Author's notes: Yeah, I know I usually put this at the end, but I thought I'd mention one thing for every one who read the last chapter and didn't catch the name of Mousse's brother when it was said before.
He was first mentioned in Chapter 5: All in the family.
Read it again, or just read below to find out EXACTLY what this means.
Chapter 9: We all fall down...
Mousse walked through the streets of Nerima like a zombie. The desciption felt right to him because he felt dead right about now. Like his brother.
Once again tears started to flow from his eyes. He remembered the last time he had seen his younger brother...
Village of the Amazons, three years ago...
"WHAT? Shampoo was defeated? How? Who?"
Mousse screamed at his brother who had given him the news. Shampoo had been beaten and by an outsider? Impossible, and yet Wing would never lie to him.
"Brother, please tell me what you saw."
"What I saw, or what I know?"
Mu Tsu was confused.
"What do you mean?"
The girl that defeated Shampoo was with the Jusenkyo guide and a panda that walked like a fighter. Now it's possible that it could have been a well trained pet and that she completely avoided the cursed waters, but you know the chances of that. To be with the guide, she had to be from the springs recently. For her companion to be in an obviously cursed form, they had to have gotten wet recently. For her to arrive as a female, then..."
Mousse started to turn pale as the meaning of his brother's word became clear.
"She was defeated by an outsider male... NO!"
"Calm down Mu Tsu."
"Calm down? What the hell am I suppose to do? I'll kill him!"
"Fine. Good. Care to hear how?"
"Huh?"
Wing looked at his older brother and smiled. Mousse had always told him that Wing was too smart to be a farmer, but Wing liked the farm. It was quiet and peaceful. Wing wasn't a warrior, but that didn't stop him from having a cunning mind when his brother needed it. It was Wing who had encouraged Mousse as a child to seek out Shampoo for love. Too bad Wing couldn't take his own advice...
Mousse looked at his brother and realized that Wing's thoughts had turned to Ling Pi again. He felt a little sorry for Wing. Mousse was a warrior and openly confessed his love for Shampoo. Unfortunately for Wing, Ling Pi was a warrior. She was almost as good as Shampoo. It had taken Shampoo herself to beat Ling PI in the last tournement, the one where Shampoo had been beaten by this Ranma...
"What do I need to do brother?"
Wing came out of his fantasy and sighed. Maybe Ling Pi wouldn't care that Wing was a farmer but, unlike Mousse, Wing was too shy to even tell her of his feelings.
"Go to Shampoo's Great Grandmother Cologne and wait. If I'm right about Jusenkyo, then Shampoo will seek Cologne for advice. You know how elders are, Cologne will want to meddle. Be with her so that she can use you as a tool. Cologne will take you with her to Shampoo."
Mousse looked at his brother speachless. Once again Wing had been there for him. It was Wing who took care of the farm so that Mousse could train under skilled masters of the Art. It was Wing who had the good advice when he truely needed it. It was Wing who would die for him, and who he would die for. They were family.
Mousse went to repack his things. He hadn't been home a day when he heard about the tourniment. Once again he was off to abandon all of their family's duties onto Wing's shoulders. Wing deserved better than what he gave Mousse, and he gave Mousse a lot.
As Mousse said his goodbyes to his brother and started toward the training grounds to find Cologne, he made himself a sacred vow. When next he set eyes on his brother, Mousse would not rest until he had helped Wing recieve the love he deserved from the woman he loved. Mousse would move China to bring Ling Pi and Wing Tsu together, but first Mousse had to help Shampoo with whatever mess this outsider had made of Shampoo's life.
Nerima, now...
Mousse sat on a bench in the park where he now found himself. He had failed his brother. If only Mousse had beaten Ranma sooner. If only Mousse had gone home to visit. If only...
"ARGH!"
"Ack! Mousse? Don't scare me like that? Hey, is something wrong?"
Mousse looked toward who was talking at him and barely recognized Ryouga. Mousse had been to distracted early to see that the lost boy had his camp set out behind the bench.
"Yeah. You could say that. I got a letter from home today."
"China? Was it bad news?"
"My younger brother is dead. Cologne just gave me the letter...I don't know how long ago. I thought I'd just go for a walk and get lost. Sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Forget it. You had a brother?"
"Yeah, he was a farmer."
"I'm sorry for you Mousse."
Mousse looked at the lost boy and could see how sincere Ryouga was. Ryouga live his life in constant depression. Mousse hadn't wanted to stay around Shampoo after he read the letter. Mousse had wanted to try and deal with his pain his way. Maybe here was anouther option.
"You mind if I talk with you a bit? I don't wanna insult, but they say missery loves company and you're usually in a bad mood."
Ryouga could tell that Mousse wasn't trying to be insulting. Mousse even had a point. Maybe if they talked it would help, after all what are friends for? Friends, huh. Somewhere along the way, Ryouga realized, the two of the had become somewhat friends.
"Sure buddy."
Outside the Tendo Dojo...
Nodoka had called last night and had told Soun that Akane was going to stay the night, as well as Ranma. Soun hadn't reacted quite as expected. He had seemed calm and a little sad. He had made a comment briefly about houseguests and had hung up.
Nodoka looked at the four young people with her and knew that things were about to get interesting. Maybe she could get Nabiki together with either Chi or Ryu. Both young men were very manly, and Nabiki herself was very beautiful. She deserved to have a good man in her life. Besides if it was Chi she connected with, more grandchildren.
Nodoka walked to the gate with thoughts of grandchildren dancing in her head. Ranma looked at his mother and was starting to recognize that look. It scared him. Yet it was nothing compared to the scare this morning when he woke up and found out that Akane had snuck into his bed to sleep last night. With him in just his underwear. With her in just her top. With it unbuttoned. Without her bra.
When Akane opened her eyes she leaned forward and kissed him good morning. Ranma had then passed back out. He had then been awakened by Chi and was told to get dressed. Ranma might have thought that he had dreamed Akane in his bed, but she had left her panties in his hand when she went to get dressed.
Ranma wasn't a pervert. Ranma didn't collect panties like Happosai. Ranma was going to return the panties. Ranma was just going to wash them first. Yeah, that's it.
Akane looked over at Ranma when she felt his aura light up again. Last night she had stayed up late thinking of her relationship with Ranma. She had started out just the first day making mistakes and was trying to catch up and fix them. She was over joyed to realize that the more she tried to make ammends, the closer and slightly more relaxed Ranma became around her.
She had stayed up and thought back to all the times that she had called Ranma a pervert and why she had done so at the time. She had felt like a fool when she realized that almost every time she had called Ranma a pervert, he was doing the opposite of what it appeared. This came with the revelation of just how shy he truely was. Akane realized that she had given in to becoming the mother of Ranma's children and Ranma's wife. She had also come to the realization that Ranma still wasn't completely relaxed around her, especially not intimately.
She would have to wear his shyness down some or else her wedding night, which would hopefully be soon, would be akward for the both of them. She had snuck into his bed, altered what she was wearing for maximum effect when Ranma woke up, and went to sleep. When she woke up she kissed him to keep him from screaming.
She was shocked when just before Ranma passed out, his aura flared briefly. It had been warm, and was slightly different from his normal battle aura. It also seemed familiar. It was as she started to get dressed that she remembered the last time she had felt an aura like that. It had been Happosai's lust aura when Ranma had learned the Dragon's Heaven Accension.
So Ranma could feel lust, and for her. Just before Akane left Ranma's room she placed a little 'keepsake' in Ranma's hand. Ranma had yet to mention this little keepsake to Akane today, but she could see the slight bulge in his pocket. Ranma also kept putting his hands in his pockets. Akane had caught that look Ranma had given her just now as his lust tried to flare up breifly again.
The five people entered the Tendo home and anounced their presence. Akane knew that there would be mixed emothions about Chi being here considering what happened during their match the last time he was here yesterday. Akane, Ranma, and everyone had come early so as to be here for breakfast before school.
When she entered the dining room, she was surprised to see Natsume and Kurumi sitting at the table. They were smiling slightly and greeted her well.
Nothing could have prepare anyone for what happened next as Kurumi caught sight of Chi.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Kurumi was a master of speed. No one even had a change to blink before she was across the room and attacking Chi with everything she had learned in her 16 years on the road training. Chi barely got up his defenses as Hurricane Kurumi struck full force. Chi had thankfully been expecting someone to attack him when he arrived. It was why his defences had been up. He hadn't expected to see either of these 'Tendos' so soon.
Chi caught Ranma moving to help out of the coner of his eye.
"Stay back! Leave this to me."
Ranma stopped. Chi had called it as his fight, and honor stated that Ranma couldn't interfere until Chi asked for help or was unable to continue. Ranma himself halted anyone else who moved to intervene. Ranma watched in horror as Chi was slowly being picked apart by a berserkering Kurumi. Ranma barely registered Akane begging Natsume to stop Kurumi. Finally Ranma noticed something, and the fight made more sense. Chi was 'letting' Kurumi tear him apart.
"Akane, call Doctor Tofu."
Ranma watched in horror as he saw his new brother drop his defenses and take a strike in the chest. The punch knocked Chi into the wall surrounding the dojo and embedded him half way in. Chi was out. Chi couldn't continue the fight.
Ranma moved like lightning and grabbed Kurumi before she could use a killing move on Chi. Kurumi struggled in Ranma's arms, but there wasn't any real skill involved. Slowly Kurumi started to break down and cried in Ranma's arms. Ranma looked over to Chi's limp body and Ranma knew he could figure some of what must have happened. Chi must have met the girls and did something that he knew would hurt them greatly. Chi must have felt guilty, but hid it well. Chi had allowed Kurumi's attacks as some sort of personal retribution.
Ranma hoped that Chi's guilt didn't cost him his life.
At some park in Nerima...
"And then my brother sent me to the old mummy saying that she'd bring me to Shampoo. He was right, as usual."
"Your brother sounds like he was a great guy."
"He was."
"Um... You mind if I ask how he died?"
"No, I don't mind. Talking has been a great help, Ryouga. Wing had appearently been home when a monster of some sort attacked. The door had been broken in, there had been blood everywhere. The tracks suggested something around 800 or more pounds. If there hadn't been evidence of a body being dragged away, I might have been able to have hope that Wing was still alive. But even if they couldn't find his body, Wing isn't a fighter and there was too much blood for him to be alive."
"They can't even recover his body? I'm sorry."
"You wanna know what's funny? When I got to the Cafe, Shampoo actually hugged me and tried to help me feel better, but I was just in too much pain and shock. After everything we've been through, even after Ranma, Jusenkyo, and all of it. Shampoo's still my best and oldest friend, and apparently I'm still her's. I guess I'd better go back and talk with her for a while. You wanna come with? I can lead you to Akane's."
"If you're sure you don't mind."
With that Ryouga broke bown his camp and packed everything back up. He followed Mousse back toward Nerima and the Tendo Dojo.
Later, at the Tendo home...
"So you found your father?"
"Yes, we did. His name was Nakimura, and he was a thief. The reason he left our mother is because he was running from the law. He was killed about ten years ago while attempting to rob a bank."
"So how did this guy, Chi, help you find him?"
Natsume looked over to the couch where Kurumi had cried herself to sleep. Neither of them wanted to bother the Tendos anymore. They didn't have the right. Natsume sighed, she had returned as they had promised and she couldn't just leave yet. Not without at least giving an explination, after that she would wait for Kurumi to wake up, then thay would leave.
"We actually stumbled across Chi while he was trainig in the mountains. He hadn't been looking for us at that time, but said that he had planned to look for us soon. He asked when was the last place we had felt at home. When we told him here, he said that he could help us find our father. But there was a catch, he made us vow that no matter what we find we had to return here at least one more time. We thought that he meant to take over the dojo at the time. Now we know what he really meant."
"What did he tell you?"
"He told us to go back to the orphanage that we were put in when our mother died and steal our records. When we had first left we had been kids and didn't think of that so we left them. We parted ways with Chi and did as he suggested. At first we couldn't find our files, but then we started to look for just our first names instead of 'Tendo'"
"I take it you found your names under Nakimura?"
"Yes, we did. We were a little saddened to learn we weren't your sisters, but we were overjoyed to actually have a chance to find our real father. It took a few months, but we finally found an old friend of our father's. That's when everything went wrong. The friend showed us our father's grave and had a letter from our father in case we ever found him. It told us everything. Why he left our mother, why he never came for us, it even said that he had not even put us on his families register because he didn't want his name ruining our lives. He made us Ronin to 'Protect Us'. It was then we remembered our vow to return here and realized that somehow this Chi already knew what we would find. We impossed too much the last time we were here and even slandered your father's name claiming him as our own and saying he betrayed your mother.
As Natsume said this last part, her guilt became too much to bare and she started to cry once more. Before anyone in the room could react however, Kasumi was at Natsume's side and was holding her with all her might. Everyone was startled to see that Kasumi was crying as well.
Genma looked toward Natsume and then toward Kurumi. Be briefly cast a glance towards where Ranma and Tofu had dragged Chi's limp body. Nodoka had said something about Chi being a Saotome and adopted by her last night. She said she would explain later in private. Genma had known the last time the girls were here that they couldn't have been Soun's, but had enjoyed their loving care and carefree attitude. Once more Genma's eyes drifted to both sisters. He could tell that Kurumi was starting to come around, and then they would leave because they believed they didn't belong.
Ronin. RONIN! Their damned father had made them Ronin. He had been afraid of what his honor would do to theirs so instead he strips them of everything. Genma was himself a thief, and a cowards at times, but his son, his honor. Genma would and did sacrifice nearly everything for Ranma's training. In their ten year training journey Genma had done things he was far from proud of, no matter what people thought of his supposed lack of a guilty consience.
To Genma, he would have sacrificed anything for his son. Even Genma's honor. Many people may doubt it was still there, but Genma always held on to a small sliver of it. It was what had kept him afraid of Nodoka and the pledge to make Ranma a man among men. For honor, if Nodoka had asked for his head... He was a Father first and a Husband second. He kept what was left of his honor so that it wouldn't harm thiers.
That was to point of being a good parent. Being willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of their child.
As Natsume and Kurumi got up to leave for the last time, Genma turned to his wife and met her eyes with his. Nodoka looked into her husbands eyes and saw a single tear of mourning leave them as Genma sacrificed the last of his honor for children not his own.
"Wait. You can't leave, not now. I'm sorry Nodoka. I should have been honest all those years ago. I fake my name and set up the grave in case you ever got too close to finding me. Girls, I am your father."
Genma closed his eyes and waited. Everyone stopped in shock. Natsume and Kurumi turned to Genma and couldn't understand what was going on. Nodoka looked to her husband. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. It was a lie. She knew that Genma was always faithful. Nodoka also understood what her husband was doing, he was sacrificing the one thing he had always had as his own. His honor. He was destroying himself so that there would be only one course of action. Nodoka took a deep breath, and prayed for forgiveness for what she must now do to her husband.
"I KNEW IT! YOU DAMN PIECE OF SCUM! YOU HONORLESS DOG! You dared father two children with anouther woman and then take my own son from me. You're destroying what little honor you've left us with. I won't allow it. If it gets out about these girls, the name of the Saotome family is ruined. We can't let it get out that you father two girls and then left them perentless for FIFTEEN YEARS!"
Everyone stared at Nodoka as she yelled. Ranma had come rushing in but was so busy trying to understand what was going on he didn't stop his parents as it sounded like they were breaking up. There were only two people under the Tendo roof that caught on at first. One was Happosai, who was hiding and watching the show. The other was Nabiki. She did some thing she never thought she would as she saw something she would have never even made odds for. She cried a tear for Genma Saotome as he Sacrificed everything he personally held dear for someone else.
Nodoka turned to Kurumi first, and then Natsume. Nodoka kept her face stern as her heart went out to the girls.
"Do you wish to destroy my family name?"
"No! Of course not, what's going on?"
"Good. It makes it easier that your father left you off your mother's family register. I know that this is not your fault, but I must ask you to help my family to try and regain some of the honor that my husband has lost us. Will you help me?"
"Yeah, but how?"
Nodoka looked deep into the girls eyes. This next part was not an act. This was to be an honest request, though not for the stated reason.
"To keep Genma as your father and for the Saotome name to not lose honor, I humbly ask for you to allow me to add you to the Saotome family register with Genma as your Father, and Myself as your Mother. If it is recorded that I am your mother then there is no lose of honor."
It was at this time that everyone still left in the dark caught on to why Genma would 'admit' to such an honorless act, and why Nodoka would appear to turn on him so suddenly. Natsume and Kurumi were speechless. They never expected such an offer or such a sacrifice on their behalf. They broke out of their frozen state as Ranma spoke from right next to them with tears in his eyes.
"Sisters, please say yes."
Natsume and Kurumi colapsed into Ranma's arms crying at being called sister by him. The offer was real, and it had been made by the entire family in front of witnesses. They could barely nod as they held their new 'brother' tightly.
"Good. We'll take care of it after breakfast. Ranma, is your brother alright?"
At this question Natsume's and Kurumi's eyes open and looked to be trying to cover their faces.
"YOUR BROTHER?"
The rest of the Tendos, except Akane, stared at this comment and missed the entrance of said brother.
"Yeah brother, but I'm adopted too, sisters."
Kurumi looked into Chi's eyes and instead of seeing hate or anger, saw forgiveness and apology. She moved behind Ranma ashamed of what she had done to Chi earlier.
She didn't notice Chi appear behind her until his arms were around her waist.
"I'm sorry Kurumi. I knew you wouldn't have believed me if I just told you. I had to let you two find out for yourselves. I'm so sorry. I wish that I never had to do that."
Kurumi slowly turned around and put her arms around her other new brother. Yesterday, her and Natsume were Ronin. They had no family, no honor, no future. Now she felt like she had everything she could have ever wanted, a loving family.
Ranma allowed Natsume to move to 'their' mother and hug each other. Ranma walked over to Akane and took her hand. He looked over and saw Ryu standing in the corner, forgoten. Ranma felt like kicking himself for forgetting his new friend like that.
Ranma turned his head when he saw Ryu suddenly look over Ranma's shoulder to the door. There was Mousse and Ryouga. Ranma walked over to them, but Mousse turned and left before anyone could say anything. When Ranma started to call out, Ryouga raised his hand and shook his head.
Everyone started turning to the new arrival and Ryouga figured it would be best to explain before he asked what was going own and forgot.
"I'd give him a lot of space right now Ranma. He just got a letter from China saying his brother died."
The temperature of the room suddenly dropped ten degrees from Chi's sudden use of the Soul of Ice.
Nodoka and Ranma both thought back to what the dvd from the 'future' Nodoka had said:
"Ranma spent his time training and learning about the village. It seems he actually began making friends there. One of them was a young man named Wing Tsu. You will only need to look at Chi's face to know what Wing looks like. Chi's birth mother insists on that..."
Nodoka and Ranma watch as Chi slowly let go of Kurumi and walk out toward the dojo. Ranma and Akane followed and Ranma watched as Chi began doing advanced katas at top speed. He could see the war in Chi's aura as his grief and depression battle against Chi's Soul of Ice. Apart of chi was dieing inside and Ranma could do nothing but watch. It didn't make any sense to Ranma. If Wing Tsu was dead now, then how could Ranma have met him later? What happened?
On the ocean heading for Japan...
I small thin figure continued to do exercises to pass the time. He was risking everything on someone he had never met.
"Soon Ranma Saotome, we will meet..."
Lightning flashed from the storm ourside and was reflected off of a pair of glasses the figure wore.
Author's notes:
I really apreciate all of the reviews I'm getting. They just seem to inspire me to continue writing. Please keep them coming...
Up next : School Daze...