October 2, 2010 (Seven years after the Storm)
"I hate my family!" Toshio Kuno growled as he sat in his library at the Nerima estate.
"That better not apply to your wife," a woman's voice warned from the doorway.
Kuno turned in his armchair to look at the entrance to the library. Nodoka Kuno stood there wearing a blue traditional dress while looking at her husband with mischievous eyes. Toshio's face became very sheepish. "Sorry, Love," he apologized.
"Just so long as you remember who your real family is," she mock scolded. Nodoka entered the room and looked at the large brandy glass in his hand. "That's not whiskey in that glass, is it?" she added with a warning tone.
Toshio gave a small smile. "No, it's wine. Would you like some?" he asked.
Nodoka nodded her head and said: "Yes, but only half that. I'd prefer to make the most of the evening." She entered the room and sat down in her chair that looked at the fireplace. The was a small end table that sat between the two chairs. One of the ninjas had lit a fire in anticipation of the Kunos' using the library. Usually, Toshio and Nodoka sat here in the evening after dinner.
Toshio raised an eyebrow. "That sounds interesting," he commented as he poured wine into a glass for her.
Nodoka's eyes were still full of mischief as she added: "We'll see… Besides I'd like to hear what your plans are for our sixth anniversary trip, so I'd rather the two of us remain sober. While yesterday was very pleasant, today was not, and you owe me."
Toshio grimaced and made a sour face. "Yeah, I owe me too," he said. Their wedding anniversary had been yesterday, and they had celebrated the day privately, but today was the "celebration" with the extended Kuno clan – a collection of uncle, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins. There were a handful Toshio liked (especially among the more distant ones), but only a handful. The rest were a bunch of greedy, grasping, and spiteful goblins forever offering backhanded compliments and plotting how to stab each other in the back. They fought constantly over the Kuno family fortune. Fortunately, Toshio had very little interest in it. He had his own fortune and had bought outright the family properties that he wanted, like the Nerima and Hokkiado estates (something he reminded his family anytime they started asking about the location of property titles).
Toshio let out a sigh. "Where's Junichi?" he asked.
His wife smiled and relaxed into the chair a little more. "Kodachi is reading stories to him in his room," she answered.
Toshio looked at the clock. "It's a little early for bed yet," he replied. "We should be with him though."
Nodoka shook her head. "It's not bedtime yet. We'll go up in a little bit. Our dear niece decided that the two of them needed an escape from all the vitriol, so she skipped out on dessert and took Junichi to the kitchens. The two of them had ice cream with the chefs and then she decided to see if she could coax a smile out of him by reading to him."
Toshio dropped his head a little. "Thank god, she was able to make it to dinner and be with Junichi," he stated. "I only wish Tatewaki had been able to make it too." Tate was away on business for the bank he worked for. He had called the couple yesterday and wished them a happy anniversary though.
Nodoka smiled in acknowledgement. "He's got his own life to lead, Love. He's doing very well too."
"I know," Toshio responded. He gave a small laugh then. "Eight years ago, he was one of my biggest problems. Today, he's a source of great pride. I wish he'd stop working at the bank though and concentrate on his degree."
Nodoka shook her head. "Again, he's got his own life," she said softly. "He wants to make his own way in the world. His degree is moving along nicely – he'll be done next summer."
Toshio snorted. "At least he and his sister are not squabbling with the rest," he said. He looked at Nodoka and asked: "Do you know if Kodachi is going to be there tomorrow?"
Nodoka nodded. "She wants to give Akane a break and she loves seeing the children. She'll be a good mother when she finds the right guy."
Tomorrow was the anniversary celebration with Nodoka's family. Toshio was careful to keep his family and Nodoka's family apart. Truth be known, he liked the Tendos and the Onos and always enjoyed the time he spent at the dojo. They wanted only two things from him – keep Nodoka and Junichi happy, and for Toshio to enjoy himself when he was with them. However, Toshio was sure that neither the Tendos nor the Onos would put up with the nonsense from Toshio's extended family. The first backhanded slight against Nodoka or Junichi would result in escalations, and, if the Kuno family didn't backdown and apologize, hospital visits. When Ranma and crew visited the Nerima estate, the ninjas were under strict orders to keep Toshio's family away, except for Tatewaki and Kodachi, who were considered part of the dojo crowd.
"I know," Toshio acknowledged. "Kodachi is very good with Junichi. She's one of the few people who can get him to smile." His face turned pensive at that.
"You're worried about Junichi, aren't you?" Nodoka asked quietly.
"And you're not?" Toshio shot back. "A five-year-old child should not be so serious all the time. He should be laughing when he plays, especially with other children."
"Yes, I'm worried," his wife told him. "He shows empathy, which is good, but not happiness."
"What did Doc Ono say at his physical?" Toshio asked.
"That Junichi seemed to be an 'old soul'," Nodoka responded. "Very mature for his age, but that there was nothing wrong with his mental state. He had none of the characteristics that created issues for Tate."
"Well, that's good news anyway. Did he say anything else?" Toshio pressed.
Nodoka sighed. "Yes, he spoke very bluntly after that. He said we need to loosen up a bit. We're keeping Junichi on too tight a leash. Junichi is caught between an adventurous side…"
"What?" Toshio burst out.
"And a desire to be an obedient child," Nokoda continued. "Since he's five, he doesn't know how to do it, so he's suppressing the adventurous side. If we don't help him find a balance, he's going to rebel, and rebel badly. Tofu added 'Just like his father'."
Toshio scowled. "I wasn't that bad!" he stated loudly.
Nodoka gave him a very direct look. "Love, you stuck your father in an insane asylum."
"I was just continuing the family tradition," Toshio said grimly.
"Well, if we don't do something, Junichi is going to continue it too," she replied evenly. Nodoka made a face. "Tofu also pointed out that I needed work too."
"And we go to him why?" Toshio pressed.
"Because he tells us the truth whether we like it or not," she answered resignedly. "Tofu reminded me that you're not Genma – you're not going to take Junichi on a ten-year training trip."
That made Kuno go silent for a few moments. "All right," he conceded. "Maybe we do hold on a little tight. But he only just turned five, and he's our child." Nodoka nodded in agreement. "So, what do we do?" he asked.
"You need to do something very un-Kuno like and ask for help," Kodachi said from the doorway in a cheery tone.
Nodoka gave her niece a small smile and said: "You're not supposed to eavesdrop, dear."
"Then close the door next time," Kodachi returned in a perky voice. "In the meantime, I'd like to take your son to the park tomorrow morning by myself – not including the four ninjas you're going to lend me."
Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "Four ninjas?" she prompted.
"Your son is the heir of Kuno Enterprises. I'm not an idiot despite my colorful past," Kodachi replied smartly. "Now, your dear son would like your attention for a while, so I suggest you go see him. Right now, I have some phone calls to make…"
Junichi Kuno held his cousin's hand as she led them through the trees. "Where are we?" he prompted.
"We are in Cherry Park," Kodachi told him with a small smile. "I wanted to see the trees before they start to change."
"When do they do that?" he asked.
"About a month from now, but I have a feeling things might get busy, so I wanted to see them now," she answered.
"Are we far from home?" he quizzed.
"Somewhat, but we are very close to your brother's house," she said.
"Oh." Junichi didn't know how else to respond to that. His brother Ranma was … old. Not as old as Daddy, but old enough. Junichi had trouble believing they were brothers, despite what Mommy said. Mind you, he liked Ranma well enough – everyone did. His supposed brother played games with all the kids and smiled a lot. Ranma's wife, Akane, was nice too; she also smiled a lot and always had a drink or snack ready when you were thirsty or hungry. Junichi once told her that she was a good cook. Then Ranma chuckled and Akane punched him in the shoulder, but Ranma didn't look hurt and Akane's smile came back awfully fast.
His brother's house was very busy anytime Junichi was there. There were always lots of people there unlike the Kuno house. Sometimes Junichi would wander off to look at the people, but he noticed that his parents were always close by. Even when he played with other kids, his parents were right there. Junichi often felt bad that they had to always check up on him, so he usually just stayed with them to not inconvenience them.
"Kodachi!" someone called out behind them. Junichi turned to see a woman a little older than Kodachi approach them. She was of average height and familiar looking, but it was somewhat hard to say what color her long hair was. It seemed to be mostly black with long section of pink and red flowing through it. Depending on how the light hit it, some of the hair appeared green beneath the trees.
Kodachi burst into a smile and responded: "Hello Akari." Then Kodachi laughed and added: "Oh come on! That's not fair at all!"
Akari continued to walk toward them with a quizzical look on her face. "What's not fair?" she asked.
Kodachi answered: "You just had Mieko four months ago. Last month you looked five kilos heavier. Now, you look like you've never been pregnant – ever."
"Actually, I looked like this last month too," Akari responded mischievously. "I wore a baggy dress to look a little heavier." At Kodachi's look she continued: "It takes Akane four months to ditch the weight. She gets a little jealous. She sits on it pretty well, but I hear her sigh now and then about it."
"It hasn't dawned on her why she might need the extra time," Kodachi asked with a raised eyebrow.
Akari smiled. "Not yet. But I'm trying to make her feel that she's not alone."
"Or, you're just trying to save Ranma the dope slaps," Kodachi responded. Akari laughed as she walked forward and hugged Kodachi. Kodachi let go of Junichi and hugged Akari back. When she released Akari, she took Junichi's hand again. "Where's Kunio?"
"He's at the farm with Ryoga and Mieko," Akari answered. "He's a little too young for this adventure. They'll be down this evening." Then she added "Everyone's set."
"Then let's get started," Kodachi prompted.
"Where are we going?" Junichi asked.
"To a playground," Kodachi replied.
"But we have a playground at home," Junichi pointed out.
Kodachi smiled at him and there was merriment in her eyes. "Not like this" she told him.
Together, the three of them walked through the park. They followed a maze of paths until they came to a huge enclosure with a high chain link fence. Inside was a large area of trees and grass. What caught Junichi's eyes though was all the playground equipment. There was a ton of swings, see-saws, huge monkey bar sets, slides, roundabouts, and sandboxes. While Junichi did indeed have a playset at home, there were many more and bigger things here. His eyes became very wide. "Can we go inside?" he practically begged.
"Of course, we can," Kodachi told him. She led them to where there was a large section of the fence was missing. There was a policeman standing in a brick koban next to the large opening. The small police box was obviously reinforced against the local Martial Artists. "Hello officer," Kodachi greeted the man as they got closer.
The officer nodded to the three and then focused on Akari. "Oh dear," he started with a grin. "It seems the Hibikis are visiting us again. I suppose you have something to do with today's events?"
"Maybe," Akari responded somewhat cheekily. Then she laughed and said "Hello Officer Kojima.
Officer Kojima smiled and said: "Sensei Tendo better keep his word. The fence was put up to remind you lot to leave the play structures alone."
"No fighting in the bounds of the fence – ever," Akari agreed. "We all know better."
The officer snorted. "True enough for your lot," he acknowledged. "I just wish some of your contemporaries would also remember."
The policeman looked at Kodachi and did a double-take. Then he laughed and said: "I'm sorry, Coach. I didn't recognize you without the uniform. The girls did very well in last Sunday's competition, didn't they?"
Kodachi laughed in return and replied: "Yes Officer Kojima, they did, and Rei performed very well." Kojima nodded and they walked past the koban and into the playground.
As they went, Junichi asked: "What's a 'coach'?"
"A coach is a teacher who teaches sports," Kodachi explained. "Your brother is a coach too. I teach in different schools, but he teaches in his dojo. Akane is a coach too and teaches with him."
"What's a dojo?"
"It's the big building next to their house," she explained. "That's where he teaches."
"Oh."
Akari led them over to a bench in front of a huge sandbox where the women sat down. Kodachi looked at Junichi and said: "We're staying here. You can look around and play if you like." Doubt filled Junichi's face, so Kodachi added: "I'll be right here. If you need me, just yell. I promise I'll be with you very quickly."
"It's OK?" Junichi questioned.
Kodachi nodded her head, so he turned around and looked at the playground. There were about a dozen kids close to Junichi's age in the sandbox playing, but the first thing that really caught his eye was an older boy building a large sandcastle at the far end of the sandbox. So, Junichi wandered over to watch. The castle was at least a meter long and way higher than Junichi's knees. The boy worked diligently with his shovel and pail to shape the castle. He saw Junichi watching him and smiled, then he went back to work. After about ten minutes, the boy stood up and nodded at his creation. Then he stood at one end and turned his back to the castle. With a shout of "Banzai!", the boy fell back on the castle, completely smashing it. Junichi gaped at the boy.
The boy turned to look at Junichi and laughed at the younger boy's expression. As he got up, the boy said to Junichi: "It's just a sandcastle. It won't last long anyway. Once I leave, someone else will smash it and build a new one. This way, I get to have the fun of smashing it." Junichi closed his mouth, but he was still stunned. The boy laughed again and said: "I'm done. Do you want a turn?" Junichi nodded his head, so the boy smiled and handed him the pail and shovel. "When you're done, just leave the pail and shovel here. They belong to the sandbox. I'm going to the monkey bars." With that, the boy left.
Junichi looked back at where Kodachi and Akari were chatting. Kodachi waved at him and went back to talking, so Junichi shrugged and stepped into the sandbox. He filled the pail with sand and tried to make a tower, but the tower fell immediately. Frowning, he tried again, but got the same result.
"You have to wet the sand," a small voice told him.
Junichi stopped and looked around. Near him, there was a girl about his age and size sitting on a bench very near the sandbox. She was wearing a green dress and had her face buried in a large children's book like the ones he had back in his room. He asked the girl: "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
The girl lowered her book hesitatingly until her eyes were visible. She had long black hair and shy green eyes. Junichi thought there was something familiar about her. "You have to wet the sand with water for it to stick together," she told him. With her book, she gestured at a small nearby fountain that trickled water. As more of her face became visible, Junichi was sure he had seen her before, but he couldn't place where.
Junichi looked at the fountain and remembered that his mother *had* wetted the sand for him to build with at the estate's sandbox. "Oh, thank you," he told the girl.
She buried her face in the book again. "You're welcome," she responded.
Junichi got up and went to the fountain. Then he returned to the sandbox and wetted the sand as his mother had done. Now, when he built the tower again, it stayed put. Satisfied, he began to work on his sandcastle in earnest, occasionally getting up to get more water. As he worked, he noted that the girl on the bench seemed to relax. She lowered the book to a more normal position and seemed to be reading to herself. Her mouth moved silently as she read. He decided she must be what his parents called "cute" and continued to work.
He had finished the main castle and was considering an extension to it, when he began to hear a song sung in a child's voice:
"The rain's let up
The sun's come out
Beyond the blue sky
Lies a rainbow"
Something about the voice tugged at his heart. He put down the pail and shovel and looked around. As he did, another verse started up:
"Let's go ahead
Find our dreams
What lies in store
Beyond the rainbow?"
Once the verse ended, he turned to the girl on the bench and asked: "Did you hear someone singing just now?"
The girl looked up shyly at him and replied: "Yes."
"Do you know who?" he asked.
Again, the girl replied: "Yes."
"Well, who?" he pressed.
She bit her lip and then told him: "You're supposed to find out yourself." He started to speak again, but the singing resumed:
"Join your hand in mine
And we're gonna be alright
Like a spell of magic
It will take us everywhere"
Curiosity burned in him now. He wanted to find out who the singer was. He looked back at Kodachi who was engrossed talking to Akari. "I'll be back soon enough," he thought. He turned back to the girl and questioned: "Is it safe?" She nodded her head. "Will you come with me?" he asked. She nodded her head again and stood up, tucking her book under her arm. "What's your name?" he prompted.
"Asumi," she replied.
"I'm Junichi," he responded and held out his hand. Asumi nodded her head and smiled nervously. Then she took his hand and he led them away from the sandbox and the bench in the direction he last heard the voice. He received confirmation of his choice as the voice started again:
"Join your hand in mine
And we feel the warmth
We smell like the sun
The way it shines on us" (1)
He and Asumi followed the voice through the trees of the park and past other playground structures full of kids. The voice continued the song, now repeating the four verses. Finally, they walked around a hedge and saw a girl singing with long blond hair sitting under a cherry tree wearing a white dress. She was about the same age as Junichi and Asumi, but she seemed to be a little taller, although it was hard to tell since she was sitting down. As they moved closer, she stopped singing and spoke in a teasing voice: "Hello Asumi. Hello Junichi."
Junichi was sure he had seen her before. Children with long blond hair that hit the ground when they sat down were extremely rare in Japan. "I know you," Juinichi stated.
The blond girl laughed. "Yes. We've met at your brother's house a few times. In case you forgot, I'm Ayane."
Junichi released Asumi's hand and turned to face her. "I met you at my brother's house too," he said. Asumi smiled hesitantly and nodded her head. He turned back to Ayane again. "You never sang like that at the house," he told her.
"Yes, I did," Ayane laughed. "I just never put any magic in it." Asumi nodded her head again.
Junichi's eyes widened. "You can do magic?" he demanded
Ayane grinned as she said: "I can make people stop what they are doing and listen to me. I can even make them come to me. Mommy took me to the doctor and he said that was all I can do. That made Mommy and Daddy very happy."
"Why did you call me?" Junichi asked curiously.
"Your brother ask us too," Ayane replied.
Junichi turned to Asumi. "You too?" he asked.
Asumi nodded again. "I'm supposed to help keep you safe." When Junichi looked at her funny, she continued: "I can get people to help us real fast if we need."
"Is Ranma here?" Junichi asked.
"Very near," a voice shouted behind him. As Junichi half-turned to see, a *huge* shaped leaped over Asumi and himself. It landed near Ayane and turned to face Junichi. The shape was a huge blue-black panther – at least three meters long without the tail. Its shoulders were easily higher than Junichi was tall. It had big claws, but its mouth was closed, and it seemed to be smiling.
Junichi should have been awed by the cat, but honestly, he was more stunned by the young girl who rode on top of the cat. Like the other two girls, she seemed to be about five years old, even though Junichi knew she would have told him she was five and a half. She had long bright red hair tied off in a high ponytail. She also had piercing blue eyes. Unlike the other girls, she was dressed in loose black jeans and wore a red tunic top a little darker than her hair. On her feet, she wore leather moccasins. "YUKI!" Junichi burst out.
The red-head smirked at him. "Hail cousin!" she proclaimed.
He scowled. "What's that mean?"
Yuki smirked more. "No need to be fussy. I'm just saying 'Hi'," she told him high-handedly.
"Where are the other two?" he challenged.
Yuki laughed: "They're around." Junichi scowled more. Now Yuki rolled her eyes. "You need to relax, Junichi."
"You're trouble," he stated.
She stared down sharply at him. "I make people loosen up. When did you get in trouble for something I did?" she shot back.
Junichi didn't know what to say to that. Admittedly, while Yuki did cause a lot of chaos at the dojo and the estate, no one ever got hurt and she always took the fall when something she did went overboard. Instead, he focused on the panther. The animal stared back at him with startling blue cat eyes – the exact same shade as Yuki's. As he watched, the cat lay down still smiling at him. "Where'd the cat come from?" he asked. "I never saw one so big." Surprisingly, he felt no fear. He figured if Yuki was safe, so was he. He saw that Ayane looked at the cat in wonder and Asumi's mouth had dropped open, but neither girl seemed to be actually scared of the animal.
Yuki leaned forward until she was laying on the cat, her arms stretched out on the animal as if giving it a hug (although her arms were in no danger of encircling the animal). She rubbed her face in its fur and said: "This is Nana."
"Ok….But where did it come from?" Junichi asked again.
"She comes from Nerima," Yuki told him.
"The Nerima zoo?" he pressed. Kodachi had taken him to the zoo one day because his mother didn't like zoos.
"No…the city," she clarified.
"Doesn't she belong in the jungle?"
Yuki sat up. The was actually a small smile instead of a smirk on her face. "No," she repeated. "She belongs to Nerima." Then she looked intensely at Junichi. "Do you want to ride?" she asked seriously.
Now Junichi's mouth dropped open like Asumi's. "W-W-What?" he stuttered.
Next: The Race
Footnote:
(1) The song is a Japanese children song titled "Niji no mukou ni" or "Beyond the Rainbow" that I pulled from the web site LyricsTranslate. I don't have much info on the song other than it was used for the ending of an episode of "Sword Art On-line: Alicization" and the song was recently recorded by the Japanese singer ReoNa.
