up leaving Kari to bang her arm on the kitchen table. She walked out to the hall closet and moved many boxes around. Way in the back, far from reach was a small wooden box with Japanese characters carved into it. A small lock on the front would prevent anyone to accidentally seeing the contents. Lilly returned to the kitchen with box in hand and thrust the box towards Kari. "Umm what's this Mom?"
Lilly took a small key from a small glass box on top of the refrigerator. She handed the key to Kari. Kari traced the symbols with her finger. She knew what they were, the characters spelled out her name. Her Mom taught her how to write it when she was 3 years old. Kari suddenly grew very scared. Why was her Mother acting this way? She only asked to go to Japan, sure it was really far away but it was just Japan. It isn't like she ran off and got married at 16 or anything.
Kari put the key in the keyhole and a small click signified the lock was open. She gently opened the lid and inside where many papers all in Japanese. "Mom, what is all this? I don't understand."
Lilly took the papers out and a small photograph fell out from them and fell onto the floor. Kari reached down and grabbed it. It was of two babies and two people she did not know. "So, are you going to tell me who these people are? It seems to make you really upset and stuff." Kari smirked, sure she was nervous but her Mom was always blowing things out of proportion. Her Mom was a drama queen like that. "Come on Mom, just tell me what this is about. It can't be that bad." Kari didn't see her Mother's eyes. "What did you steal me from my real family?" Kari started to giggle at the absolute insanity of the question. Thinking her Mom would see just how silly she was acting maybe she would laugh too.
"Kari, I, well that is I umm."
Kari looked at her Mother. Her eyes were vacant. "Kari, you were born in Japan."
Kari just sat there. "I was? Well ok, but why are you getting this upset. I mean sure you lied to me about it but well it isn't that bad."
"That's not it Kari, you were born in Japan to another Mother."
Things started to close in and everything was going black. Kari fell to the floor with a thud. Lilly rushed to her side sobbing wildly. Saying over and over that she was sorry.
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"Akane breakfast is ready. You better hurry or you will be late for school again."
Akane rolled over in bed, she did not feel like getting up. "I still feel so tired, maybe I'm coming down with a cold."
Akane crawled out of bed and threw on her school uniform. Her books were scattered all over her desk. Shoving them into her bag she wondered if Ranma was up yet or would she have to grab a pale of water like every other morning.
Akane made her way out into the hall and headed for the guest room. Pale of water in hand she could hear Ranma snoring loudly away behind the thin door. "What a lazy pervert! Why is it that I have to wake him up every morning?"
Akane slides the door open and walks over to a sleeping Ranma. She nudges him a few times. "Ranma wake up, we are going to be late for school. What were you out all night with that Shampoo?"
"What huh?"
"RANMA GET UP!" and with that Akane dumped the icy cold contents on the sleeping martial artist.
"ACK I'm up, I'm up. Stupid tomboy, you could have just told me to get up." A now very wet young red head sits where a black haired boy once was.
"Come on Ranma, we don't have all day. Besides your Father is already down there and I'm sure he will have your breakfast finished soon."
Ranma flew by Akane throwing on her shirt and pants. "Pop that's my pickle! Hey give that back!"
"Geez Ranma, you would think you never get fed with the way you are acting." Kasumi fills Ranma bowl with more rice as Akane sits down next to him.
"Kasumi, where is Nabiki?"
"Oh, Nabiki left for school early today, she said she had some business to attend to."
"Speaking of school, we better get a move on if we don't want to be late." Akane dumped a hot cup of water over Ranma's head and grabbed the boy by the pigtail and headed towards the door. As she glanced over her shoulder she noticed a very worried look on her Father's face.
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It was at the same time that a very confused Kari regained consciousness to a very wet shirt and a Mother who was still sobbing. "Mom, what happened? I could have sworn you just told me that you're not my real mother."
"Kari, I'm not your real Mother. Your real Mother died when you were very little. So little that you would not remember anything of her at all."
Lilly sat there looking at a stunned Kari. "Well, who is my Mother then?"
"You were born in a small town in Nerima, Japan. Your Mother was my sister. I guess that would actually make me your aunt."
"But why? I don't understand why you would have me. What about my Father?"
"Your Father could not handle what was going on and my sister asked me to take you and raise you to make things easier on him. She also asked me never to tell you just to raise you as my own. You see you have three other sisters."
"I WHAT? Why have you kept this from me? How could you?" Kari began to cry. "How could my Father just let this happen? Did he love my other sisters more and just gave me away? How could you lie to me?"
"Kari, I swear I never wanted you to find out like this. I love you so much. I was just honoring my sister's last wishes before she died. She loved you very much Kari, she didn't chose which of you would come with me. I just grabbed one of you and left like she asked. I move to America to raise you as my own."
"But why? Why couldn't I stay with my family?" "One of your sisters is your twin Kari. You Father had two daughters under the age of 6 and you and your sister were very small. I'm not saying how it happened was right, I have carried this guilt with me for years but it is what your Mother wanted."
"How did she die? Why hasn't my Father sent for me now that I'm older?"
"Your Mother had cancer, the doctors said it was too far along for treatment and that it was a matter of months before she would pass. I'm sure your Father was just as grief stricken as me and doesn't know how to tell you this."
"So instead of telling me that I have a whole other family and that my Mother died before I could remember her you just lied to me?"
"Kari, we were just doing what we thought was best. We didn't want to hurt you."
"When can I go see my sisters?"
"I'll call your Father, tell him you know and that you want to come to Japan."
"I don't want my Father to know. I have nothing to say to him. I'll find my sisters on my own and tell them what has happened."
"Kari please, your Mother was so young when she died, so was I. We were doing what we thought would be best. She knew your Father couldn't raise two babies on his own."
Lilly reached inside the box now lying on the table. She pulled out another photograph. It was of two young women around the age of seventeen. They looked exactly alike. Kari took the picture. Lilly began to cry. Kari, please I wish I could have stayed in Japan with your Father and sisters but as you can see from that photograph that your Mother and I are identical twins. Your Father was having a hard enough time losing his young wife, if I would have stayed with you it would have been a constant reminder and your Father would never have been able to get over it. Please don't blame him."
"Mom, or Aunt or whoever you are. Please just sign my papers so I can go to Japan with the exchange program. I want to do this on my terms. After all you all lied to me for the past 16 years. I think you owe me at least this."
"If that is what you really want Kari, I'll do it. I just hope you can forgive me for this one day. I never did this to hurt you. I love you as if you were my own daughter. I'm so sorry."
Kari stood up and left the kitchen. She needed time to think and work out some of this anger. Kari put on her running shoes grabbed her Walkman and took off for the park to run a few miles before bedtime. She had much to think about and not much time before she would leave for Japan. "I can't believe my whole life has been a lie." With that thought Kari turned up her headphones and ran faster.
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Soun woke drenched in sweat and his head pounding. Sure it could have been all the sake he and Genma drank the night before but what about the feeling of dread welling up from inside him. He looked at the clock, 6:30. Surely Kasumi would be up by now preparing for that mornings breakfast and chores.
Soun crept downstairs careful not to wake his daughters or houseguests. He couldn't shake this feeling of dread. Something felt terribly wrong but he couldn't figure out what.
"Hello Father" chirped Kasumi from the kitchen door. "Is there something wrong, you are not usually up at this hour."
"I'm fine Kasumi." Stated Soun trying not to attract attention to his growing nervous state.
Kasumi headed back into the kitchen to finish breakfast. Soun headed out to the dojo to see if he would work through this feeling of dread.
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On the other side of the world a young girl walks into her kitchen to see her Mom fixing dinner. "Mom, is there supposed to be black smoke bellowing out of the oven?" asked Kari, concerned yet giggling to herself.
"Damn it! There must be something wrong with this stupid oven, it is always burning everything." Yelled her Mom.
"Sure Mom, blame it on the oven. We all know you are a world class chef and that you could never possibly burn food." Kari smirked and opened the windows to let out the thick smoke.
"Kari, you got some mail today. I placed it on the table in the hall." Kari's Mom Lilly dumped the burnt dinner in the sink and grabbed the phone to order take out.
The phone on the other end of the line began to ring when suddenly Kari screamed in the other room. Lilly dropped the phone and ran to where her daughter was standing holding a letter in front of her. "For crying out loud I thought someone just killed you, do you really have to scream like that?"
"Mom, I got it! I have been accepted into the exchange student program. I get to go to Japan and study for a whole school year! Well, that is if you will just sign this piece of paper."
"What? When did you apply for the student exchange program and why didn't you ask me for permission? No, you can not go I will not sign that paper!"
With that Lilly stormed back off into the kitchen leaving a very confused Kari. "I thought she'd be proud of me. She's the one who pushed for me to take Japanese in school telling me I should know more about my heritage."
Kari walked into the kitchen finding her mom sitting at the table crying. "Mom, what's wrong? I thought you'd be happy with this. Why are you crying, it's not like I'd be going away forever. It's just one school year."
Lilly looked up at Kari, she was growing up so fast. She couldn't believe how beautiful she had gotten. Kari looked nothing like her, her own hair was light brown while Kari's was a deep black that almost looked blue in the sun. Her own eyes were blue while Kari's were a rich brown. She couldn't believe how different they looked. She shuddered, someday Kari would find out. She would find out that Lilly was not her birth mother and then there would be too many questions to answer.
Kari embraced her Mom, petting her head and trying to make her feel better. "Mom, you do know that one day I'll be moving out and well maybe you should start dating or something."
Lilly started to cry harder. "Damn, maybe I should keep my big mouth shut." Kari thought to herself.
Lilly was wrestling with her demons. She had lied to Kari for 16 years. The sudden mention of Japan brought back a load of things Lilly had thought she buried a long time ago.
Lilly quickly stood up leaving Kari to bang her arm on the kitchen table. She walked out to the hall closet and moved many boxes around. Way in the back, far from reach was a small wooden box with Japanese characters carved into it. A small lock on the front would prevent anyone to accidentally seeing the contents. Lilly returned to the kitchen with box in hand and thrust the box towards Kari. "Umm what's this Mom?"
Lilly took a small key from a small glass box on top of the refrigerator. She handed the key to Kari. Kari traced the symbols with her finger. She knew what they were, the characters spelled out her name. Her Mom taught her how to write it when she was 3 years old. Kari suddenly grew very scared. Why was her Mother acting this way? She only asked to go to Japan, sure it was really far away but it was just Japan. It isn't like she ran off and got married at 16 or anything.
Kari put the key in the keyhole and a small click signified the lock was open. She gently opened the lid and inside where many papers all in Japanese. "Mom, what is all this? I don't understand."
Lilly took the papers out and a small photograph fell out from them and fell onto the floor. Kari reached down and grabbed it. It was of two babies and two people she did not know. "So, are you going to tell me who these people are? It seems to make you really upset and stuff." Kari smirked, sure she was nervous but her Mom was always blowing things out of proportion. Her Mom was a drama queen like that. "Come on Mom, just tell me what this is about. It can't be that bad." Kari didn't see her Mother's eyes. "What did you steal me from my real family?" Kari started to giggle at the absolute insanity of the question. Thinking her Mom would see just how silly she was acting maybe she would laugh too.
"Kari, I, well that is I umm."
Kari looked at her Mother. Her eyes were vacant. "Kari, you were born in Japan."
Kari just sat there. "I was? Well ok, but why are you getting this upset. I mean sure you lied to me about it but well it isn't that bad."
"That's not it Kari, you were born in Japan to another Mother."
Things started to close in and everything was going black. Kari fell to the floor with a thud. Lilly rushed to her side sobbing wildly. Saying over and over that she was sorry.
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"Akane breakfast is ready. You better hurry or you will be late for school again."
Akane rolled over in bed, she did not feel like getting up. "I still feel so tired, maybe I'm coming down with a cold."
Akane crawled out of bed and threw on her school uniform. Her books were scattered all over her desk. Shoving them into her bag she wondered if Ranma was up yet or would she have to grab a pale of water like every other morning.
Akane made her way out into the hall and headed for the guest room. Pale of water in hand she could hear Ranma snoring loudly away behind the thin door. "What a lazy pervert! Why is it that I have to wake him up every morning?"
Akane slides the door open and walks over to a sleeping Ranma. She nudges him a few times. "Ranma wake up, we are going to be late for school. What were you out all night with that Shampoo?"
"What huh?"
"RANMA GET UP!" and with that Akane dumped the icy cold contents on the sleeping martial artist.
"ACK I'm up, I'm up. Stupid tomboy, you could have just told me to get up." A now very wet young red head sits where a black haired boy once was.
"Come on Ranma, we don't have all day. Besides your Father is already down there and I'm sure he will have your breakfast finished soon."
Ranma flew by Akane throwing on her shirt and pants. "Pop that's my pickle! Hey give that back!"
"Geez Ranma, you would think you never get fed with the way you are acting." Kasumi fills Ranma bowl with more rice as Akane sits down next to him.
"Kasumi, where is Nabiki?"
"Oh, Nabiki left for school early today, she said she had some business to attend to."
"Speaking of school, we better get a move on if we don't want to be late." Akane dumped a hot cup of water over Ranma's head and grabbed the boy by the pigtail and headed towards the door. As she glanced over her shoulder she noticed a very worried look on her Father's face.
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It was at the same time that a very confused Kari regained consciousness to a very wet shirt and a Mother who was still sobbing. "Mom, what happened? I could have sworn you just told me that you're not my real mother."
"Kari, I'm not your real Mother. Your real Mother died when you were very little. So little that you would not remember anything of her at all."
Lilly sat there looking at a stunned Kari. "Well, who is my Mother then?"
"You were born in a small town in Nerima, Japan. Your Mother was my sister. I guess that would actually make me your aunt."
"But why? I don't understand why you would have me. What about my Father?"
"Your Father could not handle what was going on and my sister asked me to take you and raise you to make things easier on him. She also asked me never to tell you just to raise you as my own. You see you have three other sisters."
"I WHAT? Why have you kept this from me? How could you?" Kari began to cry. "How could my Father just let this happen? Did he love my other sisters more and just gave me away? How could you lie to me?"
"Kari, I swear I never wanted you to find out like this. I love you so much. I was just honoring my sister's last wishes before she died. She loved you very much Kari, she didn't chose which of you would come with me. I just grabbed one of you and left like she asked. I move to America to raise you as my own."
"But why? Why couldn't I stay with my family?" "One of your sisters is your twin Kari. You Father had two daughters under the age of 6 and you and your sister were very small. I'm not saying how it happened was right, I have carried this guilt with me for years but it is what your Mother wanted."
"How did she die? Why hasn't my Father sent for me now that I'm older?"
"Your Mother had cancer, the doctors said it was too far along for treatment and that it was a matter of months before she would pass. I'm sure your Father was just as grief stricken as me and doesn't know how to tell you this."
"So instead of telling me that I have a whole other family and that my Mother died before I could remember her you just lied to me?"
"Kari, we were just doing what we thought was best. We didn't want to hurt you."
"When can I go see my sisters?"
"I'll call your Father, tell him you know and that you want to come to Japan."
"I don't want my Father to know. I have nothing to say to him. I'll find my sisters on my own and tell them what has happened."
"Kari please, your Mother was so young when she died, so was I. We were doing what we thought would be best. She knew your Father couldn't raise two babies on his own."
Lilly reached inside the box now lying on the table. She pulled out another photograph. It was of two young women around the age of seventeen. They looked exactly alike. Kari took the picture. Lilly began to cry. Kari, please I wish I could have stayed in Japan with your Father and sisters but as you can see from that photograph that your Mother and I are identical twins. Your Father was having a hard enough time losing his young wife, if I would have stayed with you it would have been a constant reminder and your Father would never have been able to get over it. Please don't blame him."
"Mom, or Aunt or whoever you are. Please just sign my papers so I can go to Japan with the exchange program. I want to do this on my terms. After all you all lied to me for the past 16 years. I think you owe me at least this."
"If that is what you really want Kari, I'll do it. I just hope you can forgive me for this one day. I never did this to hurt you. I love you as if you were my own daughter. I'm so sorry."
Kari stood up and left the kitchen. She needed time to think and work out some of this anger. Kari put on her running shoes grabbed her Walkman and took off for the park to run a few miles before bedtime. She had much to think about and not much time before she would leave for Japan. "I can't believe my whole life has been a lie." With that thought Kari turned up her headphones and ran faster.