Neko-a-Go-Go
"Hikari? Hikari! Where are you?"
Hikari sat in the living room, watching anime. Upon hearing her mother's voice, she muted the nosy box.
"Yeah, mom? What do you need?"
Akane entered the room as she dried off a knife.
"Can you go to the grocery store, please? We need some more rice,"
"'kay"
"Hikari..."
"All right, mom,"
Hikari turned off the TV and took the list from her mom's hand, which she had produced out of her apron pocket, and a few 1000 yen bills. Smiling, she waved goodbye as she slipped her sandals on and skipped out the door.
The grocery store wasn't very far away, and she quickly was on her way back with the plastic bag of food grasped firmly in her hand.
"Ahh! Such a nice day!" she sighed, stretching her strong, slim arms in the springtime sun. As she squinted, a light caught her eye.
"Oh! I ought to visit Uncle Tofu and get some more bandages," she mused aloud, and turned to the shop.
The sign said 'Closed', but she was welcome at any time.
"Uncle Tofu! Aunt Kasumi! I need some bandages!" she called, taking her shoes out in the foyer and putting on a pair of guest's slippers. "Hello...?"
She made her way through the building, but found no one there.
"Hello?" she called again, leaning over the counter of the kitchen.
"If you're looking for Mr. and Mrs. Ono-san, they're out getting groceries now,"
"Aiie?!"
Hikari turned around and saw a boy behind her, a large bandage and smile plastered on his face.
"Umm... Okay. Who are you?" said Hikari.
"Oh, pardon me," said the boy politely. "I'm Sora. Ono-san is letting me stay here while my wounds heal,"
"Oh really?" said Hikari curiously. "What happened?"
"He was hit by a car," said a voice.
A girl came into the kitchen, drinking some milk from the carton as she came down the stairs. Hikari just stared. Was she seeing things, or did she have cat ears?
"Oh, by the way, this is my sister, Yui," said Sora. "Yui, this is...umm, what's your name, anyways?"
Hikari stared at Yui as what looked like a tail whipped around her legs. She couldn't decide whether she was more amazed at the fact Sora was hit by a car or the fact that the girl seemed to be half-cat.
"Oh! Umm," she finally blurted. "my name's Hikari. I'm Tofu's niece,"
"I see! Nice to meet you," said Sora. "Did you need anything?"
"Just some bandages," said Hikari.
"Here you go," said Yui, handing her a roll of gauze as she idly walked by. "Bandages. Or do you want something different?"
"No...thank you..." said Hikari, mesmerised by her feline traits. "Cat...ears...are those real?"
"Umm, yeah," said Sora. "It's long story, but..."
Yui's ears twitched as she innocently looked at Hikari; she seemed to be only 13 or 14, but looked strangely mature for someone her age.
"They're real," she said. "Why would I wear them in broad daylight if I couldn't take them off?"
"Oh...okay," said Hikari. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Sora, Yui. I need to go now. See you later!"
"Bye bye!" said Yui cheerfully. Sora simply smiled and waved.
Hikari smiled back, but noticed something in Sora's smile that stirred her memory, but she couldn't figure out what.
She opened her cell phone and began to dial home.
She was going to Ucchan's.
"Ukyo! Konatsu!" she called, entering the restaurant. "Lunch, please!"
There was a sizzling of batter, and an okonomiyaki was served up before her in an instant.
"How's my favorite customer?" said Ukyo as Hikari eagerly began to eat.
"Good!" she gasped after gulping it down. "I saw the strangest thing at Uncle Tofu's today,"
"Do tell!" said Konatsu, who cleared the plate from the counter and began to wash it.
"There was a cat-girl there!" said Hikari. "Her brother was there, too. His name was Sora, and he looked normal, at least,"
"A cat-girl?" said Konatsu, leaning on the counter, his head propped on his hand. "Interesting. Did she have cat ears? Were they real?"
"Well, they twitched, and she said so herself they were," replied Hikari. "Ukyo? What's the matter?"
Ukyo had a far-off look in her eyes.
"Sora... That was your sister's name,"
Hikari looked at her curiously as Ukyo picked up a picture. Akane was sitting in a hospital bed, and Ukyo was holding a small bundle of blankets while Ranma looked on.
"That's right," said Hikari. "Mom hasn't heard from her or dad since they left on that training mission,"
"That was before you were born," said Ukyo. "Wouldn't Ranma be surprised to see you!"
"Wait a second," said Hikari, scootching past the counter and picking up another picture. Amazed, she looked at the picture of Ukyo and Ranma.
"Sora...he looked just like this!" she said, pointing excitedly at her father's image. "He had the exact same smile!"
Ukyo looked at the picture curiously.
"I won't believe it till I see it," said Ukyo. "But she can't possibly have inheirited Ranma's curse; Ryoko and Perfume are perfectly normal..."
"What are you talking about?" said Hikari.
"We could close the shop for lunch," offered Konatsu. "Perhaps it really is her, but what about the Cat-Girl?"
"Are you saying Sora is my sister?" said Hikari. "Pa-lease! I know all about what happened to Dad in China; I don't change into anything with cold water,"
"I suppose you're right," said Ukyo. "but his likeness to Ranma...I'd like to meet them,"
"Okay," said Hikari. "I guess we're going to the chiropractic!"
After closing up shop, they headed down the road to the chiropractic, but the door was locked.
"That's funny," said Hikari.
"It's okay," said Ukyo. "How about we have lunch together at your house?"
The abrupt change of subject made Hikari smile, and she nodded. Besides, just one okonomiyaki wasn't enough for her massive appetite.
"Mom! I'm back! Is it okay if Ukyo and Konatsu are here?"
There was no answer, but a faint murmuring came from upstairs.
"What in the world...?" said Hikari, taking off her sandals. "Mom?"
"Oh, are those real?" she heard a voice say. "My, they're adorable!"
"Get off me!!!"
"Mom...?" Hikari repeated, Ukyo and Konatsu creeping behind her. When she came to the living room, a strangely famliar person was sitting with her family.
"Sora?"
"Oh, hey, Hikari!" said the boy, waving at her.
"I trust you two have met?" said Akane, smiling.
"Errr, yeah," said Hikari. "I met Sora at Uncle Tofu's,"
"So that's who was here?" said Tofu, smiling. "You forgot to tell me it was my niece, Sora!"
"Well, hello, Ukyo!" said Akane. "What are you doing here?"
"Hikari came over for lunch, and we decided to stop by here for more," explained Konatsu with a smile.
"And besides, I wanted to meet this 'cat-girl' Hikari said she saw at your clinic, Tofu," finished Ukyo, looking at Yui. "Apparently, she wasn't lying!"
Yui narrowed her eyes and pinched her mouth together as she brooded, but Sora just patted her on the head and scratched her ears, and she closed her eyes contentedly, a purring noise rumbling in her throat.
"So, Sora, you were about to tell us about your father; did I know him?" said Akane.
"I don't rightly know," said Sora thoughtfully. "He seemed to know a ton about you; your looks, how you wear your hair, your penchant for not being able to cook..."
"My what?" said Akane, blushing furiously.
"Which reminds me..." said Sora, digging into his shirt, taking out two flowers and arranging them in Akane's hair. He stood back and admired his handiwork. "Gifts to you from Mako, my dad. They look nice on you,"
Akane gently touched the flowers, and found they were real, and soft to the touch. Taking one down, she looked at it, her eyes soft with reminiscence.
"Orange blossoms..." she said quietly. "I used them in my wedding bouquet. How were you able to keep them intact?"
"An old friend did something to them for us," said Yui, briefly opening her eyes. "Sora has a lilac, and I have a daisy. I think Dad had a rose,"
"Yeah, it was a rose," said Sora. "He looked at it all the time,"
"So," said Akane, taking the blossoms out of her hair and placing them in her lap. "you said his name was Mako? Funny, I don't know anyone by that name,"
Sora shrugged.
"He just said we'd be safe here in Nerima, at your house. We'll leave if you want us to,"
"No, it's really not that necessary," said Akane, smiling. "You can stay as long as you like,"
"We'll be leaving anyways, eventually," said Yui, yawning. "We're to stay here until Dad comes to get us; heaven knows how long -that's- gonna take,"
"Oh, I see," said Konatsu. "Facinating,"
Sora nodded.
"Kasumi-san, may I have some more tea?"
"Of course, dear," said Kasumi pleasantly.
"Say, do you know any fighting techniques?" asked Hikari, reaching for a soda in the middle of the table.
"Do I!" said Sora excitedly. "I know a ton! Dad always said it was his mission to make sure Yui and I were as skilled as he was; 'You never know when it could come in handy,', that's what he always said,"
"So what kinds of things do you know?" Hikari said.
"Umm...can't really think of any, really. Yui's really good at food-fu, I guess..."
"Cats are delicate eaters," said Yui, daintly running her tongue over the row of pearly white teeth and sharp canines.
"Food-fu?" said Akane, suprised. "Who did you learn from?"
"Some french guy and an old hag," said Yui. "I beat the crap outta him,"
"Yui!" said Sora, scowling at his little sister.
"What!?" she retorted. "It's the truth! Watch."
She sat up and put a cookie on her head, which mysteriously vanished from sight in an instant.
"Bravo!" said Kasumi, clapping her hands.
"Amazing..." said Akane. "Do you remember his name? Your instructor, I mean,"
"Not really; it was a while ago," said Yui.
"Care for a fight after lunch?" Hikari asked Sora, taking a sip of her soda. "That is, if you're feeling better,"
Sora shook his head.
"I think I'd like a bath," he said. "I haven't taken one since I arrived here with Yui,"
"Me either, but I don't think it really matters," said Yui. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Down the hall, to the right," said everyone else, in perfect unison.
"Okay, then. We'll be back later." Sora said with a laugh. "Mrs. Saotome, do you think you could get a room for Yui and I ready while we're gone?"
"Of course," said Akane, smiling. "You can use my husband's old room; nobody uses it anymore,"
"Thanks!" said Yui and Sora together, bowing slightly and heading towards the bathroom.
"Such charming siblings!" said Kasumi, cleaning up the table. "Who wants to help?"
Not suprisingly, Kasumi found herself cleaning the dining room by herself that afternoon.
"Wow! Thanks, Mrs. Saotome, this is really nice!"
"No problem, Sora." said Akane, laying out the futon and smoothing it. "You'll need some extra clothes and pajamas too, I suppose?"
"You read my mind," said Yui. "Gimme."
"Yui..."
"Just kidding, Niichan, just kidding!"
Akane continued to dig through the closet, taking out various tops and bottoms.
"Boy, Ranma left a ton over here!" she thought aloud. "Well, that's all that's in the closet; you're free to use whatever you need, it looks good on both boys and girls,"
"Thanks again, Mrs. Saotome," said Sora with a smile. "I think we can handle things by ourselves,"
"All right, then," said Akane. "Good night, you two."
After sorting through their new clothes, Sora and Yui huddled under their blankets.
"Sora, when do you think Dad's coming back?" said Yui, scrunching her body into a little ball. "I'm scared that something's happened to him,"
"Don't worry, Yui-chan," said Sora, sitting up and looking at the moon. "You can count on Dad to keep himself safe,"
He turned towards her.
"But you gotta remember what he said, okay?"
"Yeah, I do," said Yui. "'Never let them know our secret, until I get to you,'"