Chapter 26 The New Kodachi
The next morning, the sun rose bright and shone through the open curtains of the dojo windows, bathing the floor with light. Eventually, the light made its way across the floor until it reached the sleeping figures. Slowly, one of them began to stir. Ryoga slowly sat up, the blanket slipping down from his shoulders and bare chest, as well as exposing Shampoo. He gazed lovingly at her, remembering the feel of her body next to his the night before. Her eyes slid open, and she grinned wickedly, seeing him gazing down hungrily at her. He bent down and kissed her, as her arms slid around him drawing him closer to her. She murmured, "Wo ni Airen." Reluctantly, however, she pulled away from him and said, "I need to get to my room, lover, before any one else wakes up."
A dry voice from the doorway said "Too late, you two." Ukyo snickered at the reaction of the two as they jumped away from each other. Unfortunately for Ryoga's composure, Shampoo pulled most of the covers with her. Ukyo scanned her eyes up and down and whistled in appreciation. Ryoga blushed and grabbed for his boxers and slid them on. "You two need to be careful. I know you two are engaged, but if Mom sees you like this, you'll be married," she said, giggling.
Ryoga mumbled something under his breath. Shampoo giggled at what she had heard. "Sis, it's too late for that. We are married; we snuck off yesterday and got married. So far, just you and Tofu know," she said.
Ukyo's eyes grew wide in shock. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" she gasped.
"Mom was making plans about having a double wedding with her and Soun, but that needs to be her day. We told her that we wanted our own ceremony later. But we didn't want to wait, so we went down to the town hall and took care of it," Shampoo said.
Shampoo got up and stretched, and then pulled on her robe. Ryoga stood up and hugged his wife. Ukyo smiled and then said, "What happened to that shy boy that used to get a nose bleed every time Akane held him to her chest?"
Ryoga chuckled, and then said, "I guess I got over it. It would be tough to stay shy around someone as forward as my Shampoo, anyway. I love looking at her body after all." He pretended to ogle Shampoo.
Shampoo smiled, and said, "It's a good thing I like being looked at then. See you at breakfast." She kissed her husband for a long time, and then giggled. "I better leave, before we embarrass Ukyo," she said. Ukyo blushed as the two girls left.
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Nabiki came storming up to the Tendo house, carrying her suitcase. Tatewaki was running after her, stammering out an explanation, but she wasn't in any mood to listen. Ranma intercepted her and asked, "Nabiki, what's up? Not that we're not glad ta have you stay, but that phone call was a bit cryptic."
"My baka of a husband is leaving on a trip with his sister and told me I couldn't come. I'm furious with him. Now get out of my way," she screamed as she bulled past him into the house.
"I guess I should have handled our talk a bit better," Tatewaki confessed, "It didn't go particularly well."
"That sounded like an understatement, if ever I heard one," Ranma said, "Do you want ta let me in on it? Maybe I can get Akane ta calm her down after you leave."
Kuno sighed, and said, "Well it's all your fault anyway." He flashed a quick grin at Ranma.
Ranma snickered and said, "I expect that from Ryoga, Tachi, not from you."
"Seriously, I wanted to take Dachi somewhere outside the country to get her some more counseling. I've got some issues that I need to take care of, as well. We need to confront our father, and I really didn't want to inflict him on Nabiki. He's never gotten over the fact that we got married without his blessing. I just thought it might be easier on both of us if she didn't come along," Kuno said.
"I take it she didn't agree with that reasoning?" Ranma said.
"Speaking of understatements, the short answer is no. Of course, I didn't get very far in my argument before she stormed out of the living room and locked our bedroom door this morning," Kuno said.
"Well, what exactly did ya say to set her off?" Ranma asked.
"I just tried to explain to her that as head of house Kuno, I didn't have to explain myself to her." Kuno replied.
"You said that ta Nabiki!" Ranma exclaimed, "No wonder she's pissed at ya."
"Yes, I know, it was a momentary lapse. I really should have known better by now, but it just came out wrong." Kuno said dejectly. "She wouldn't even give me a chance to apologize."
Ranma started laughing. Kuno looked at him with a pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Tachi. This sounds exactly like something that used ta happen ta Akane and me."
Kuno smiled a wry grin, and said, "Yes, it does. Is it just me, or are the Tendo women just a bit excitable?"
A voice from behind him said, "I think it must just be you." Kuno turned to see a smiling Kasumi standing behind him. She continued, "Akane called right after Nabiki called her. She begged me to come over and try to make sense out of all of this."
Ranma sighed in relief. "Thank Kami you're here, Sis. You're the calmest one of the bunch. Maybe you can cool Nabiki down."
"I hope so too. I don't want to part with ill feelings between us. We won't be gone long, but every day I'm away from her will be miserable enough without that," Kuno said.
"Maybe there's hope for you yet. It would help if you told her that first," Kasumi said with a smile. Ranma chuckled at the puzzled expression on Kuno's face.
Kasumi entered the house and went upstairs and knocked on her sister's door. "Go away!" came Nabiki's muffled growl from behind the closed door.
"It's me, Kasumi. I would like to talk to you for a minute," Kasumi said. She heard the shuffle of feet approaching the door and the sound of a key turning in the lock. The door slowly opened and Nabiki stepped back.
"All right, come on in. Besides, I wouldn't put it past you to have Ranma break it down anyway," Nabiki said. She walked back over to her bed and threw herself down on it.
"Well, what's the use of having the best martial artist in the world as your brother-in-law if you don't use him. Nabiki, do you really want this to be the way your husband leaves? I know he didn't handle it properly. After all, he's a man," Kasumi said with a giggle.
"No, he didn't. He started off with that lord of the manor crap, and I stopped listening. I thought I had gotten rid of that nonsense." Nabiki growled.
"I thought it might have been something like that, Sis. You're not exactly the meek housewife, so that was precisely the wrong way to start out that conversation. His heart was in the right place, though. They're going to see his father, and he didn't want to subject you to the abuse you would get from that moron," Kasumi said.
Nabiki rolled over and hugged her pillow to her chest. "That's a bit different. He's right, I wouldn't put up with his father. If he's trying to resolve their past, I would have just been in the way. Now what do I do, Sis?" Nabiki asked.
"Go downstairs and act as if nothing happened. Kiss him goodbye and tell him to have a good trip. That will confuse him enough to defuse the situation," Kasumi replied.
"Thanks Sis. You're right. He is a baka, but he's my baka. I am going to miss him," Nabiki said. She slowly got out of her bed and made her way downstairs to her husband. Kasumi smiled her Mona Lisa smile and followed her.
Kuno's face lighted up as he saw his wife approach. "Tachi, you and Dachi have a nice trip. Buy me some nice souvenirs, jewelry for instance," Nabiki said. She kissed her surprised husband. He wasn't sure what Kasumi had said, but he promised to bring something nice back for her too. Nabiki reluctantly pulled away and said, "We'd better go. You still have to pick up your sister and get to the airport. We can do this on the way over while Sasuke drives us, after all. I think I'll stay here, while you're gone. That way I can play with my nieces after coming home from the office. Besides, now wouldn't be a good time for me to leave anyway. I have too many high-powered deals and delicate negotiations in the works that I just can't drop." Kuno wisely didn't argue and followed his wife to the car.
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Several weeks later, one mid afternoon, Akane went to the front door to see who was there. To her surprise, her brother-in-law Tatewaki Kuno and his sister Kodachi were standing there. "Hi, Tachi, Kodachi. What a pleasant surprise! We thought you two were still out of the country," Akane said.
"We were. We just got back today from Hawaii. Is my wife here?" Kuno asked.
"Yes, she's upstairs changing. She had a real rough day at work, Tachi. She'll be glad to see you," Akane replied.
"Yes, I've missed her too. The phone calls just weren't enough, but Dachi and I needed to get away for a while and work out some of our problems," Kuno said.
"Can we talk to you and your husband?" Kodachi asked.
"Sure, Ranchan is in the dojo with the girls. They still like to sit and watch him perform his katas. I've even seen them try to do a couple of the simpler moves. It's really funny to watch," Akane said, with a laugh. She led them through the house and out to the back.
As they stepped into the backyard, Ranma came out of the dojo, followed by the girls. When the little girls saw their mother, their faces lit up and they started walking as fast as their little legs could carry them towards their mother, calling "Mommy!" as they came. Akane gave a glad little cry and ran toward them, picking them up as soon as she reached them.
Kodachi gazed upon the homey scene and sighed. Then she said, "I can't believe they're so big. They were still in their stroller the last time I saw them. How old are they, anyway?"
"Well, they're over a year old now. They were just nine months old when you saw them before. Between the time you spent in the hospital and then overseas, they've gotten older and definitely a lot bigger," Ranma said as he hugged his wife.
"Ranma, we've already thanked Tofu and Higurashi for their assistance in saving my sister," Kuno said, "We'd like to thank you as well for all that you did. I don't remember much that happened the day of the exorcism, but what I do recall is that you saved me from making a huge mistake. Dachi was unconscious so she doesn't remember any of it."
"Let's just say that the demon attempted to get to you at a place where you were particularly vulnerable. I just prevented you from getting near her is all," Ranma said, "InuYasha, Kagome and Higurashi did most of the real work."
"That may be true, Ranma darling, but you were still there for both of us. I'd like to add my thanks to those of my brother's. This time, I'm cured for real. That's one of the reasons we had to leave. I may have been exorcised of a real demon, but that didn't mean I had gotten rid of all of the other demons of my own making. I had to find my father to rid myself of the reasons why I acted the way I did. I've got a lot of therapy still to build a person that I can like. If any good came out of that demon, it was that it made me realize that I wanted to change. Most of what she made me say and do wasn't much worse than what I would have done on my own. That was a sobering discovery. I never thought before that I was truly evil," Kodachi responded.
"Kodachi, I don't know that I would call you evil. Misguided, very bad, yes, that I would call you, but evil, no. I've seen things that are truly evil. I listened to InuYasha and Kagome talk, and the tales of some of the creatures that they have fought showed me more evil. When you were possessed by the she demon, she was evil, but I could see that you weren't. I could sense the differences in the two auras in your body. The one I read now isn't much different than ones I've read from people I consider good," Ranma said.
Nabiki came out into the yard, and ran to her husband. She hugged him so tight that his eyes began to bug out; rivaling one of Shampoo's glomping attacks at her worst. "Tachi, I've missed you so much," she cried as she hugged him.
"Can't breathe," Kuno gasped. Nabiki let go, abashed. Kuno picked up his wife and kissed her exuberantly, spinning her around in a circle. Finally, he tired and set his wife back on the ground. "We need to talk when we get home, dear. There's a couple of things that I thought about while I was gone that I want to get your agreement on," Kuno said.
"Why don't you stay for dinner? The rest of the extended family is coming over. There will be plenty of food," Akane said, "That way you can tell all of us about your trip and we can bring you up to speed on what's happened since you left."
"Ranma, darling, whatever happened to that cute young man that came to visit me in the hospital, that helped at the exorcism? Brother didn't tell me much about him, but from what I remember I would like to get to know him better," Kodachi asked hungrily.
"That was InuYasha, I thought you remembered. I'd say he's already taken, though. Wouldn't you agree, Acchan?" Ranma asked.
"Yes, I'd say that Kagome has him wrapped around her little finger. He certainly sits when she tells him to," Akane said, giggling.
"Are you sure about that?" Kodachi said, almost begging, "He was so handsome! I need to reward him for saving me from that horrid demon."
Ranma hid a smile as he thought, 'She hasn't changed that much, has she? She still a man-eater.' "Sorry, Kodachi. I'm pretty sure about that. Besides, I don't know where they are right now anyway. According to Kagome's grandfather, they travel long distances on their trips."
"Tadaima!" Nodoka called from the front door as she and Soun walked in.
"Hello, Mom, Father!" Akane replied as she ran back to greet them. She set her daughters down and hugged her new mother and then hugged her father. "Did you two newlyweds enjoy the honeymoon trip we planned for you?" she asked saucily.
"Why don't we wait until everyone gets here before we start talking about all of the details? Suffice it to say for now that I wish I had married him sooner," Nodoka said with a sly wink.
"MOM! I so didn't want to hear that!" Ranma said with a laugh as he overheard her comment. "You know I glad you two are happy, but I just realized that your marriage is going to make things complicated. What on earth am I supposed to call you two now, huh? Let's see, my father-in-law is now my stepfather and my mother is now my stepmother-in-law. Does that make me my own stepbrother?" he teased.
Nodoka giggled at her son. "Well, whatever you call me, first you can give me a proper greeting," she said, with a twinkle in her eye.
Ranma hugged her mother and then kissed her on the cheek. "Is that better, Mom?" She nodded and then hugged her two granddaughters who had been jumping up and down with excitement at seeing their grandparents.
Nabiki walked up and simply hugged them. "Hello, Nodoka, Father. You two look wonderful. But you don't look particularly rested," she said slyly, "I hope you took lots of pictures with that camera I gave you."
Kuno and Kodachi joined the group. Soun said, "Welcome back, you two. I guess we have a couple of trips to talk about when everyone gets here."
"Belated congratulations on your wedding. I'm sorry we didn't get back in time for it, but I was in the middle of some intense therapy and couldn't get away. I wish I'd been there; I so adore weddings," Kodachi said.
Ryoga and Shampoo walked in the door, hand-in-hand. "Tadaima," they both exclaimed.
"Well, here's the other pair of newlyweds. You know you two haven't gotten out of a ceremony, don't you?" Nodoka mock scolded them. "I still think it was sneaky the way you told me that you were married, Shampoo. Putting a copy of your marriage license in my suitcase. Really, now, that's not the way a mother wants to find out about her daughter's wedding." Nodoka folded them both in her arms and kissed Ryoga soundly. "Welcome to the family officially, Ryoga," she said.
"Hey, Ryoga," Ranma said, "Congratulations to both of ya. Akane and I are happy for ya both." He hugged Shampoo and then kissed her. Then he hugged Ryoga.
"I swear if you try to kiss me, I'll deck you," Ryoga said, laughing. Ranma just grinned wickedly.
Akane smirked, and said, "You don't know what your missing, Ryoga. Ranma's a great kisser."
Shampoo smiled at her husband, and said, "Akane's right, Ranma kisses pretty good. You might learn something."
Ryoga groaned and said, "Ranma Saotome, this is all your fault!"
Everyone broke out laughing.
Akane, Nodoka and Shampoo headed toward the kitchen to cook, with Kodachi following behind. She was surprised that she had been drafted to help. After all, up until recently, most people wouldn't touch anything that she had cooked without a food taster. But she had soon discovered, nobody said no to Nodoka. Kuno and Nabiki settled around the shogi table and began playing a take no prisoners' game of shogi. Soun watched in awe at their bloodthirsty tactics. He realized that he wouldn't last five minutes against either of them. Ranma went into the kitchen to help with setting the table, while Ryoga played tag with his two nieces, out in the back yard.
Kasumi and Tofu came in, carrying their son Sota. They greeted everyone one. Kasumi wandered into the kitchen, but soon came out bemused. She said to her husband, "There's nothing for me to do. Akane has everything under control in there." Tofu took Sota outside into the back and let him attempt to chase the girls. Tofu sat down on one of the rocks forming the bank of the koi pond. Kasumi drifted out and leaned on him, watching the children play.
Soon, Ranma came out to let everyone know dinner was ready. Ukyo, Ling Ling and Lung Lung had joined them and soon everyone was seated around the table.
Kuno began telling about their confrontation with his father. "Unfortunately," he said, " we weren't able to get anything resolved. We finally just agreed that he would stay on his side of the International Date Line and we would stay on ours. Dachi at least was able to discover that she wasn't at fault for mother's death. I hadn't been aware that that had been her secret fear all these years, or I would have told her otherwise. Hearing it from our father, however, did help ease her pain. Once she got past that ancient fear, the therapist that we went to was able to help us both."
Soun said, "We want to thank all of you for the wonderful honeymoon trip that you arranged. The cruise ship was fabulous; the food was wonderful. They treated us like royalty, everywhere we went. I also found out that my wife is a fantastic dancer."
Nodoka and Soun regaled the crowd with other memories of their trip. Akane leaned back against her husband and watched the gathering in contentment. Eventually, it grew late and everyone departed towards their respective homes. As they bid the last family member goodbye, Ranma smiled, and hugged his wife. Finally, they closed the door, and made their way to bed.
Author's Note: No, this story hasn't stopped yet. I came to a temporary writer's block in deciding where to go next. Plus, the other story I have going is basically writing itself. I just have to type it in. Again, thanks for all of the comments. I hope everyone continues to enjoy this story.