Ucchan's is bustling as always, and Ranko finds herself standing on the threshold, staring in. A few patrons are looking at her, curious. No doubt it's the hair.
Most are in the uniform of Fuurinkan High, and Ranko avoids their gazes. There's something… about them. Something she doesn't really like. A pitying look.
Ranko makes her way in eventually and finds herself sitting at the grill waiting to be served. There's a very pretty waitress serving, though she stops and gives Ranko the evil eye every now and again, and that makes her shift on the stool. She doesn't know what she did to annoy the waitress – she never speaks with Ranko so she can find out.
She thinks it's probably to do with the accident and the injuries she had, or that in her hole-filled memory, something lurks there that she did before.
Though it's very annoying – she's been told any number of times she's different to before and she knows it. She remembers feeling very powerful and confident, and that's evaporated. She also remembers a lot of speaking before she thinks, but after the accident she'd had to have some speech therapy as she'd had difficulty speaking while she'd been in hospital. For a while she'd had to semi-consciously think her words before speaking them, and that habit just sort-of stuck.
Unless she gets really frustrated, though getting angry is not easy.
She knows her personality is different. Odd comments and looks for ways she thinks that don't match before. She's read that trauma and injury can cause personality shifts, so perhaps there's something happened there.
"Hey sugar!" Ukyou smiles at Ranko as she gets to the redhead and she smiles at her chef friend.
"Hello Ucchan." Ranko says, nodding. "Oh, don't make anything, I just wanted to say hello. I left the house without any money."
Ukyou grins. "Felt like wandering?"
"Mmm. I just came in to say hello, really. I wish I could go to school."
"Bad Akane day, sugar?" Ukyou asks. Ranko nods morosely.
"Yeah. I wish I know what I did that bugs her so much." Ranko says, a little bitterly. "She keeps being all funny and expecting me to know things and she knows I can't remember well."
An okonomiyaki slides in front of her with "Ranko" written on it, with a smiley face next to it. "For the road, sugar."
Ranko feels guilt. "Ucchan, I told you I don't have any-"
"On the house, Ranchan." Ukyou smiles at her. Konatsu looks over and frowns.
"You can't keep giving me free food, it's not fair." Ranko says, though her mouth is watering. "Not without me doing something for you. You've got a business to run, Ucchan."
Ukyou shrugs. "Ain't like it hurts me to give you one free okonomiyaki once or twice a week if I need to. Heck, I probably comp more of them to complaining customers than I make for you for free."
"It's still not fiscally responsible." Ranko insists. Ukyou blinks.
"Did you just say… 'fiscally responsible'?"
Ranko nods. "Y-yeah. I was reading something Nabiki-nee-san was, I wanted to try to find a way to connect with her because she's even worse than Akane sometimes. I wish I knew why everyone was so funny with me."
"Sorry sugar, I do know, but Doc Toufu asked me to not tell you yet. Says you've got some mental recovery to do." Ranko hisses in frustration. "I'd tell you if I could, sugar."
Ranko sighs forlornly. "I wish I could just go to school. I don't know why they aren't letting me, I'm recovered physically and as long as the teachers know I'm not entirely mentally recovered I should be fine…"
Ukyou ponders a moment. "I guess it's not so much what is at school as who. Some people might not like seeing you and it's better you're all recovered properly first I guess."
Ranko kicks her feet as she eats her okonomiyaki, not wishing to talk anymore. The waitress keeps giving her the evil eye, and Ranko sighs again. She wishes she knew what she did to some of these people.
People come and go as she eats until Ukyou manages to find time to stand near her again. "So what's eatin' you, sugar?" She asks, a kind smile on her face. Ranko grimaces.
"Is it that obvious?" She asks.
"Well, you've got a face like a wet weekend, so yeah." Ukyou shrugs. "Ain't hard to figure out if you left the house without a coat, money or your sunglasses. How're your eyes doing?"
Ranko shrugs. "I'll be fine, it's pretty overcast." She keeps eating and after a bit more of her okonomiyaki's gone, she speaks up. "Am I really their cousin?"
Ukyou blinks. "What?"
"Nabiki-nee-san said to Kasumi-nee-chan that I'm as much her cousin as Kasumi-nee-chan is. Which means not at all. But… I look like Akane-nee-san." She ponders a moment. "Much more than the others. I just… Kasumi-nee-chan treats me like family, but Akane-nee-san and Nabiki-nee-san don't. And now I know Nabiki-nee-san doesn't think of me as family I can't stop thinking about it."
Ukyou shrugs. "Long as I've known you, Ranko, you've been Akane's cousin."
"Who is Ranma?" Ranko asks suddenly.
"Who… told you that name?" Ukyou asks, her voice calm, but her eyes frantic.
Ranko pretends not to notice and stares out the window. "Nabiki-nee-san said to Kasumi-nee-chan about 'having forgotten Ranma already' when they were talking about me being too expensive to keep."
"Wait, you're too expensive to keep?" Ukyou tries to deflect. Ranko shakes her head.
"Apparently so. Without getting a job I'm… a drain on the resources of the home."
"Tough break, Ranchan."
"So who is Ranma?" Ranko insists on asking. Ukyou sighs.
"Someone you won't know yourself. He was your auntie Saotome's son."
Ranko ponders. "I know they lost their son but didn't know his name."
"Now you do." Ukyou shrugs. "You two were close, so it's sad to see you don't remember him."
Ranko sighs. "Maybe I will someday if people stop giving me the run-around."
Ukyou shrugs and moves to serve some newcomers to the restaurant. Ranko returns to finishing her okonomiyaki.
When she's finished, she stands and nods to Ukyou. "Thank you for the food, Ucchan." She manages a smile. "I feel a little better."
"Well that's good, sugar." Ukyou says, smiling at Ranko. "Where are you off to now?"
"I don't know. I might go and see if Doctor Toufu is in, or maybe go and see Auntie Saotome. I wanted to go shopping with her, and maybe she'll know a way I can get a job."
Ukyou shakes her head. "Probably best to avoid your auntie right now, they're still grieving."
Ranko sighs frustratedly again. "Right." She says. "Then I'll walk in the park or something."
Leaving the restaurant, Ranko rubs her hands together. It's starting to get colder. She thinks that maybe the cold didn't affect her as much. The light, too. She squints. It's cloudy, overcast and a little dark for the afternoon, but she still has to squint to see properly. Doctor Toufu says it will fade, with time.
She sits on a park bench, looking around at the happy families enjoying the early spring weather, though it still feels cold to her. It always feels cold to her now.
A moment later she sniffles and wipes her eyes.
Why can't her family be like that, all playing happy, being together?