I'm sorry for the long delay. Between work, the holiday and being sick I just haven't been able to keep up. But here it is at last!
Chapter 11 - Desert Walk
Ranma sat nervously in the doctor's office with Akane. The call from the clinic had come the morning after her last visit, but the soonest they could work in an appointment was the following Monday. That had given them the whole weekend with nothing to do but wait and worry.
"Tell me again," Akane said, "what happened at the sonogram?"
"Nothing really," Ranma said biting her lip. "I really wasn't paying attention. The usual technician was there and you know how he likes to joke around, well he was really quiet and then he left the room pretty fast. It just seemed like he was trying to hide something."
"Are you sure he wasn't just afraid to talk to you? You weren't exactly the flower of femininity that afternoon."
"Maybe..." Ranma didn't look convinced. "I don't know. If nothing was wrong, why did they call us in for more tests?"
The door opened and the doctor walked in. He greeted them and then sat down behind his desk. "Thank you both for coming in on such short notice. We picked up an anomaly in your sonogram last week and we want to run some lab tests just to make sure everything's okay."
"Anomaly?" Ranma asked frantically, "What kind of anomaly? What's wrong with Ranko-chan? Why aren't you telling me what's wrong?"
The doctor waved his hands as if warding off an attack, "Nothing's wrong that we're aware of. This could all just be a misinterpretation of the image. That's why we want to do a different sort of test, one that isn't subject to mixed interpretations."
Akane grabbed Ranma's hand before she could launch into another barrage of questions. "What sort of test, doctor?" Akane asked.
"We want to extract some of the fluid from around the baby which will contain cast off cells we can analyze. Specifically we want to run a chromosome test and a DNA profile."
"What will that tell us?" Ranma asked more calmly.
"Oh many things," the doctor said leaning back in his chair and tapping his fingertips together. "We can look at genetic markers for various conditions that could complicate the birth, we'll be able to determine the baby's blood type, confirm the sex once and for all... that sort of thing."
"What do I have to do?"
"Nothing at all," the doctor said with a grin, "You'll be taking a nap the whole time. The amniocentesis consists of inserting a long needle through the abdominal wall. We have to be very careful not to hit the baby, the cord or the placenta so it's best done while you are under sedation."
"So she'll be out cold, like an operation?" Akane asked, "Won't those kind of drugs hurt Ranko-chan?"
"No, that's anesthesia where you're completely unconscious. This used to be called Twilight Sleep and you actually remain conscious the whole time, though you'll be very relaxed. We also give you something to keep you from remembering what happens. It's quite safe for both you and the baby."
"Okay, let's do it," Ranma said, "I don't care what you do to me as long as I know if my little girl's healthy or not."
o o o
Ranma came to slowly. The last thing she remembered was a man dressed in a surgical gown and a facemask assuring her this wasn't really surgery. Then he waved his hand and said, "Good night!" Why did everyone turn into a comedian whenever she was nervous?
The first odd thing she noticed was the smell. Instead of the antiseptic tang of the operating room, this smelled more like a barn. The odor of leather was overpowering and there was something else, something dry and dusty. The light working its way through her eyelids was also different, more yellow and less harsh than before.
Carefully she blinked her eyes open, slowly letting them adjust to the brightness. She appeared to be in a round room with sloping walls. The yellow light seemed to emanate from walls themselves and they converged high above her in a circle of blue sky and clouds.
She looked around for Akane or the doctors, but she was alone. She was also lying on the floor, which although not unusual for Japan was certainly unexpected at the clinic. She couldn't see anything more without sitting up, so she put out her hands to brace herself and found her fingers sinking deep into thick fur.
She struggled to regain her equilibrium and finally managed to sit up. Then she took a good long look at her surroundings. The room was indeed round and a good deal smaller than she had first thought. There was no furniture at all and the floor was completely covered with the pelts of many different animals, most of which she didn't recognize. On closer inspection the walls also seemed to be made from animal skins that had been sewn together.
After carefully standing up, she found she was wearing a strange dress. Like everything else it was made of soft brown leather with leather fringe dangling from the sleeves and across the front as well. On her feet were soft leather shoes with colorful beadwork on the instep. Her hair had been put into two long braids held at the ends by beaded leather wraps.
Nothing at all about the outfit looked Japanese, but an image did pop into her head. An old cartoon movie she had watched with the boys once. It had a strange name that was surprisingly easy to say in Japanese... Pocahontas.
Noticing that the skins of one wall were darker than the others, she shuffled carefully across the furry uneven floor for a closer look and discovered this to be an opening. Pushing the piece of hide out of the way, bright sunlight poured in followed by a blast of hot dusty air. Being careful not to trip over the threshold, Ranma stepped out and gazed in wonder at the landscape.
The air was so clear and the sky so blue that it almost hurt her eyes to look up. All around were low rolling hills of dark red soil dotted with small sage colored bushes. In the distance huge mountains with flat tops seemed to rise up from the ground as if pushed out by giant fingers. She remembered that in America these were called buttes and one especially large one dominated the southern horizon.
Ranma breathed in the hot dry desert air and exhaled a contented sigh. She hadn't felt this alive since...
Suddenly her battle senses lit up with an unforgettable aura, one she thought would never present itself to her again. It had been eleven long years, but the memory of their last meeting was as fresh and alive as if it were yesterday.
"Hello warrior." said a familiar voice, "Welcome to my hunting grounds."
"Coyote-sama!" wearing a huge grin, Ranma spun around to face the scruffy animal. "I thought I'd never see you again."
Coyote grinned back at her with long yellow fangs. "Nor I you, warrior! Typically once a lifetime is enough for most people, but then again you were never exactly typical."
Ranma looked around at the small collection of teepees and asked, "Where are we and why am I dressed like someone in an old cowboy movie?"
Coyote frowned, "We don't have much time warrior, so I had to bring you here. This is the southwest of what is now called the United States of America, but it was once known as the Place of Little Springs. As for the outfit... well, I thought you'd make a cute Piman tribal princess."
"So is this another spirit walk?" Ranma asked with a mixture of excitement and dread.
"No, this is not a spirit walk. A spirit walk is something the warrior chooses to take. Last time you summoned me by accident, but I'm pleased to see you followed my counsel anyway and gave up your futile quest to rid yourself of the curse."
The coyote shook its head sadly, "However, I've summoned you here now because you failed to heed my other warning. Thanks to you I lost a bet with Raven and now chaos once again threatens to tear your world apart."
Ranko-chan chose that moment to give Ranma a particularly strong kick. Placing a hand over the spot she looked imploringly at Coyote and said, "You don't mean because I'm pregnant?"
"Of course it's because you're pregnant! Just how many men do you think have given birth since the dawn of time? Do you have any idea how many natural laws you're breaking?"
Ranma looked chastened, but defiant, "What about the Musk?"
"The Musk?" thundered the ancient spirit, "Don't even mention those idiots. Half the Chinese Zodiac has been trying to straighten them out for centuries. But compared to you the Musk are just a bunch of naughty children turning animals into people."
Sensing a growing threat Ranma stepped back and dropped into a fighting stance, "I'm not letting you take my baby!"
"You really do look like one of the Pimas. Their women were pretty fierce when it came to protecting their young too." Coyote chuckled, "Relax warrior, I have no intention of harming either one of you or interfering with your pregnancy. On the contrary, in spite of the dangers I'm happy to see this little one brought into the world at last."
Ranma relaxed her stance, but remained ready nonetheless, "Then why am I here?"
"I brought you here to let you know just what a heavy burden you've chosen to bear. The being you carry has great potential. Whether it is for good or not is entirely up to you. You're not just a father or a mother to this one, but a teacher and a guild as well."
Ranma's arms dropped to her sides, as she stood stunned by the coyote's words. "M-my little Ranko, she's that important?"
"Yes warrior, just as you were once. I only wish someone had taken the time to talk to that numbskull father of yours. Promise me you won't drop this one into a pit full of hungry cats."
"It's a deal," Ranma grinned, "and I'll make sure she never goes anywhere near Jusenkyo!"
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," the coyote said with a snort. "Our time's almost up warrior and there's still one more thing I need to show you. Someone has been very insistent about talking to you and since it'll be quite some time before she has a voice again I decided to break a few more rules."
Coyote turned his head towards one of the teepees and there, peeking out from behind it, was the little red haired spirit child. She looked exactly as Ranma remembered with her flaming red hair in a long single braid draped over her shoulder. The only differences being she was dressed in buckskins just like Ranma.
"Don't be shy child!" Coyote shouted. "You only get one chance at this. Go!"
The little spirit bolted into the open and ran headlong straight for Ranma. Instinctively the man turned mother held out her arms and the child leapt into them. She hugged Ranma's neck with a surprisingly strong grip and Ranma returned it just as enthusiastically. Suddenly there was a strong kick from the baby in her stomach and the little spirit let go.
"I'm sorry mama," she said timidly, "I gots excited."
Ranma looked from her swollen belly to the little spirit child. "You really are Ranko-chan?"
The little spirit nodded her head excitedly, "Uh huh!"
"Do you like that name, Ranko?"
Ranko nodded her head again, "Uh huh!"
"Don't waste time child," Coyote said urgently, "Say what you wanted to say before they drag her away from you."
The little girl looked surprised, but she turned to Ranma and with a blush said, "Thank you fer being my mama! I'll be good, I promise."
With tears in her eyes Ranma said, "You're welcome sweetheart. Do you know how much Akane and I love you already?"
Ranko nodded her head again, "Uh huh! We all love you too!"
Ranma blinked and looking perplexed asked, "We?"
"Enough child!" Coyote growled, "Remember what I told you."
Ranko-chan looked like she was about to cry so Ranma reached out and hugged her again. "It's okay Ranko-chan. I don't need to know anything except that you're happy. I'll be seeing you again real soon, okay?"
Ranko rubbed at the corner of her eye, but once again nodded enthusiastically, "Okay mama!" Then she turned and skipped back to stand beside the coyote.
"It's time warrior. They've already finished the procedure and are about to wake you up. Try not to forget everything I told you."
"How could I forget anything you tell me, Coyote-sama?" Ranma laughed. Then she began to feel something pulling at her. She looked at the entrance of the teepee where she had awakened and saw a swirling gray fog inside.
"You may find it harder than you think," Coyote said turning away. As he and the spirit child began walking towards the setting sun he laughed and shouted out, "Until we meet again warrior!"
Maybe it was a trick of the fading light, but Ranma could have sworn Ranko-chan's hair had suddenly turned darker. She also now looked taller compared to Coyote. Just as Ranma's foot bumped up against the threshold of the teepee, Ranko-chan turned to look back at her.
Ranma gasped, lost her balance and tumbled head first into swirling mists. She couldn't believe what she had seen, but every time she replayed it in her head it was so very clear. A grinning little boy with black hair had turned, given her the thumbs up sign and winked mischievously at her with his dark brown eyes.
o o o
"Hello sleepyhead," Akane said bending over the reclining chair where Ranma lay blinking her eyes. "This is harder than getting you up in the morning."
"What?" Ranma said groggily. "Where am I?"
"The Land of OZ," Akane said with a giggle. "Where do you think you are silly? You're in the recovery room at the clinic. They finished up about ten minutes ago and everything went fine."
"No, I... I was somewhere else," Ranma had a worried almost desperate look on her face. "But... but I can't remember where. Akane, why can't I remember?"
"Ranma, you haven't been anywhere. What's wrong with you?"
"I was supposed to remember something important, but I can't remember anything!" Ranma tried to sit up, but dizziness quickly overcame her and she dropped back into the recliner. "Akane I have to remember! Why can't I remember?"
Akane was worried now, this wasn't what she was told to expect when Ranma woke up. "Someone help me please! Nurse? Something's gone wrong!"
A nurse appeared from behind a curtain and asked, "What's the matter?"
"She's upset about something," Akane said urgently, "but I don't know what."
Ranma tried to sit up again, this time with better results. The nurse grabbed her shoulders and gently tried to push her back into the chair, "Please Mrs. Saotome, just relax. You need to wait for the effects to wear off."
Focusing on the nurse Ranma asked desperately, "Why can't I remember anything?"
"You're not supposed to remember anything," the nurse said in a calm voice while trying vainly to restrain the world's greatest martial artist. "You were given a drug that inhibits your memory, but nothing happened that you need to remember."
"But I have to remember!" Ranma shouted as she broke free and tried to leap out of the recliner. Akane caught her and flipped her gently back into the chair.
"Does this happen often?" Akane asked as she struggled to hold Ranma down.
"Never," said the now concerned nurse, "I'll go get a doctor. Just don't let her get up or she's likely to fall over and hurt the baby."
"Akane," Ranma was crying now, "why can't I remember? Why?"
Twenty minutes later Akane and a much calmer Ranma sat in the doctor's office as he explained again how the drugs worked. "The one we gave you causes drowsiness and temporary amnesia, but I assure you the dosage is far too small to cause permanent memory loss."
"Then why can't I remember?" Ranma said defiantly.
"What do you think you've forgotten Mrs. Saotome?" the doctor asked.
"How should I know?" Ranma shouted back. "I've forgotten it!"
The doctor waved his hand in defense. "Please be calm Mrs. Saotome. Tell me, what's the last thing you do remember?"
"Some guy in green pajamas saying, 'Good night'. Then I woke up with Akane telling me I was in OZ, but something happened in between and I need to remember what it was."
"Then it must have been a thought," the doctor said evenly, "or a dream. If that's the case then it's likely you'll have the same dream again soon. If it's really important, I'm certain of it. Dreams are made up from old memories and they rarely occur just once."
"I hope you're right doctor," Ranma said unhappily, "I have a terrible feeling something bad will happen if I don't remember whatever it is."
The door opened and a nurse walked in. She handed the doctor a folder and then left. The doctor opened the folder and smiled.
"Is that the DNA test, doctor?" Akane asked.
"Oh no," he said. "That won't be ready until sometime tomorrow. This is just the result of the chromosome analysis. Let's see... negative on Downs, Tay Sachs, yes, yes, that all looks good. Blood type A, no big surprise there. And... two X chromosomes." The doctor's shoulders slumped and his smile faded. "It looks like you're having a girl after all."
"What do you mean 'after all'?" Ranma asked.
Akane looked concerned, "Doctor, what exactly was wrong with that sonogram last week."
"Well it can't really hurt to tell you now, but it made it look like your baby was actually a boy. I guess it was just a problem with the machine, but it seemed quite clear to everyone who looked at it. I wanted more proof before I said anything to you of course and now I'm glad I did."
Akane and Ranma exchanged worried glances and then Ranma asked, "Um, how warm is the water down there?"
"You mean inside the womb?" the doctor asked, looking puzzled. "It's body temperature of course."
"Could anything cause that to change," Akane asked, "say... rather drastically?"
The doctor blinked, "No, nothing short of hypothermia or a high fever. What exactly are you concerned about?"
"Oh nothing," Akane said trying to look innocent.
"Just wondering," Ranma added looking just as guilty.
"Well the two of you needn't worry. This was our mistake and I apologize for the inconvenience, but nothing here goes to waste. Once we get the DNA profile we'll have all the information we need to make sure the birth of your baby is a successful and happy occasion."
"Thank you doctor," Ranma said, "I hope you're right."
"Oh, by the way," the doctor said with a big smile, "You should begin taking your birthing classes soon. Will your husband finally be showing up?"
o o o
On a cold afternoon in early February, Akane walked into the kitchen to find Ranma standing with her hands on her hips and a strange look on her face. "What's wrong?"
"It feels like she's just going to fall out," Ranma said with all seriousness.
"In your dreams!" Akane laughed. "You better get ready. You're not due for another three weeks, so she's going to drop even lower than that."
"You're kidding," Ranma looked shocked, "It's already like holding a bowling ball between my legs. This can't be right."
"Well in a little while you can complain to an expert. Kasumi just called, she and Toufuu are on their way from the station."
Ranma glanced at the pot she was tending on the stove, "Why am I always nervous making dinner for Kasumi?"
"I'm the same way," Akane said shaking her head, "It feels like inviting all the Iron Chef's over and serving them instant ramen, but you shouldn't worry. She always compliments your cooking."
"Aw, you're a good cook too Akane," Ranma waddled over and gave her a hug. "You haven't poisoned anyone in ages!"
"Gee, thanks for the compliment," Akane gave her husband a gentle head butt, something that had been nearly impossible before Ranma's recent growth spurt. She was still shorter than Akane, but not by more than a couple of centimeters. "People are going to have to stop calling you petite."
"Yeah," Ranma said rubbing her forehead and walking back to the stove, "it's almost to the point where I can reach the same..."
"Reach what?" Akane asked after the redhead failed to finish the sentence.
"I just had a really strange thought," Ranma said looking a little unsettled. "In a couple of months I'm going to be a guy again."
"Oh yeah..." Akane said pensively, "I hadn't thought about that either. You know in the whole time I've known you this is the longest you've stayed just one gender. It's a little odd thinking about you being a man again after the baby comes."
"The scary thing is," Ranma said in a shaky voice, "it never even crossed my mind. Akane, you do want me to be a guy again, don't you?"
Akane saw panic growing in Ranma's eyes. It stood to reason she had become accustomed to living as a woman, didn't have much choice really. Through the whole experience her male half had never been far from the surface, but ever since the battle with Nabe she had kept it buried deeper than usual. They had made adjustments as a couple as well and their relationship was healthy and happy right now. Maybe staying a woman was looking good to Ranma?
Akane considered it seriously for a moment, she owed her spouse that much. Then she walked over, took Ranma's face in her hands and gave her a long deep passionate kiss. When she was satisfied she had Ranma's complete attention, Akane stopped and whispered into the redhead's ear, "You bet your sweet ass. I want my man back."
Ranma's eyes were as wide as saucers and she looked dazed. Then a smile crept onto her lips. "Yeah... Oh yeah! You just wait Tendo! I'm coming out of that tub ready for action. Oh yeah!"
Akane grinned, "Just try not to scare the children, okay?"
"I make no promises," Ranma chuckled. "I better finish cooking dinner."
"Are you going to make some tea? I'm sure everyone will want to sit and talk once Kasumi gets here."
"Sure, no problem, I'll have everything ready by the time they show up. By the way what's everyone else doing?"
"Our fathers are at the shogi board of course. Your mother is still cleaning the guest bedroom and Hinako is keeping the twins occupied."
"The house hasn't been this full in years," Ranma said as she carried the kettle to the sink.
"Yes, it's almost like old times," Akane sighed and pushed through the door into the living room.
"Old times, huh?" Ranma giggled and then started searching through a few drawers. When she found what she was looking for she chuckled, "I'll give her some old times."
About ten minutes later there was a knock at the front door followed by Kasumi's voice shouting, "I'm home!" Akane rushed to the genkan and threw her arms around her older sister. They were soon joined by Toufuu who came through the door dragging several large suitcases.
"You look great big-sister!" Akane gushed, "Or should I say Doctor big-sister?"
"Big-sister is just fine," Kasumi said with a smile. "I still can't get use to people calling me Doctor all the time."
"Don't believe a word of it," Toufuu said after dropping the suitcases. "She even makes me call her that in bed. How are you Akane?"
"I'm fine. You can just leave the bags there. Mother Saotome is still cleaning your room. It ought to be as sterile as an operating room by now."
"Oh, the Saotome's are here?" Kasumi asked.
"Yup, so are Daddy and Hinako. Come on in, everyone's just dying to see you both."
They headed down the hallway, but before they got to the living room Soun came out to meet them. He wrapped Kasumi in his arms and as usual his eyes were filled with tears, "Oh my little girl's a real doctor now. I'm so proud of you Kasumi!"
"Daddy!" Kasumi said as she squirmed out of his bear hug just enough to allow breathing. "It's not like I graduated or anything. I'm just changing jobs."
"Don't let her fool you dad," Toufuu said. "She's leaving that hospital with a stack of recommendation letters that could choke a horse. I feel guilty stealing her away from the world of modern medicine."
"Toufuu! Don't talk like that," Kasumi said sternly, "You know full well I want our little clinic as much as you do. Besides, it would be ages before I became director of a big city hospital, but out in the country I'll be in charge from day one. Right Toufuu?"
Toufuu looked a little embarrassed and adjusted his glasses, "Right honey. You're the boss."
Akane looked at her older sister in wonder. Kasumi had always been the one people thought of as a shy wallflower. She played the role of surrogate mother so well that everyone failed to notice how efficiently she ran the household while complete chaos reigned all around her.
Once her sisters were off to college, Kasumi had focused all that energy on her own education and eight years later an extraordinary professional woman had emerged. Akane had no doubt the small clinic Toufuu envisioned for them was rapidly evolving into a major medical facility. Kasumi probably would be running a hospital in a year or two... her own.
Once Soun settled down, they all moved into the living room. Genma greeted the newcomers and Nodoka joined them shortly thereafter. When they were all settled around the couch, Kasumi asked, "Where's Ranma?"
"She's in the kitchen," Akane said standing up and walking in that direction. "Ranma! Toufuu and Kasumi are here!"
"I'll be right out!" came the muffled reply. A few seconds later Ranma pushed through the kitchen door and walked into the living room carrying a tray full of teacups. She was dressed in a full-length clean white apron with ruffled sleeves and had redone her ponytail so that it draped over her right shoulder and was bound with a large white bow. With her eyes squinted almost shut and her mouth held in a tiny smile she tilted her head and said, "Would anyone like a nice cup of tea?"
There was dead silence in the room for several seconds and then everyone except Kasumi burst into laughter. "What's so funny?" she asked with a deadpan expression that just made everyone laugh all the harder.
o o o
An hour later everyone was gathered around the table finishing off the big meal Ranma had prepared. The family rather naturally split up with the men at one end discussing martial arts and the women at the other discussing children. Ranma found herself in the middle, strangely torn between the two conversations.
The twins had latched onto their aunt Kasumi and now snuggled so close by her side that it made eating difficult for the young doctor. Even so, she managed to clean her plate twice. She turned to Ranma and said, "That was a wonderful meal Ranma-kun. What did you call the entree again?"
"Chili cheese-dogs," the redhead said with a bit of a grin, "It's something I had while I was in New York the last time and I've been trying to copy it ever since. I still can't find the right kind of cheese though, but I'll get it someday."
"I've had hot-dogs before, but this was more like a meal. Be sure to send me the recipe when you perfect it."
"I like the red part with rice," Hideto chimed in.
"You'll eat anything with rice," Masato teased, "You'd eat beetles on rice."
"No I wouldn't!"
"Uh huh! Beetles and centipedes and..."
"Boys," Kasumi interrupted, "would you like to see a baby that lives underwater?"
"Underwater?" they said in unison. "Yeah!"
Kasumi reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her medical PDA. She tapped the screen a few times and then held it out on the table where the boys could see it. "This is Kenta. He's five months old and has been breathing liquid ever since he was born."
"Wow!" Masato exclaimed. "It looks like he's..."
"...inside a spaceship!" finished Hideto.
"That's his incubator. It's where he's living until he gets strong enough to breath air."
"I'll bet it turns into a big robot." Hideto said.
"A giant ninja robot!" added Masato excitedly.
"Is that the little boy you were telling us about?" Ranma asked with a frown.
"Kasumi smiled and turned the screen so Ranma could see, "Yes, I had to go down to the NICU and see him one more time before I left the hospital."
Ranma looked closely at the screen and gasped, "Kasumi, his eyes are open!"
Smiling broadly Kasumi said, "Yes! He's awake and very responsive now. His lung capacity is rapidly getting to the point where they'll wean him from the LVI soon."
"So he's going to be all right?" asked Akane.
"I hope so," Kasumi said handing the PDA to the boys, who were clamoring for another look. "But I'm worried he won't ever be strong enough to have a normal childhood. He's dreadfully underweight because we could only feed him intravenously all these months."
A very huffy looking Hinako-chan said, "Teach him happou goen satsu. Being weak is no excuse for being lazy."
Kasumi looked mystified. She started to ask the little girl what she was talking about and then her eyes grew wide. She looked excitedly at Ranma, "Could that really work? Can you teach him the same technique Hinako-chan uses?"
Ranma thought about it for a moment, "Well you probably couldn't teach it to a baby and there are a few things Happosai never explained about the technique, but by the time he's three or four I might be able to figure them out."
"That would be wonderful!" Kasumi exclaimed. "I'll have to contact his..."
Just then the doorbell rang and everyone became quiet. They looked enquiringly around the table at each other. "Were you expecting anyone else, Akane?" Soun asked.
"Not at this hour," Akane said pushing away from the table. "The dojo's closed and the whole family's here."
Toufuu held up his hand, "I'll answer it, Akane." He hopped to his feet and trotted out of the room.
There was a lot of mumbled speculation until Toufuu returned. "It was a traveling salesman," he responded to everyone's question.
"A salesman?" Akane said with a puzzled look. "I can't remember the last time someone came to the door selling something. What were they selling?"
"Anything you want little-sister," Nabiki said stepping out from behind Toufuu. She slapped the doctor on the back and said, "Thanks doc, I owe you one."
"Nabiki!" cried Akane and Kasumi at once.
Seconds later Nabiki disappeared into her sisters' arms. Soun was also on his feet with tears streaming down his cheeks. "All three of my little girls have come home!" Hinako stood up and hugged him around the waist. Even she looked a little choked up.
The twins on the other hand looked completely lost and Ranma realized they might not remember Nabiki. "That's your aunt Nabiki, boys," she said with a grin. "The one who sends you the really weird Christmas gifts every year."
Everyone began to gravitate toward the living room as Ranma pulled herself up off the floor. She was just beginning to stack the dishes when she heard a chuckle. Looking up she saw Nabiki standing in the doorway with her arms stretched out. Using her thumbs and index fingers to form a rectangle she held it up towards Ranma.
"Oh what a picture this is! Back in high school Tate would have paid me a million yen for it, easy. He still loves his pigtailed princess you know, even if she has been defiled by my evil brother in-law." Nabiki grinned and walked over to take Ranma's arm. "Stop acting like Yamato Nadeshiko and get in here with the rest of us. I flew halfway around the world just to see you."
o o o
With everyone seated in the living room except Nabiki, whose excuse was she preferred to stand after thirteen hours on the plane and then another three in a taxi. Only she seemed to favor pacing back and forth even more. Her nervous behavior was not lost on her sisters or Ranma.
"Nabiki," Akane asked, "did you come over alone or is Kuno with you?"
"Oh, he came too," Nabiki said with an odd smile. "But he has to put in at least one appearance at his folks' place while we're here and he decided to get it over with right away. He'll be around tomorrow."
"Is he still working in commercial real estate?" Ranma asked. Kuno had been instrumental in acquiring many of the dojo locations in South America and Europe over the last few years.
"A little, but recently we've been into something else."
Akane looked at Kasumi and silently mouthed the word, "We?"
Nabiki stopped at the coffee table and picked up the remote control for the wall screen, "Mind if I show you all something?" She reached into a pocket and pulled out a small memory card, which she slipped into the remote. She walked over next to the big screen and hit a few buttons. The wall lit up with a scene of the rising sun.
"Ancient Japan. Land of shoguns and mystery..."
"Opps," Nabiki said hitting the mute button, "I forgot this was all in English."
As various images out of Japan's history flashed across the screen, Nabiki continued, "As we all know from the success of Anything Goes in the US, Japanese culture is really big over there right now. We've been capitalizing on that with as many web projects as we can, but the Internet is still a fickle thing. What's big today may be cyber history in six months."
A subtle shift in the quality of the images on the screen led Ranma to believe they were now seeing either live action or computer generated scenes as Nabiki rolled on, "With that in mind I've been looking for a more concrete way to cash in on our popularity. Something real and tangible that will still be there long after the Digital Dojo is just a fond memory. The answer I came up with was not only concrete, but steel, marble, glass and about five hundred other building materials."
The images were now quite obviously a high quality computer simulation of some sort of resort. There were large onsen style hot springs, big traditional rooms set up with low tables and kimono clad servers pouring sake for men in business suits, geisha girls, kabuki theaters, row after row of pachinko and slot machines, but it all looked strangely oversized.
Suddenly the image of a single cherry blossom filled the screen and Nabiki stepped back and pressed the mute button again. Dramatic music blared out of the speakers as the camera pulled back to expose more and more cherry blossoms. Soon there were more blossoms than on even the largest cherry trees and the camera still pulled back to reveal more.
The pace of the music quickened as finally the shape of a huge cherry tree emerged. Then behind it what at first appeared to be a temple came into view, but as the camera continued to pull away it was shown to be an immense hotel with traditional Japanese architectural features. It had to be at least twenty stories tall and two other huge buildings radiating to either side.
As the music reached a crescendo, giant English letters that looked somewhat kanji-like swept across the screen and the voiceover proclaimed, "Samurai! Las Vegas will never be the same!"
Nabiki paused the playback and turned to face her astonished family, "What do you think? Eight thousand rooms, twenty thousand square meters of gaming space, a real hot spring on every floor, sixteen restaurants, and an amusement park built inside a replica of Mt. Fuji. Samurai will be the first all Japanese themed hotel and casino in Las Vegas and we own it."
"You and Kuno are building a casino in America?" Akane asked in amazement.
"Well, us and about twelve other investors. You don't just pull three billion dollars out of one pocket. We have both private investors and corporations in the consortium, but the deal is we get to run it."
Kasumi shook her head, "Nabiki-chan, I can't believe you're doing something this big. How did you even come up with an idea like this and how did you talk Kuno-kun into paying for it?"
"I've never been one to settle for the small things in life, you know that. Tate and I came up with this together, we're... well... partners after all."
Ranma leaned forward. She smelled blood and went in for the kill, "What aren't you telling us about this, Nabiki? Since when has Kuno been anything to you but a sugar-daddy?"
Nabiki surprised everyone by looking hurt. She hung her head for a moment and wrung her hands together. Finally she sighed and said, "I didn't quite know how to tell you all this, but..." She held up her left hand and slowly turned a tiny gold band on her ring finger around to reveal a diamond the size of a cherry pit. "He asked me last summer and I said yes."
She was met with dead silence as eight stunned faces stared back at her in utter disbelief.
"No really," she whined, "it's not a joke... I'm engaged to Tatewaki Kuno, I swear!"
x x x
All characters in this story are a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental.
This work is copyright (c) 2006 by Juliet Carnell, it is not public domain and all rights are reserved. This work is not for publication. This work may not be reproduced, distributed or sold in any format or media. This work may not be included in any collection without the express written permission of the author. The reader may make one printed or electronic copy of this work for personal use.
Characters and story elements that have appeared in 'Ranma 1/2' are copyright (c) 1987-1996 by Takahashi Rumiko and are used here without license.
Author's Notes:
(1) amniocentesis - the procedure to extract amniotic fluid from the womb using a long needle.
(2) Pimas Indians - a native America tribe that inhabited the area that is now Phoenix, Arizona.
(3) Shogi - Japanese board game similar to chess, it is played on a 9 by 9 square board and each player has 20 pieces.
(4) genkan - the entryway into a Japanese house where you remove your street shoes, it is similar to a foyer but is usually set below the level of the house.
(5) Yamato Nadeshiko - literally translated the name means a flower from the olden days and is used to refer to the ideal traditional Japanese female housewife.
(6) onsen - spa like resort built around a natural hot spring. The word refers to the hot spring itself, but has come to represent the full experience.
(7) geisha - female traditional Japanese artist-entertainer, they wear very ornate kimono and elaborate hairstyles.
(8) kabuki - a traditional style of Japanese theater.
(9) pachinko - a gambling device similar to a pin ball machine, but upright and using hundreds of tiny steel balls.
(10) samurai - the name given to elite solders during Japan's feudal period.