A metafiction by Brian Randall
Disclaimer: Original source is Ranma 1/2, which is the property and creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Her paints, my easel, and the brush is borrowed without permission (hence this disclaimer) from Kenko and Chris Jones, as this metafic is inspired by 'Fair Warning' and 'The Tomboy Solution'.
Note: Fans of the above fics will probably not enjoy the effects of this one. Consider yourselves warned. Divergence. You'll know it when you see it.
------------------------------------------------------
-0-
Ranma was restless. The waiting room was mostly abandoned, just Ukyou, Shampoo, Ranma, and an elderly couple -- though, they sat on the opposite side of the room. A smattering of magazines were spread across a table in the center of the room, and Ukyou flipped through one idly.
Shampoo simply sat with her head bowed, and arms crossed. Almost as if she'd nodded off. Ukyou doubted that was the case; their plan relied on a lot of things, but their chief planner was Kodachi. Or, at least, she seemed to have the best insight into what everyone else was planning... Ukyou finally tossed the magazine of glossy wedding dress pictures onto the table.
Ranma's eyes flicked from the magazine to Ukyou, then to the clock again. Even though he sat between the two girls, he continually tapped one foot against the floor. The reverberations shuddered their way through the floor to Ukyou's seat, so she glanced at Shampoo, then put one hand on Ranma's arm. He started, briefly, then shot her a smile and stopped tapping his feet.
The Chinese girl glanced at Ukyou, shrugged, and rose. "I am getting some tea," she decided. "Something that calms nerves."
"Mugwort," Ranma replied absently. "A sprinkle of ginger, and, um, some honey to even out the taste."
Ukyou snickered, shaking her head. Shampoo rolled her eyes and managed a smile, even if they were all worried about what was going to happen to Kodachi. "For three," Shampoo agreed. "Will be back soon." She walked sedately from the room. Probably to Tofu's office, to ask him for the herbs Ranma had mentioned.
Ranma bit his lip and lowered his head, staring at the space between his feet.
Ukyou sighed, and patted his arm. He started again, slightly, then gave her a nervous smile.
"Worried?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
He sighed explosively and nodded in reply.
"I wish I could say not to," Ukyou admitted, sliding her hand down Ranma's arm, until she clasped his hand in her own. "But I'm worried, too."
"Yeah," Ranma mumbled, looking away.
"I can listen, you know," she added softly. "If you want to talk about it."
"It's..." He trailed off. "I don't think you want to hear it."
"Wrong!" she chastized, putting a smile into her voice so he'd know she wasn't angry. "I'm your friend, aren't I? Can't you trust me?"
"It's about Akane, too," he replied uneasily.
Ukyou flinched inwardly, but had expected as much. "Well, I still want to help you. So I'll still listen. And we might as well talk -- it could make the time go a bit faster."
"Are you..." He pursed his lips, then glanced at her sidelong. "I really want Kodachi to pull through," he said quietly. After a pause, he turned to face her, shifting about in the seat. She felt her heart skip a beat when he shifted his free hand, clasping hers between his. "I'm worried that this will... That Kodachi won't be okay after this. That she won't be able to ... to run, or, or nothing."
"Me, too," Ukyou admitted. Her hip was sore, but with Ranma's help she was rehabilitating herself -- if slowly. She offered a weak smile, the strongest she could manage. "And you're worried about Akane getting in trouble for it?"
"That's part of it," Ranma admitted, looking away again. "But, I'm worried about Kodachi, too. I may just be learning this stuff, but she's a great help with our homework, and I didn't really, um, know her that well before." He flinched. "Sorry," he said quietly.
Ukyou bit her lip and looked away. Kodachi's plan was for the girls to all forgive Akane. "I hope that Kodachi's okay, too. And I hope that Akane doesn't end up in more trouble, either. I mean..." She trailed off and bit her lip, looking at the hand Ranma had clasped. "I ... think that ... as bad as it might sound, what Akane did was kind of inevitable."
He flinched away, eyes widening.
"I ... I mean," Ukyou continued uneasily, "I don't think that violence should have been involved, but... Oh, Ranchan. I don't think you know how much we care about you! When Akane said I had to fight her or give up on you, I wasn't happy, but I knew what she meant -- and I couldn't give up on you." Her face colored, and she pulled her hand free of his grasp, clasping her hands in her lap. "It's kind of funny," she added in a quiet voice. "I don't think she could admit it, but Akane really liked you, too."
"She had a really funny way of showing it," Ranma finally said. "I don't like to see you fight each other."
"W...well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope Kodachi is okay because if she is, then this has kind of been a good thing. We've gotten to spend more time with you... If... Oh..." She sighed and hung her head. Words were never her strong suit.
The boy rose from his seat, and then knelt before her, resting his hands on her knees and looking up into her eyes. "Ucchan," he said, smiling weakly, "if you can look back on this afterwards and think it was all okay, then I'll be really happy. I, uh..." He trailed off and looked to one side, not able to meet her gaze. "I guess I'm not so good at reading people ... but I always thought you were my friend. I guess I was right about that, at least. Thanks, Ucchan. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Then he rose and gave her a gentle hug, being careful not to jostle her hip. Her voice wandered off somewhere -- somewhere far away -- until he released her and sat back down at her side with a smile.
-1-
When she returned to the waiting room with tea, Shampoo wasn't entirely surprised to see that Ukyou was holding one of Ranma's hand. Of course, just because she had decided that war wasn't the answer, and that she would settle for being Ranma's friend ... didn't mean she was going to give up. Clearing her throat, she set the tea service in the seat next to Ukyou.
The okonomiyaki chef started upright, releasing Ranma's hand with a guilty expression. Ranma looked bewildered, and then away, bowing his head.
Well, Shampoo thought to herself, that didn't seem to help. "Tea!" she said in her sweetest voice, pouring a cup for each of them. After she took her own seat, opposite Ukyou, she sighed. "Anything happen?" she asked, nodding towards the doors leading deeper into the hospital.
"N...not yet," Ranma said, shivering.
"Something wrong?" Shampoo and Ukyou asked together, before their eyes met briefly.
"I just got a bad feeling, is all," Ranma mumbled, setting his empty teacup down. Shampoo gave Ukyou an encouraging nod, and then clasped the hand that was closest to her.
"Will be okay," Shampoo encouraged. "Doctors here is very good."
"I guess so," he said, unconvinced.
Ukyou hesitantly took his other hand. "We're all here for her," she said softly. "Right?"
"Y...yeah," Ranma managed, smiling weakly, glancing between the girls before his gaze sank to his feet. He gave their hands reassuring squeezes and said, "You're really good friends, you know that? I mean... Uh, that is..."
Shampoo gave a smile she couldn't feel; she felt a sense of wrongness, too. Ukyou's expression betrayed that Shampoo and Ranma were not alone, before she forced a smile as well. "We're together. And as soon as Dachi-chan gets better-"
But that was when the door to the operating area open, and all three fell silent, holding their breaths. Tofu stepped into the room, casting a doubtful glance over his shoulder. Heaving a sigh, he strode towards Ranma, then stopped, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "Ranma," he said slowly, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
Ranma's eyes were wide, and his breathing was growing erratic. Ukyou and Shampoo clung to him as much to reassure themselves as to show their support. "Wh...what's going on?" Ranma asked, his voice hitching. "Is Kodachi going to be okay?"
"She's going to live," Tofu reassured the three, massaging his temples with his head bowed. "But there has been a complication. It's ... probably actually better to find out now, rather than later. However, it seems that Kodachi had a very poor reaction with the first of the artificial vertebrae replacements. Worse, to install it, we had to remove the shattered vertebrae. Do you know what this means?"
"S...so," Ranma said, his voice unsteady, "she's going to be okay, but now she's going to be stuck in traction again, because it's not safe for her to move her back until that's taken care of?"
"That's right," Tofu agreed. "But now, she's going to have to recover while we consider alternatives. The remaining option at this point..." He hesitated, then glanced at Ukyou and Shampoo. "Understand that this would typically violate doctor-patient privacy rules ... but Kodachi wanted you all told everything if anything went wrong. The only option left to her at this point is to shave other bones, and then line her spine with the bone chips. Ideally, those would then heal-"
"Fused solid," Ranma interjected. "So ... you're saying that ... unless there's some sort of miracle..." He swallowed, unable to continue. Shampoo and Ukyou exchanged an unsteady glance. "She's never going to be able to fight or do gymnastics again."
"This doesn't preclude a fully functional lifestyle," Tofu objected, though it sounded weak and hollow to Shampoo. In fact, she couldn't see the situation getting much worse. Not unless-
Again, rumination was interrupted by a door slamming open. This one leading outside, to the exit. Standing in the entryway, dripping wet, with dirty and torn clothing, was Tendo Akane. She raised her head, water clinging to her hair, spilling across her face like tears. "Am I in time?" she asked in a hesitant, wavering voice. She flinched away at the sight of Ranma between Ukyou and Shampoo, bowing her head.
"W...what are you doing here?" Ranma half asked, half snarled. Shampoo could feel the boy's tension through their clasped hands, and bit her lip.
"I brought this," Akane said weakly, holding out a small plastic container of green goop. "From Ryugenzawa."
The energy charging Ranma abruptly flickered, changed. And Shampoo found something else to worry about.
-2-
He was confused. So, since he hadn't had much time to himself lately, he took a day off. Shampoo was helping Uykou out at her restaurant. Kodachi was still asleep, thanks to the medications she was on. Tofu had given Ranma a pager -- the doctor's own, as a matter of fact, but Tofu insisted he never used it. If Kodachi were to wake up, then it would let Ranma know.
But until that point, Ranma was free to throw away as much nervous energy as he could, until he calmed down. So he was roofhopping, taking the long, running leaps in a circuit around Nerima. It orbited the Tendo home at a radius of four blocks, the Neko-hanten and Ucchan's Okonomiyaki in a two-block figure-eight, and then a long loop all the way to Nerima General, which he circled at a respectful three block radius.
He was on his seventh lap, trying to vary his course, when he spotted a familiar looking tent in an abandoned clearing. "Perfect," he muttered, altering his route. Ryouga was always dependable for a good, wearying sparring match. He landed in front of the stove, then froze, blinking.
Not what he had expected.
A kid who was about ten years too young to be Ryouga looked up in surprise. He was dressed in an oversized shirt, but otherwise... "Hibiki?" Ranma asked, squinting at the bandanna.
"Y...yeah!" the kid admitted, nodding. "But... I'm surprised you recognized me, Saotome."
Ranma blinked again. Why was it that when the universe gave him what he expected, it somehow delivered it in an unexpected manner? A furtive part of his mind tried to expect a miracle cure for Kodachi, but he squelched it. He was looking for a distraction, and one showed up. "So ... what, you pissed off some witch, or something, Ryouga?" He sank to a sitting position on the opposite side of the stove Ryouga was using to heat his water.
Ryouga scowled.
-3-
After he'd finished relating the entire story to Ranma, Ryouga settled back on his heels while Ranma looked thoughtful. "Funny," he finally said. "Normally, I'd offer to try and help out, maybe see if the Tendo family could take you in for a bit, but right now, I dunno what to say." He shook his head. "Wait. Tofu-sensei might have an idea." He stood up and dusted his hands on his knees. "Anyway, it's probably best that someone helps you out and keeps an eye on those mushrooms. Who knows what could go wrong with your wandering habit?"
Ryouga winced. But for once, Ranma was being less of a jerk than usual. Still... "I couldn't let Akane-san see me like this," he mumbled. "Who's Tofu-sensei?"
"The doctor who's helping out the girls Akane beat up," Ranma said absently. Then he shook his head again. "Okay, kiddo. Pack up -- I'll take you to Tofu-sensei."
"I'm not a kid!" Ryouga protested, growling internally when he reflexively stuck his lip out with his complaint. "S...stop treating me like one," he sniveled. What an annoying curse! It was worse than Ranma! ...especially since Ranma was being -- oddly -- helpful, for once.
"Yeah, well... Anyway, he should be finished looking at the moss of life by now. And I need to find out if there's enough there for Kodachi." Ranma shrugged and began breaking down Ryouga's campsite, packing everything away swiftly.
Before he could really raise a complaint, Ryouga found himself tucked under one of Ranma's arms as the larger and (now) older boy hurtled through the sky towards this Tofu character. Shortly, they landed before a tiny clinic, and Ranma led him inside.
The interior was brightly lit, welcomingly so, and a bespectacled man that Ryouga vaguely recognized was going over some ancient looking pieces of paper at his desk. "Hello, Ranma-kun," he said, raising his head. "Oh, is this a friend of yours?"
"Long story short, cursed aging mushrooms," Ranma offered. "This is Hibiki Ryouga, and he's actually the same age as me."
"I don't think they're cursed. Just ... you know ... aging mushrooms," Ryouga muttered. "I have some in my backpack."
"Well," Tofu said, raising an eyebrow. "That's an irony. Why don't you two take a seat? I'll get some tea."
When the doctor left, Ranma stretched and set Ryouga's pack on the floor. "What's this about Akane-san beating up other girls?" Ryouga asked, balling his hands into fists and placing them on his hips. He hoped he managed to make an imposing six-year-old.
Ranma grimaced and shook his head. "You'll find out," he muttered, sinking into one of the seats.
Usually, Ryouga would take this as the cue for violence against Ranma. But now Ranma was much larger, and Ryouga had to admit ... less of a jerk than usual. so he decided to let it slide. Especially since Ranma hadn't refused to explain, just deferred it. Still: "I expect to find out sooner-or-later," the young lost boy warned.
"I'm sure you will," Ranma returned flatly, giving Ryouga an annoyed glance.
Tofu returned then, giving each of the boys a teacup and sitting down. "Now," he said, turning to look at Ranma, "I've gone over what Akane brought back from Ryugenzwa-"
"Ryugenzawa!" Ryouga exclaimed, his heart hammering as he thought of Shinnosuke stealing Akane away again. "Why was she there?"
"Calm down," Ranma snapped, shooting Ryouga a scowl before his attention returned to the doctor.
Tofu cleared his throat. "Yes," he continued. "Ryugenzawa. At any rate, I've gone over what she brought back, and while it does have miraculous properties, there isn't enough for Kodachi. According to the papers that Koh-Lon and I could find, the moss of life can restore broken bones, and even grow new ones. But it takes a significant amount, and ... well ... unfortunately, since we removed the damaged vertebrae already, we can't mend them now. The hospital disposed of them since they had initially assumed they weren't required."
Ryouga's head swam. He vaguely remembered Kodachi -- a dangerous, scary girl who didn't like Akane. How had she become so badly injured?
"Damn," Ranma swore, massaging the bridge of his nose with one hand and bowing his head. "Damn! So there's nothing we can do? Can we... Can we use some of it, and get more later?"
"We might, I suppose," Tofu hesitantly agreed. "But then, she'd still be in traction until everything was taken care of. Aside from which, the hospital staff is unlikely to cooperate with us without proof. And proof would end up costing us more of the moss. And then they might appropriate it, and then there would be other problems. If we were to do it, we would need Kodachi transfered into private care -- presumably, here. And then I could do it. But I don't know if she would be able to be as comfortable here as she would be at the hospital."
"Oh, damn it all," Ranma groaned.
Ryouga's bewilderment increased; why would he rub his eyes? It wasn't like Ranma could be ... crying ... was it? And certainly not over Kodachi?
"It's not hopeless, though I have to admit, the new possibility is also a concern," Tofu offered hesitantly. "Now, the issue is mass. Relative mass. If Kodachi were younger -- say, a six-year-old girl ... then the moss would easily account for her bone-mass."
Ranma jerked upright, his eyes widening. "Is... Would..." He turned to look at Ryouga. "How are you feeling?"
"What does this have to do with me?" he asked in confusion. "And, anyway, what happened to Kodachi?"
"Akane," Ranma answered. "Akane broke Shan-chan's arm, Ucchan's hip, and Kodachi's back."
The room spun briefly, before Ryouga snorted. "Then, they shouldn't have attacked her," he declared.
Ranma was on his feet in an instant, but Tofu was faster, and pushed Ranma back into his seat. Ryouga frowned to see that even though the doctor pushed Ranma ... it was only because Ranma let him. Who was this doctor, then, to be so important that Ranma would let him be pushed around like that? Ranma didn't even let his own father tell him what to do, outside of training.
"Let's discuss that later," Tofu said softly. "This is a serious issue. Now, if Kodachi is reduced to the age of a six-year-old, then we could use the moss -- in addition, as a six-year-old, she would heal faster. Children do. But before we do that, we need to find out if she's willing to become six years old and start over again."
"I think she'd do it," Ranma said, as the doctor returned to his seat. "I'd ask her first, though."
"Of course."
"It's not permanent," Ryouga said, shaking his head. "Eat a bigger mushroom, and you turn back to your proper age. It's just taking a while to grow one that's sixteen centimeters."
"That sounds better. But this still isn't without risks. Ranma, I want you to ask Koh-Lon about this, and get her opinion."
"Okay. I'm going to-" Ranma cut off as a beeping sound began to echo from his pocket. He fumbled for a moment with some electronic device before smiling. "Okay. I'll go to the hospital first-"
"No," Tofu said, shaking his head. "Koh-Lon first. If it's dangerous, Kodachi will need to know. And I think it might be."
"Right," Ranma said, handing the device to Tofu, who pressed a button to silence it. "Okay, Sensei. Um ... can I ask you to help keep an eye on Ryouga?"
Tofu's eyes turned from Ranma to the young lost boy. "I'll find somewhere he can stay," he said genially. "Now go along, Ranma." And with that, he was gone.
Ryouga frowned. "I guess you want some of the mushrooms?"
"Certainly," Tofu agreed. "I'll want to study them. And if you need them grown, I just happen to be able to do that here."
"Okay," Ryouga said unenthusiastically. "I guess I'm staying with you?"
"Oh, I know somewhere you might be able to stay more comfortably," Tofu said with a smile.
-4-
Cologne crossed her arms over her chest after hearing Ranma's frenzied explanation. The doctor's plan was a bit odd, and not at all something she'd expected him to stumble across... The aging mushrooms, of all things! Such a dangerous, tempting thing to have lying around.
She'd never expected to run into them twice in her life. "Take a seat," she advised. "Tea?"
"No thanks," Ranma answered, taking a seat as ordered. The Neko-Hanten had reduced its hours of operation so that Shampoo could help Ukyou out. Cologne had more than enough money without the restaurant, but it was starting to look bad running it as few hours as she did. And she couldn't use Ranma to help out, since he'd taken so many other obligations up. What time they did have together was devoted to learning herbs and cures ... and much to her delight, Shampoo had started teaching Ranma Chinese.
He was rough, but a quick learner when driven. A bit overcautious, but she'd rather that than too headstrong, especially in the field of medicine. Still, her plans had involved corralling Kodachi into helping out by offering a Joketsuzoku answer to her injury. Something far beyond Ranma's skill level at the moment ... but the doctor's proposed solution would save that trinket for a more needed day.
She sighed. "I believe that if Tofu and I work together," she said cautiously, "then we can make a compound. The real issue here is that it won't be safe for Kodachi to resume her own age until she's fully healed. We can do what we can, but that's going to be at least two months. So she has to be willing to stay a child for that long. The mushrooms on their own won't cause injuries, but reducing someone's age, healing them and then aging them... Too much stress, too many energies at once. One thing at a time, and then I think it's safe to say that we can do it." And if something went wrong, well, Cologne still had that ace up her sleeve -- so to speak.
Ranma sagged visibly, giving her a grateful smile.
"However," she cautioned. "You're going to need to keep an eye on her. And aside from the medical issues ... there are the social and political issues. No one is going to believe that Kuno Kodachi has suddenly turned into a child. So-"
"Tofu had some ideas about that," Ranma said dismissively. "And I bet she'll have more. Okay. Um ... I'm going to go get Shan-chan and Ucchan, then go tell Kodachi."
"Good plan," she agreed, smiling ruefully. She'd call the doctor herself ... the boy's heart was in the right place.
-5-
"S...so," Ranma said, his hands trembling faintly with nervous energy, "if ... you're willing to try it, then we might be able to do something after all."
"Great-Grandmother says Kodachi spend two months as child?" Shampoo asked, cocking her head to one side and considering. "Where Kodachi stay?"
"With me!" Ukyou said quickly. "I mean, um, Ranchan's got to keep an eye on me anyway, and I'm sure my place will be better than having to deal with her nutjob brother, right?"
"W...wait," Ranma protested, shaking his head. "Kodachi has to agree to this first, and-"
"I have no clothes that fit younger Kodachi," Shampoo said slowly.
"Good point," Ukyou said, nodding, "'Dachi-chan, you should see if you can get some of your old clothes from your family, first."
"I could do that," Kodachi admitted, her cheeks coloring faintly. "But many of my older outfits are in poor repair."
"No sweat!" Ukyou cheered from her seat at the foot of Kodachi's bed. "I'm good with a needle."
"Well, in that case, I think I will undertake this procedure, then," Kodachi agreed.
Ranma bit his lip, then snorted and shook his head. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "If that's what you want. Tofu-sensei?"
"Right," the doctor said with a wince. "Well, this is going to be a bit tricky. First, Kuno-san, we're going to need to transfer you to a private care ward -- that will be my clinic. After that, we will administer the aging mushroom, and apply the moss of life. Based on my studies, you'll need to be careful, but will be able to move freely as soon as a week has passed. Still, I want you to be very careful."
"Then," Kodachi said slowly, her eyes lingering on Ranma for a moment before going to Tofu, "I will be able to walk again in a week. These last two months have been difficult ... but I will welcome this change."
"Very well," Tofu agreed with a nod. "But then, if you want to speak with your family, you'd probably best do that first. It may become difficult to explain your situation to them after you become a child again."
"I'd honestly rather they didn't know about this at all," Kodachi said with a grimace. "I will speak to my brother, because I cannot defend myself from my father, and it would be good to have my old clothes."
"Defend yourself?" Tofu asked cautiously, eyes widening.
"My hair," Kodachi clarified.
"Her dad's got a weird thing about haircuts," Ranma offered with a shrug. "Anyway, Kodachi, do you want me here when you talk to Tatewaki?"
"I might like that," Kodachi admitted, her blush returning, her eyes unable to meet his.
"And then you can stay with Ranchan and I," Ukyou said, smiling brightly. "When we're at school, Shan-chan can keep an eye on you. We'll be like one big happy family!"
"Family," Kodachi murmured, her eyes losing focus, looking distant.
"Say," Shampoo said with a frown. "Where did the age-changing mushrooms come from, anyway?"
Ranma shrugged, saying, "I ran into Ryouga, and he's the one who'd actually found 'em."
"Really? Where is he, anyway?"
Biting his lip, the boy raised an eyebrow and turned a questioning glance at Tofu. The doctor chuckled, shaking his head. "He's in good hands," he assured the girls. "Now, Kodachi, I'll arrange for your brother to visit, if you'd like."
-6-
Ryouga rubbed his shoulder. He didn't really know Tofu terribly well, but he was sure that the doctor was usually gentler when Kasumi wasn't around. Still, he had nothing to complain about. Ranma wasn't staying with the Tendo family anymore, which meant that Akane was free of him -- finally. The only problem with Ryouga confessing his feelings to her at the moment was due to the fact that he was only around a meter tall.
And, irritatingly, as time began to wear on, Ryouga found himself occasionally slipping into childlike habits. Still, Kasumi was more than capable of keeping an eye on him. "Will Akane-san be home soon?" he asked.
Kasumi looked up from the soap-opera, which Ryouga found boring beyond belief. He'd much rather watch ... pretty much anything, really. Anything at all. Except maybe some of those girly animes. Those were too much like the soap opera he was already watching.
Pursing her lips, the eldest Tendo daughter looked at the clock on the wall. "She should be getting out of school in just a bit," she said. "But it takes a few minutes longer to walk home. I would say in about twenty minutes, Ryo-chan."
One of Ryouga's eyebrows ticked. 'Ryo-chan' was going to take adjusting to. What an irritating moniker. He could hardly wait to outgrow it. At least that Tofu character was growing the mushrooms that would eventually cure him. Still, once Akane was back, he'd be able to talk to her, and could ignore the stupid show that Kasumi enjoyed.
"Thank you," he said, quietly, before going back to glaring at the screen. The worst part about it all, he thought, was that he had to read the subtitles to even understand what was going on. Stupid foreign shows.
Kasumi sighed at the exchange between two characters on the screen, shaking her head and 'tsk'ing. "So," Ryouga asked, squinting, "why does that lady dislike that guy so much?"
"Oh!" Kasumi said, smiling brightly at Ryouga as the show cut to a commercial break. "Well, that lady is Erica Kane, and..."
Ryouga had the brief apprehension that he had just gotten himself into some sort of terrible trouble. He vowed right then and there that he'd do his level best to avoid ever watching another episode of 'The Young and the Restless' as long as he lived.
-7-
Changing schools mid-semester had been an awkward, embarrasing proposition. For one thing, while she occasionally passed her friends on the the way to school or back home, she didn't share classes with them anymore. That turned out to be a bigger upset than she had initially expected.
Moreover, while she'd never bothered explaining to her new classmates why she had transfered, rumors got around anyway. Much to her surprise, since Kodachi had also left, this actually generated Akane a small bit of rather embarassing celebrity.
Kodachi had not been terribly popular with any of her classmates, outside of those who worked with her in the Rythmic Gymnastics club. And even they weren't unhappy to see the end of the Kuno girl. Unfortunately, the newfound fame and congratulations were more a source of shame and embarrassment to Akane than anything else.
Even if they wanted to cheer her on for 'putting that prissy so-and-so in her place', Akane heard every word echoed by one of Ranma's last words to her. And that figured into her thinking more heavily than anything else.
Still, after the first two weeks she'd settled in well enough. The school was out of reach of Happosai's reign of terror, at least, usually. He was an occasional nuicance, and only actually showed up once, so far. And some of her classes were a bit further ahead, some further behind, which made struggling to catch up a bit of a chore. But her new classmates were happy to help her with after-class study sessions to help their 'hero idol' catch up.
Akane tried to accept their help as little as possible, in light of that, which ended up giving her a reputation as a very humble, honest girl. She hadn't expected that, but the rumor mill had a way of distorting things. They all saw her enrollment as a prize for beating Kodachi. She doubted any of them actually knew how badly Kodachi had been hurt, but didn't want to talk about it, either.
The rest of the rumors, which made her wince, were only reinforced after she was banned from home economics. She was a tough martial artist girl who had lost her fiancee to Kodachi, and after winning the fight, still hadn't gotten him back. Her consolation was enrollment at the prestigious St. Hebereke.
She walked through the gate, nodding at the headmistress as she oversaw the entrance. Presumably to keep boys out, and maintain the student's purity. Akane doubted the elderly woman could do much more to ward anyone off than complain feebly, but still gave what cheer she could in a smile. The woman smiled back.
After school, of course, and a contributing factor to her supposed humility, since it precluded joining any clubs, she had training. Three days a week were spent with Genma, who assured her continually he was going easier on her than Ranma. That meant essentially long hours of humiliation while Soun stood by and sobbed.
Aggravating as that was. Two days a week were spent with her father and Happosai, which she'd rather avoid ... but the old man did little more than lecture her on martial philosophy, while her father firmed up her basics. One day a week was to be spent with Nodoka, who was certain she could teach Akane too cook, sew, and other important duties for brides.
Akane was less certain than Nodoka that this would be successful, especially at winning Ranma back. But it had been part of Cologne's plan, after the Ryugenzwa expedition, so she was stuck with it. The last day would be hers alone, and so far she planned to spend most of it sleeping to recover from the week's work.
"Apologizing is hard work," she sighed to herself, realizing she'd spent the entire walk home in a dark funk contemplating her limited free time. "Saotome-no-ojisan?" she called cautiously. Sometimes, he didn't wait for her to change, insisting that a true martial artist had to be prepared to defend themselves at any time.
Those were the worst, because they were inevitably followed by Kasumi chastising her about taking poor care of her clothes. At least, she thought, as she stepped inside and kicked off her shoes, she didn't have to worry about Kuno Tatewaki anymore. "I'm home!" she called out, hearing Kasumi deep in conversation, one-sided as it sounded, about one of her favorite American shows.
"Oh, Akane-chan! You must meet our guest -- Tofu-sensei said that Ranma asked you to take care of him!"
Akane frowned, putting her hands on her hips. This would be interesting.
-
Author's Notes: I always liked Janet best. Didn't like how they wrote her out last time, though. :\