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-
Even with a few days to consider what Akane had admitted to, Nodoka's head swam with the weight of it. Akane was someday going to be Ranma's wife, after all, and Nodoka didn't like the idea of her fine, upstanding, gentlemanly (and very manly), son marrying a woman with a violent reputation.
She had to admit that she wasn't certain Ranma did have those qualities ... but it seemed a reasonable assumption; Genma had promised, after all.
Still, the matter at hand was to help educate Akane in those areas she was lacking, to help the poor bride-to-be to overcome her shortcomings and be the wife she wanted to be for Ranma. And while Nodoka's plans should have loomed importantly in her mind, they were overshadowed by a slow realization. Or a sudden realization that she was only slow to let herself consider.
Akane had put three other girls in the hospital. By the time Nodoka had heard about it, of course, two of them had been released. At least, that was what Cologne had said when she'd introduced herself, and given Akane the first of what would undoubtedly be many tasks to earn the forgiveness of the remaining two girls. But she'd also mentioned that Ranma had been taking care of the other girls ... helping watch over them at the hospital, and in their own homes.
That seemed to fit Nodoka's hopes for how her son had turned out, but more importantly ... it meant that if Nodoka were to visit any of the girls, she had a chance of meeting her son!
Or at least, that had been her hope. When she'd finally gone, a kindly nurse had informed her that the last remaining girl (her name was Kuno Kodachi), had been transfered to a private practice. But this was her son; Nodoka wouldn't be balked by a recalcitrant nurse! It took a bit of wheedling, and some of the indignant fury that only a mother who hasn't seen her only child in ten years could summon, but ultimately, she'd been able to find out where Kodachi actually was.
Even if she couldn't find anything else out about the girl.
So, all that remained was to visit her, which would be conveniently not too far from the Tendo household, where she could then visit Akane! It was such a perfect plan that Nodoka was convinced that nothing could go wrong.
-1-
After the first day of the operation, Kodachi became very restless. Tofu's clinic was capable of housing her for her recovery, but hadn't been assembled with that in mind; her room had a comfortable enough bed (for a traction frame), but no television. There was a radio, but once the Full Moon Music Hour ended, there wasn't much that Kodachi was interested in listening to.
And of course, Ukyou was at school with Ranma in the mornings, and Shampoo was helping her great grandmother out at the Neko-Hanten. Once school let out, the girls would go to Ukyou's restaraunt to prepare for the evening rush; Ranma would help out at the Neko-Hanten and manage deliveries until it was time for him to meet up with the girls at Tofu's clinic ... and time for homework.
After that, Kodachi would wait, the other girls would go back to Ukyou's and get what business they could, and Ranma would study his medicinal scrolls and talk with her. He only had so long, of course, because then he needed to take Ukyou to the Neko-Hanten to wash, and that left him doing chores and probably squeezing in some study time with Cologne. After that, he got to take Ukyou back home, and collapse, only to wake up early enough to repeat the entire cycle.
All-in-all, it was very irritating for Kodachi, because Ranma was already stretched so thin as it was. Being the size of a five-year-old wasn't exactly the greatest thing in her mind, either. At least she was still herself ... aside from minor vocabulary slips, and a tendancy to want to pout, or giggle.
Tofu had left the radio on while tending his other patients. Within shouting distance if she needed, but she didn't want to distract the man after all he'd done for her so far. Still, she blinked at the mention of Ranma's name, unintentionally eavesdropping on a conversation:
"...Ranma has been looking out for her?"
"Well..." The doctor seemed uncertain, before continuing. "Yes, that is the case, but I'm afraid he's not here at the moment."
"Oh," the first speaker ... a woman, and not a terribly old one, Kodachi judged, said, crestfallen. "W...well, at any rate, would it be possible to speak with the young lady?"
Kodachi furrowed her brow. Who was this? Why did they want to talk to her? Tofu hesitated again, and then allowed, "I can ask her if she'd like a visitor. Please, wait here."
A moment later, the doctor slipped through the curtain covering the doorway and gave Kodachi an apologetic smile. "Hello," he began, in a quiet voice. "Ah, I'm not sure how much of that you heard, but Ranma's mother is here, and was wondering if you had a moment to speak with her."
Until that moment, Kodachi had been prepared to dismiss the visitor. But Ranma's mother? She'd never had a chance to meet the woman before. Her strange condition would be difficult to explain, but then ... surely Nodoka understood that. Her son had a curse to change gender, after all! And how could she pass up the opportunity to meet with the woman who could be her mother-in-law some day? "I... I'd like to meet her," she said earnestly.
Tofu blinked, then nodded. "I'll show her in," he said needlessly, before vanishing to do just that.
Kodachi anxiously wondered how she looked. She was wearing one of her black gowns, and the other girls had spent some time brushing her hair out before school; as a five-year-old, it ran down to just past her knees, and they'd arranged it on the bed around her. By the mirror, it looked quite pretty. For a five-year-old, at least.
She worried about the impression she'd make ... but Nodoka likely knew what was going on, and behind everything else, it was dreadfully boring. On the bright side, she didn't need to be on any pain medication; the moss seemed to handle that quite well. Thinking of that, she seized onto a smile and tried her best to beam at the woman who entered her room.
Ranma's mother had aged well, or had Ranma when she was closer to her son's age than was usual, Kodachi judged at a glance. The resemblance between her and Ranma's cursed form was instant and unmistakable. "Hello!" she said as cheerfully as she could manage. "You must be Ranma-chama's mother!" Drat, she cursed herself inwardly. That same childish slip again... Nodoka stared, obviously stunned at the gaffe. "I'm sorry I'm not at my best," Kodachi tried uneasily, before Nodoka roused herself, shaking off her dismay.
"N...no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "There's nothing to apologize for, Kodachi-chan." Tofu indicated the stool at the foot of the bed -- the one Ranma usually claimed, and then excused himself silently. Nodoka sat carefully, before giving Kodachi a scrutinizing examination.
The girl couldn't help but blush. Well, it wasn't her fault...
"I... That is..." Nodoka seemed to be having trouble with her words. Was it that she found Kodachi unsuitable for her son already?
She bit her lip in dismay, but Nodoka coughed quietly and started over again before she could offer another apology.
"Kodachi-chan, how did you end up in such a condition?"
This was worthy of a pause. Nodoka didn't know about the mushrooms after all? Hadn't Tofu mentioned it? "What do you mean?" she asked, deciding it would be best to be clear. And honest. Nodoka would probably make a good mother-in-law, after all.
"Did... Is it true that Akane..." She trailed off, then coughed again, unable to hide a look of dismay. Finally, she blurted out, "Did Akane do this to you?"
So that was it. Well, that made better sense, at least. "Um... It's my fault," Kodachi admitted. "I challenged her and wouldn't back down. So ... she did this to me." She looked away, thinking. "Ranma-chama said I shouldn't have blamed myself," she said quietly. "He said that Akane didn't have to do this to me to beat me, but it's mean to say it's all her fault."
Nodoka blinked several times, then nodded slowly. Finally, she managed a smile. A radiant one, too; it rather reminded Kodachi of the smile Ranma had given her when... "You're certainly a well mannered girl," Nodoka said. "But I think Akane owes you rather an apology. Have... Are your parents upset with Akane at all? I hadn't heard anything from her about it, but..."
"My father is the principal of Furinkan," Kodachi said, wishing she could nod. "He expelled Akane. There was an argument, but I got her sent to Saint Hebereke, instead of suing."
Nodoka blinked again, then shook her head. "How did you meet my son, Kodachi-chan?"
Blushing again, Kodachi smiled at the happy memory. "I fell off a roof, and Ranma-chama saved me; he was the first person to show interest in my regard." Then, she blurted out, "And I knew I wanted to marry him right then."
The woman laughed softly, one hand rising to press against her cheek. "You are a precious girl, aren't you? Oh, Kodachi-chan... I had no idea that... That is to say..." She trailed off, her smile fading. "I had resolved to teach Akane the ways of a proper wife. How to cook and clean, and, well, that sort of thing." She bit her lip. "I think she has a rather long way to go before I can declare her suitable for Ranma."
Kodachi bit back a grin, but was unable to prevent a giggle from escaping. At Nodoka's curious glance, she quickly asked, "Oh, c...could you teach me, too? I want to learn how to be a suitable bride for Ranma-chama!"
Nodoka laughed at that, wiping at her eyes. Her laugh was gentle and caring, and reminded the girl so much of her own mother's laugh ... so much warmth. She'd tried to copy it, but felt that her efforts somehow always fell short. "Oh, Kodachi-chan, you're so precious! But doesn't your own mother wish to teach you those things?"
Already put in mind of the woman, Kodachi turned her eyes away and sighed. "Mommy passed away a long time ago," she mumbled. Ten years ago, to be exact, but Kodachi doubted Nodoka would care about those specific details.
The woman's eyes widened. "I... I didn't know," she began softly. "S...still, your father visits you, doesn't he?"
If it weren't for the frame holding her in place, Kodachi would have shuddered. "No," she said quickly. "And I don't want my older brother to see me like this; he picks on me."
"W...well, in that case, I..." She hesitated, then smiled softly. "Very well, Kodachi-chan. I would be delighted to teach you! I'll come by every morning, if you'd like!"
"Yay!" Kodachi couldn't help but cheer at that.
"In the meantime," Nodoka said, bowing politely, "I'm afraid I must be going. But I will come by tomorrow; would you like me to read to you, as well?"
Kodachi blinked. Read to her? She only looked like a child. But then, why pass up an opportunity to grow close to the woman? "Okay! Can you read me Ranma-chama's favorite stories?"
"Certainly! Now, take care of yourself, Kodachi, darling, and I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Bye-bye, Ranma-chama's mommy," Kodachi called back. Kodachi spared a moment of irritation for the tendancy to slip into those childish forms of adress again. Though, since she was allowing Nodoka to read to her, she had to admit that it wasn't so terrible playing up that aspect of her recovery efforts...
"Oh, so precious! But, Kodachi-chan ... why don't you just call me 'mother'? I'd like that."
"O...okay, mother," Kodachi managed, her voice quavering. Suddenly, she didn't feel like she was losing much of anything by allowing Shan-chan and Ucchan to gain ground on the pursuit of Ranma...
-2-
Racing through the streets at her fastest speed -- which was, she had to admit, quite fast -- Nodoka managed to reach the Tendo home in what she suspected was probably record time. Kasumi had mentioned that Akane was helping a friend of Ranma's, a very young man who needed to be watched over. Anger and fear warred for control of the moment once Kodachi was out of sight; how could Akane do such a thing to a child? Though, more importantly, she needed to make sure that Ranma's young friend would be safe with Akane.
There was an awful lot of training awaiting that girl before she became bride-worthy, Nodoka admitted to herself with reluctance, knocking on the door. She was completely confident in Ranma's manliness, wherever he was, but if Akane wasn't worth marrying yet, then it would take that much longer before Nodoka might have a good chance to see him start his own family.
But a girl who would injure children... Nodoka masked her expression as Kasumi answered the door. "Why, hello, Auntie!" she said cheerfully. "I wasn't expecting you today. Would you like to come in?"
"I would love to," Nodoka replied, glancing at the shoe-rack. Ranko's shoes were missing, which was a pity; Nodoka thought that girl might be a positive influence on Akane. Ranma's shoes, of course, were still a complete unknown, but... "I don't suppose that my son or my husband are in?" she asked hopefully, slipping her own sandals off.
"I'm afraid not at the moment," Kasumi admitted, with an apologetic smile. "Ranma is researching medicine for his friends, still. His father was here earlier, helping Akane to retrain ... but he went to try and help Ranma."
Nodoka frowned as she entered the living room, spotting a child of about five, or so, sitting in front of the television and glowering at the screen. "Is something wrong?" Nodoka asked him, momentarily distracted from Ranma and her husband. The boy looked uninjured, at a glance. That was a good sign.
"I can't believe that Kendall would do that!" he protested, shaking a fist at the screen. "To her own mother! Erica may be kind of mean, sometimes, but she deserves better than that!"
After a blink, Nodoka glanced at the screen herself. "Oh," she said, nodding. "Well, you see, a few years ago Kendall fell in with Janet, and-"
"I've caught Ryouga-kun up," Kasumi assured, taking a seat and pouring tea from a nearby tea-tray. "I can't wait to see what happens on Friday."
"Oh, yes," Nodoka agreed, sinking to sit herself, before remembering her mission. "Ah, I'm sorry. Is Akane-chan home?"
"She will be," Kasumi promised. "Right now she's visiting a friend for a sparring session. Oh, my! Trevor shouldn't be involved with this!"
"He should really know better!" Ryouga agreed, eyes riveted to the screen. "Oh, c'mon!"
Nodoka smiled, shaking her head. He seemed to be a good boy. Maybe he could be friends with Kodachi; they looked about the same age. "I'm sorry," she said, as the show switched to a commercial break, "we haven't been properly introduced. I am Saotome Nodoka."
"Saotome..." The boy blinked a few times, then looked at Nodoka curiously. "You're related to Ranma?"
"That's right! I'm his mother. Do you know him?" Though, he looked a bit young to be Ranma's friend ... perhaps Ranma was already so eager to be a father he practiced taking care of and befriending children? That would explain Kodachi.
Ryouga blinked several times, and then managed a dumb nod.
"Well, can you tell me how you met him?"
Ryouga squinted. "At my last school, all of the boys had to fight for bread at lunch," he said slowly. "And every day, Ranma beat me to the last piece!"
Nodoka blinked in surprise. "What?" she managed. Ranma and this boy going to the same school? Surely there was some mistake!
"And then, I challenged him to a duel," Ryouga continued, his face clouding with anger, his lower lip protruding in a pout. "But he didn't show up!"
"After he waited for you for three days," Kasumi noted.
"But on the fourth day, when I showed up, he was gone!" Ryouga said stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest. "And that's how I met him."
"Is that so?" Nodoka asked, thoroughly bewildered.
"Yeah. But... But now he's helping me out, since I'm stuck for a while," admitted. "So I guess he's not always a jerk."
"Stuck?"
"Ryouga-kun has an awful sense of direction," Kasumi said in an apologetic tone. "Truly miserable."
"Hey! That's not fair! I can too find my way-"
"Shall we go to the kitchen for some cookies, Ryouga-kun?"
"Yay! Cookies! Damn it! I mean- Oh... Fine. But no more oatmeal rasin. I want chocolate chip!"
"A sweet cookie for a sweet boy," Kasumi said in a gentle tone. "No chocolate until you can mind your language."
"Aww! No fair!"
Nodoka shook her head as Kasumi led the boy by one hand into the kitchen. She certainly had a lot to think about, now.
-3-
Even though taking care of Ryouga was just a tiny responsibility, Akane tried to take it seriously. Ranma had asked that she do it, after all, and anything she could do to make things up to him was something she had to do. For all that the dougi had cost her, it did make one thing clear. She had been willing to do something terrible for Ranma, once.
So she'd asked Kasumi for a break, and Kasumi had agreed. And that meant she was taking the scenic route home from St. Hebereke's. She knew that Ranma took to the rooftops on occasion, and she suspected Shampoo did it far more often. Ukyou ... Akane wasn't sure about that. But she could see why they did it, anyway.
Less traffic, slightly clearer air... There was no real escape from Tokyo's air pollution, but any break was a good one. More importantly, no one else around. Akane had always been taught by her father that meditation was something that took place in quiet gardens, with meticulously raked sand, and carefully positioned bonsai trees. Happosai just laughed when he heard that; Genma snorted and shook his head.
It had taken practice, but with the pain in her chest from her mistake, she'd found something to focus on. And by trying to take it apart, and find out how it worked, Akane believed she'd found her own sort of meditation. She liked to think that it was close to Ranma's ... but she couldn't be certain. It'd be great if she could ask him, but as it went, she found her escape, and her own meditation, in running across the rooftops.
And today she was taking a longer course home, to make the most of it. Her first 'meditations' had been about what she'd done, and how she could have used the dougi more responsibly. But that quickly got given up; no use crying over might-have-beens. Instead, she tried to focus on how she could improve. On how she could make it all up to Ranma.
Thankfully, wide streets and slippery rooftops kept her from falling into daydreams.
So when someone landed directly behind her after a tricky jump and she spun, losing her footing, she knew it wasn't her imagination when Ranma sighed, rolled his eyes, and grabbed her wrist. She hung there for a moment, dangling from the edge of a three story apartment building, staring up at him. The sun was right behind him, outlining him in a hazy aura. Then he said, "Still the same clumsy tomboy as ever, I see," and swung her up to set her on her feet.
Her heart hammered wildly, and she bit her tongue on her first impulse -- to yell at him for being a jerk. Instead she bowed her head, and mumbled, "I'm sorry."
"W...what?" He sounded nervous; unsettled. What was bothering him? Had something worse happened to Kodachi? If it had, it would be her fault, she knew ... and if the moss didn't work, then she was out of options.
"I'm sorry I'm still clumsy," she said more loudly. In her mind, she was already trying to figure out how she would have stepped to avoid falling the next time it happened. The next person to do that trick might not want to help her out at all, and without the dougi to catch her, she needed to be careful.
"That's not..." He sighed, turning around and crossing his arms over his chest. She looked up, but all that was before her was a nervously bobbing pigtail. "I was trying to be funny," he said quietly. "But I guess we can't do that yet."
Her wildly hammering heart missed a few beats, and one hand went to her chest, her cheeks burning. Yet? What did yet mean? Did that mean that he- She squelched her rising hopes, taking a deep breath. Don't get ahead of yourself, she chastized. Remember what happened last time. "Um," she replied, instead. "W...what are you doing?" Brilliant, she caustically muttered to herself. Excellent conversation skills.
"Just thinkin'," he replied absently, bowing his head. This made his pigtail rise, and she was hard-pressed not to snicker at him.
Instead, she took a few steps towards the peak of the roof, then sat down, smoothing her skirt out. "I like to think while I'm running, too," she offered.
"Yeah?" he asked, looking up at the sky. "It's a good way to do it."
"I... Um. Daddy said that we... That you and I..." She bit her lip, looking away.
"Pops told me I was supposed to practice with you," Ranma said softly. "I'm not sure about that just now, but I thought we could ... you know. Talk, at least, right?"
"Yeah!" she agreed, nodding quickly. Not that he would see, of course. "I-I'd like that. T...to talk," she managed. A thought occured to her, and she let it escape before she considered it: "We almost never talked, before. Maybe, if we had-" She bit her tongue. Focus on the future, she berated herself. The past has passed.
He turned to look at her, his expression worn ... but still with a faint smile. "Good," he said. "Yeah. Maybe. A...anyway. I just wanted to say, 'hi', you know? Make sure that... That everything was alright."
"It's okay," she said, nodding quickly. She hated her new schedule, her new school was horrible, and her sisters didn't really hesitate to remind her of how bad she'd screwed up. In addition, Happosai and Genma's training regime was maddening, brutal, and unforgiving. "I think it's been worse than it is now, anyway." After all, Ranma was still willing to speak to her.
He gave an awkward, lopsided smile. "Okay, then," he said uneasily. "I guess I'll see you again, sometime."
"Great," Akane said, nodding. "Wonderful. Can't wait."
He nodded back, and gave one solid leap, vanishing from sight three buildings away.
Akane gave a deep sigh, smiled, and considered just lying down to die on the rooftop right there. She shook her head, banishing the thought. Talking to him was good. Earning his forgiveness was the key. And that meant, since she couldn't concentrate on her 'meditation', that she'd best get back to babysitting Ryouga.
-4-
Another day, another episode of Kasumi's favorite soap opera behind him. Ryouga simply couldn't understand the fascination it held for her, or for Ranma's mother. It was transperent, vapid, and really, just plain unreasonable. And Erica Kane deserved to be treated better, damn it!
He shook his head, banishing the thought and eyeing the half-eaten oatmeal cookie in his hand suspiciously. He still hadn't earned his way back into the graces of chocolate chip. Maybe he could get Akane to sneak him one...
What was he thinking? He might be a child in size, but he was Hibiki Ryouga, and he'd fought dragons (kind of; it was mostly one dragon with a lot of heads), monsters from China (Mint and Lime should fit into that category, but even if they didn't, Tarou sure did), he'd faced the beasts of the wild, and nothing -- absolutely nothing -- would keep him from a chocolate chip cookie if he wanted one!
First things first, that meant finding his way to the kitchen.
He thought about that for minute and then sighed. Well, he could watch his tongue around Kasumi, he supposed. Would have to, if he wanted that cookie.
When Kasumi and Nodoka were distracted, Ryouga pitched his cookie half through the open doorway, aiming for the sky over the backyard. Good riddance, he thought, just before Akane bounded in from the same direction, glancing back over her shoulder. "Cookies?" she asked, turning her attention to Kasumi.
The eldest sister broke off her conversation with Nodoka and greeted Akane before replying, "There are oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen -- but Ryouga-kun is only allowed to have oatmeal until he can mind his mouth."
"Darn," he mumbled, scowling. So much for getting Akane on his side. Then he shook his head; what was he thinking? Cookies? Soap operas? In a few days, Tofu would give him the mushroom he needed to return to his own proper age -- then he'd be on his own again. But until that happened, he had time with Akane -- time to confess to her.
He'd been too distracted by Akane calling herself 'big sister' the previous night. Surely she was just joking about his current prediciment, not her feelings for him in general. So all he had to do was confess to her. After all -- Ranma was finally out of the picture ... even if Ryouga was fuzzy on why. Might as well clarify it with Akane, he decided to himself.
"Akane?" he asked aloud.
"Yes?" she replied, already pulling her books and homework from her backpack. "What is it?"
"Where's Ranma, anyway?"
"H...he's taking care of Ukyou, I think," she answered, glancing at Nodoka, who listened eagerly.
"You've seen him? Recently?" she demanded, eyes widening in hope. "I'm sure I'll meet him soon if he's taking care of those girls..." Then she trailed off, the hope being replaced by a stern gaze she directed at Akane.
Ryouga wanted to flinch away from that look, and it wasn't even pointed at him. Akane allowed a frightened noise to escape, dropping her pen. "Y...yes, Auntie?" she asked in a shaking voice. "Is something wrong?"
"I went to see Kodachi-chan today," Nodoka said warningly. "Akane, I'm worried about your abilities to watch over children -- like Ryouga."
"What? But I-"
"It's innapropriate to use your full martial skill against a child! You could have crippled her for life; the doctor there, that kindly Tofu, he told me it was only luck that Kodachi-chan was doing as well as she was! I'm very dissapointed in you, young lady."
Akane blinked, and Ryouga saw her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I feel awful about it, too!" Akane protested. "I, I wasn't thinking, the dougi... It was stupid, and my fault. I can't make excuses, so ... what I did was wrong. But I have to make it up! I have to believe that I can try, anyway -- if I can't make it up to her, to Ukyou, to Shampoo ... then how can I ever make it up to Ranma?"
Ryouga was thoroughly confused, but leapt to Akane's defense anyway. "Why worry about him?" he asked. "Ranma's just a jerk; he doesn't deserve you anyway. Those girls only got what was coming to them."
Akane scowled, shaking her head. "That's not right, Ryouga-kun. I... What happened was wrong. It shouldn't have happened. I made a big misake. And I guess you might think it's his fault, but it's not. It's mine. And I have to try and make it up to them, or what kind of martial artist would I be?"
Ryouga worked his jaw a few times, then closed his mouth. How could he really argue against Akane taking personal responsibility? When he stopped and looked back at his rivalry with Ranma, he realized it overstepped a lot of the bounds of honorable combat. But then, they were rivals, so they could do that. And then, something clicked for Ryouga. He was Ranma's rival, so he could wish ill upon Ranma, or side against him because it was convenient.
Akane wasn't, though, and that meant...
That meant...
Ryouga sighed, hanging his head. That meant that Akane didn't hate Ranma, after all. Well, with her practically in tears, and Nodoka's judgemental eye on the entire scene, he guessed his chances of sccessfully confessing his feelings to be at an all-time low. "I understand," he finally said, when he found his voice. "I'm sorry. Let me know if I can do anything to help, Akane-san."
She smiled sadly, and ruffled his hair. "Wait here," she instructed, while he mourned the loss of respect that tousled hair gave him. A moment later, she vanished into the kitchen and returned with a chocolate chip cookie, which she handed to him.
"Thanks," he said with a weak smile. He didn't want a cookie... "Delicious," he mumbled, not tasting it at all.
Finally, Nodoka relented and sighed, shaking her head. "You must work very hard to prove yourself capable," she warned. "I'll be expecting you tomorrow for your lessons to begin."
"Understood," Akane replied, forcing a shaky smile.
-5-
Ukyou typically tried not to demean or dislike her customers. She really did try, but sometimes customers just made that difficult. And when they tipped well afterwards, she could only smile and thank them, even when it meant that she was late in closing. Late to close also meaning she would be late to the clinic, to spend some quality time with Ranchan. Or do her homework, but that wasn't as important as helping him with his. He wanted to be a doctor; she already owned her own restaurant.
Shampoo grumbled something under her breath as the last customer ambled through the door, then grabbed a broom and got to work. Ukyou cleaned the grill and packed away everything that she'd gotten out to prepare for the later, and busier, shift. Unfortunately, unless she was willing to risk her hip, Ukyou could still only work so fast, and that meant Ranma's knock on the door came before they were quite ready.
"Come in," Shampoo chirped, unlocking the door to admit the pigtailed girl -- still in her Neko-Hanten uniform. Ukyou struggled to keep down a snicker at the sight of the weary redhead and waved from where she was up to her elbows in dirty dishes.
"Heya, Ranchan," she called. "How was work?"
"Not so bad," she replied with an easy smile and a shrug. "Hey, let me take over the dishes; I need to get to some hot water anyway."
Ukyou nodded, and in short order the three were done. There was a brief interlude where Ranma doused herself -- then himself -- with hot water and appeared to change clothes with the curse, which prompted Shampoo to raise an eyebrow and ask, "Hidden weapons?"
Ranma nodded in response, reaching back to scratch the back of his head -- and bringing his hand back with a book of accupressure points.
"That's pretty neat," Ukyou mused, tilting her head to one side. "And here, I thought your head had nothing in it but good nature and charm!"
The boy sputtered for a moment before rolling his eyes, though his cheeks were slightly pinker after the comment. "A...anyway, we're a bit late, and Kodachi gets pretty bored all by herself, so we should hurry."
Ukyou nodded, then threw her arms open expectantly.
Ranma stared at her, until Shampoo smacked the back of his head, incidentally dislodging a scroll of herbal remedies. "Carry her so we can make up lost time," she chided, collecting the scroll and tucking it into her waistband.
"O...oh, right," he said, laughing nervously, then carefully gathering the girl in his arms. She blushed at him brightly, trying not to wiggle around too much ... though, there was a certain temptation to see how he would react if she did.
Then Shampoo locked the door and they were out into the sunset air; Ranma took to the rooftops, and Shampoo was just behind him. Far too soon they reached the clinic, where Ranma set Ukyou down carefully, just inside the door. Shampoo handed over her cane, and then, just to keep Ranma on his toes, gave him a hug of her own. A startled sound escaped the boy, and Ukyou was torn between snickering and glowering. He was so cute when he was like that! But then, that was Shampoo being affectionate with him, not her. She ultimately settled on giving him a knowing smirk.
What mattered was that he knew how they felt, and that they wouldn't be violent about it. Stepping carefully, and wishing it didn't hurt to try walking without the cane, she was the first one through to see Kodachi. Curiously, Tofu was gone, somewhere, but the Kuno girl had a guest. A young woman ... though, older than Ukyou or Shampoo. She was dressed in a clean kimono, with her red hair done up in a bun. Something about her seemed very familiar.
Kodachi blinked, her eyes brightening as they spotted Ukyou. "Ucchan!" she called out. "Shan-chan! Ranma-chama!"
She turned around to glance at Ranma, to see how he reacted to the strange woman, but the boy in question had frozen in place like a statue. In a blur of motion so fast that Ukyou wasn't even sure she saw it, Tofu appeared, hurling the contents of a bucket at Ranma. At the same moment that the woman turned around, a blinking, soaked redhead stood where Ranma and Shampoo had a moment before.
"Ranko-chan!" the woman said brightly, straightening up from where she was sitting at the foot of Kodachi's bed. "I was hoping to see you soon!"
"A...Auntie Saotome," 'Ranko' croaked out, eyes unfocused as she twitched, dropping Shampoo's clothes -- and what was in them.
"Oops," was the limit of Tofu's explanation, as he scooped the clothes (Shampoo's cursed form still trapped inside them) into a bucket. "I'll be right back." Then he vanished.
Ukyou was sorely tempted to ball her hands into fists and plant them on her hips, and demand an explanation. But that would look silly if she was still leaning on a cane with one hand. Instead, she pursed her lips and asked, "Is this a friend of yours, 'Dachi-chan?"
"Yes!" the girl replied, blinking. Ukyou wondered how much of a pain it had to be to be unable to even nod. "This is Ranma-chama's mommy."
Ukyou's world spun briefly, and she nearly tipped over. Thankfully, Ranma caught her. "Ranma's mother?" she sputtered. "Um, um, oh! Er, I'm Kuonji Ukyou, Saotome-san. It's a great honor to meet you!" Don't screw up with your future mother-in-law, she chastized herself.
"Ah!" Ranma's mother said brightly, giving Ukyou a shiver-inducing scrutiny. "You're one of the three girls that Akane..." She trailed off with a wince, then cleared her throat. "I'm pleased to see you too! I hope you're doing well?"
"A...alright," Ukyou managed. "I, um..." Then she gestured helplessly to Ranma.
The shorter (and damper) redhead adjusted her sleeves and pants, offering, "Ucchan's doing much better. Her hip was originally broken, but it's mending ... she should be able to get rid of the cane in two or three weeks."
"Oh, how sweet!" Ranma's mother said brightly. "You're working as a nurse for these girls?"
"S...something like that..."
"That's wonderful!" Nodoka gave another brilliant smile, one hand going to rest atop Kodachi's. The young-seeming girl was practically glowing at that point. "Only, Ranko-chan ... I had heard that Ranma was here, watching over your friends. Will he be by tonight?"
"If he could," Ranma said with a nervous chuckle. "But, you never know, with him!"
Ukyou blinked. Kodachi looked puzzled. They exchanged a glance, but before either could speak, Shampoo -- redressed -- burst into the room. "Sorry for being late," she chirped brightly. "Ah! You are Ranma's mother, yes?"
"Indeed I am," Nodoka said with a nod. "Have you seen him?"
"Earlier today!" Shampoo said, nodding back vigorously. "Ranma is helping Great-Grandmother at the Neko-Hanten -- is trying to make up for..." She trailed off and rubbed at her recently healed arm, then glanced significantly at Ukyou's cane, and Kodachi in the traction frame.
"O...oh," Nodoka said, nodding her understanding. "I do so hope I can meet him soon." Then she shook her head. "Where are my manners? Ranko-chan, won't you introduce me to your friends properly?"
"Y...yeah," the redhead said dazedly. Ukyou and Kodachi exchanged another confused glance. Obviously something was going on here ... and for whatever reason, Ranma's mother didn't know about the curse. She wasn't going to change that until she knew more, but she had a nagging suspicion that Ranma had never mentioned something very critical about his mother. Aside from the fact that she was even alive.
-
Author's notes:
This is probably about the halfway point.