Ranma sighed and blew upward to get a strand of hair out of his eyes as he wondered to himself, 'Why me?"
"Did you say something Ranma?"
He smiled warmly at his mother, "No, mother, nothing."
She smiled and turned back to face the dojo, scanning it once more before giving a decisive nod. She'd done this with the entirety of the house so far, and he'd been growing fairly bored steadily since the library. She turned and smiled at him, but her expression was confused and more than a little worried at the same time.
"Ranma, son, how can you possibly afford such splendor?"
He smiled and gave a casual shrug, "I already told you mother, I'm a trouble consultant for a very large international agency."
Her smile only seemed a tiny bit more relieved as she nodded, "And your martial arts, obviously you've maintained your training. How profficient are you?"
He shrugged but couldn't keep a smirk from his lips, "Well, the art has saved my life a few times. As soon as I've finished showing you around, I need to begin my daily training actually."
He almost winced at the triumphant gleam that suddenly emerged in his mother's eyes, "Oh? My son, would you mind if I observed your training?"
He did manage to contain a sigh, but just barely. With a small smile that was only marginally forced, he answered, "Whatever you wish, Mother."
And so he dragged in his desk chair for his mother, carefully positioning it in an out of the way corner. She seemed a little disappointed in her out of the way spectator's position, but Ranma pointedly ignored her equally pointed look of disapproval. Now that his mother was carefully moved to a safe distance, he positioned himself in the middle of the room and began slowly warming up.
Settling into static normalcy, he soon forgot that he had a witness at all. Sweeping gracefully between the exercises that he'd been performing at one difficulty level or another for years, he moved into a mental realm that he relished and looked forward to achieving every day. In a stressed out life such as his, any form of inner peace or relaxation was essential. He'd seen many of his peers fall to madness due to one facet or another of their jobs.
As his workout drew to a close, instead of dreading going back out into the world, he looked expectantly to it as he always did. With a sigh he cracked his neck and slowly opened his eyes.
To surprisingly meet his mother's watery gaze. She slowly rose to her feet and came forward to fold a startled Ranma into her now-damp embrace.
"Oh my son, I hadn't dared to hope you could make me so proud. I find nothing in you lacking your oath."
Oath?
She looked up and smiled, "I release your from the bonds placed on your honor, my son, you are truly a man amongst men."
He simply stared for a moment before blinking and asking, "Mother . . . what oath?"
Her eye might have twitched if she'd been any less somber a person, "Pardon, my son?"
"Er, what oath do you mean Mother? A man amongst men?"
She closed her eyes and seemed to be calming herself even though she didn't appear upset outwardly. "Surely you know of the oath your father and you took when you left on the training journey? The two of you would commit seppuku if your father failed to make you a Man Amongst Men!"
Ranma was more than a little confused. Why would his father make such a contract? Why would his mother accept? And why didn't anyone ever tell him about this?
"But it is of no matter, Ranma. You are relieved of the oath." She stepped back and pulled the wrapped bundle from her back. He'd know what it was from the start, but it was still a little odd seeing his mother pull a katana from the roll of cloth. She held it out with a dramatically serious expression. "Ranma, this is the family blade. I give it to you now with the role of the head of our family. I know your father would be proud of you."
Akane smiled at Nodoka as she passed the woman in the hallway. With a vague and distracted air about her, the woman gave a slight bow of her head and continued past Akane. Giving the woman an odd look before shrugging and continueing down the hallway to Ranma's door, Akane wondered where the woman's wrapped bundle was. This was the first time she'd seen Mrs. Soatome without it.
With a confused shake of her head, Akane reached up and knocked on Ranma's door. She knew he was up, since it was beyond obvious that Nodoka had been visiting her son. When she didn't get an answer, Akane started to worry until it hit her that Ranma must be in the dojo. Pushing the door open, Akane glanced about quickly before going to the closed dojo door.
Without knocking, since that would be a bigger distraction than merely walking in if Ranma was practicing, Akane opened the door and stepped into the dojo.
Ranma's back was to her, a pile of cloth lying at his feet as he stared down at a sword.
"Ranma? Are you ready for our workout?"
Her expression grew puzzled when he failed to respond. Walking forward and around him, he completely ignored her. But when she slid directly in front of him he looked up with wide eyes that seemed . . . frightened.
"Are you okay, Ranma?" she whispered.
He nodded, "Akane, Mother just made me head of the family." He looked back down at the sword in his hands and only then did Akane recognize the cloth on the ground as the same strip that had been wrapped around the bundle Mrs. Soatome always carried. Somehow, Akane knew she should have known what the bundle was all along, but picturing the kind and gentle woman with a deadly weapon just seemed wrong.
With a shake of his head, Ranma walked over to the back wall of the room, opposite the mirror, and pulled on the molding. Akane blinked owlishly at the large cabinet revealed as he calmly placed the Soatome blade on an empty rack that was, appropriately, near the very center.
He pulled the cabinet closed and turne back to her, "Now, your workout . . ."
Akane often felt she was getting to know this guy, and then he'd pull a mood swing that went so far over her head she felt like she'd fallen down some cliff. His demeanor through their workout was as friendly and competent as usual, leaving no trace of the confused and frightened young man from before. Akane tried to follow his example and pretend nothing had happened, but there were several occasions when she was so distracted that Ranma commented upon it.
When they were finished, Akane hesitantly rested a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Ranma, if you want to talk about anything, you know I'd be more than happy to listen, right?"
He gave a visual flinch of startlement and his eyes widened slightly as he stared down at her silently for a moment. After a long pause he smiled slowly and nodded, "Thanks Akane, that means a lot. I . . . haven't had many people offer something like that before. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"
She smiled slightly and gave a nod before leaving the room, deeply troubled. Had the poor guy ever known what it was like to have friends? Was that why he always kept that cool demeanor, like armor, to prove that he was strong enough that he didn't need others? He knew how to act around people, but it was clear to Akane that he wasn't sure how to act with people.
From the lighting and the utter lack of noise, she knew she was dreaming. She turned her head as she lay in bed and smiled at her love where he slept beside her. His young face smiling, confident even in sleep that he could handle anything. Something about this thought was bothersome, but she ignored it.
His long hair was sprawled artfully over the pillow, loose very rarely, and still damp from his long soak. He worked so hard for one so young, the poor dear. Many would think her too old for him, but she knew he was the only one that knew her heart so well. He knew what she wanted, what she needed.
And he could get it for her.
She smiled, yes, with her love beside her, she would be comfortable and safe forever. She reached out to brush his cheek, crying out softly as she sat up in her real bed. Glancing about through her tears, she tried to discern the difference between her dream and reality. Her dreams had been fading so slowly lately.
Reaching out she brushed the petal of the rose on the bedside table, watching in confusion as it slowly changed back and forth between gray and white.
And she knew.
Her love was forever beyond her grasp.
"Good morning, Nabiki, Akane."
"Good morning, Ms. Naomi," the girls chorused.
Akane seethed inwardly. She absolutely could not stand this woman. Her bond with Ranma was beyond what it should be, in Akane's mind. How could Ranma be so close to a former teacher? She was more like a mother, or a lover . . .
Akane frowned and jerked her head down to the test 'Ms. Naomi' had left for her on the table that served as Nabiki and her desk. Clearing her mind with some basic meditation (with some dificulty, as meditation wasn't Akane's strong suit), Akane set into the math problems with comendable determination.
When she next looked up, Ms. Naomi was writing in her little planner where she kept track of assignments and grades. Standing, Akane walked over and placed the test down on her so-called teacher's desk.
Turning on her heal, Akane went back to her desk and pulled out her History book, since she knew that's what they'd be going over as soon as Nabiki finished her slightly longer and harder math test. At Ranma and Nabiki's request, Akane's older sister was studying mostly mathematics applying to accounting, but also maintaining her love of calculus.
Akane sent her sister a look of disbelief. How could someone honestly love math, let alone calculus?
When the older girl stood and turned in her test, Ms. Naomi smiled and stood to begin yet another boring history lecture. Akane diligently took notes, but her heart clearly wasn't in it. Nor was she all that interested in the other lessons that day. By the time they were released for the day just in time for a late lunch, Akane had been fidgeting enough to earn several dirty looks from her teacher.
Ms. Naomi excused them and left the room herself since she didn't need to gather anything except the two test papers. Akane gave a heaving sigh when the door clicked shut and began to gather her books and paraphanelia.
"Akane, you seemed distracted today."
Akane glanced at the door bit her cheek. If she couldn't trust her sister, who could she?
"Nabiki? What do you think of Ms. Naomi?"
"Her accounting isn't bad, but her calculus sucks."
Akane gave her sister a dirty look and snatched up her pencil. "That's not what I mean, and you know it! Don't you think it's odd how she just showed up like that? I mean, where'd she come from? And why is she so close to Ranma? It doesn't seem very proffesional to me, and she's barely civil to us half the time!"
Nabiki studied Akane's face for a long moment before walking over and cracking the door open slightly. After pausing and holding her breath, Nabiki walked back over and leaned very close to Akane.
"Listen, I've been looking into her. I don't have much yet, but I found several suspicious items that I think are going to pan out. Be careful around her Akane. I'll let you know, okay?"
Akane snapped her head over to meet her sister's gaze. She didn't like the woman, but surely Nabiki was exaggerating. "ARe you serious?"
Nabiki just nodded before glancing around and grabbing her bag and leaving the room. Akane slowly gathered her own belongings before she too left the room. Slowly going down the hall to her room, Akane sighed. Why couldn't her life just be normal again?
"Aw man!"
Akane jerked her head up and saw a female Ranma glaring at the puddle around her feet, gazing around the large pile of books, folders, and papers in her arms. The vase, its floral contents now strewn about in a damp arc at Ranma's feet, rolled to a stop against the wall.
Akane giggled and went to pick up the flowers. "Are you okay Ranma?"
The redhead sighed and set the stack of paperwork down on the table that had formerly held a beautiful vase of flowers. He knelt and helped Akane gather the various varieties of flowers.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'll ever get used to this." He/she gestured to the robust female figure.
"I'm sure you'll manage, after all, you've made some pretty big adjustments in your life."
She smiled up at her and stretched to snatch up the vase. Artlessly dumping his handful of flowers into it, he gently took Akane's load and did the same with hers. Standing, the two of them brushed their damp hands off on their clothing.
"I'm gonna go change. I'll see you down at lunch Akane."
She smiled and gave a cheerful nod as she reached down and grabbed her bag.
"Oh, and thanks Akane!"
She turned and waved at her retreating fiance as he disappeared around the corner. With a shake of her head she went down a couple more doors and into her room to drop off her bag. By the time she'd made it back downstairs, Nabiki's dire warning had completley left Akane's head.
Nabiki frowned down at the printed sheets in her hands. Saya Naomi was now thirty-seven. A gifted orphan, she won a scholarship overseas. Graduating from college she began applying for jobs before even returning home to her native Japan. She obtained a position as a private tutor for a wealthy man's young son, even though she never actually applied for it. Apparently the man had somehow found out about her and offered her the job without ever speaking to her.
She probably didn't know that the man was the most infamous mobster in Japan until after she had been there for some time. The boy grew, and was joined by another charge for Miss. Naomi. After the downfall of the Tokyo Roses, Miss. Naomi retreated to a small house that was on the verge of the slums. She lived alone, living off of what had been left with her by the authorities of her wages and occasional tidbits from Ranma.
Then, she just shows up at Ranma's door.
This was where things were confusing. Saya never left money in the bank. As soon as she paid for the house she was living in, she withdrew everything. There wasn't a single credit card in her name, the only property in her name was the house, and she hadn't filled out a single check since the fall of the Roses.
Nabiki thought back and scanned through every image she could recall of the woman. Her house was in one of the worst neighborhoods, yet she wore designer clothing. She didn't have a dime in the bank, yet Ranma had sent her several thousand dollars and she'd been granted a hefty chunk of cash from her 'wages' from the Roses as well.
Surely the woman could have gotten a better home with that amount of cash, and with her education she could teach just about anywhere she wanted. Why was she living in a hovel as an unemployed paper, all while dressing like she was high society. Did she rely that heavily on images that she spent all her money on clothing and material goods? They why live in her little rundown shack.
Something wasn't adding up, and Nabiki definitely preferred it when things added up. Standing she gathered all her papers and stuffed them under her mattress. Maybe it wasn't original, but that was the only hiding place she had right now.
She picked up her phone and hit one of the speed dials, waiting patiently for a dial tone.
"Yes, it's me. I need an escort tonight, if you can get away from the base." She paused, "That will be fine. Thank you."
He worked cheap, had a car, and her new soldier friend was intimidating enough that just about everyone tended to leave them alone. Besides, she didn't plan on getting out of the jeep.
Chad frowned down at his desk, pondering the latest developments in the soap opera commonly referred to as Ranma Soatome. When his secretary buzzed him, he hit the button with a sigh.
"Yes?"
"Sir, Miss Ukyo is here."
He frowned at the box as he answered, "Send her in." How could he have forgotten that he'd sent for her? Surely the stress wasn't getting to him that badly. So what if years of plans were crumbling before his eyes?
Ukyo walked in and smiled as she took her seat, "Are you finally sending out again? I've been training extra hard, and--"
"Not exactly." She hid the frown quickly, but it shouldn't have been evident at all. That was Ukyo's problem. Throw her in a brawl and there were few better. But put her into anything involving subtlety and she was lost.
"There's a problem. Due to some issues, I had to keep some secrets from Ranma over the years. Now trust me Ukyo, I have good reasons, but it seems he found out about one that he shouldn't have."
Ukyo frowned and leaned forward slightly, hurt and curiosity warring on her features. Suddenly it dawned on her face and anger won out.
"You jerk!! You knew about Ranchan's mom!" She lept to her feet and thrust an accusing finger at him.
He held a hand up, "Yes, but I witheld the information for a reason. Before Ranma and his father left all those years back, Genma made a pact with his wife. If his son didn't grow up to be, and I quote, 'A man amongst men', father and son would commit seppuku." He looked her straight in the eye and continued, "He was the top hitman for the most powerful mobster in Japan for years Ukyo. What if his mother finds out about that?"
Ukyo fell back into her seat and stared dumbly at her boss. "You're serious. How did you know?"
"The first thing I did when I found out was go talk to the woman. A few well placed questions and she was eager to discuss her missing son. Then she told me about the pact, as an afterthought, glad she'd never have to worry about that and all the while 'knowing' her son would have grown up to be marvelously manly."
Ukyo shook her head sadly, "Poor Ranma. But, she's living with him now. If she finds out . . ."
"I doubt he'll bring it up. He'll want to impress his mother, not turn her away. But his houseguests all know. If one of them makes an offhand comment, Ranma's as good as lost to us all."
Ukyo studied the hurt on his face and he knew that she was thinking of how he'd saved Ranma from a horrible fate. He felt her heart reaching out to him and smiled sadly at her.
"That's where you come in, Ukyo. I'm going to suggest a plan to Ranma, one he can't turn down, and I'll need your help. You're going on permanent baby-sitting status until further notice."
SHe grimaced, then sighed. "Well, if it's for Ranma . . ."
He nodded, "It is."
"You're sending them away? But there are still several of Jaxom's men missing. They could be anywhere!"
Chad held up a hand and set his tea down on the coffee table. "Yes, but they won't be unprotected. I'm going to send Ukyo to live with them. She'll even enroll in the same school as Akane and Nabiki, as Akane is seen as the biggest bait at the moment. She's still only sixteen you know, no matter if she did get all the same basic schooling you did."
Ranma frowned and leaned back in his chair, "I still don't like it."
Chad groaned and rolled his eyes, "For heaven's sake Ranma. It's easier this way. They can't hit both places at once! And it would be much easier for you to concentrate on guarding your mother and Saya then trying to follow the entire Tendo family around. And don't forget your students."
Ranma's eyes glinted at the slight mistake of wording Chad had let slip through. "Ah, but Akane's my student too. What about that?"
Chad rolled his eyes again, "Let her work with Ukyo for awhile. And you can still drop by every so often. I don't think it should take more than another month or two for me to work everything out."
Ranma sighed, "Fine, but you're breaking the news to Akane. She's still got all that hero worship stuff."
Chad smirked as he glanced at his watch, "I'm not sure that's what I'd call it. And as much as I'd like to make your life easy, I have to be leaving. I'm already late."
Ranma put a hand on Chad's shoulder and pushed down, "I don't think so." Chad looked up with a smile, but quickly lost it when he saw the hurt on Ranma's face. "You knew about my mom, didn't you Chad?"
Chad blinked and stood, Ranma's small amount of pressure giving way as soon as his boss attempted to move. "Ranma, I did, I won't lie to you. But you have to believe me when I say I had my reasons. Lots of them. And they're good ones. One day soon, when this whole Jaxom mess is over, I'll tell you everything."
Ranma nodded after a brief pause, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Chad, I . . . I want you to know that, well, you mean a lot to me. You're more than my boss, and more than a friend. You're like, I don't know, a big brother. Well," he smirked, "maybe more of a father."
Chad nodded slowly, "And you're like a son to me. Don't forget that Ranma."
Ranma nodded and smiled as Chad picked up his briefcase and left the room. He listened to his mentor/friend/father figure open and close the front door before driving away. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his real father, but for some reason all he could ever dig up was the image of his bleeding father as the man slipped forever away.
He heard the door open again sometime later and turned to see his mother and Kasumi entering the building through the open doors of the parlor. Maybe he didn't have his father anymore, but he had family. He smiled, liking the sound of it, since it was something he'd never thought he'd have.
"And so the Tendos can go home again. A friend of mine will be staying with you as an added precaution, but it's pretty much redundant at this point." Ranma shrugged, trying to downplay the danger factor. "We're running out of bad info, and Chad wouldn't be sending you into danger."
"What about school?"
Ranma smiled, "You can return to your old school if you want, or I could keep Saya for you if you want. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." He turned to the woman, and she smiled softly up at him from her seat at the dining room table.
Akane gave him a bright smile, "That's alright Ranma, I miss my friends at school. Besides, we wouldn't want to impose, would we Nabiki?"
"Of course not." Nabiki's tone was as blase as ever.
"And of course, Nabiki, if you are still willing, I'm more than satisfied with how you've been handling my money. If you want, I'd love for you to continue--"
"I'd love to!"
Everyone stared at Nabiki as she practically drooled. Akane rolled her eyes and looked sadly at Ranma, "But, what about my training?"
Ranma smiled at her, "Well, I thought it would actually be better for you to get a variety of training for a bit, so this will work with us! It should only take a month or two for this whole mess to be worked out, then you and I can take up where we left off. Until then, you can work with Ukyo."
Akane blinked, "Ukyo? Isn't that your friend we met at the Dragon's Den?"
He nodded, "Yup! Ucchan and I have been friends since we were kids. And she's a great martial artist, I'm sure you'll be able to learn lots from her until we can take up again. And I can come by every so often too."
Akane smiled. If he would still be coming by, it wouldn't me too bad.
And she had been missing her friends from school.
So a few more questions were asked and everyone settled back into another delicious Kasumi meal. Ranma smiled, he'd miss the crowded house, but he knew he'd still have people that were special to him living at the Tendos. Besides, his mother would still be here, as well as Sascha and Marco. And maybe Saya, if she didn't like the job offer he had for her later that evening. He wanted to surprise her with it later on, in private.
And so, when everyone was filing out of the room, he briefly laid a hand on his old teacher's shoulder.
"Saya, could you have a little chat with me in my office? I have some paperwork to do, but I wanted to talk to you too."
She smiled and gave a nod, following him upstairs and down the hall to his office. He offered her a chair, and then took his. He pulled out his paperwork and began to methodically fill it out more by habit then anything.
"Saya, I have a friend that needs someone with your capabilities. I don't want you to think I'm pushing you away or anything, and I want you to know that you're always welcome here, but I thought you might be interested. He's willing to pay you even more than I've been giving you, and he's only got two young boys."
He smiled and looked up to see the curious expression on her face, "I know you meant a lot to me when I was a little boy, and I thought you might like this. He's already willing to take you on, if you're willing. But it's all up to you."
She smiled, "Of course Ranma! I wouldn't wish to intrude upon your home like some freeloader."
He frowned, hurt, "That's not it Saya! Really it isn't. It's just that I thought you might enjoy the job, that's all. You can visit as often as you like, you know I'd love that."
They had a long chat about it, and after he felt sure she didn't think he was pushing her away, she agreed to take the job. The man lived in Tokyo, and it wasn't far at all. Actually, it was still walking distance, and even closer to the Tendo's dojo. After Saya left, Ranma smiled and looked down at his finished paperwork with a satisfied smile. Everything was going right in his life for once.
The moonlight bleached the hair mingled on the pillow to a tangled mass of lavender, silver, and blue-gray. Jaxom rolled over in his sleep, pulling away from a slender female form. She reached out, waking up and frowning at the loss of his warmth. Then she really woke up, this time with a snarl.
Everything was going wrong! All the plans, all the trouble, for nothing! No matter what, that cursed Soatome always won! Well, this time the plans wouldn't fail. Because they weren't dependant on that horrid Soatome. And they didn't even involve his fiancee! Oh no, this time there was a new victim, and a new goal.
"Ryoga?" He groaned and tried to hide quickly. Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? So what if he saved her just once in a battle? You'd think she'd never been saved at all before!
"Airen, hiding is useless! Aha! Shampoo see you!"
He yelped and took off running, not really caring where he ended up this time. As long as the clingy amazon didn't find him again, Ryoga would relish any destination.
Akane stared at her bedroom, feeling out of place. The brief time she'd lived at Ranma's shouldn't have weighed so heavily against her family's home, but it did. She felt like a stranger. If she could entirely redecorate that instant, she would.
With a sigh, she tossed one of her bags onto the bed to begin unpacking.
With a relieved sigh, Kasumi settled onto her bed. She was finished unpacking, and she really should start setting the house to rights after their extended absence, but it felt so good to be home! She had nothing against Ranma's home, but honestly it just wasn't where Kasumi belonged.
No, she was at home here, where her sole purpose in life was to care for her family.
Nabiki grimaced at her tiny closet of a room. After handling large sums of money and staying at Ranma's mansion, Nabiki had almost fooled herself into thinking she'd made it big. And here she was again, stuck in this little box conveniently labled hers.
With a sigh she unpacked her meager belongings, knowing it couldn't get worse.
A/N:
Ta da! Okay, so it's a little shorter than usual, sue me! It's still pretty long compared to a lot of authors. I guess I just ramble. I'm rewriting the final chapters because I thought there were lots of holes in them before, and the public seemed to agree.
So anyhoo. Shampoo and Ryoga? And who's the menace on the horizon with all the dreams about sleeping? What does Chad know about Ranma and his mother that he isn't telling? What's going to happen between Ranma and Akane? Poor Nabiki. Yea for Kasumi!
Next time: Who knows? Actually, a little more will be revealed about who the bad guy actually is. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be. Probably just one and an epilogue, but it depends on how much I ramble.
Stay tuned!!
"Did you say something Ranma?"
He smiled warmly at his mother, "No, mother, nothing."
She smiled and turned back to face the dojo, scanning it once more before giving a decisive nod. She'd done this with the entirety of the house so far, and he'd been growing fairly bored steadily since the library. She turned and smiled at him, but her expression was confused and more than a little worried at the same time.
"Ranma, son, how can you possibly afford such splendor?"
He smiled and gave a casual shrug, "I already told you mother, I'm a trouble consultant for a very large international agency."
Her smile only seemed a tiny bit more relieved as she nodded, "And your martial arts, obviously you've maintained your training. How profficient are you?"
He shrugged but couldn't keep a smirk from his lips, "Well, the art has saved my life a few times. As soon as I've finished showing you around, I need to begin my daily training actually."
He almost winced at the triumphant gleam that suddenly emerged in his mother's eyes, "Oh? My son, would you mind if I observed your training?"
He did manage to contain a sigh, but just barely. With a small smile that was only marginally forced, he answered, "Whatever you wish, Mother."
And so he dragged in his desk chair for his mother, carefully positioning it in an out of the way corner. She seemed a little disappointed in her out of the way spectator's position, but Ranma pointedly ignored her equally pointed look of disapproval. Now that his mother was carefully moved to a safe distance, he positioned himself in the middle of the room and began slowly warming up.
Settling into static normalcy, he soon forgot that he had a witness at all. Sweeping gracefully between the exercises that he'd been performing at one difficulty level or another for years, he moved into a mental realm that he relished and looked forward to achieving every day. In a stressed out life such as his, any form of inner peace or relaxation was essential. He'd seen many of his peers fall to madness due to one facet or another of their jobs.
As his workout drew to a close, instead of dreading going back out into the world, he looked expectantly to it as he always did. With a sigh he cracked his neck and slowly opened his eyes.
To surprisingly meet his mother's watery gaze. She slowly rose to her feet and came forward to fold a startled Ranma into her now-damp embrace.
"Oh my son, I hadn't dared to hope you could make me so proud. I find nothing in you lacking your oath."
Oath?
She looked up and smiled, "I release your from the bonds placed on your honor, my son, you are truly a man amongst men."
He simply stared for a moment before blinking and asking, "Mother . . . what oath?"
Her eye might have twitched if she'd been any less somber a person, "Pardon, my son?"
"Er, what oath do you mean Mother? A man amongst men?"
She closed her eyes and seemed to be calming herself even though she didn't appear upset outwardly. "Surely you know of the oath your father and you took when you left on the training journey? The two of you would commit seppuku if your father failed to make you a Man Amongst Men!"
Ranma was more than a little confused. Why would his father make such a contract? Why would his mother accept? And why didn't anyone ever tell him about this?
"But it is of no matter, Ranma. You are relieved of the oath." She stepped back and pulled the wrapped bundle from her back. He'd know what it was from the start, but it was still a little odd seeing his mother pull a katana from the roll of cloth. She held it out with a dramatically serious expression. "Ranma, this is the family blade. I give it to you now with the role of the head of our family. I know your father would be proud of you."
Akane smiled at Nodoka as she passed the woman in the hallway. With a vague and distracted air about her, the woman gave a slight bow of her head and continued past Akane. Giving the woman an odd look before shrugging and continueing down the hallway to Ranma's door, Akane wondered where the woman's wrapped bundle was. This was the first time she'd seen Mrs. Soatome without it.
With a confused shake of her head, Akane reached up and knocked on Ranma's door. She knew he was up, since it was beyond obvious that Nodoka had been visiting her son. When she didn't get an answer, Akane started to worry until it hit her that Ranma must be in the dojo. Pushing the door open, Akane glanced about quickly before going to the closed dojo door.
Without knocking, since that would be a bigger distraction than merely walking in if Ranma was practicing, Akane opened the door and stepped into the dojo.
Ranma's back was to her, a pile of cloth lying at his feet as he stared down at a sword.
"Ranma? Are you ready for our workout?"
Her expression grew puzzled when he failed to respond. Walking forward and around him, he completely ignored her. But when she slid directly in front of him he looked up with wide eyes that seemed . . . frightened.
"Are you okay, Ranma?" she whispered.
He nodded, "Akane, Mother just made me head of the family." He looked back down at the sword in his hands and only then did Akane recognize the cloth on the ground as the same strip that had been wrapped around the bundle Mrs. Soatome always carried. Somehow, Akane knew she should have known what the bundle was all along, but picturing the kind and gentle woman with a deadly weapon just seemed wrong.
With a shake of his head, Ranma walked over to the back wall of the room, opposite the mirror, and pulled on the molding. Akane blinked owlishly at the large cabinet revealed as he calmly placed the Soatome blade on an empty rack that was, appropriately, near the very center.
He pulled the cabinet closed and turne back to her, "Now, your workout . . ."
Akane often felt she was getting to know this guy, and then he'd pull a mood swing that went so far over her head she felt like she'd fallen down some cliff. His demeanor through their workout was as friendly and competent as usual, leaving no trace of the confused and frightened young man from before. Akane tried to follow his example and pretend nothing had happened, but there were several occasions when she was so distracted that Ranma commented upon it.
When they were finished, Akane hesitantly rested a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Ranma, if you want to talk about anything, you know I'd be more than happy to listen, right?"
He gave a visual flinch of startlement and his eyes widened slightly as he stared down at her silently for a moment. After a long pause he smiled slowly and nodded, "Thanks Akane, that means a lot. I . . . haven't had many people offer something like that before. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"
She smiled slightly and gave a nod before leaving the room, deeply troubled. Had the poor guy ever known what it was like to have friends? Was that why he always kept that cool demeanor, like armor, to prove that he was strong enough that he didn't need others? He knew how to act around people, but it was clear to Akane that he wasn't sure how to act with people.
From the lighting and the utter lack of noise, she knew she was dreaming. She turned her head as she lay in bed and smiled at her love where he slept beside her. His young face smiling, confident even in sleep that he could handle anything. Something about this thought was bothersome, but she ignored it.
His long hair was sprawled artfully over the pillow, loose very rarely, and still damp from his long soak. He worked so hard for one so young, the poor dear. Many would think her too old for him, but she knew he was the only one that knew her heart so well. He knew what she wanted, what she needed.
And he could get it for her.
She smiled, yes, with her love beside her, she would be comfortable and safe forever. She reached out to brush his cheek, crying out softly as she sat up in her real bed. Glancing about through her tears, she tried to discern the difference between her dream and reality. Her dreams had been fading so slowly lately.
Reaching out she brushed the petal of the rose on the bedside table, watching in confusion as it slowly changed back and forth between gray and white.
And she knew.
Her love was forever beyond her grasp.
"Good morning, Nabiki, Akane."
"Good morning, Ms. Naomi," the girls chorused.
Akane seethed inwardly. She absolutely could not stand this woman. Her bond with Ranma was beyond what it should be, in Akane's mind. How could Ranma be so close to a former teacher? She was more like a mother, or a lover . . .
Akane frowned and jerked her head down to the test 'Ms. Naomi' had left for her on the table that served as Nabiki and her desk. Clearing her mind with some basic meditation (with some dificulty, as meditation wasn't Akane's strong suit), Akane set into the math problems with comendable determination.
When she next looked up, Ms. Naomi was writing in her little planner where she kept track of assignments and grades. Standing, Akane walked over and placed the test down on her so-called teacher's desk.
Turning on her heal, Akane went back to her desk and pulled out her History book, since she knew that's what they'd be going over as soon as Nabiki finished her slightly longer and harder math test. At Ranma and Nabiki's request, Akane's older sister was studying mostly mathematics applying to accounting, but also maintaining her love of calculus.
Akane sent her sister a look of disbelief. How could someone honestly love math, let alone calculus?
When the older girl stood and turned in her test, Ms. Naomi smiled and stood to begin yet another boring history lecture. Akane diligently took notes, but her heart clearly wasn't in it. Nor was she all that interested in the other lessons that day. By the time they were released for the day just in time for a late lunch, Akane had been fidgeting enough to earn several dirty looks from her teacher.
Ms. Naomi excused them and left the room herself since she didn't need to gather anything except the two test papers. Akane gave a heaving sigh when the door clicked shut and began to gather her books and paraphanelia.
"Akane, you seemed distracted today."
Akane glanced at the door bit her cheek. If she couldn't trust her sister, who could she?
"Nabiki? What do you think of Ms. Naomi?"
"Her accounting isn't bad, but her calculus sucks."
Akane gave her sister a dirty look and snatched up her pencil. "That's not what I mean, and you know it! Don't you think it's odd how she just showed up like that? I mean, where'd she come from? And why is she so close to Ranma? It doesn't seem very proffesional to me, and she's barely civil to us half the time!"
Nabiki studied Akane's face for a long moment before walking over and cracking the door open slightly. After pausing and holding her breath, Nabiki walked back over and leaned very close to Akane.
"Listen, I've been looking into her. I don't have much yet, but I found several suspicious items that I think are going to pan out. Be careful around her Akane. I'll let you know, okay?"
Akane snapped her head over to meet her sister's gaze. She didn't like the woman, but surely Nabiki was exaggerating. "ARe you serious?"
Nabiki just nodded before glancing around and grabbing her bag and leaving the room. Akane slowly gathered her own belongings before she too left the room. Slowly going down the hall to her room, Akane sighed. Why couldn't her life just be normal again?
"Aw man!"
Akane jerked her head up and saw a female Ranma glaring at the puddle around her feet, gazing around the large pile of books, folders, and papers in her arms. The vase, its floral contents now strewn about in a damp arc at Ranma's feet, rolled to a stop against the wall.
Akane giggled and went to pick up the flowers. "Are you okay Ranma?"
The redhead sighed and set the stack of paperwork down on the table that had formerly held a beautiful vase of flowers. He knelt and helped Akane gather the various varieties of flowers.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'll ever get used to this." He/she gestured to the robust female figure.
"I'm sure you'll manage, after all, you've made some pretty big adjustments in your life."
She smiled up at her and stretched to snatch up the vase. Artlessly dumping his handful of flowers into it, he gently took Akane's load and did the same with hers. Standing, the two of them brushed their damp hands off on their clothing.
"I'm gonna go change. I'll see you down at lunch Akane."
She smiled and gave a cheerful nod as she reached down and grabbed her bag.
"Oh, and thanks Akane!"
She turned and waved at her retreating fiance as he disappeared around the corner. With a shake of her head she went down a couple more doors and into her room to drop off her bag. By the time she'd made it back downstairs, Nabiki's dire warning had completley left Akane's head.
Nabiki frowned down at the printed sheets in her hands. Saya Naomi was now thirty-seven. A gifted orphan, she won a scholarship overseas. Graduating from college she began applying for jobs before even returning home to her native Japan. She obtained a position as a private tutor for a wealthy man's young son, even though she never actually applied for it. Apparently the man had somehow found out about her and offered her the job without ever speaking to her.
She probably didn't know that the man was the most infamous mobster in Japan until after she had been there for some time. The boy grew, and was joined by another charge for Miss. Naomi. After the downfall of the Tokyo Roses, Miss. Naomi retreated to a small house that was on the verge of the slums. She lived alone, living off of what had been left with her by the authorities of her wages and occasional tidbits from Ranma.
Then, she just shows up at Ranma's door.
This was where things were confusing. Saya never left money in the bank. As soon as she paid for the house she was living in, she withdrew everything. There wasn't a single credit card in her name, the only property in her name was the house, and she hadn't filled out a single check since the fall of the Roses.
Nabiki thought back and scanned through every image she could recall of the woman. Her house was in one of the worst neighborhoods, yet she wore designer clothing. She didn't have a dime in the bank, yet Ranma had sent her several thousand dollars and she'd been granted a hefty chunk of cash from her 'wages' from the Roses as well.
Surely the woman could have gotten a better home with that amount of cash, and with her education she could teach just about anywhere she wanted. Why was she living in a hovel as an unemployed paper, all while dressing like she was high society. Did she rely that heavily on images that she spent all her money on clothing and material goods? They why live in her little rundown shack.
Something wasn't adding up, and Nabiki definitely preferred it when things added up. Standing she gathered all her papers and stuffed them under her mattress. Maybe it wasn't original, but that was the only hiding place she had right now.
She picked up her phone and hit one of the speed dials, waiting patiently for a dial tone.
"Yes, it's me. I need an escort tonight, if you can get away from the base." She paused, "That will be fine. Thank you."
He worked cheap, had a car, and her new soldier friend was intimidating enough that just about everyone tended to leave them alone. Besides, she didn't plan on getting out of the jeep.
Chad frowned down at his desk, pondering the latest developments in the soap opera commonly referred to as Ranma Soatome. When his secretary buzzed him, he hit the button with a sigh.
"Yes?"
"Sir, Miss Ukyo is here."
He frowned at the box as he answered, "Send her in." How could he have forgotten that he'd sent for her? Surely the stress wasn't getting to him that badly. So what if years of plans were crumbling before his eyes?
Ukyo walked in and smiled as she took her seat, "Are you finally sending out again? I've been training extra hard, and--"
"Not exactly." She hid the frown quickly, but it shouldn't have been evident at all. That was Ukyo's problem. Throw her in a brawl and there were few better. But put her into anything involving subtlety and she was lost.
"There's a problem. Due to some issues, I had to keep some secrets from Ranma over the years. Now trust me Ukyo, I have good reasons, but it seems he found out about one that he shouldn't have."
Ukyo frowned and leaned forward slightly, hurt and curiosity warring on her features. Suddenly it dawned on her face and anger won out.
"You jerk!! You knew about Ranchan's mom!" She lept to her feet and thrust an accusing finger at him.
He held a hand up, "Yes, but I witheld the information for a reason. Before Ranma and his father left all those years back, Genma made a pact with his wife. If his son didn't grow up to be, and I quote, 'A man amongst men', father and son would commit seppuku." He looked her straight in the eye and continued, "He was the top hitman for the most powerful mobster in Japan for years Ukyo. What if his mother finds out about that?"
Ukyo fell back into her seat and stared dumbly at her boss. "You're serious. How did you know?"
"The first thing I did when I found out was go talk to the woman. A few well placed questions and she was eager to discuss her missing son. Then she told me about the pact, as an afterthought, glad she'd never have to worry about that and all the while 'knowing' her son would have grown up to be marvelously manly."
Ukyo shook her head sadly, "Poor Ranma. But, she's living with him now. If she finds out . . ."
"I doubt he'll bring it up. He'll want to impress his mother, not turn her away. But his houseguests all know. If one of them makes an offhand comment, Ranma's as good as lost to us all."
Ukyo studied the hurt on his face and he knew that she was thinking of how he'd saved Ranma from a horrible fate. He felt her heart reaching out to him and smiled sadly at her.
"That's where you come in, Ukyo. I'm going to suggest a plan to Ranma, one he can't turn down, and I'll need your help. You're going on permanent baby-sitting status until further notice."
SHe grimaced, then sighed. "Well, if it's for Ranma . . ."
He nodded, "It is."
"You're sending them away? But there are still several of Jaxom's men missing. They could be anywhere!"
Chad held up a hand and set his tea down on the coffee table. "Yes, but they won't be unprotected. I'm going to send Ukyo to live with them. She'll even enroll in the same school as Akane and Nabiki, as Akane is seen as the biggest bait at the moment. She's still only sixteen you know, no matter if she did get all the same basic schooling you did."
Ranma frowned and leaned back in his chair, "I still don't like it."
Chad groaned and rolled his eyes, "For heaven's sake Ranma. It's easier this way. They can't hit both places at once! And it would be much easier for you to concentrate on guarding your mother and Saya then trying to follow the entire Tendo family around. And don't forget your students."
Ranma's eyes glinted at the slight mistake of wording Chad had let slip through. "Ah, but Akane's my student too. What about that?"
Chad rolled his eyes again, "Let her work with Ukyo for awhile. And you can still drop by every so often. I don't think it should take more than another month or two for me to work everything out."
Ranma sighed, "Fine, but you're breaking the news to Akane. She's still got all that hero worship stuff."
Chad smirked as he glanced at his watch, "I'm not sure that's what I'd call it. And as much as I'd like to make your life easy, I have to be leaving. I'm already late."
Ranma put a hand on Chad's shoulder and pushed down, "I don't think so." Chad looked up with a smile, but quickly lost it when he saw the hurt on Ranma's face. "You knew about my mom, didn't you Chad?"
Chad blinked and stood, Ranma's small amount of pressure giving way as soon as his boss attempted to move. "Ranma, I did, I won't lie to you. But you have to believe me when I say I had my reasons. Lots of them. And they're good ones. One day soon, when this whole Jaxom mess is over, I'll tell you everything."
Ranma nodded after a brief pause, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Chad, I . . . I want you to know that, well, you mean a lot to me. You're more than my boss, and more than a friend. You're like, I don't know, a big brother. Well," he smirked, "maybe more of a father."
Chad nodded slowly, "And you're like a son to me. Don't forget that Ranma."
Ranma nodded and smiled as Chad picked up his briefcase and left the room. He listened to his mentor/friend/father figure open and close the front door before driving away. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his real father, but for some reason all he could ever dig up was the image of his bleeding father as the man slipped forever away.
He heard the door open again sometime later and turned to see his mother and Kasumi entering the building through the open doors of the parlor. Maybe he didn't have his father anymore, but he had family. He smiled, liking the sound of it, since it was something he'd never thought he'd have.
"And so the Tendos can go home again. A friend of mine will be staying with you as an added precaution, but it's pretty much redundant at this point." Ranma shrugged, trying to downplay the danger factor. "We're running out of bad info, and Chad wouldn't be sending you into danger."
"What about school?"
Ranma smiled, "You can return to your old school if you want, or I could keep Saya for you if you want. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." He turned to the woman, and she smiled softly up at him from her seat at the dining room table.
Akane gave him a bright smile, "That's alright Ranma, I miss my friends at school. Besides, we wouldn't want to impose, would we Nabiki?"
"Of course not." Nabiki's tone was as blase as ever.
"And of course, Nabiki, if you are still willing, I'm more than satisfied with how you've been handling my money. If you want, I'd love for you to continue--"
"I'd love to!"
Everyone stared at Nabiki as she practically drooled. Akane rolled her eyes and looked sadly at Ranma, "But, what about my training?"
Ranma smiled at her, "Well, I thought it would actually be better for you to get a variety of training for a bit, so this will work with us! It should only take a month or two for this whole mess to be worked out, then you and I can take up where we left off. Until then, you can work with Ukyo."
Akane blinked, "Ukyo? Isn't that your friend we met at the Dragon's Den?"
He nodded, "Yup! Ucchan and I have been friends since we were kids. And she's a great martial artist, I'm sure you'll be able to learn lots from her until we can take up again. And I can come by every so often too."
Akane smiled. If he would still be coming by, it wouldn't me too bad.
And she had been missing her friends from school.
So a few more questions were asked and everyone settled back into another delicious Kasumi meal. Ranma smiled, he'd miss the crowded house, but he knew he'd still have people that were special to him living at the Tendos. Besides, his mother would still be here, as well as Sascha and Marco. And maybe Saya, if she didn't like the job offer he had for her later that evening. He wanted to surprise her with it later on, in private.
And so, when everyone was filing out of the room, he briefly laid a hand on his old teacher's shoulder.
"Saya, could you have a little chat with me in my office? I have some paperwork to do, but I wanted to talk to you too."
She smiled and gave a nod, following him upstairs and down the hall to his office. He offered her a chair, and then took his. He pulled out his paperwork and began to methodically fill it out more by habit then anything.
"Saya, I have a friend that needs someone with your capabilities. I don't want you to think I'm pushing you away or anything, and I want you to know that you're always welcome here, but I thought you might be interested. He's willing to pay you even more than I've been giving you, and he's only got two young boys."
He smiled and looked up to see the curious expression on her face, "I know you meant a lot to me when I was a little boy, and I thought you might like this. He's already willing to take you on, if you're willing. But it's all up to you."
She smiled, "Of course Ranma! I wouldn't wish to intrude upon your home like some freeloader."
He frowned, hurt, "That's not it Saya! Really it isn't. It's just that I thought you might enjoy the job, that's all. You can visit as often as you like, you know I'd love that."
They had a long chat about it, and after he felt sure she didn't think he was pushing her away, she agreed to take the job. The man lived in Tokyo, and it wasn't far at all. Actually, it was still walking distance, and even closer to the Tendo's dojo. After Saya left, Ranma smiled and looked down at his finished paperwork with a satisfied smile. Everything was going right in his life for once.
The moonlight bleached the hair mingled on the pillow to a tangled mass of lavender, silver, and blue-gray. Jaxom rolled over in his sleep, pulling away from a slender female form. She reached out, waking up and frowning at the loss of his warmth. Then she really woke up, this time with a snarl.
Everything was going wrong! All the plans, all the trouble, for nothing! No matter what, that cursed Soatome always won! Well, this time the plans wouldn't fail. Because they weren't dependant on that horrid Soatome. And they didn't even involve his fiancee! Oh no, this time there was a new victim, and a new goal.
"Ryoga?" He groaned and tried to hide quickly. Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? So what if he saved her just once in a battle? You'd think she'd never been saved at all before!
"Airen, hiding is useless! Aha! Shampoo see you!"
He yelped and took off running, not really caring where he ended up this time. As long as the clingy amazon didn't find him again, Ryoga would relish any destination.
Akane stared at her bedroom, feeling out of place. The brief time she'd lived at Ranma's shouldn't have weighed so heavily against her family's home, but it did. She felt like a stranger. If she could entirely redecorate that instant, she would.
With a sigh, she tossed one of her bags onto the bed to begin unpacking.
With a relieved sigh, Kasumi settled onto her bed. She was finished unpacking, and she really should start setting the house to rights after their extended absence, but it felt so good to be home! She had nothing against Ranma's home, but honestly it just wasn't where Kasumi belonged.
No, she was at home here, where her sole purpose in life was to care for her family.
Nabiki grimaced at her tiny closet of a room. After handling large sums of money and staying at Ranma's mansion, Nabiki had almost fooled herself into thinking she'd made it big. And here she was again, stuck in this little box conveniently labled hers.
With a sigh she unpacked her meager belongings, knowing it couldn't get worse.
A/N:
Ta da! Okay, so it's a little shorter than usual, sue me! It's still pretty long compared to a lot of authors. I guess I just ramble. I'm rewriting the final chapters because I thought there were lots of holes in them before, and the public seemed to agree.
So anyhoo. Shampoo and Ryoga? And who's the menace on the horizon with all the dreams about sleeping? What does Chad know about Ranma and his mother that he isn't telling? What's going to happen between Ranma and Akane? Poor Nabiki. Yea for Kasumi!
Next time: Who knows? Actually, a little more will be revealed about who the bad guy actually is. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be. Probably just one and an epilogue, but it depends on how much I ramble.
Stay tuned!!