Genma's Daughter
By ClassicalGal
Original concept and parts of chapter 1 by Nesin Evets
Chapter 13: Too Much of a Good Thing
Ranko's bow drew the last note, but she continued to hold it and her violin at the ready, her eyes half-closed as if she were in a trance. She was far, far away, in a place of unearthly beauty, and she was reluctant to return. For she had made that place herself, following the blueprints of one Johann Sebastian Bach.
The applause shook her out of it, and she lowered her instrument. Her Sensei and Murata-Sensei were both clapping their hands furiously. Murata-sensei stood. "Brava! Magnificent!" Ranko blushed furiously and studied the floor.
The two teachers came over, and Murata-sensei was still excited. "Ranko-chan, that was superb. You've mastered it." He shook his head. "No, not just mastered it. You've even explored it a little on your own, put a little of yourself into it. That wasn't just Bach by the book, it was a little bit of you, too. That's the beginnings of what could make you a great artist." Ranko was a little dazed, but also blushed with pride.
The professor went and sat down again, still shaking his head. "Ranko-chan, if you want to come study under me, just say the word. I would love to work with you."
Ranko wandered over to a desk herself, and sat down. This kind of talk wasn't terrifying her as it had before; far from it. She didn't know what she wanted to do yet, it was still a bit overwhelming, but she found all this… exhilarating. Like the Art, it just went on and on; there was always something new to learn. She felt it beckoning her to a lifetime of exploration. Being a martial arts sensei was seeming more and more like a dream of childhood, something she was outgrowing. She had changed, and what she wanted out of life had changed, too.
Kobayakawa-sensei brought the conversation back to earth. "Now Ranko-chan, you need to keep practicing this until the performance. Now that you've got it mastered, that shouldn't take much time." She thought a moment. "I would like to give you something new to work on over the New Year's holiday, too, but you've already gone far beyond the lessons I had planned out. I'll have to replan where we should go from here. I'll have something for you after the recital, so for now just practice the Gavotte en Rondeau and relax a little. You've earned it."
Murata-sensei was beaming. "Yes, indeed." Suddenly he seemed struck by inspiration. "We should celebrate! I think Ranko-chan deserves a reward for all that hard work." He smiled at the teenager. "Is there anything you'd like to do this afternoon, my dear? Just as a little celebration?"
Ranko took a few moments to focus on the question and think; she was still euphoric after playing. Slowly, a grin split her face. "I would really love a hot fudge sundae right now."
"Hot fudge it shall be!" proclaimed the professor. He shook his head again. "I still can't believe it. You play like a second- or third-year student now! Amazing. It must be those martial arts you've been practicing all your life. I'd love to see you demonstrate them some time."
Ranko smiled. "How about now?" Both the adults looked at each other, then back to Ranko. She suppressed a giggle; they looked like children who had just been invited to the circus.
Ranko looked around the room briefly, then said "Kobayakawa-sensei, would you mind getting that can of pencils on that desk over there?" Ranko's teacher complied, her face awash in curiosity. "How many pencils would you say are in it?"
The older woman looked at the can for a moment. "I'd say around thirty."
Ranko stood. "OK, I want you to throw it at me."
"Throw it at you?"
"Yes, please. Hold onto the can so only the pencils come at me. Stand about where you are now." She was about twenty feet from the older woman.
Sensei blinked. "Won't you be hurt? Surely you can't catch them all?"
"If I was still training hard I could catch a few hundred. This should be OK."
Kobayakawa-sensei boggled, and Murata-sensei leaned forward intently.
Ranko nodded her head. "Whenever you're ready, Sensei."
Kobayakawa-sensei lobbed the can of pencils underhanded, but held onto the can so the pencils came flying at Ranko in a loose agglomeration, spreading out like the shot from a shotgun. Ranko shouted "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"…
…and both adults gasped as, for all intents and purposes, her arms disappeared. There was just a vague blur, and then suddenly, Ranko was holding two fistfuls of pencils. She grinned and curtsied.
Both teachers' jaws hung open for several seconds. Murata-sensei finally found his voice. "Amazing…" He swallowed. "It's starting to make sense… You have incredible control over your arms, hands, and fingers… No wonder…" He smiled. "'Roasting Imperial Chestnut Attack?' Who taught that to you? Your father?"
Ranko laughed. "No, a one hundred fifty year old Chinese Amazon matriarch." Their jaws dropped again.
Finally, Kobayakawa-sensei spoke. "I'm think I'm starting to understand some of the stories I've heard about you, Ranko-chan." She shook her head and laughed. "What do you say we go for that ice cream?"
Ranko smiled and rushed to put her violin away.
Half an hour later, both teachers were grinning indulgently as Ranko worked methodically on her second hot fudge sundae. She seemed to be as intent in attacking it as she had been when playing the violin. No droplet of ice cream, hot fudge, or whipped cream was so small that it could be allowed to escape. The spoon scraped every square millimeter of the dish clean. The adults worked on their rather more modest confections as they watched.
Finally, Ranko sat back, satiated. It was a good thing she was still working out in Anything-Goes for an hour every day, or she could never get away with this. Even so, she'd had to scale back her eating quite a bit: she just wasn't burning enough calories anymore. She smiled blissfully, and carefully suppressed a burp that would have been most unladylike, eliciting laughter from her teachers.
Kobayakawa-sensei suddenly seemed distracted for a moment. "Oh, Ranko-chan, I almost forgot. If you don't mind my asking, what are your three sizes? I want to rent a formal gown for you to wear to the recital. All of my students will be wearing formal wear; it's traditional." She blushed. "If it embarrasses you you can write your sizes down rather than say them out loud."
Ranko started to respond, then stopped, a strange look in her eyes. Slowly, her face broke into a wry grin. "Actually, Sensei, I don't think you'll need to rent a gown for me…"
It was late afternoon at the Nekohanten, and the dinner rush hadn't started yet. Shampoo sat at one of the tables doing her homework, her attention tightly focused. She wrote steadily, pausing occasionally to look something up in one of the textbooks strewn across the table. Occasionally, she would put her head in her hands, stare at her work for a while, then erase something and resume writing.
Cologne watched her great-granddaughter from behind the counter, a bemused smile on her face. After some initial resistance, Shampoo had started taking her studies seriously. She was already pestering Cologne to invest in a computer so she could work on her assignments more easily. Maybe there was hope for the girl yet.
Cologne looked up as the door chime signaled, and smiled. Ranko was standing there, still in her Fuurinkan uniform, carrying her briefcase and violin. She had a shy smile on her face.
Shampoo looked up and smiled as well. "Ranko! Hey girl, what's the occasion?"
Ranko grinned; Shampoo's Japanese had improved immeasurably, and was now not only mostly correct but colloquial as well. She and Ucchan had been hanging out together recently, and it was starting to show in Shampoo's speech. "I wanted to ask Great-Grandmother something."
Cologne hopped around the counter and into the dining room. "Come in, child. Have a seat." Ranko joined Shampoo at her table, and Cologne sat down as well.
"What is it, my dear? Do you need help with something?"
Ranko blushed and shook her head. "No, Great-Grandmother. I… I was just wondering… if… if you were planning on…" she paused, and took a deep breath, "on coming to the talent show at Fuurinkan next Tuesday evening?"
Cologne and Shampoo looked at each other, and Shampoo giggled. "Yes, I had been planning to attend. Shampoo will be participating."
Ranko was both astonished and happy. "Really? What are you going to be doing?"
Shampoo grinned. "That… is a secret."
Ranko was intrigued, but decided not to press. "Anyway… I… my music sensei is having a recital for her students as part of the show, and… and I'm going to be one of the students performing, and… I… I wanted you to be there." She blushed and looked down.
Cologne smiled warmly. Ranko might not be a warrior any more, but she most definitely had a place in Cologne's heart. "Thank you, my dear. Of course I'll be there." She thought for a moment. "Why did you want me to come?"
Ranko looked up at Cologne. "I wanted you to come because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be playing the violin."
Cologne laughed. "How could that be? I'm no music sensei!"
Ranko shook her head. "Yes, you are. Let me show you." She opened her violin case, took her violin out, and prepared it for play, as Shampoo and Cologne watched intently. They'd never heard her play before.
Finished with her tuning, Ranko raised her violin to her chin and took up her bow. She wasn't going to play her Bach piece; she wanted to surprise them with that at the recital. Instead, she ran her mind over the Tchaikovsky piece her Sensei had originally wanted her to play. "Watch."
She played the short piece as the two Amazons watched carefully. When she was done, she lowered her instrument. "Well?"
Cologne nodded thoughtfully. "I see. You've applied the skills I've taught you to your music. Very interesting." She laughed. "Isn't that the precept of your family's school? To press any technique at all into service as needed?"
Ranko's jaw dropped. "You're… you're right. I never thought of it that way." She smiled. "I guess this counts as 'Anything-Goes', too." She laughed. "Maybe I'll turn out to be a martial arts violinist after all!" Shampoo and Cologne looked confused, then shrugged.
"Ranko, is that what you're going to play at the recital?" asked Shampoo. Ranko shook her head. "Then what are you going to play?"
Ranko grinned. "That… is a secret." Both girls burst into giggles.
Ranko smiled at her assembled family. "You're sure you don't want to wait for the recital?"
Akane shook her head. "I told you I wanted to hear you master this from beginning to end. You've been holed up in the Dojo, and I've been too busy with play rehearsal to come out and listen to you." She grinned. "I want to hear it. Now." There was a loud chorus of agreement from the rest of the family.
Ranko smiled in resignation. She wished her mother were here, too, but she'd get to hear it this weekend, since Ranko would be practicing straight through.
"All right…" She spent a few moments entering the calm state of mind she needed, then lifted her bow to her violin, and began to play.
There was no movement in the Tendou living room for the next three minutes or so, and no sound but that of Ranko's violin.
When she was done, her family sat for a few moments, somewhat awed, before bursting into applause. Akane rushed over and hugged Ranko. "I knew it. I knew you could do it! Didn't I tell you?" She beamed. "I'm so proud of you!"
Ranko smiled and blushed, a little teary. She whispered in her sister's ear, "Thank you for pounding some sense into me when I was ready to give up," and hugged her back, fiercely.
Inwardly, she worried a little as well. She had come close to losing control at a few points, though not quite. She definitely still needed more practice before the recital to get it absolutely perfect. And that was something she was determined to do.
Kasumi, Nabiki, and Ryouga crowded around her as well, and Nabiki caught Ranko's gaze. Nabiki was looking at her in a way she had never seen before. Ranko had seen Nabiki look at her with contempt, with irritation, with indifference, with avarice, and more recently, with amused affection and—amazing given their history—the love of a big sister. But this was new: Nabiki was looking at her with respect. Ranko didn't quite know what to make of that. She blushed, and Nabiki grinned at her.
"So what now, Ranko?" asked Nabiki. "What's next?"
"I'm not sure. Sensei said she would come up with something for me to work on after the new year."
Nabiki shook her head. "I mean, where do you go from here, with your violin?"
Ranko's eyes looked past Nabiki, at nothing in particular. "I… I'm thinking pretty seriously about becoming a violinist. I'm still not sure, though." Inwardly, she chided herself for being so indecisive.
The amused smile on Nabiki's face told Ranko that she was not fooling her big sister. She looked around at the rest of her family, and noticed the one person whose face held some pain…
Later that evening, Ranko knocked on her father's door. "Come in," she heard from inside.
She slid the door open, and looked around. The room was not nearly as intimidating without Happousai's bizarre belongings, most of all his enormous collection of ladies' underwear. Kasumi had smiled a little brighter the day she had collected it into a huge pile and burned it. Ranko was rather looking forward to seeing the old pervert's reaction when he found out. Assuming he lived that long…
Her father was sitting on his futon. He smiled when he saw her. "What is it, sweetheart?"
Ranko went over and knelt across from him. "Father, I… I wanted to talk to you." She gathered her courage. "About the Art."
Genma's face became grim. "Yes?"
She blushed and looked down. "I know you're disappointed. I know you wanted me to be a great martial artist and a sensei, and I know… that's not going to happen now." Genma looked away for a moment, trying to hide his feelings.
"I just wanted you to know that even though I'm not practicing the Art the way you might want me to any more, I haven't forgotten it. I haven't put it behind me. It's still a part of everything I do."
Her father looked confused. "I don't understand…"
She moved to sit beside him, and put her hands on her knees. "I'm talking about my violin. It's not the Art, but somehow, it still is. Everything I learned from you, I've needed to play the violin. If you hadn't taught me the Art, I couldn't play it the way I do.
"I stopped by this afternoon to invite Cologne to my recital, and we talked about it. I asked her to come see me play because she helped me learn the violin, by teaching me those Amazon techniques. She pointed out that adapting those skills to the violin was an example of taking a technique and using it however you could to your advantage. In other words… our family's school." She tilted her head, and her father's expression grew thoughtful.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, taking his arm. "I know you feel like I've forsaken everything you taught me, like all the years you put into training me are going to waste, and I know that's hurt you. I wanted you to know that… that I don't think that's the case. I'm not applying it to martial arts, but I'm still using it, every day. Father, you, more than anyone else, taught me what I needed to know to play the violin. And playing the violin is… is what I think I want to do with my life." She smiled up at him. "Thank you."
Genma smiled back at her, and felt a little bit of his disappointment leave him. "You're really using what I taught you?"
She nodded. "All of it." She winced. "Well… except the… the…" She couldn't even say it.
He winced, too. "Right."
They both sighed.
After a time, Ranko started looking around the room once more. It was rather sparse; like her, her father had not had the luxury of carting many possessions along on their travels. Her eyes paused on some photographs on top of the dresser which was the sole piece of furniture in the room.
She smiled as she saw that they were mostly photographs of her. Her at age three, peering at the camera with that intensity that seemed peculiar to small children, a goofy grin on her face. A picture of her playing her violin, which she hadn't remembered being taken (probably Nabiki's doing…). The photo Nabiki had taken of she and Ryouga heading off on their first date. Ranko sighed; it had seemed so innocent, just one date, to see if they liked it…
Her eyes found the next photo, and she frowned. "Who's…" She stopped.
"Who's who?"
Ranko swallowed. She had been about to ask who the boy was that her father had a photo of, when she realized it was her. Him. Ranma. She hadn't even recognized who it was for a few moments. The photo had been taken less than a year ago, while they were still on the road, shortly before Jusenkyou.
Though she knew intellectually that she had been a boy, she found she simply couldn't get her head around the idea any more. As she looked at the picture, her skin started to crawl. That… that used to be me…
Genma was about to repeat his question, but followed her gaze to the photo, and decided to hold his tongue. Ranko's emotions were always easy to read, and right now she was radiating discomfort and unhappiness. He bit his lip as he once again reflected on whose fault that was.
Ranko tried to remember being a boy, and had great difficulty doing so. Learning the Neko-ken, meeting Ucchan, traveling with her father, meeting Ryouga, attending Fuurinkan, even Jusenkyou; when she thought back over her life, she remembered herself as a girl. It made no sense, but there it was: she even remembered falling into the Nyanniichuan as Ranko! She could remember everything she had seen, done, and felt as Ranma, but she couldn't remember being him.
If she thought really hard, she could just barely conjure up a memory of being male. She was sure that in a year or two she wouldn't be able to do even that. She shivered slightly. Ranma wasn't just dead, he was being erased. She was glad she hadn't known her memory would play tricks on her like this, or she would have been even more terrified by the idea of becoming Ranko again.
She shook herself, and looked up to speak to her father, then stopped: he was regarding her with a sad, penetrating gaze. She looked at him, questioning, and he seemed to come to some kind of decision. He reached one arm around her and held her, her head again leaning into his shoulder.
"I'm very proud of what you've done with your violin, sweetheart. As long as you always do your best, I'll always be proud of you, no matter what you do. You will never disappoint me." He squeezed her a little and smiled.
Ranko relaxed into his embrace, her worries fading. "Thank you, Father. That… that means a lot to me." She smiled up at him, and he smiled back.
They sat that way for a while, until Ranko finally made a motion to get up. "It's late, Father. I have school tomorrow, and I should let you go to bed." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you again."
She went to the door and paused, as they smiled at each other one last time. "O-yasumi nasai." Ranko went out and closed the door behind her, Genma's "O-yasumi" following her out.
Genma stood and went over to the dresser, and angrily snatched the photo of Ranma off the top. He stalked over to the wastebasket and held the picture over it, as if to drop it in. He stood there for a minute, still holding the portrait, but not moving.
Finally, he seemed to slump a little, his anger leaving him. He walked slowly back to the dresser, opened a drawer, and gently placed the photograph inside, face down. He closed the drawer, and leaned on the dresser, his hand over his eyes.
"Ryouga-kun, come quick!"
Ryouga hurried his pace as he headed towards the Tendou dining area. Akane's voice had called out in excitement, not alarm, so he wasn't worried. He was running a little late this morning—he was still getting used to the routine of school mornings again.
He had spent so much time in the Tendou home he could even find his way around, for the most part. As he came down the hall he heard the television, and Ranko and Akane's voices.
"Oh, look at them!"
"They are sooooo cute!"
"Ryouga, hurry!"
He hurried to the doorway and took in the scene. Ranko, Akane, and Nabiki were dressed for school, and were watching the TV along with Kasumi as they ate breakfast. He turned his eyes to the television…
His jaw dropped. "Shirokuro!" His family dog was on TV!
Ranko turned to him. "It is your dog, isn't it? I thought I remembered her, and they said the family name was Hibiki." She turned back. "They have this program where people can make requests, and Shirokuro was on it! She had puppies, and they're asking the family to come home." She sighed. "They're soooo cute… I'd love to hold them." Akane sighed, too.
He looked at the puppies on TV, and felt a pang of homesickness. If only he could live at home, so he could be there for things like this. But he couldn't find his way…
Everyone jumped when Ryouga suddenly shouted "Yessss!"
Ranko tried to get her nerves back under control. "What… what is it?"
"I can go home! I can live at home! I don't have to be a wanderer any more!"
Nabiki snorted. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure that out."
Ryouga shrugged. "I'm not used to thinking this way." He slowly broke into a smile. "But now, all I have to do is put in the address…" He trailed off, a horrified look spreading over his face.
All four girls were staring at him. "You don't know your own address, do you?" asked Nabiki.
Ryouga slowly sank to his knees, shaking his head.
Ranko giggled. "Don't worry. I used to take you home all the time in junior high. I'll take you there after school, and then you can put it in your gadget." She smiled. "I want to see Shirokuro's puppies, too!" She turned to Akane. "How about you, Sis?"
Akane shook her head and sighed. "I'd love to, but I have play practice this afternoon."
Ryouga's heart beat a little faster. There was practically no chance his parents would be there. He and Ranko could spend some time alone, just the two of them! He'd show her his home, his room, the souvenirs from his travels, h-h-his b-bed… He wrenched his mind away from that train of thought just in time to avert a major nosebleed.
He swallowed. "Thanks. It… it'll be nice to go home. I don't think I've been there in a year."
The girls peered at him in shock. "That long?" whispered Ranko.
He moved to the table, and Kasumi started to serve him some rice. "Yeah. Usually I can make it there every few months, but not this year. I didn't even know Shirokuro was going to have puppies. Haven't seen Mom or Dad in a while, either." He sighed. "They're not likely to be there. They have the same problem I do with my sense of direction. Most of the time when I make it home, there's no one there."
Ranko felt her heart ache in sympathy. "You must be lonely."
Ryouga shrugged, and picked up the rice bowl which Kasumi had placed in front of him. "I got used to it." He lifted a bite with his chopsticks, but paused, grinning. "Besides, I'm not as lonely these days."
Ranko blushed furiously as her sisters grinned.
Ryouga was standing at the school gates, his patience wearing a little thin. He had just checked his watch—again—when he saw Ranko come out the doors of Fuurinkan with her friends. She waved to them, and hurried in his direction, a sheepish look on her face.
"Sorry… I got held up."
He shook his head, smiling. "It's OK. It's been a year. Five more minutes won't hurt."
They turned and walked out the gates. Ranko furrowed her brow and looked up and down the street. "Let's see…" She nodded to herself. "This way!" They set off.
As they walked, their hands found each other. Ranko smiled up at Ryouga and he smiled back; she briefly pressed her head against his shoulder. For a few blocks, they didn't say anything.
Suddenly, Ranko came to a stop. "Uh oh."
"What is it?"
"I… I only remember the shortcut."
"Is that a problem?"
She blushed. "It's a problem if you're wearing a dress. It's over the rooftops." She grinned. "I never had to worry about what I was wearing before."
He bit his lip. "You don't remember the way through the streets?" She shook her head.
Suddenly he smiled. "I have an idea."
"What?"
Without another word, Ryouga scooped her up, holding her in his arms. Ranko let out a shriek, nearly causing him to drop her.
"What's wrong?" I can't believe how light she is…
Ranko gulped. "N-nothing. You just caught me by surprise, is all." She felt overwhelmed; she had never been held like this by anyone, not since she was a small child. Instinctively, she put her arms around his neck. As she overcame her shock, a rather nice feeling started to spread through her. A dreamy smile came over her face, and she nestled a little closer to him.
"Which way?"
She shook herself out of the pleasant distraction, and took one arm off his neck for a moment to point to the rooftops: "That way." With that, he leapt, and Ranko found that being carried through the air in someone's arms was nothing like doing the acrobatics yourself. Not being in control made it a lot more nerve-wracking. No wonder Akane had complained all the time…
Still, something about being in Ryouga's arms prevented her from protesting… She tried to focus on giving him directions and not on the strong arms that cradled her gently as they flew over the rooftops of Nerima. She wasn't entirely successful, and found herself being mesmerized by the experience.
Despite this, they stayed more or less on course, and eventually came to a series of pilings crossing a canal. Ryouga scanned them warily. "That way?"
"Yes. Sorry about this…"
He grinned his fang-toothed grin. "No problem." With that he started leaping from piling to piling. Ranko wasn't worried; she knew Ryouga was as good as she had been. Something started nagging at her mind, though…
Suddenly she gasped. "Ryouga, the fifth piling! It's…"
There was a crack as the piling collapsed under their combined weight and they both landed in the river.
Ranko spit out some water. "…rotten."
Ryouga tugged at the sleeves on her suddenly oversized, very wet school jacket and snorted. "Yeah."
Ranko flushed and lowered her eyes. "Gomen…"
Ryouga shook her head. "It's OK." She noticed that Ranko was starting to shiver. That's right, she gets cold really easily. Come to think of it, I'm getting colder than I usually do as a guy. "Come on, let's get out of this river." The two waded over to shore.
They spent a few moments squeezing their clothes out a bit. Ryouga bit her lip as Ranko started to sneeze repeatedly. "We'd better get moving. That will warm you up."
Ranko nodded, and they set off running. After a short while, Ranko came to an abrupt halt, leaning heavily against a wall and holding one of her calves. "Owwww…"
Ryouga flashed to her side. "What is it?"
"My… my leg. It's cramping up from the cold." She shivered again, and looked like she was turning pale.
Ryouga was starting to really worry. "I'll carry you again." With that, she once again swept Ranko up in her arms, noting that she didn't seem quite as lightweight as before. She was somewhat waterlogged, and Ryouga wasn't as strong as she was as a boy.
Still, they were not far from the Hibiki home, and as they came up the street a black and white blur came charging to meet them.
Ryouga gently set Ranko down and kneeled with her arms open. "Shirokuro! Here girl!" Shirokuro leapt into her master's embrace, seemingly not even aware that he was currently a girl. Ryouga hugged her dog fiercely, quiet joy on her face. Ranko forgot her chills for a moment and enjoyed the reunion. He's been away from home so much… She wiped a tear away.
Ranko's sneeze caused Ryouga to break the embrace and stand up. "Let's get inside." With Shirokuro trotting beside them, wagging her tail furiously, they walked up to Ryouga's front door.
"Just a minute." She pulled her GPS receiver out of her pocket; thank goodness Nabiki had gotten the water-resistant model. She punched the button to record her current location, and entered a name for it: Home. Ryouga suddenly found herself fighting back tears of her own. Home… I'm home…
A short, happy bark from Shirokuro shook her out of it. She slid the door open with a huge smile on her face, and as they stepped inside to take off their shoes she called out "Tadaima!"
She turned to Ranko. "I just like saying it, really. There's almost no chance Mom and Dad…" She stopped, her eyes bugging out, when a call of "O-kaeri!" came drifting back down the hall. Soon thereafter, a middle-aged man and woman appeared, the woman carrying a dishtowel; she must have come from the kitchen.
Ranko's suspicions were confirmed when Ryouga stepped forward, shock on her face. "Mom? Dad? What on Earth are you doing here? And at the same time!"
Ryouga's father turned to her mother. "Aneha? Does Ryouga have a little sister?"
"No, dear."
Her father nodded. "That's what I thought, but I wanted to check. Thought I might have missed another kid while I was gone." He turned to the two girls standing in the genkan. "I'm sorry, young lady, but I think you have the wrong house. This is the Hibiki residence." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "At least, I'm pretty sure…"
Ryouga sighed in exasperation. "I know! It's me, Dad! Ryouga!"
Ryouga's father frowned. "Aneha, was Ryouga a girl?" His wife shook her head. "Didn't think so." He turned back to the visitors, and was about to ask what was going on, when Ranko sneezed again.
Ryouga's mother took a closer look. "Why, the two of you are soaking wet, and in this chilly weather!" She noticed Ranko's color. "You poor thing! You'll catch cold." She turned to her husband. "Youshi, dear…"
He sighed. "I suppose so."
Aneha clucked as she ushered them into the living room, and rushed to and fro, wrapping them in big fluffy towels and warm blankets as her husband watched silently. In short order they were seated, and she came hurrying back with a steaming basin of hot water. She set it gently in front of Ranko, who was shivering uncontrollably. "Now dear, I want you to put your feet in there this instant."
Ranko was all too happy to comply, and let out an involuntary sigh as warmth started to flow into her. She shivered once more, hard, then stopped. She clutched the towel more tightly about herself, and smiled in deep gratitude to her hostess, who beamed in return.
Aneha went to fetch another basin, which she set in front of Ryouga. "You too, young lady."
Ryouga bit her lip. "Yes, Mom." This was going to be interesting.
Youshi shook his head as Ryouga put her feet in the basin. "Young lady, it's more than a little rude to be calling us…" he trailed off as he noticed what was happening.
After a long, long pause, Ryouga's mother whispered "Ryou-chan? Oh, Kami-sama, what has happened to you?"
Ryouga sighed. "It's a long story, Mom. The short version is, I was cursed in China. I turn into a girl when I get splashed with cold water, but hot water turns me back into a boy."
His parents looked to be in shock. His mother came over to embrace him. "Oh, you poor thing!"
Ryouga shook his head. "It's OK, Mom, really. I've learned to live with it."
Ranko smiled. This was a long way from "You've made my life hell!" She was proud of him.
She sneezed again, which drew the Hibikis' attention. She saw Ryouga's mother scrutinizing her; you could almost hear the gears whirring as the older woman realized that this redhead was not a girl who had been accompanying another girl, this redhead was a girl who had been accompanying her son. Ryouga's curse receded somewhat in the face of this vital information.
"Ryou-chan, won't you introduce us to your pretty young friend?" Ranko blushed.
"Ummm, Mom, Dad, this is Saotome Ranko. She's… she's my, ummm, girlfriend. We're… we're dating."
Ranko felt the level of scrutiny ratchet up several more notches, now including Ryouga's father. She shivered again as she realized she was being introduced to her boyfriend's parents while looking like something that had been dredged out of a river. Literally.
Ryouga's mother smiled a smile which Ranko thought had a touch of the predatory about it. "How nice! Ranko-chan, I'm so happy to meet you!"
Ranko felt like a frog facing a classroom full of fifth graders. She bowed her head politely. "It's very nice to meet you, Hibiki-sama."
Meanwhile, Youshi was thinking, his brow furrowed. "Saotome… Saotome… I know I've heard that name…"
Aneha's face lit up. "Oh, I remember! That boy who was a friend of Ryou-chan's in junior high. Saotome Ranma, wasn't it? Such a sweet boy! He always used to bring you home." Her face clouded. "But you always seemed to be so mad at him over such trivial things." Ryouga looked down, ashamed.
Aneha peered at Ranko. "Are you related to him? Now that I think of it, there's quite a resemblance, and your names are so similar."
Ranko turned bright red and stared at the floor. Ryouga looked to his embarrassed girlfriend, then turned to his parents. "Mom? Dad? Remember how I said it was a long story?" They both nodded. "I think it's time to tell it."
A half hour later, Ryouga's parents were still struggling to take in everything their son and his girlfriend had told them.
"Now let me get this straight. You used to turn into a duck?"
Ryouga shook his head. "No Dad, that's Mousse. He turns into a duck. I used to turn into a little black piglet."
"And Ranko-chan here used to be a boy, your classmate, Ranma. And her father turns into a panda."
Ranko nodded, embarrassed. "Y-yes, Hibiki-sama. I was a girl when I was born, but when I was four I got turned into a boy."
"And you thought you were a boy who turned into a girl, but you discovered that you were a girl who turned into a boy."
"Th-that's right. And now I'm a girl all the time. I don't turn into a boy any more." Ranko's stomach was churning. What if Ryouga's parents saw her as some kind of perverted boy, rather than a girl?
Youshi rubbed his eyes. "I think I have a headache."
Aneha had been quietly watching Ranko the entire time. The revelation that Ranko had spent twelve years as a boy had shocked them both, beyond even their shock over the curses, but as she watched, she couldn't see that Ranko was anything but a girl, and a very sweet girl, too. On top of that, she was quite a beauty.
Aneha was a pragmatist.
She hadn't missed the glances between her son and his girlfriend. Ranko seemed shy and uncertain—which certainly made sense given her background—but they clearly cared for each other. Their behavior said they were well past the stage of casual dating. Plans started to form in her mind. The two teenagers were still a little young, but this looked promising.
Ranko was currently holding two of Shirokuro's puppies in her lap, and stroking them nervously as Ryouga told his story. Shirokuro sat by her side, apparently approving of her master's taste. Aneha smiled. Ranko was so shy, she was still tinged pink from embarrassment.
Suddenly, her gaze narrowed. It wasn't embarrassment: Ranko was shivering, despite the fact that she was dry and warm now.
Ryouga was in the middle of telling how he had attacked Ranko on the beach when Aneha got up and went over to the diminutive redhead. "Ranko-chan, are you feeling all right?"
Ranko looked up at her with a slightly dazed look in her eyes, and Aneha put a hand to her forehead. "I thought so. You have a mild fever, dear."
That brought Ryouga up short. "What?" Ranko was sick? Ranma had almost never gotten sick! He felt a pang of guilt, even though he knew it wasn't his fault they had fallen in the river.
Ranko shook her head. "I'm fine, really." She put down the puppies, stood up, and swayed as the room swam about her.
Aneha took her firmly by the arm. "You're ill, dear. You should at least lie down for a while."
"O-OK…" It seemed like a good idea; some time lying down would let her focus her ki and fight off the illness. She allowed herself to be led upstairs to Ryouga's room, where Aneha helped her undress and get into bed. Ryouga's mother watched surreptitiously, and noted with relief that Ranko was definitely a girl.
Shirokuro and some of the puppies had followed, and Ryouga's dog lay her head on Ranko, looking up into her face. Ranko smiled and stroked her a few times. Shirokuro whimpered and lay down on the floor next to the bed. Aneha smiled at all this, and went out to fetch some things.
Ryouga came in as his mother went out, and reflected wryly that while he had thought about Ranko being in his bed, this wasn't what he had had in mind. He sat next to her and took her hand. He gave it a squeeze, and she squeezed back; they smiled at each other. Ranko mused over how much she and Ryouga could say to each other these days without uttering a word.
She looked around the room; it was filled with souvenirs from all over Japan. "Somehow, I thought it would be a little more like the room of a warrior." She smiled.
"It seems like the only times I'm here are to drop off souvenirs." He smiled. "I guess now that I'll be living here the room needs some work."
Aneha returned with some tea and cold compresses, and set about ministering to Ranko.
Ranko smiled gratefully; she felt much more comfortable, and was sure she'd feel better with a little rest. "Thank you, Hibiki-sama. You're very kind."
Ryouga's mother shook her head. "Think nothing of it, dear." She winked. "You're practically a member of the family, anyway." Ranko turned pale.
Aneha paused for a moment. "And please call me Mother."
Ranko's eyes rolled up, and her head lolled to the side.
Aneha turned to Ryouga, who had his hand over his eyes and was shaking his head. "My, I guess she was feeling worse than I thought. The poor dear just passed out."
Ranko walked slowly up the aisle, clinging to her father's arm. She blushed as the crowd made appreciative comments on what a beautiful bride she was. She was glad she had found the gown she had seen on page 110 of Graceful Wedding. As they approached the altar, she saw Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi, her bridesmaids. They were all smiling at her and crying, even Nabiki.
And there was Ryouga. He was standing there, elegantly dressed, but still wearing one of his ratty bandannas. His face was filled with wonder as he watched her walk the last few steps; his eyes were full of love. She felt her heart beat a little faster. He looked so handsome…
She handed her bouquet to Akane, her maid of honor, and a look passed between the two of them, a look of love and friendship and understanding. A look that said they would always be sisters.
She turned to face the minister, and the ceremony began. "Do you, Hibiki Ryouga, take Saotome Ranko to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"
Ranko didn't think Ryouga could look any happier. "I do."
The minister turned to Ranko. "And do you, Saotome Ranko, take Hibiki Ryouga to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, and to be the okami-san, until death do you part?"
"What?" asked Ranko, confused.
Suddenly she was wearing an apron and standing in a shop. The wedding had disappeared, and she was facing Ryouga's mother.
"To be the okami-san, of course! We have a family tofu business, and Ryou-chan is our eldest son. Naturally, he'll take over the business, and you'll be the okami-san!"
"But… but…"
"It's certainly hard work, getting up at 4 AM to make tofu every day! Of course, you'll have to take care of the children, too."
"What? What children?"
Suddenly, she was surrounded by what seemed like a horde of little red-headed, fang-toothed children, clinging to her apron. "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
One of them, a little girl, tugged on her sleeve and said urgently "Mommy? I need to go to the bathroom… but I can't find it!"
Ranko looked around, even more confused. "But… but what about college? What about my violin?"
"College? You don't even need to finish high school!" Ryouga's mother held up the instrument in question. "And this? You won't be needing it any more."
"What?…" whispered Ranko.
And with that, Ryouga's mother snapped the violin in two over her knee.
"Noooooo!" screamed Ranko, rising partway out of the bed. Weak and disoriented, she fell back down on the pillow, and looked wildly about. She was in a strange room, in the dark. She was panting and covered in a cold sweat. Where… where am I…
Suddenly the door slammed open and the lights came on, and Ryouga was standing there, his hand on the light switch. "What is it? What happened?" Ranko looked at him, and he gulped; there was terror in her eyes. He rushed over to the bed and sat down next to her, taking her hand.
"Ryou… Ryougaaaaa…" Suddenly, she was sobbing, clutching at him, and he took her in his arms, stroking her hair and murmuring comforting words. He was relieved to note that her temperature seemed to be back to normal.
"Shhhh… it's OK… I'm here… I'm here…"
"Where… where am I?"
"In my room. You passed out, and we decided to let you sleep a little."
"How long… ?"
"A couple of hours. It's not quite dinner time yet. I called the Tendous and let Kasumi and your mom know what was going on." Ranko seemed to be calming down. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" He'd heard about Ranko's nightmares from Akane.
Ranko nodded shakily.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Oh sure, Ryouga, I had a nightmare that I married you. "N-no… not really. I don't want to think about it." But I ought to…
"Do you feel up to coming down to dinner?"
Ranko focused her attention on her body, and decided she was well enough. The sleep had allowed her to recover somewhat, nightmares notwithstanding. "Yes, I think so."
Ryouga nodded towards the closet door, where her Fuurinkan uniform was neatly hung. "My mom cleaned it for you already." He grinned. "She's ruthlessly efficient."
She managed to smile. "OK, I'll get dressed." He nodded and got up to leave. "Ryouga?"
He stopped at the door and turned around. "What?"
She swallowed. "What does your father do for a living?"
Ryouga blinked. "Ummm… He's a salaryman." He grinned. "He makes surprise inspections. No one ever knows when or where he'll show up. Even him. Why?"
Ranko sagged in relief. "Just curious." Ryouga nodded and left, looking puzzled.
A few minutes later, all eyes turned to Ranko as she descended the stairs, and Shirokuro got up and trotted over to nuzzle her hand. Ranko smiled and scratched her behind the ears.
"Are you feeling better, Ranko-chan?" Ryouga's mother was leaning out of the kitchen doorway, all concern.
"Much, thank you."
"Won't you have dinner before you go home? You're welcome to spend the night, too, if you like."
"I'd love to stay for dinner. You're very kind, but afterwards I really should go home and practice my violin. I have a recital next Tuesday evening, and I still need to work on it a bit more. Plus I haven't done my homework yet."
Aneha furrowed her brow. "Are you sure you're up to going home tonight? I'd hate to see you get sick again."
Ranko nodded. "I don't stay sick for long. I feel fine, really."
Aneha smiled in resignation. "Well, why don't you all come in and sit down, then? Dinner is ready."
They took their places at the table in the kitchen, Ranko sitting next to Ryouga. Ranko felt a little nervous; she had come over to see Shirokuro's puppies, not to meet and have dinner with Ryouga's parents. Though they seemed nice enough…
Ryouga's mother served everyone, and after a quick "Itadakimasu!" they began to eat.
Ranko thought of something. "I hope you won't think me rude, but I'm curious. Ryouga said you all have the same problem he does with your sense of direction. He wasn't expecting you to be here. I'm curious about what happened."
Ryouga and his parents looked at each other, and burst out laughing. His father stood, and walked over to a table under the telephone. He opened a drawer and pulled out two small boxes, and held them up.
"GX-750. Last year's model." He grinned, and Ranko giggled. "I just have to remember to take it with me. Forgot it once and didn't make it back for two months." He put the units away and returned to the table.
Ryouga's mother spoke up. "We were hoping Ryou-chan would find out about these little gadgets and come home. They've been a lifesaver for us." She beamed. "It's so wonderful to be a family again."
Ranko's smile remained, but the life went out of it, and she lowered her eyes. Ryouga gave a pointed look to his mother, and her face fell. "I'm sorry, Ranko-chan. Ryou-chan told us more about you while you were sleeping. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings."
Ranko looked up again, a small but genuine smile on her face. "There's no need to apologize. I'm happy for all of you. I know Ryouga's been lonely, living on the road all the time."
Youshi grinned. "He doesn't seem to be lonely any more. I don't think he stopped talking about you the whole time you were asleep."
Ryouga exclaimed "Dad!", and both teenagers blushed and looked down.
Aneha chimed in, "You're obviously a very special young lady, dear. I'm glad that you and Ryou-chan were able to overcome your history together." Ranko was blushing furiously.
"Ryou-chan told us all about your violin. I would love to hear you play! Would you mind if we came to your recital next Tuesday evening?"
Ranko perked up somewhat. "Of course not! I'd love for you to come."
"Ryouga tells us that your teachers think you are going to be a great violinist."
Ranko blushed again, and looked down. "I… I don't know… I do like it, though. Right now, I'm thinking very seriously of becoming a violinist, though I don't know if I would be great or not."
Aneha shook her head. "In my day, women rarely had careers. I'm glad younger women have the opportunity these days." She laughed. "I never thought my son would be a stay-at-home father, though."
Ranko stopped eating, holding her chopsticks in midair and staring at nothing in particular. Ryouga stared at his mother, and prayed silently, Mom, please shut up.
"Well, I think it would be wonderful to have a daughter-in-law who was a famous violinist. I'm not one of these stuffy middle-aged ladies who would be offended by their daughter-in-law being successful." Ranko still hadn't moved a muscle. "You are a wonderful girl, dear. Ryouga's father and I are very impressed with you." Aneha was beaming.
Ranko spoke, her voice somewhat flat. "Thank you, Hibiki-sama. You're very kind."
"Please call me Mother, dear."
"We're married."
"Huh?" Ryouga was confused. He had been walking Ranko home, and she had been uncharacteristically silent up until now. He was a bit worried; he knew his mother had unnerved her.
"We're married. We haven't had a ceremony, you haven't even proposed to me, we're still only 16, but we're married. At least, as far as everyone else is concerned. You, your parents, my friends, even Akane and my mother. We haven't even gone on a second date yet, but we're married!"
Ryouga shook his head. "I'm not going to push you into anything."
"You don't have to! Everyone else is doing it for you. I'm sure they're already picking out dishtowels for us."
"Why is this bugging you so much? Let them think what they want, and we'll do what we want to."
She shook her head. "Don't you see? It's the pressure."
"Pressure?"
"It's just like the engagement to Akane. I thought we were just visiting my father's friends, and the next thing I knew I was engaged. I thought you and I were just going to try dating, and the next thing I knew we were practically engaged. Why does it have to be like this?"
Ryouga was getting seriously confused. "It doesn't have to be like anything."
"Oh, really? Then let's prove it. Let's take a break from each other. Let's try dating other people."
Ryouga stopped. "What?" he whispered.
Ranko swallowed. Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a great idea. "I said, let's try dating other people. If… if we're not already engaged, th-then that should be OK, right?"
Ryouga was staring at her. "I don't want to date anyone else. I love you. Not anyone else, you. I… I couldn't love anyone else." He swallowed. "Do… do you want to date other people?" He looked crushed.
Ranko's heart wrenched. She tried to fight down the feeling that she was making a horrible mistake. Something inside her was screaming for her to stop, to apologize, to tell him that she… that she… "I… I don't know. M-maybe…" Her eyes darted to and fro, avoiding his gaze. "For once, I want to feel like I have a choice."
Ryouga felt himself getting angry, and felt powerless to stop it. "You mean like when you had three fiancées? That kind of choice?" He regretted the words the instant he uttered them, and he watched, horrified, as surprise, shock, and pain played out across Ranko's face. He could see each distinct emotion take form in her expressive eyes. It was kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion. And knowing you were the one who caused it.
Tears started to spill down Ranko's cheeks. "Do you think I wanted that? They were all girls! I didn't want any of them as fiancées! I couldn't tell any of them that because I didn't want to hurt their feelings, and… and because I couldn't admit to myself that I felt like a girl inside!" She shook her head slowly. "And… and you think that I…" She choked up. "Ryouga no baka!" she wailed, then turned and ran.
Ryouga sank to his knees, and watched her go. "You're right," he whispered. "Ryouga no baka."
End Chapter 13
Tuesday, September 12, 2000
Copyright Notice
The characters and stories of Ranma ½ are Copyright © Rumiko Takahashi, and are used here without permission or license.
No claims to the above copyright are made by the author of this work.
This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced for the enjoyment of fans only.
This work is the expression of the author and the depiction of the Ranma ½ characters herein are in no way represented to be a part of Ranma ½ as depicted by the original author and copyright holder(s).