Forgotten Past
By: the littlest dinosaur
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of the characters from that anime series, but I do own the original characters. Please do not use them without my permission.
[Begin chapter three.]
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"Who you calling an old man, shrimp?"
Sano groaned loudly at the sound of the old man's amused voice, silently cursing himself for letting his guard down. He should have known that his dad would strike when he least expected it. Maybe that was what the thump was...
"You gonna fight me or am I gonna hold'ya all day? I got things to do, too, you know," the disembodied voice tightened his hold on the young boy who did not move at the taunt. Curious, he poked his head around to scrutinize the boy's face.
Sano, waiting for the man's overwhelming curiosity to take over, shifted his weight in the same direction the man had been leaning towards. Surprised by this sudden movement, the man still held on, but quickly lost his balance due to the weight he was holding onto. The boy used the man's momentum to throw him off his back and into his brother's wall. Hoping that Seiji would forgive him for the wrinkled poster of Miss May, Sano leaped at the man who was stunned at the bottom of the wall.
The man looked up to see the boy's smirking face behind a flying kick aimed straight for his stomach. Cursing his luck, he rolled to the left, hoping that his movements did not seem obvious since his head was still throbbing from its brief meeting with the wall. A foot landed in the man's absent space, and the body belonging to it flipped back into the space in front of the his place. The man grinned cockily and swept at the boy's feet as he landed, knocking the unsuspecting boy onto his back with a thud.
Jumping immediately back onto his feet, the boy noticed the room seemed empty. Nothing made a sound. Sano stopped and eased his breathing. This opponent would require his full concentration because anything goes, with nothing held back. The boy closed his eyes and released some of his ki to feel where his challenger had hid. After a second, he snapped his eyes open again when he had felt him. He was to his left. Quickly, Sano rolled to his right, attempting to gain distance so he could analyze his adversary before jumping back into the battle. He had obviously gotten better, which was saying a lot. This man had been a much better fighter than he had at their last meeting, and he did not know if he would win this fight, either.
Sano reached his ki further out to feel for his brother. Maybe he would help him in this fight. It might be somewhat unfair, but this was an adversary, unmatched in his skill of the art. He could not feel Seiji, and he cursed inwardly, trying not to give away his thoughts or plans. The boy turned to the window that was still ajar. Smiling at his luck, he dove for the open window, hoping to escape the confined space but hit a wall of flesh. He fell back on his butt and rubbed his head.
"You're lucky I've got a hard head like you."
The man grinned at this statement as he stood over the fallen boy.
"Get up! We've got to make this a somewhat fair fight, ne?" the man asked with a grin seemingly lacing his words.
Sano stood as the man and fell into an offensive stance. He felt loose and aware of everything now. He knew where everything was, could tell who was in the house, and feel where his brother disappeared: the bathroom to get ready for his big date.
Of course.
Sano smiled inwardly and turned his full attention back to the man opposite him who seemed to be deep in thought.
Perfect.
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The man was standing in a relaxed position watching the boy gathering his scattered thoughts. It had been a while since he had seen him, too long for him. He frowned when he thought about his life in the past few months and how difficult they had been. It was hard being away from his family.
It is for the best, the man thought sadly, trying to rein his thoughts back to his pending battle.
He smiled sadly, as he watched the boy stretch his senses. The man felt his heartstrings tug as he thought about all the times he had missed because of his journey. He had tried to return as often as possible, but it was difficult. Only two people knew of his visits, both banned from telling anyone else, lest they hurt their mother.
The man sighed sadly to himself as he thought back on his adventures. He had fought in many popular wrestling matches under different stage names, hoping to learn new skills and send money to his family as an indirect way of supporting them since he could not be there himself. Though he did not know what the boys did with the money he sent, he hoped that their mother, and not their aunt, got most of it.
He coughed at the thought of the men he had fought in those famous tournaments. Laughing at the memory of the men pumped with steroids and other "power-enhancing" drugs. They were nothing more than schoolyard bullies, all talk and no action, to him. They did not have any interesting techniques, and after they were beaten badly, their managers tried to recruit him!
Talk about loyalty, he chuckled to himself.
Slowly, his thoughts turned away from those almost fond thoughts, to darker portions of his memories. He remembered the reason why he had to leave his family: his past. He had to tie up the loose ends, so they would not have to keep looking over their shoulders. Shampoo had been adequate warning, an unwelcome wake up call that he could have lived without. His fist clenched in frustration. Why could she not leave him alone? He had chosen, finally, but the choice did not suit her.
She could not accept it, and ultimately, she went insane with grief. Her admirer and great grandmother had tried to soothe the raging girl, but nothing could placate her. She had lost the control and finesse that made her a great Chinese Amazonian warrior. Her precious laws had failed her, which was something she could not handle. They were her life, her very being. Without her set of laws, she was nothing but a zombie.
Her great grandmother had been furious with Shampoo for the cowardice in her actions, which struck the man as odd when he heard this, since that was exactly what the two had done to him for years. They had drugged, manipulated and exploited him and his loved ones constantly, though the old woman did teach him some interesting techniques over the years, which still didn't make up for their conspiracies. Yet, even though they tried to manipulate him so much, he could not find it in his heart not to accept the matriarch's apology when offered. It was better to have her as an ally, anyway. The boy, Mousse, also apologized for his past actions, and they became close friends.
His thoughts turned toward his best friend, who he remembered to have also attempted to manipulate him. He was terribly sad when he had found that she was trying to hurt his family, especially at his wedding. She could have killed someone! It was unforgivable, but he could not dream of being angry with her for very long. The man sighed as he remembered her confrontation with her after his life had calmed after the marriage.
She was crying, pleading him to annul the marriage so they could be together, but she did not understand that he did not love her like that. He loved his wife the way she wanted him to love her. He could never see her as anything more than his best friend, and she could not accept that. She tried to commit suicide because of him, but her employee tipped him off, and he stopped her before she did anything rash.
He had found her in her room with a katana positioned before her stomach. When he had entered, she had looked at him with the saddest eyes, which had stunned him for a fleeting moment. He was shocked beyond words to find her like this. He never believed that her love for him ran this deep, that she would rather forsake her life than live without him. He would not be able to live with himself if anything had happened to her, so he quickly disarmed the distraught girl and hugged her until she started crying and asked him repeatedly to forgive her for being stupid and selfish.
He shushed her and rocked her back and forth, her employee standing sadly in the doorway. When she had fallen asleep, he had put her in her bed and given the katana to the ninja. He told him that he would be back tomorrow to see his friend, and the ninja nodded sympathetically at his statement. When he went back the next day, his friend was still in bed and refused to leave her room. He came to told her that he had chosen and that he was sorry for hurting her the way he did. He told her that he should not have led her on as he did and apologized profusely.
She smiled sadly and, with tears glistening in her eyes, said that she should not have been so foolish as to think that they would ever be together as she wanted them to be. She told him that she was sincerely glad that he had chosen his wife and that she would support their relationship no matter what. She wanted to keep her shop open here and go to school part-time so she could learn new business techniques so she could expand. They had talked for hours, and when they finished, she seemed much happier than the day before. He hugged her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, promising to visit often, to which she happily agreed, promising a free lunch every now and then for him and his wife.
The man had been happy that his friend had found some sort of peace with herself, though she had to be hurt in order to find it. After that first visit, she seemed to be getting better. A lot-
Damn, the man said as he flew into a wall, from which he kick flipped, He is ready again... Gotta stop reminiscing in the middle of battles, the man chuckled to himself. It's a bad habit.
Standing straight a few feet from the wall his feet had the pleasure to meet, he gazed nonchalantly at the boy who stood at the opposite end of the room. The boy was also calm, collected. He seemed to know what he was doing, and he looked serious.
Time to teach him a lesson, thought the man with a pleased grin, sinking into an offensive stance.
He flew at the boy at an inhuman speed as he started a dance of punches and kicks.
-----
Grimacing at the appearance of new bruises over old ones, the boy laid on his back, eyes closed, waiting for the gloating to start.
"Have you been practicing, son?" came the disembodied voice.
Sano cracked an eye open, followed by the other, and saw a fuzzy silhouette. His eyes focused on an amused face of a blue-eyed man with graying black hair braided into a short ponytail that hung over his left shoulder.
Sano grinned innocently at the man as he sat up, "Of course not, dad. Why do you think you beat me so badly?" He could not let his father know that he had just finished a workout in the dojo. That would be incredibly embarrassing.
Sano's dad laughed cheerfully at his son's blatant lie. "I saw you practicing, Sano. Don't think you can lie to me that easily." Sano grimaced at the statement. "We wouldn't have been at it for such a long time if you hadn't been practicing, boy!"
The man looked around the room as Sano grumbled and sulked off to fetch the first aid kit from the bathroom to tend his bruises. It was a little messy. Nothing damaged too badly, though there was a torn poster here and there. Seiji would be furious! Speaking of Seiji...
"Where's your brother?" asked the man who sat on the bed to rest. He was not getting any younger, and the boy had tired him out, though he would not admit it to him. When silence answered his question, the man lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, hoping his younger son would not mind a dirty bed when he wandered back.
A head full of squeaky-clean obsidian hair popped into the open doorway, hazel eyes taking in the destruction of the room. There were a few ripped and torn posters but nothing too harmful. His walls were still intact, and his furniture still stood without scratches. He silently wondered what kind of storm ran though his room while he was showering. And where was his brother? From the doorway, the boy scanned the room more and noticed a figure on his bed. Narrowing slightly, he saw a man, presumably his "delinquent" brother, napping on his bed! It was just made! Silently, he crept toward the bed, hoping to catch him unaware of his presence, futile, as it seems.
Slowly, he crept pass his doorway until he reached the edge of the carpet. From there he snuck toward his dresser to grab a pillow lying haphazardly next to it. Seiji slinked across the small bedroom until he reached his bed. With the pillow raised above his head, he failed to observe who was actually lying in his bed, and with one swift blow hit the villain square in the face, earning a muffled yelp of indignation from his victim.
Seiji stood tall until he glanced toward the hallway to see Sano sulking by with a first aid kit in hand. The boy's eyes widened quickly, remembering that Sano only toted along the kit after their father had beaten him thoroughly. Jumping away from the bed, Seiji's eyes grew wide, as he silently wondered how he would get out of fighting his dad especially since he had just gotten ready for his date, and the slumped figure was rising.
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The man inwardly growled because he had not even noticed that Seiji had entered the room, much less got across of the room to grab and pillow, and hit him in the face with it.
I'm gettin' old.
The man donned an irritated expression before facing his younger son, hoping to scare him enough to help him forget that he had messed up his room. He was not ready for what happened next.
"Dad!" the boy said happily, as he tackled the man back onto the bed.
With an oof, the two hit the bed, and the boy scrambled to sit up next to the man, instantly bombarding him with questions.
"Where have you been? How was your trip? Did you miss us? Did you get us anything? I saw you in last month's Martial Artist Deluxe Magazine! You beat that fat guy and won a lot of moolah! You brought us money, right? Did you buy us a car? What about new mats for the dojo? Or a street bike! Or cement blocks! Mom loves those when she's angry! I-"
A hand silenced the overzealous boy, and the man put a finger in front of his mouth in a quieting motion. He did not want anyone finding him here, so he listened for everyone's position in the house. Akane, her family and Ryouga were downstairs heatedly discussing something. The man growled at the thought of Ryouga being anywhere near this house but calmly let the emotion go as he searched for his first son. Sano was in his room, sulking and muttering to himself. The man smiled and took his had off Seiji's mouth after he was sure the boy would not erupt into a sea of even more questions. He turned toward Seiji's nightstand and noticed an old picture frame.
Curious, he picked it up and looked warmly on a happy memory long ago.
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Seiji looked at his dad. He was incredibly happy that he was here since he rarely visited. He and his brother did not understand why their dad could not stay here because it had something to do with shampoo, cologne and mousse. They always wondered what was wrong with those toiletries, since they had it in the bathroom anyway...
When his mouth was free, he relaxed and looked at his dad's serene smile. The picture frame he was holding caused a lot of excitement today, and he was wondering why everyone made such a big deal about it. It was Seiji's forbidden memory of times that were happier when Uncle Ryouga did not try to replace their dad and woo his mom.
The boy sighed.
"Where did you get his picture?" the old man asked looking at his son inquisitively.
Seiji shrugged repeating his story to his father who absorbed it entirely.
Memories flew through the man's vision. He was hugging his wife at their wedding reception, crying at his eldest son's birth, laughing when his younger son yanked on his pigtail, and worried when either of them had fallen after taking his first few steps. His happy grin turned into a bittersweet smile, and he handed the frame back to his son, looking at it longingly.
Seiji noticed his father's gaze, prompting his to ask a forbidden question, "Why can't you stay with us?"
The boy's father turned to answer the boy but was interrupted by another.
"Why can't we tell mom that you visit us? Why doesn't she remember you?" Sano asked as he walked into the small room, new bandages gracing his body. He sat next to his dad on the bed, not noticing the smirk his younger brother tried to hide.
"It's a long story, really," their father began. He paused and seemed to be thinking about something as his eyes lost their focus.
Confused about the pause, Seiji was about to nudge his father when the old man began his story again.
"It happened ten years ago, when your mom was taking you to the doctor's, Sano," their father said slowly, looking in Sano's direction. "You were sick, and she was the only one available to take you. I had protested that I would take you after I was finished teaching my class, but she wouldn't listen to me, so she left after we argued."
The old man chuckled at the memory and sadly shook his head. Sano and Seiji looked at each other, worrying for their father's sanity but stopped when he began again.
"She was plenty angry at me, and I was furious at her for being so stubborn."
He sounds so heartbroken, thought Sano. The boy hung his head and wrung his hands together. He did not like where this story was headed.
"It happened there, on the way
to the office," he growled, clenching his fists together. "A woman who was
after me to be her airen,"
his words sounded harsh and cruel as if he hated that word with his very soul,
"Attacked you two from behind and pushed some pressure points on your mom's
back near her heart and on her head."
Seiji looked nervously at his father who was clenching his fists together in a very alarming manner. His voice quivered with anger he had not heard before, and he realized that he did not know the man who was explaining an event that had harshly affected their lives for as long as he could remember.
"I guess it was supposed to be a forget-everyone-you-care-about pressure point combination or something, but I didn't know how to counteract it. It was late when I found you two, Sano, the sun had already set," their father held his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. His voice had softened noticeably. "You were screaming at her to get up, and we were surprised and infuriated that none of the people living in the houses around you did anything to help."
Sano tried to remember the day his father was orating, but to no avail, did he remember such a day. He leaned back against his hands, trying to figure out where this story led and wondering if recalling that day would be a good idea.
"It made me furious because I was so helpless to do anything. I took the two of you to Tofu's, but he didn't know anything about counteracting the pressure points, either. He just said that her memories were erased, which included me, but not you two," an ironic chuckle escaped his lips, sending shivers down his son's spines. "Funny thing, too, but I guess it was because you were with her when she was attacked, and we couldn't keep Seiji away from her, either. That's when I decided to leave to find a cure for your mother and to tie up my loose ends. They might have hurt her if I didn't finish tying up my loose ends."
The old man closed his eyes. Silence enveloped the room, and the three males sat still. A cool breeze danced through the room, disrupting their hair and flirting with the posters on the wall. Leaves played around the picture on the nightstand, and quickly twirled through the window again. Seiji broke the calm.
"Is that why you can't stay? Because mom might freak out if she sees you?" Seiji asked slowly. He turned toward his father, patiently waiting for an explanation.
Their father looked apprehensive. "Well, yes, she may freak out, among other things," he said slowly, as if unsure of an adequate answer. "I have been away trying to face my past, and I think I have finished, too." With the exception of Ryouga, of course, he growled inwardly.
"So, what kind of loose ends are we talking about here? I mean, you couldn't have that many girls after you, dad... You've been gone for ten years!" Seiji teased, tilting his head to the side and leaning back against his hands.
Their father chuckled.
"You'd be surprised," as he delved into the history of his actions these ten long years past.
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[End chapter three.]
A/N: So how was it? Horrible? Good? Decent? Should I have not touched the original chapter? Did you find any mistakes? Did it make you want to throw up? TT;;
All comments welcome, so please review!