her sister's passing--and how could she not? They were identical twins; born of
the same womb. Yet the girl had not realized how much she had suppressed her
own grief until their village came within her range of sight.
So much had changed, yet so much was still the same. New lives had come
into the world while others had left, but she could tell the society that had
ostracized her was no different than before. The mix of stares and glares she
received from them were evidence enough. The villagers made her uneasy; their
obvious dislike for her was almost palpable. Still, she persevered, making her
way slowly towards the tallest hill of the village, where her childhood home
stood.
No one ran out to greet her, but she didn't expect anyone to. She only
wanted to come and pay her respects to her deceased twin sister, to comfort her
sister's newly widowed husband. As she sought to comprehend the full weight of
losing her sister, pain and anguish tore her heart anew. The signs of mourning
around her--such as the white lanterns hung in front of villagers' houses--
accented her pain sharply. Her people mourned, and despite having been an
outcast for most of her entire life, her heart sympathized with them.
Finally, she came to the largest home in their village, the house that
belonged to her family line. For before her passing, her great-grandmother had
been Matriarch. For a brief time, her twin sister had held the same role-- so
the girl assumed, at least. Unfortunately, her sister's life was cut short far
too soon.
The front door was open when she reached it.
"Mousse," she called through the open door. "I'm home..."
Descendants
(a sequel to Here Comes Neko!)
A Ranma Nibunnoichi fan fiction
by Luna Hinomura
Chapter 7: Family Matters
At the doctor's office, Hideo sat on a stool, shirtless, with a thick
towel draped across his shoulders. He also wore borrowed pants, while his own
clothes were hanging up to dry. Luckily, it was already late spring, and the
weather had begun to warm. Hideo predicted the clothes would dry quickly, as
they'd already been wrung and neatly pressed by Dr. Tofu's obliging assistant.
Letting Rie meet the well-known chiropractor was as close to meeting his
family that Hideo would let her come. From the stories he'd heard told by
friends and family, the doctor had apparently been treating Hideo's mother and
her sisters since they were young.
The agèd doctor himself had pulled up a chair to have a chat with Hideo,
adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses on his nose. "I suppose it doesn't need to
be said," Dr. Tofu began, "but your parents would want me to tell you anyway.
You should be more careful about your health. I know you know better."
"I know," Hideo admitted. "I just like to sit out in the rain."
Dr. Tofu nodded, bobbing his head up and down slowly. The doctor had been
fit and agile in his youth, but his health had suffered much since the passing
of his late wife. Despite his ailing body, and the brief bout of depression he
had undergone after her death, the doctor's mind was as sharp as it had ever
been. The slight glimmer of mischief that had always existed in his eyes was
still there, albeit somewhat more dim than it had once been. Hideo had known
the doctor since birth; in addition to being their doctor, Tofu Ono had
practically doted over both Hideo and his sister Tsukiko. While growing up,
Hideo had treated Dr. Tofu as one of his secret confidants, and had no doubt
that the doctor understood him better than his parents did, or ever would. Lan
was the only other person whom Hideo shared his secrets with.
"You know, you're more like your parents than you realize," Dr. Tofu said
after a sigh. "I'm sure you don't want to hear that either, but it's the
truth."
"But I'm not my parents," Hideo responded immediately, using a corner of
the towel to wipe at his damp hair. It would dry soon, and then they could
leave. Not wanting to disturb his privacy, Rie was in an adjacent room,
socializing with Dr. Tofu's assistant. Hideo was glad for that, as he had no
wish to talk to the doctor while half-naked and with his girlfriend in the room.
On the other hand, he also felt sorry for both Rie and the assistant, if they
had any problems communicating across a language barrier. Dr. Tofu's assistant
was from China, and though she understood spoken Japanese, she often had trouble
effectively expressing herself in Japanese, or reading the written language.
Dr. Tofu chuckled. "No, you're not. You're also more different than your
parents than they realize." His gaze focused knowingly on Hideo. If it had
come from anyone else, Hideo would have felt threatened and resentful. Coming
from the doctor, it caused Hideo to actually feel somewhat guilty. "I take it
you still haven't talked to them about what you want for your future."
An annoyed sigh escaped from his lips before Hideo could stop it. He hid
it by pretending he'd been blowing on the cup of hot tea the assistant had left
for him to drink. "No, I haven't," he answered truthfully. "They won't like
it."
"It's like I keep telling you, son, you don't know for sure that they
won't like it until you tell them."
Hideo had no answer to that one, not even another annoyed sigh. Certainly,
he wanted to tell his parents on several occasions, but never brought up the
issue because he didn't want to hear what they had to say about it. He did well
at school so that his parents would never need to have conferences with his
teachers. He practiced anything-goes martial arts on a regular basis, so his
parents would never accuse him of neglecting what was his by heritage. He made
himself into a model citizen, so that his parents could never criticize him. He
did enough to avoid earning their disapproval; however, he did no more than that,
so that he was forever evading their approval. The arrangement suited him.
"Has Rie met your parents?" the doctor asked, hitting another sour note in
Hideo's mood.
The teenage youth shook his head, wondering how to tactfully answer the
doctor's question. How could he explain to the doctor that he was afraid that
Rie would not like his family? That he was absolutely 100 certain that his
family would not approve of Rie, and condone their relationship? That since he
was very young, Hideo knew his parents secretly hoped that would marry another
girl...?
- - - - -
A parent-teacher conference was a foreboding experience, something he'd
never faced before. His little heart raced in his chest, fearful of what his
parents would say, or how he would be scolded. Surprisingly, the meeting
between his father and his teacher went well, and he hadn't even been let into
the room. He was left, instead, to sit on a chair outside his teacher's office,
his young legs growing sore from being too short to reach the floor. The chair
was obviously made for someone older. Occasionally, he'd kick his legs to
reassure himself that they were still there, since they were prone to becoming
numb when he sat in such a chair.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, his father opened the door to the
teacher's office. He spoke a few words quietly to the teacher, too quietly for
the boy to hear. Soon, his father turned to him, and held out his hand.
"Come on, Hideo, let's go home," his father said. Hideo reached out and
took his hand, jumping down from the large chair.
The walk home was awkward. Hideo couldn't remember a time where all his
father did was hold his hand and walk home. His father used to swing him onto
his shoulders and parade him home, sometimes pretending to almost drop him into
the arroyos lining the streets. The boy especially loved it when his father
walked atop the fence by the arroyo. From atop the combined height of his
father's shoulders and the fence, he could see far around him, at the city of
his birth. People driving by would stare, but neither he nor his father ever
cared.
But that was all different now. The boy now realized that he had
disappointed his father.
"Son," his father began, and then stopped in his tracks. He turned to
kneel in front of his son, and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Hideo,
remember what I taught you. You can't use your martial arts to bully people,
only in self-defense, or to protect people who are unable to protect themselves.
"They attacked me," Hideo explained. "I was defending myself."
"I know, and your teacher agrees. However, you also have to realize that
they haven't done martial arts since birth, as you have. You've been let off
with a warning, but you have to understand that some of those boys were hurt
very badly." Hideo nodded, and once again his father took up his hand, and
began walking. "What started the whole fight, anyway?"
"They made fun of you," Hideo said, a little angrily. "They said it was
weird that you turn into a girl!"
Abruptly, his father dropped his hand, and stared at Hideo in shock.
Hideo stared back, equally shocked.
"Son..." his father began slowly. "You can't talk about those sorts of
things outside our house, or close friends and family. Your mother and I didn't
want to make you feel weird about it, but I guess we should have told you
earlier. It's not really normal for a man to be able to turn into a girl, okay?
Most of the people in our community know, but anything past that might become
dangerous for me and Mommy and you."
Hideo understood; he understood it all too well. Now he realized that the
father he idolized was actually ashamed of his ability to turn into a girl.
The idea confused him greatly. Did it mean that he, Hideo, should be ashamed of
it as well?
"So, no more talking about our family like that. And no more using
martial arts to bully people, okay?" Hideo nodded solemnly.
"Anyway, Lan wouldn't like it," his father added, with a wink.
- - - - -
Just as Hideo finished changing back into his now-dried clothes, a knock
at the door interrupted their conversation. "Hideo? Can I come in now?" Rie
called through the closed door. Without waiting for them to answer, Dr. Tofu's
assistant opened the door, bringing a small tray with two new cups of hot tea.
He breathed a sigh of silent relief that the assistant hadn't opened the door
any earlier. Though he was loath to admit it, Hideo was a little shy.
Catching eyes with the assistant, whom he recognized, Hideo greeted her
with a polite, "Hello." In response, Tofu's assistant smiled faintly at him,
the same wistful smile she showed to everybody that came in for treatment. But
while Dr. Tofu's patients always commented to the doctor that his assistant was
very beautiful and had a kind smile, Hideo recognized the expression in her eyes.
Others may have overlooked the evidence of silent hurt, but not Hideo; he felt
it often enough himself. Perhaps she, too, held secrets that she felt she could
not tell others.
In the past, Hideo had tried coaxing her to speak, but she never let the
conversation delve into any of her personal business. The only words she ever
spoke were either of the mundane everyday chit-chat one might make to pass time,
or important patient-related business for Dr. Tofu. At one point, he'd even
convinced himself that she would definitely open up to him after he'd taken
classes in Chinese at Furinkan High. Despite using his rudimentary Chinese to
speak to her in her mother language, she never divulged information about her
past or how she'd come to work for Dr. Tofu. The most frustrating aspect about
the secrecy surrounding her was that Hideo was almost certain his parents knew
about her and were also keeping information away from their son.
Knowing that Hideo would want to be alone with Rie for a while, Dr. Tofu
patted Hideo on the knee to say bye. Without indicating his motives to his
assistant, Tofu stood up and walked out through the open door. His assistant
tacitly followed, shutting the door behind her. Sometimes, it amazed Hideo how
well two people could communicate without even needing words. Briefly, he
wondered if his relationship with Rie would ever reach such a depth. Not if
you never let it, Hideo thought, some vestiges of Dr. Tofu's earlier advice
still floating through his mind.
Silently, Rie sat down next to Hideo and leaned her head on his shoulder,
as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She clasped his other hand with
both of hers, and they sat there for a while, enjoying the company and each
other's warmth. So much unspoken between them, yet also so much they never
needed words to say.
"Dr. Tofu is nice," Rie said-- the first one to break the silence. "So is
his assistant, she's very kind."
"She is," Hideo agreed. "I've also known her since I was a child. But
don't you think she also looks sad?"
Rie furrowed her forehead. "Sad? No, I don't think she looks sad. She
looks... thoughtful, but not sad."
"You think?" So Rie was another one who couldn't see the assistant's
inner sorrow. Or maybe Dr. Tofu was right, that he tended to read too much into
other people's business rather than concerning himself more with his own.
"Hideo," Rie said, her voice changing suddenly, to a more curious and
pressing tone. "Why did you want me to come here with you? I mean, aside from
something as simplistic as just spending time with you. Is there a reason you
wanted me to meet your family doctor?"
Hideo took a deep breath. This would be the first time he ever exposed
any of his secrets to anyone outside his immediate and extended family. In fact,
this would be the first time he ever talked about his family outside his
immediate and extended family. Nervous, he let out the breath without speaking,
and then took another deep breath. Thankfully, Rie only waited patiently
without pressuring him any further.
"Okay," Hideo explained. "He's not just the family doctor, Rie-- he's
also a part of my family. Dr. Tofu is my uncle, by marriage to my mom's oldest
sister. My aunt died before I was born, and I never knew her. As far as I know
they were pretty happily married before she passed away." Hideo looked away
from his girlfriend, avoiding her gaze. "I constantly hear stories, even now,
about Aunt Kasumi and what she was like. Honestly, in some ways, I've also
always resented the fact that I never got to know her. She practically raised
my mother and my Aunt Nabiki, and I would have loved it if she had been able to
dote on me as well."
Turning back to look at Rie, Hideo caught her eye in order to see his
girlfriend's reaction. Surprisingly, her full attention was on his every word,
and he had never seen such intensity in her gaze before. Inexplicably, his
heart began to beat faster, pleased at having found someone else who not only
cared about him, but was genuinely interested in sharing his pain, no matter how
great or small. Moreover, she was someone whom he could trust with the
knowledge.
"You have to understand, nobody else knows how I feel about Aunt Kasumi's
memory, Rie," Hideo stated. "I didn't want anyone else to know. But it seems
like recently, you always ask for me to spend time with your family, or want to
meet mine. I know I've dissembled about that issue in the past, so this time I
want to make it up to you. Now you know a little more about me, and a little
more about my family."
Were those tears of gratitude in her eyes?
"Hideo... thank you."
End of chapter 7
