The Next Day: October 3, 2010 (Seven years after the Storm)
"I do! I do!" Ayane shouted as she ran to the big cat. After a few moments, Asumi moved forward too, but not as fast as Ayane. She still seemed stunned but was not afraid.
Yuki leaned forward. "Do you want to ride? Or are you scared?" she challenged Junichi without a smile.
Junichi's face flushed. He watched Ayane and Asumi hug the big cat's neck and the cat closed its eyes in contentment. Junichi lifted his chin defiantly and said: "If you can do it, I can do it."
Yuki smiled again. "We'll see…" she answered. She half-turn to look behind her and shouted: "Kenichi! Isamu! Come help us!" She waited expectantly for a minute (exactly) and then shouted: "NOW!"
"All right! All right!" a young boy's voice called back.
"We're coming!" another one shouted.
Junichi recognized both voices. Within ten seconds, two boys burst from a nearby hedge. One was slightly taller than the other. Kenichi, the taller boy, had very dark brown hair and brown eyes, while Isamu, the other boy, had black hair tied in a pigtail and had bright blue eyes (like his sister Yuki). Both of them were built very solidly despite the fact that Kenichi (who was the oldest) was not yet six years old. Isamu was the same age as Yuki, but somehow Yuki was taller than either boy (a fact that Yuki used to browbeat the other two).
Yuki looked at the two boys and ordered: "Help Junichi up. Then help Asumi."
"Hey! What about me?" Ayane protested.
"We want to ride too!" both boys shouted.
Yuki shook her head. "Nana can't carry all of us." She leaped up to stand on Nana's shoulders and turned to shout: "Mao!" The other five turned to see a white panther the same size as Nana emerge from the trees. Yuki gestured at the boys and said sternly: "You two ride Mao and help Ayane up." Yuki stood there and watched the other five freeze in their tracks as they watch Mao quietly pad over to stand next to Nana. Then Mao laid down like Nana. "Chop, chop!" Yuki commanded.
Junichi stood there with his mouth hanging open. It had finally hit him how outrageous Yuki's idea was. He watched Kenichi and Isamu shake themselves and start toward him. "W-w-w-ha-hat?" Junichi stammered.
His cousin Isamu shook his head. "No time! Up you go," Isamu told him. Isamu grabbed Junichi under one shoulder while Kenichi grabbed him under the other.
"One, two, three!" Kenichi called out as the two then practically tossed Junichi on Nana's back. Yuki helped Junichi steady himself. Then the two boys helped Asumi up; she stepped on the saddle formed by Isamu's hands and he lifted her until she could use Kenichi's shoulders to climb onto Nana. Asumi did something to adjust her dress and Junichi could see she was wearing shorts under her dress. She then sat astride of Nana. Yuki motioned for Junichi to sit astride as well, then Yuki pointed at Mao. Immediately her brother and his friend went over to Mao and helped Ayane the same way they helped Asumi. Once Ayane was seated, Isamu helped Kenichi up onto the panther and Kenichi pulled Isamu up. Isamu then sat behind Ayane while Kenichi sat up front. Yuki now sat down in front of Junichi.
Junichi was about to protest, but the two cats stood up and his words were lost in awe from his new perspective. Both cats stretched, being somewhat careful of their riders. Junichi could feel the powerful muscles move under him.
Yuki looked over at Kenichi and shouted: "Once around the park! Bragging rights to the winner!" Junichi swore he saw the white cat roll his eyes, but both animals crouched down into a leaping position. He felt something grab both his legs and press them against the animal's side. He looked across and saw Ayane smiling widely. Behind him, Asumi grabbed around his waist and held tightly.
"On your mark!" Nana called out in a woman's voice. Junichi's eyes widened in shock.
"Get set!" Mao shouted in a man's voice.
"Get ready!" Yuki yelled.
Suddenly, Kodachi and Akari stepped from behind some trees. "GO!" they both shouted.
Junichi's mouth would have dropped open in shock (again), but the two cats leapt forward. They covered an impossible distance in a single bound and then leapt the fence and ran off into the park proper. Junichi felt Asumi accidently loosen her grip as they landed and then she gasped: "I didn't fall off! I'm stuck on!"
Both cats ran side-by-side along the edges of the park. People were stunned at first to see the big cats race by, but then relaxed and shook their heads in amazement. Children who saw the spectacle began cheering and shouting, but Junichi couldn't hear what they were saying. As they ran by a ball field, the umpire called a timeout, and the players shot their fists into the air in salute. Play also stopped at the soccer fields, and, again, people shouted and cheered.
Junichi had never felt speed like this. The running motions of the cats flowed through him, making this feel very personal. He could almost feel the paws landing on the grass, expanding, and pushing off again. Yuki yelled in enthusiasm, and for once, Junichi understood her. She reached back and pulled his hand forward around her waist. "Lean forward!" she shouted. Junichi used his free hand to pull Asumi's hands further around him, and the girl responded by tightening her grip and leaning forward. Once Asumi was set, Junichi put his other hand around Yuki's waist. Yuki leaned further forward, grabbing deeply into the cat's fur. On the white cat, Kenichi was already leaning forward. Ayume was also leaning forward, but had one fist thrust into the air shouting in pure joy. Isamu grinned madly, reminding Junichi of Ranma.
The cats reached the far end of the park and ran down the north side. People sitting on benches facing the roadway turned around to see the race. Junichi could not tell who was in the lead. Some of the cars beeped their horns briefly, but many of the drivers were facing the wrong way to see the cats. The race turned the second corner of the park. Up ahead was a snack shack. The white cat grinned and shifted slightly to run around the shack. Since the black cat was closer to the road, Junichi thought the cat would have to fall in behind the white cat to clear the stand. Instead, the black cat hunched her shoulders and *leapt* the shack. Junichi heard Asumi shout "Yes!" in his ear. The white cat seemed to be shaking his head as the black cat landed, but still the cats raced.
Up ahead the park changed from fields to woods again, but neither cat slowed. Instead, they flowed around trees and leaped hedges. Somehow, they avoided people altogether. Junichi felt no jerking or falling despite the sometimes-sudden direction changes. They hit the third corner of the park and somehow the cats sped up. Junichi was no longer sure they were touching the ground, but he did not care. Instead, he let out a war-whoop. Yuki half-turned and grinned devilishly at him before she looked forward again.
They hit the fourth corner of the park, but instead of following the edge, both cats turned and ran into the interior, back toward the children's park. Before Junichi knew it, the cats had leaped the enclosure fence again and were flowing faster through the park. Up ahead, Junichi saw a line of people with their arms stretched out. Before he could really focus on them, the cats leaped the line and the people yelled: "Maomolin!"
Beyond the line, the cats ran into a clearing, skidded to a stop, and seem to fall over. There was a shimmering before Junichi's eyes and he found himself sprawled on the ground. On either side of him was Yuki and Asumi. In front of him was a woman with bright red hair breathing hard. Her eyes were closed, and she was laying on her side. The woman rolled to her back and yelled "Recount!"
A man's voice answered: "Bull! You're still a thousand years too early to out-cat me!" The woman laughed in response.
Junichi turned around to see Kenichi, Ayume, and Isamu also sprawled on the ground. He saw that Ayume was also wearing shorts under her dress. In front of them on the ground was a large man staring up at the sky and also breathing hard. His eyes were colored gold, but they were very merry looking. He looked somewhat like Ranma, but was older.
People ran into the clearing where they were. Junichi had a notion that they were the same people who formed the finish line. Asumi sprang up a shouted: "Daddy! Did you see me? I did it!" She ran to a tall man with a weathered face wearing a very colorful jacket.
Hideo smiled and picked Asumi up. "Yes, I did. You were very brave," he told her. She hugged him about the neck.
Akari walked over and stood over Kenichi. "Are you going to live?" she asked her son.
Kenchi sat up and exclaimed: "That was better than riding a pig!"
Akari laughed and said: "Don't let Katsunishiki hear that, or he'll never give you another ride."
The golden-eyed man sat up and laughed. "I've spoiled him now – He'll never be the same again."
Akari smiled and replied: "Oh good, looks like you'll live too, Maomolin. Chiyoko and your children would be very disappointed if you didn't." Maomolin just chuckled.
Inspector Ojima walked over and picked up Ayume. She hugged him and then sat back in his arms. "That was great!" she exclaimed.
Ojima made a face. "Yeah, you're too much like your mother," he grumbled. Ayume laughed. A tall blond woman with long hair strode over to them and doped-slapped him.
"I told you there was no way she wouldn't go," Ciren, his wife, told him. Ojima laughed quietly.
Junichi watched Akane walk over to where Isamu lay. She smiled down at her son and asked: "Do you have something to say to your grandfather?"
Isamu leaped up from where he lay and grabbed Maomolin about the neck forcing the man to catch the boy. "Thank you, Grandpa!" Isamu shouted causing Maomolin to wince, but the shaped-changed cat was still smiling.
Yuki jumped up from where she lay and wordlessly pounced on Nana. She held the woman tight. After a few moments of this, Nana gathered Yuki into her arms and sat up. Nana turned to Junichi and said with a raised eyebrow: "Well, Junichi?"
Junichi took a good look at Nana and asked: "Are you Mommy's sister? You look like her…"
Nana laughed and stood up still holding Yuki. "You just raced around the park on the back of a huge panther and that's the first thing you say? You *are* way too blasé about the world," she said with a smirk.
Junichi got flustered at that and blushed, but he pressed on: "Who are you?"
"This is Nana!" Yuki proclaimed as she held on tight. Junichi continued to look confused.
Nana held out her free hand. Junichi took it and let the woman pull him up. "Well Junichi, there's a good reason I look like your Mommy," Nana said. "That's because…" Suddenly Junichi felt the hand that held his grow larger almost instantly. Once more his mouth dropped open as Nana' grew taller, and her hair became black. Her shoulders broadened, and her chest shrank. Akane stepped out from behind the man-shape and seemed to be putting away a small thermos. "I'm really your brother," Ranma finished.
Junichi was completely frozen holding his brother's hand. Meanwhile Akane asked her husband: "Did you really think you were going to beat the real thing?"
Ranma grinned at his wife while still holding Yuki: "I am the real thing, Akane."
She laughed and smiled back: "Perhaps, but he's right – he's still thousands of years ahead of you."
Ranma's grin became roguish: "We'll see – I'm still a fast learner." She just shook her head and laughed again.
"Daaaddddy!" Yuki drew out. "Are you ever gonna grow up?"
"Nope," he answered. Then he let go of Junichi's hand and he gently pressed Yuki's nose. "And you've been copying Mommy a bit too much again." Akane grinned and tapped him on the top of his head.
Junichi felt the world shifting under his feet "I…I…I…" he stuttered.
"Your brother is a very powerful mage and shapeshifter," Kodachi sounded from behind him. He half turned to see her approaching. "He's also one of the world's best fighters." She picked up Junichi and continued: "When I first met Ranma, he could only shapeshift into Nana. Then he learned how to shapeshift into the panther. As he practiced, he got better and better at the panther. Now he can shapeshift into other forms as well."
Junichi's mouth was hanging open. He looked at Akane. Kodachi laughed and shut his mouth by tapping under his chin. "Akane is also a very powerful mage…" Akane held her hand out and a ball of bright light appeared floating above it. Junichi's mouth popped open and Kodachi tapped it shut again. Akane made the light vanish and put her arm around her husband. Kodachi continued: "but she's not a shapeshifter. She is one of the world's best fighters too." Akane's eyes gleamed at that.
Junichi looked at Kodachi and asked meekly: "You too?"
Kodachi chuckled a little and said: "I can do pretty well at fighting, but I'm not really in their league."
Now Akane chuckled. "Don't let Kodachi fool you though. She's an Earth mage and she's very good at it. She's the reason the gardens grow so well at your home."
"Oh," Kodachi said offhandedly. "And you're cousin Tate? He can also do magic – he's just never shown you."
Junichi's mouth worked soundlessly now. "Hmmm…I think we broke him," Kodachi noted. Junichi looked at her and then at Ranma and Akane. Then he turned back to face Kodachi and began to laugh and laugh….
"We really are brothers?" Junichi asked Ranma. They were sitting on the back porch looking out over the empty (for now) Tendo backyard. Everyone had left the park separately, but many said they would be here later. Akane was teaching a class in the dojo and Junichi could hear her calling out instructions. Kodachi was inside the house with Mother Ono watching over the Tendo children.
"Yes, we are. Your mom is my mom, so we share her blood. She had us 21 years apart though," Ranma answered before he took a sip of coffee.
"Why?" Junichi asked.
Ranma sighed. "Well, accord to the national records, my Dad died before I was born. Mom didn't find anyone she loved as a husband until she met your Dad. The hows and the whys are a long story," he stated. "Don't ask her about it though. I'll tell you when you hit high school if you still want to know."
"Why?" Junichi asked again.
"Because a couple of people hurt Mom very badly, and it makes her very sad to talk about it. Don't ask your Dad either. He loves Mom very much, so the story makes him very angry, even if it happened before he knew her."
"Oh. OK. Can I ask how she met Daddy?"
Ranma chuckled at that. "Yes, that's story's safe enough." Privately Ranma thought: "And I have no idea what version of the story you'll get…"
"Do you like Daddy?" Junichi questioned.
Ranma gave another small laugh. "Yes, I do," he answered honestly enough. "He tries very hard to take care of you and Mom, he's very loyal to family – including me, and he tries to do some good in the world." In the silence of his mind, Ranma added: "And that's all you need to know."
Junichi was silent for a couple of minutes thinking. Ranma drank his coffee and waited for the next question. "All those people at the park can do magic? Including you?" In answer to the lad's question, Ranma made a gesture and a tall mini-tornado appeared fifteen meters away. The wind ruffled Junichi's hair as the boy said "Wow…" in an awed voice. Ranma let the tornado fade away.
"Everyone at the park clearing but the kids can do some sort of magic. Most people in Nerima can't, but there are still a lot that can," Ranma answered.
"But Asumi and Ayume can," Junichi pointed out.
Ranma gave a solid laugh. "All right," he said. "Yes, they can. There are a few children that can do magic, but it usually doesn't happen until later. I couldn't do magic until I was sixteen. Akane could around ten years old, but she didn't really understand it until she was eighteen."
"Can I do magic?" Junichi wondered, his gaze drifting about the yard.
Ranma turned himself to face his younger brother. "Not yet," he stated. "Mr. Jouda, Asumi's Dad, can tell when it starts, but he didn't see it awake in you yet. Sometimes he can look at people and know it will never show, but he doesn't know about you. We'll have to see what happens. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Junichi looked up at Ranma. "I spoke to Mom and your Dad. We all think you should get away from the estate more and start visiting here on the weekends – at least for a few hours. I can start to teach you how to fight if you like – Yuki and Isamu have already started and so have some of their friends and other cousins. You could learn with them. Even if you don't want to do that, there are lots of other things to do and learn here. You can learn about magic, so if it does show up, you'll be ready for it. Even if it doesn't, you'll know how to deal with the magic around you, like your Dad does. You also have other abilities, and we can teach you to use those too."
"Like what?" Junichi asked.
"Like we know you're really smart. We can teach you to use your mind and learn very quickly," Ranma responded. "But you'll probably spend most of the time just playing and relaxing with your cousins. What do you say?"
Before Junichi could respond, there was an uproar in the house – it sounded like the living room furniture was being overturned. A shout of "YUKI!" echoed from everyone inside. Yuki shot out the back door and out into the yard. She was being chased by an extremely large fox. As Junichi watched, the fox's tail stretched and wrapped around the fugitive. Then the tail picked up the little girl and threw her across the fox's back. The fox turned around and there was a shimmering light from the fox. Now Mrs. Ono stood there with a serene look on her face. Yuki was thrown over her shoulder. There was chocolate and peanut butter smeared on the girl's face and her grin was unrepentant. Mrs. Ono calmly carried Yuki inside, pausing momentarily to tousle Junichi's hair with her free hand.
After Junichi watched them go back into the house, he turned to Ranma and said: "I'd like that a lot."
A/N: To understand Ranma's comments about his father, you have to read the rest of the continuum. In these stories, Genma (whose locked in a zoo) is still Ranma's sire, but that's not what the Japanese National Registry says. BTW, I'm aware Yuki is not Junichi's cousin; she's his niece. However, when explaining things to children, sometimes it's easier to fudge the truth a little and make the corrections when they are older. My sons have an "Uncle" who is actually their first-cousin once removed. At the time, the term "Uncle" helped them separate the thirty-five year old man from the children's' immediate first cousins who were their ages.
