Disclaimer: Some of these characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi—Ranma,
Akane, Ukyou, Ryouga, Akari, Genma, Kasumi, Sasuke, and the Kunos. There
may be a few others sprinkled throughout. The rest, the younger generation,
are mine.
Two quick notes. First, this is the story I originally wanted to write with my other fanfic, but I wanted to write it sooner than I wanted to bring the story to this point. I'm lazy, you see. Since this is the same story, all rules that are going to be in the other story apply. Cologne will give Ranma water from the Spring of Drowned Man, and he'll get to use it. Unfortunately for him, that just means a reversal of the curse, so that he turns into a girl with hot water and a boy with cold water. The souls of Jusenkyo don't let people off that easy. Ranma's pretty happy with it, though. Secondly, Ayame means Iris. She isn't named that because it's similar to Akane, I promise.
Chapter 2
"Koemi was sure upset this morning," Makoto grimaced, taking the first bite of the lunch his mother had packed for him. Did she really have to use garlic in everything? He looked up at his twin, who hadn't touched his lunch. Mochio was staring at a big group of girls across the courtyard, his face set into a dismal glare. Makoto followed his brother's eyes, and saw their sister. Yori was next to her, smiling shyly as the gaggle of girls fussed over her, giving her food. Makoto put his own lunch down, wishing they could be as nice to him.
"What are you looking at?" he asked at last, completely exasperated. Mochio looked back at him as if startled, and picked up a rice ball.
"Nothing," he grumbled, shoving it into his mouth. He chewed it thoughtfully, then took a big swig of soda. "They aren't so bad today, just a little too salty."
"NOW you want to talk to me," Makoto said in disgust. He picked up his own rice ball and sniffed it. Having decided it wasn't going to start moving on its own, he took a bite. "What's so blasted interesting about Ayame?" he asked through a mouthful of food. Mochio glared down at the lunch on his lap.
"As I was saying, Koeko looked particularly upset today," Makoto continued, taking a deep breath. He used the nickname when she wasn't around to hear him, when she wasn't around to get offended. He let it roll across his tongue, dreaming for an instant that he could call her that, hold her close, make her smile. Mochio rolled his eyes.
"Well, if she wanted to talk to us about it, she would have," he snapped. Makoto blinked at him for a few moments, then, abashed, took another bite of his rice ball. Mochio, seeing his twin's expression turn sour, took a deep breath and counted to ten.
"I was just thinking about Yori," he admitted. His brother's expression brightened. At least he understood this source of frustration.
"Yeah, she's an odd one. She isn't half bad, cleaned up. Not that it's fair," he added, seeing Mochio start to twitch around the eyes. "It's only that, now that I see her like that, she's just another girl. She isn't the she-devil come from the wilderness to ruin our lives," he said theatrically, making what he thought was a she-devil face. Mochio rolled his eyes and shoved his food in his mouth.
"I can feel it, Makochan," he said softly. His twin's eyes grew wide. They hadn't used nicknames since. . . since they were practically infants. Mochio's face was solemn as he swallowed the rice. He wouldn't meet Makoto's eyes. "I can feel the future pressing against my eyes when I look at her, a whole lifetime spent fighting with that woman, and it's scaring me. I just know it'll end up being me. I'm. . . I'm trapped," he said softly. He stood and left, taking his uneaten lunch with him. Makoto stared after his brother.
"It isn't as if they'd really make you marry her!" he called after Mochio. Mochio waved back at him without turning around. Makoto's temper rose, and he clenched the almost-empty soda can until it crushed in his hand, sending sharp shards of tin and fizzing liquid into his palm.
"They wouldn't," he seethed, staring after his brother. He looked over to Yori with a dawning apprehension. For the first time, he thought about what it would be like to be forced to marry someone. He scowled at the giggling girls, finally understanding Mochio's anger.
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"You're so clever, Yori-kun!" Mori giggled. "Do you really speak all those languages?"
"Yes," Yori admitted quietly, blushing. If anyone had told her she'd actually like these pretty, smiling, tiny girls. . . but they were just so NICE. . . "I know French, and English, two of the Chinese dialects of course, Korean, Portuguese, and I speak a little German. Just a little, though," she smiled. She knew she was bragging, but she couldn't help it. They were all smiling at her, encouraging. . . "It's a good thing, too, since I've wandered all over," she added, hoping that made her sound more modest. Mori, Shika, and Kaede all giggled. Ayame stayed silent, smiling as she watched all of them. ::She's more like a mother watching her kids than a teenager talking with friends,:: Yori realized.
"What was it like? Was it like the old movies?" Shika asked, her eyes sparkling. Yori was a little taken back by the question, since she'd never seen a movie. She looked at Ayame for some indication of what she should answer, but none came.
"I, ah, I... I don't know about the movies, but it was pretty wonderful," she sighed. She wanted to be wandering again! She could be on the road with her father again, simply seeing all the beautiful countries. The entire sky had belonged to them, every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every drop of ocean. Her father the pig, her father the cursed man. He's blamed Ayame's father for that curse, said he was the reason they must wander forever.
If there was such hatred in him for Ranma Saotome, why arrange this marriage? Why come live with them? Or. . . but no, there had never been hatred in his eyes when he spoke of Ranma Saotome. Rather, the times he spoke of him were the only times he'd ever seemed old to her. And once, only once, had he ever mentioned Akane Saotome. She was no fool, she'd seen the way her father watched her.
So that was one more thing Saotome had stolen from her father. For that matter, it was one more thing he'd stolen from her. If her mother had been Akane, who obviously could survive giving birth, she'd have had a mother. Her life would have been different, very different. Would it have been better?
"Why have you come into town, Yori-kun? Why are you staying at the dojo?" Mori asked. Yori snapped out of her reverie and stared at the freckles on Mori's nose. What had she said? She'd asked something, but. . .
"Yori's father and my father have arranged for her to marry one of my brothers," Ayame said quietly Yori turned bright red. That was what Mori had asked! Why, why oh why had Ayame told them the truth? She could have lied just a little bit. . . Yori's eyes caught Mochio's as he walked past the group, and both turned away, closing their eyes and scowling.
"Is that true, Yori? An arranged marriage?" Shika shrieked. Mori dropped the bean bun she'd been eating. Only Kaede continued stoically.
"That's absolutely barbaric," Kaede announced, swallowing. Ayame grinned at Yori, and her heart sank. Had Ayame been making fun of her the entire time? Had she just introduced her to her friends for some variety, a new toy to play with, a new life to examine? Yori pushed the thought out of her mind violently. Her father had told her once that if you lose to a person, you have a bond with them. That bond is unbreakable, it is the bond of one whose life must always be measured against another's. Until she beat Ayame in a fair fight, she had to take her word at face value. If she began to second-guess her, she'd go insane.
Whether it made sense or not, that was how she'd been raised.
"Unfortunately for me, both of her brothers are absolute jackasses!" Yori hissed. She hoped Mochio was still close enough to hear. Mori and Shika looked at her in shock, while Kaede applauded her slowly. Ayame was smirking at Mori and Shika. She stared at them all, unable to comprehend this behavior.
"Congratulations, I've been trying to get these two imbeciles to understand that for the last two years," Kaede smiled. "Both of them, BOTH of the little fools, have been after the twins since eighth grade. Neither of them seem to understand that the twins are barely human."
"Oh, just because Makoto made fun of you when we were kids!" Shika snapped. Kaede glared at her, pushing her wire-frame glasses higher on her nose. Mori stared at them both helplessly.
"Mochio used to call Mori Monkey-Brains, but that doesn't stop her from fawning over the idiot!" Kaede replied. Mori turned bright red and rounded on Kaede.
"Well, thanks a bunch for reminding me!" she cried. Yori was watching the three with such utter dismay she didn't even notice Ayame had risen to stand beside her. She started when Ayame laid a light hand on her shoulder.
"This is an old argument, in case you couldn't tell," she explained. A smile pulled at the corner of Yori's mouth. She gave in, letting it spread over her face. Ayame smiled back at her. She continued, "I'm glad you're here. Now I have at least one friend who isn't trying to seduce either of my brothers," she said lightly. Yori gaped at her. Friend? After knowing her for so short a time, she called her a. . . friend?
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Seething with jealousy, Koemi watched the new girl give Ayame a simpering smile. What had the girl been thinking, anyway, coming to school on the last day? What did she hope to accomplish? Was she just trying to announce her presence?
"Koemi, what's wrong?" someone asked behind her. She turned to see one of the Blue Boys, holding a lunchbox and looking as if he'd lost the world. He gave her a gentle smile. "Do you have something against Yori Hibiki, too?" She inhaled sharply. Was it obvious?
"How did you know?" she asked, a bit breathlessly. ::Get control of yourself,:: she thought firmly. She smoothed her skirt, avoiding his eyes. She hated blue eyes. She preferred eyes that reflected the shadows better than the light, dark eyes, deep eyes. He just looked too honest, too open, too... false. Both twins looked too guileless to be truly genuine. She'd never really trusted either of them.
"You were glaring, openly," he informed her, his eyes wide open and honest. He smiled a little. "And growling. Like a puppy," he added helpfully. Koemi's eyes widened.
"I wasn't," she protested. He laughed at her then, and her heart sank. Of all the times to be laughed at. . . what a jerk! She glared at him, and opened her mouth to ask how he got up the nerve to laugh at her. He spoke again before she could.
"It's sort of cute, actually. You do it all the time," he smiled. At her horrified expression, he frowned. "You didn't know?"
"No, you freak, why didn't you tell me?" she shrieked. He blinked at her, a bit taken aback by the insult. She didn't much care. He'd let her act like an animal in front of Ayame! He'd done it on purpose, the vile little....
"Well, I assumed you'd know, you don't have to call names!" he shouted. There she was, pretty, strong, mysterious little Koemi, shouting at him as if he'd betrayed her in some way. He watched her shining black hair float around her shoulders as she turned and walked away from him. Her back was straight, tiny, shaking, everything about her screamed strength and unhappiness. She'd always been like that, always. And never, not once, had she let either him or Makoto take care of her. Never, not once, had she let them see why she was so blasted unhappy. She was a riddle, and he intended to unlock her secrets.
Makoto could love her, he probably already did. His twin never really spoke of any other girls, and whenever Koemi was mentioned he got the most obnoxiously dreamy expression on his face. Mochio just wanted to understand her. Every day he saw her, he got farther and farther from understanding her. He may as well give up.
He started, surprised at his own thoughts. It was true, he might as well give up. He looked down at the roots of the tree, let his eyes trace their paths as his mind wandered. He was probably going to be forced to marry the she-devil anyway, he had no right to pursue other girls. Makoto was much farther gone than he was, anyway. He decided, then and there, that he would give up on Koemi Kuno forever. She was too much blasted trouble. Makoto could have her.
Koemi walked back to the Blue Boy hesitantly. A plan was forming in her mind, a plan that would help her understand why Ayame was so kind to the girl. The sight of her smiling down at Yori Hibiki drove Koemi slightly mad. She had to know more about this Yori creature, she had to understand this new threat. She crept back to the Blue Boy, intending to force information out of him if necessary.
The idiot was staring at the ground as if he had nothing more constructive to do. She cleared her throat, and he looked up, startled. His face registered his recognition of her, and he didn't look thrilled.
"Makoto," she said, figuring it was six of one and half-dozen of the other. He smiled, a small, perverse smile. She continued. "That Yori girl is living at your house, isn't she?" He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. She took a deep breath. "I have this problem, a big family thing. . . I wondered if I could talk to you about it?" she leaned in very close and whispered the last part. He opened his mouth as if to say something snide, and she held her breath. If he refused, if his legendary attraction to her failed. . . At the last second a thought crossed his face. She watched it fill his eyes.
"Ah, sure. Tell you what, meet me after school, out in front of the gym," he said, a smug smile on his face. She grinned up at him, an honest, relieved smile. He was playing directly into her hands.
"Would it be okay if I just came by your house this afternoon?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as quiet and sweet as possible. Simper, simper, vomit later. The blue boy grinned back at her and nodded.
"Sure. Come by around five, okay?" Mochio said. Whistling innocently, he walked past her. With a Herculean effort, he restrained himself from dancing for joy. ::Just wait till Makoto finds out he has a date with Koemi!:: he thought ecstatically. ::He owes me big for this!::
____________--------------------___________
"Hey, Ranma," Akane asked from the doorway of the dojo, "Have you seen Ryouga?" She paused in the doorway, noting he was watching Goro go through a kata. She wouldn't have interrupted if she'd seen him first, but. . . she could wait. She ran her fingers through her dark hair, working out the knots. It never ceased to amaze her how many knots her chin-length hair could accumulate.
Instead of watching their biggest, most enthusiastic student, she let her eyes drift across her husband's bare back. They'd worked out a nice routine, just the two of them. He taught the earliest class, the dawn class, and she taught the evening class. After his class he'd train in the dojo with Goro, or with his aging father, or with her. Really, it was more that she trained with him. She'd been trying for years to harness the power her temper gave her, but she was still only able to beat him when she got really, really mad. .
Her eyes wandered over his skin, and they found the scars. There were a lot of scars, really, small white marks against his muscular back. There were three in particular, though, that her eyes sought out. They were the scars he got in the last fight with Ryouga, the fight that drove Ryouga to leave them.
She didn't know what started it, but she could guess. Ryouga had never gotten over his need to beat Ranma, he told her as much the night before the big fight. At the time, she was trying to wrestle her twin two- year olds into a bath, and he was sitting with Yori on his lap, watching her and Ayame coo at each other. She hadn't paid much attention to him then. She'd paid even less attention when Ryouga started apologizing for "what he had to do," because it seemed to her Ryouga was always apologizing for something.
The next day, when she was trying to comfort and restrain all her crying children, she'd cursed herself for her stupidity. Ayame and Yori were just learning how to walk, and since Yori was five months older she was much, much better at it. The twins were screaming at their father, more angry than scared, telling him to stop wrecking the house as he and Ryouga burst through walls. Right over their heads, on the roof, Ranma started doing his chestnuts-roasting-over-an-open-fire right into Ryouga's stomach. Yori had cried, and toddled away from Akane, who was trying desperately to restrain her twins. Then, Ranma jumped down, a few feet from Yori, and shouted something.
Yori attacked Ranma, hitting his legs with her stubby little fists and yelling, in her broken, baby Japanese, that he'd better stop hurting her daddy. That was when Akane lost her hold on Mochio. That was when Ryouga threw some of his bandannas, just like he had when he'd cut Akane's hair, at Ranma. And Mochio was running at Yori, who was yelling at Ranma, while the yellow cloths spun towards them both. . . Ryouga never had been terribly accurate with his bandannas. He was missing Ranma by a half-foot, but it was enough. Akane had seen the cloths and started towards the children, she was almost there when she felt Ranma's weight heavy on her back . . .
And saw the rivulets of blood falling from his shoulders.
They weren't deep gashes, really, just one cut on each shoulder and one across his ribs. He'd helped her up, his back still to Ryouga. He dusted her off, his mouth set in a grim line and his eyes flashing dangerously. The cries of the children faded into the back of her mind as she watched his face. His eyes were so strange and dark when he turned to face Ryouga, so cold and distant. She'd picked up Yori and Mochio, stepping back away from the combatants.
She could still picture Ryouga's face. Ranma was watching him, the air around him blazing blue. Ryouga, though, all of Ryouga's battle aura had subsided. He was staring at her in perfect horror. He looked from her to Yori in her arms, and his face was a picture of shocked, terrified sorrow. He was gone that night, and Yori was gone with him.
If she hadn't run out there, if she had been able to keep the children back, Ryouga would have stayed. Yori would have grown up in a house, with a family. Perhaps it wouldn't have been a normal family, but it would have been more stable. Who knew what sort of life the child had led? It was entirely possible, if both she and Ryouga could never find their way, that she had never been to school.
Akane walked to stand behind her husband. She laid a light hand on each of his shoulders. Perhaps, just perhaps, Ranma would have told her about this silly engagement idea before he told the children. He didn't really think she'd let him do that, did he?
"Goro, that's enough for now. Get on out of here," Ranma ordered. Goro looked up, surprised. He saw Akane behind Ranma and a small smile flitted across his face. He nodded to them and, without a word left the dojo.
"No, I haven't seen Ryouga," he said, looking up at his wife. He smiled at her. She smiled back. "Why do you ask?"
"He's missing. Your father is complaining about not having anyone to play Shogi with," she explained. Ranma sighed.
"Well, the old fool ought to find a new hobby," he said. Akane nodded absently.
"Since Dad died, it's been the same routine, every day. He's never going to find a new hobby," she sighed. She stood back, letting him stand up. She put her hands on her hips.
"Let's talk about the engagement," she said, determined. The night before, she'd been too busy trying to beat answers out of him to listen to any of them. And then, after things had cooled down and the kids had gone to bed, when she'd tried to ask him again, the baka had gone and distracted her.
Ranma grinned sheepishly and bent to kiss her. His hand went up into that mass of dark, knotted hair as their lips met. Her body responded to him instantly, her hands moving up to his shoulders entirely of their own accord. Every time, every time they'd kissed since their very first kiss nineteen years ago, there was a moment when their lips met that she could lose herself. . . Not this time, though. Akane pushed him away roughly and shook a scolding finger in his face.
"Oh, no. You did that last night. I won't let you distract me twice," she scolded. He smiled sheepishly. She thought for a moment he was going to point out that he'd had to do a lot more to distract her last night, but he didn't.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," he said, and laughed nervously.
"Ranma!" she snapped, glaring now. "The engagement!"
"Oh, that. Don't worry about that, Akane," he smiled. She glared up at him, tapping her toes on the floor. "No, really, it isn't anything. Ryouga probably won't expect us to abide by it, and I certainly don't expect our sons to abide by it. At this point it's essentially an excuse for Ryouga and Yori to stay here," he explained.
"Ranma, they don't NEED and excuse to stay here! They're welcome anyway!" she shouted in exasperation. He nodded, closing his eyes.
"Yes, but they wouldn't feel welcome. The only way to get those two to stay here is to make him feel obligated. I wanted them to come back a few years ago, but they got lost, and. . ." he took a deep breath. He opened one eye partway and smiled at her. "So until they feel welcome here, we'll just keep up the engagement."
Akane took a deep breath and let it out slowly. So, that was Ranma's big plan. She hadn't found any flaws in it. . . yet. When she did, she'd let him know. Loudly. As usual.
Two quick notes. First, this is the story I originally wanted to write with my other fanfic, but I wanted to write it sooner than I wanted to bring the story to this point. I'm lazy, you see. Since this is the same story, all rules that are going to be in the other story apply. Cologne will give Ranma water from the Spring of Drowned Man, and he'll get to use it. Unfortunately for him, that just means a reversal of the curse, so that he turns into a girl with hot water and a boy with cold water. The souls of Jusenkyo don't let people off that easy. Ranma's pretty happy with it, though. Secondly, Ayame means Iris. She isn't named that because it's similar to Akane, I promise.
Chapter 2
"Koemi was sure upset this morning," Makoto grimaced, taking the first bite of the lunch his mother had packed for him. Did she really have to use garlic in everything? He looked up at his twin, who hadn't touched his lunch. Mochio was staring at a big group of girls across the courtyard, his face set into a dismal glare. Makoto followed his brother's eyes, and saw their sister. Yori was next to her, smiling shyly as the gaggle of girls fussed over her, giving her food. Makoto put his own lunch down, wishing they could be as nice to him.
"What are you looking at?" he asked at last, completely exasperated. Mochio looked back at him as if startled, and picked up a rice ball.
"Nothing," he grumbled, shoving it into his mouth. He chewed it thoughtfully, then took a big swig of soda. "They aren't so bad today, just a little too salty."
"NOW you want to talk to me," Makoto said in disgust. He picked up his own rice ball and sniffed it. Having decided it wasn't going to start moving on its own, he took a bite. "What's so blasted interesting about Ayame?" he asked through a mouthful of food. Mochio glared down at the lunch on his lap.
"As I was saying, Koeko looked particularly upset today," Makoto continued, taking a deep breath. He used the nickname when she wasn't around to hear him, when she wasn't around to get offended. He let it roll across his tongue, dreaming for an instant that he could call her that, hold her close, make her smile. Mochio rolled his eyes.
"Well, if she wanted to talk to us about it, she would have," he snapped. Makoto blinked at him for a few moments, then, abashed, took another bite of his rice ball. Mochio, seeing his twin's expression turn sour, took a deep breath and counted to ten.
"I was just thinking about Yori," he admitted. His brother's expression brightened. At least he understood this source of frustration.
"Yeah, she's an odd one. She isn't half bad, cleaned up. Not that it's fair," he added, seeing Mochio start to twitch around the eyes. "It's only that, now that I see her like that, she's just another girl. She isn't the she-devil come from the wilderness to ruin our lives," he said theatrically, making what he thought was a she-devil face. Mochio rolled his eyes and shoved his food in his mouth.
"I can feel it, Makochan," he said softly. His twin's eyes grew wide. They hadn't used nicknames since. . . since they were practically infants. Mochio's face was solemn as he swallowed the rice. He wouldn't meet Makoto's eyes. "I can feel the future pressing against my eyes when I look at her, a whole lifetime spent fighting with that woman, and it's scaring me. I just know it'll end up being me. I'm. . . I'm trapped," he said softly. He stood and left, taking his uneaten lunch with him. Makoto stared after his brother.
"It isn't as if they'd really make you marry her!" he called after Mochio. Mochio waved back at him without turning around. Makoto's temper rose, and he clenched the almost-empty soda can until it crushed in his hand, sending sharp shards of tin and fizzing liquid into his palm.
"They wouldn't," he seethed, staring after his brother. He looked over to Yori with a dawning apprehension. For the first time, he thought about what it would be like to be forced to marry someone. He scowled at the giggling girls, finally understanding Mochio's anger.
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"You're so clever, Yori-kun!" Mori giggled. "Do you really speak all those languages?"
"Yes," Yori admitted quietly, blushing. If anyone had told her she'd actually like these pretty, smiling, tiny girls. . . but they were just so NICE. . . "I know French, and English, two of the Chinese dialects of course, Korean, Portuguese, and I speak a little German. Just a little, though," she smiled. She knew she was bragging, but she couldn't help it. They were all smiling at her, encouraging. . . "It's a good thing, too, since I've wandered all over," she added, hoping that made her sound more modest. Mori, Shika, and Kaede all giggled. Ayame stayed silent, smiling as she watched all of them. ::She's more like a mother watching her kids than a teenager talking with friends,:: Yori realized.
"What was it like? Was it like the old movies?" Shika asked, her eyes sparkling. Yori was a little taken back by the question, since she'd never seen a movie. She looked at Ayame for some indication of what she should answer, but none came.
"I, ah, I... I don't know about the movies, but it was pretty wonderful," she sighed. She wanted to be wandering again! She could be on the road with her father again, simply seeing all the beautiful countries. The entire sky had belonged to them, every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every drop of ocean. Her father the pig, her father the cursed man. He's blamed Ayame's father for that curse, said he was the reason they must wander forever.
If there was such hatred in him for Ranma Saotome, why arrange this marriage? Why come live with them? Or. . . but no, there had never been hatred in his eyes when he spoke of Ranma Saotome. Rather, the times he spoke of him were the only times he'd ever seemed old to her. And once, only once, had he ever mentioned Akane Saotome. She was no fool, she'd seen the way her father watched her.
So that was one more thing Saotome had stolen from her father. For that matter, it was one more thing he'd stolen from her. If her mother had been Akane, who obviously could survive giving birth, she'd have had a mother. Her life would have been different, very different. Would it have been better?
"Why have you come into town, Yori-kun? Why are you staying at the dojo?" Mori asked. Yori snapped out of her reverie and stared at the freckles on Mori's nose. What had she said? She'd asked something, but. . .
"Yori's father and my father have arranged for her to marry one of my brothers," Ayame said quietly Yori turned bright red. That was what Mori had asked! Why, why oh why had Ayame told them the truth? She could have lied just a little bit. . . Yori's eyes caught Mochio's as he walked past the group, and both turned away, closing their eyes and scowling.
"Is that true, Yori? An arranged marriage?" Shika shrieked. Mori dropped the bean bun she'd been eating. Only Kaede continued stoically.
"That's absolutely barbaric," Kaede announced, swallowing. Ayame grinned at Yori, and her heart sank. Had Ayame been making fun of her the entire time? Had she just introduced her to her friends for some variety, a new toy to play with, a new life to examine? Yori pushed the thought out of her mind violently. Her father had told her once that if you lose to a person, you have a bond with them. That bond is unbreakable, it is the bond of one whose life must always be measured against another's. Until she beat Ayame in a fair fight, she had to take her word at face value. If she began to second-guess her, she'd go insane.
Whether it made sense or not, that was how she'd been raised.
"Unfortunately for me, both of her brothers are absolute jackasses!" Yori hissed. She hoped Mochio was still close enough to hear. Mori and Shika looked at her in shock, while Kaede applauded her slowly. Ayame was smirking at Mori and Shika. She stared at them all, unable to comprehend this behavior.
"Congratulations, I've been trying to get these two imbeciles to understand that for the last two years," Kaede smiled. "Both of them, BOTH of the little fools, have been after the twins since eighth grade. Neither of them seem to understand that the twins are barely human."
"Oh, just because Makoto made fun of you when we were kids!" Shika snapped. Kaede glared at her, pushing her wire-frame glasses higher on her nose. Mori stared at them both helplessly.
"Mochio used to call Mori Monkey-Brains, but that doesn't stop her from fawning over the idiot!" Kaede replied. Mori turned bright red and rounded on Kaede.
"Well, thanks a bunch for reminding me!" she cried. Yori was watching the three with such utter dismay she didn't even notice Ayame had risen to stand beside her. She started when Ayame laid a light hand on her shoulder.
"This is an old argument, in case you couldn't tell," she explained. A smile pulled at the corner of Yori's mouth. She gave in, letting it spread over her face. Ayame smiled back at her. She continued, "I'm glad you're here. Now I have at least one friend who isn't trying to seduce either of my brothers," she said lightly. Yori gaped at her. Friend? After knowing her for so short a time, she called her a. . . friend?
___________------------------------__________
Seething with jealousy, Koemi watched the new girl give Ayame a simpering smile. What had the girl been thinking, anyway, coming to school on the last day? What did she hope to accomplish? Was she just trying to announce her presence?
"Koemi, what's wrong?" someone asked behind her. She turned to see one of the Blue Boys, holding a lunchbox and looking as if he'd lost the world. He gave her a gentle smile. "Do you have something against Yori Hibiki, too?" She inhaled sharply. Was it obvious?
"How did you know?" she asked, a bit breathlessly. ::Get control of yourself,:: she thought firmly. She smoothed her skirt, avoiding his eyes. She hated blue eyes. She preferred eyes that reflected the shadows better than the light, dark eyes, deep eyes. He just looked too honest, too open, too... false. Both twins looked too guileless to be truly genuine. She'd never really trusted either of them.
"You were glaring, openly," he informed her, his eyes wide open and honest. He smiled a little. "And growling. Like a puppy," he added helpfully. Koemi's eyes widened.
"I wasn't," she protested. He laughed at her then, and her heart sank. Of all the times to be laughed at. . . what a jerk! She glared at him, and opened her mouth to ask how he got up the nerve to laugh at her. He spoke again before she could.
"It's sort of cute, actually. You do it all the time," he smiled. At her horrified expression, he frowned. "You didn't know?"
"No, you freak, why didn't you tell me?" she shrieked. He blinked at her, a bit taken aback by the insult. She didn't much care. He'd let her act like an animal in front of Ayame! He'd done it on purpose, the vile little....
"Well, I assumed you'd know, you don't have to call names!" he shouted. There she was, pretty, strong, mysterious little Koemi, shouting at him as if he'd betrayed her in some way. He watched her shining black hair float around her shoulders as she turned and walked away from him. Her back was straight, tiny, shaking, everything about her screamed strength and unhappiness. She'd always been like that, always. And never, not once, had she let either him or Makoto take care of her. Never, not once, had she let them see why she was so blasted unhappy. She was a riddle, and he intended to unlock her secrets.
Makoto could love her, he probably already did. His twin never really spoke of any other girls, and whenever Koemi was mentioned he got the most obnoxiously dreamy expression on his face. Mochio just wanted to understand her. Every day he saw her, he got farther and farther from understanding her. He may as well give up.
He started, surprised at his own thoughts. It was true, he might as well give up. He looked down at the roots of the tree, let his eyes trace their paths as his mind wandered. He was probably going to be forced to marry the she-devil anyway, he had no right to pursue other girls. Makoto was much farther gone than he was, anyway. He decided, then and there, that he would give up on Koemi Kuno forever. She was too much blasted trouble. Makoto could have her.
Koemi walked back to the Blue Boy hesitantly. A plan was forming in her mind, a plan that would help her understand why Ayame was so kind to the girl. The sight of her smiling down at Yori Hibiki drove Koemi slightly mad. She had to know more about this Yori creature, she had to understand this new threat. She crept back to the Blue Boy, intending to force information out of him if necessary.
The idiot was staring at the ground as if he had nothing more constructive to do. She cleared her throat, and he looked up, startled. His face registered his recognition of her, and he didn't look thrilled.
"Makoto," she said, figuring it was six of one and half-dozen of the other. He smiled, a small, perverse smile. She continued. "That Yori girl is living at your house, isn't she?" He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. She took a deep breath. "I have this problem, a big family thing. . . I wondered if I could talk to you about it?" she leaned in very close and whispered the last part. He opened his mouth as if to say something snide, and she held her breath. If he refused, if his legendary attraction to her failed. . . At the last second a thought crossed his face. She watched it fill his eyes.
"Ah, sure. Tell you what, meet me after school, out in front of the gym," he said, a smug smile on his face. She grinned up at him, an honest, relieved smile. He was playing directly into her hands.
"Would it be okay if I just came by your house this afternoon?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as quiet and sweet as possible. Simper, simper, vomit later. The blue boy grinned back at her and nodded.
"Sure. Come by around five, okay?" Mochio said. Whistling innocently, he walked past her. With a Herculean effort, he restrained himself from dancing for joy. ::Just wait till Makoto finds out he has a date with Koemi!:: he thought ecstatically. ::He owes me big for this!::
____________--------------------___________
"Hey, Ranma," Akane asked from the doorway of the dojo, "Have you seen Ryouga?" She paused in the doorway, noting he was watching Goro go through a kata. She wouldn't have interrupted if she'd seen him first, but. . . she could wait. She ran her fingers through her dark hair, working out the knots. It never ceased to amaze her how many knots her chin-length hair could accumulate.
Instead of watching their biggest, most enthusiastic student, she let her eyes drift across her husband's bare back. They'd worked out a nice routine, just the two of them. He taught the earliest class, the dawn class, and she taught the evening class. After his class he'd train in the dojo with Goro, or with his aging father, or with her. Really, it was more that she trained with him. She'd been trying for years to harness the power her temper gave her, but she was still only able to beat him when she got really, really mad. .
Her eyes wandered over his skin, and they found the scars. There were a lot of scars, really, small white marks against his muscular back. There were three in particular, though, that her eyes sought out. They were the scars he got in the last fight with Ryouga, the fight that drove Ryouga to leave them.
She didn't know what started it, but she could guess. Ryouga had never gotten over his need to beat Ranma, he told her as much the night before the big fight. At the time, she was trying to wrestle her twin two- year olds into a bath, and he was sitting with Yori on his lap, watching her and Ayame coo at each other. She hadn't paid much attention to him then. She'd paid even less attention when Ryouga started apologizing for "what he had to do," because it seemed to her Ryouga was always apologizing for something.
The next day, when she was trying to comfort and restrain all her crying children, she'd cursed herself for her stupidity. Ayame and Yori were just learning how to walk, and since Yori was five months older she was much, much better at it. The twins were screaming at their father, more angry than scared, telling him to stop wrecking the house as he and Ryouga burst through walls. Right over their heads, on the roof, Ranma started doing his chestnuts-roasting-over-an-open-fire right into Ryouga's stomach. Yori had cried, and toddled away from Akane, who was trying desperately to restrain her twins. Then, Ranma jumped down, a few feet from Yori, and shouted something.
Yori attacked Ranma, hitting his legs with her stubby little fists and yelling, in her broken, baby Japanese, that he'd better stop hurting her daddy. That was when Akane lost her hold on Mochio. That was when Ryouga threw some of his bandannas, just like he had when he'd cut Akane's hair, at Ranma. And Mochio was running at Yori, who was yelling at Ranma, while the yellow cloths spun towards them both. . . Ryouga never had been terribly accurate with his bandannas. He was missing Ranma by a half-foot, but it was enough. Akane had seen the cloths and started towards the children, she was almost there when she felt Ranma's weight heavy on her back . . .
And saw the rivulets of blood falling from his shoulders.
They weren't deep gashes, really, just one cut on each shoulder and one across his ribs. He'd helped her up, his back still to Ryouga. He dusted her off, his mouth set in a grim line and his eyes flashing dangerously. The cries of the children faded into the back of her mind as she watched his face. His eyes were so strange and dark when he turned to face Ryouga, so cold and distant. She'd picked up Yori and Mochio, stepping back away from the combatants.
She could still picture Ryouga's face. Ranma was watching him, the air around him blazing blue. Ryouga, though, all of Ryouga's battle aura had subsided. He was staring at her in perfect horror. He looked from her to Yori in her arms, and his face was a picture of shocked, terrified sorrow. He was gone that night, and Yori was gone with him.
If she hadn't run out there, if she had been able to keep the children back, Ryouga would have stayed. Yori would have grown up in a house, with a family. Perhaps it wouldn't have been a normal family, but it would have been more stable. Who knew what sort of life the child had led? It was entirely possible, if both she and Ryouga could never find their way, that she had never been to school.
Akane walked to stand behind her husband. She laid a light hand on each of his shoulders. Perhaps, just perhaps, Ranma would have told her about this silly engagement idea before he told the children. He didn't really think she'd let him do that, did he?
"Goro, that's enough for now. Get on out of here," Ranma ordered. Goro looked up, surprised. He saw Akane behind Ranma and a small smile flitted across his face. He nodded to them and, without a word left the dojo.
"No, I haven't seen Ryouga," he said, looking up at his wife. He smiled at her. She smiled back. "Why do you ask?"
"He's missing. Your father is complaining about not having anyone to play Shogi with," she explained. Ranma sighed.
"Well, the old fool ought to find a new hobby," he said. Akane nodded absently.
"Since Dad died, it's been the same routine, every day. He's never going to find a new hobby," she sighed. She stood back, letting him stand up. She put her hands on her hips.
"Let's talk about the engagement," she said, determined. The night before, she'd been too busy trying to beat answers out of him to listen to any of them. And then, after things had cooled down and the kids had gone to bed, when she'd tried to ask him again, the baka had gone and distracted her.
Ranma grinned sheepishly and bent to kiss her. His hand went up into that mass of dark, knotted hair as their lips met. Her body responded to him instantly, her hands moving up to his shoulders entirely of their own accord. Every time, every time they'd kissed since their very first kiss nineteen years ago, there was a moment when their lips met that she could lose herself. . . Not this time, though. Akane pushed him away roughly and shook a scolding finger in his face.
"Oh, no. You did that last night. I won't let you distract me twice," she scolded. He smiled sheepishly. She thought for a moment he was going to point out that he'd had to do a lot more to distract her last night, but he didn't.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," he said, and laughed nervously.
"Ranma!" she snapped, glaring now. "The engagement!"
"Oh, that. Don't worry about that, Akane," he smiled. She glared up at him, tapping her toes on the floor. "No, really, it isn't anything. Ryouga probably won't expect us to abide by it, and I certainly don't expect our sons to abide by it. At this point it's essentially an excuse for Ryouga and Yori to stay here," he explained.
"Ranma, they don't NEED and excuse to stay here! They're welcome anyway!" she shouted in exasperation. He nodded, closing his eyes.
"Yes, but they wouldn't feel welcome. The only way to get those two to stay here is to make him feel obligated. I wanted them to come back a few years ago, but they got lost, and. . ." he took a deep breath. He opened one eye partway and smiled at her. "So until they feel welcome here, we'll just keep up the engagement."
Akane took a deep breath and let it out slowly. So, that was Ranma's big plan. She hadn't found any flaws in it. . . yet. When she did, she'd let him know. Loudly. As usual.
