Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2, but the original characters in her is mine. Ask to use them...well, at least tell me IF you use them. I wanna read the story too!
Ranma Papa, Shampoo Mama
Chapter Six
Nodoka flipped the pages of her old photo album and frowned, looking at the picture of her younger brother. She and her sister sat to either side of the glowering young man, five years younger then the teen girls. She flipped quickly hoping what she feared wasn't true.
Then she reached the last photo she owned of her brother, his features even harsher then when he was a boy. The picture was only half way through the big book, but she knew he didn't appear later on in it's page's, even the wedding photo's for her and Genma's marriage wouldn't have him appear.
Her father had disowned him shortly after for the dishonor he'd brought to the family, when it happened Nodoka hadn't understood, and had felt betrayed by her family. Now she feared, she understood.
"Oh Hiokai... What have you become?"
"Mrs. Saotome?" The voice of the young girl, Himeko, shook Nodoka out of her reverie.
"Yes Himeko? What is it?"
"I..." The nervous child stuttered. "May I have some water?"
"Yes, Himeko. Unless you'd like a soda instead dear."
"Yes please." The girl smiled at that thought. She'd rarely gotten to have any treats while with her father.
"Good. And we'll get you some water too!" Nodoka winked. "Ranma looks hot, now doesn't he? I'm sure he'd welcome it if you gave him a splash." Both ladies laughed mischievously. "Oh, and call me Auntie Saotome dear. I'd prefer it." Nodoka said, thinking 'The truth is always best. I will call father this evening and try to work this out with him.'
She didn't notice Ranma enter the dining room as she left, hand in hand with Himeko. She didn't notice him freeze in shock when he spotted the photo album, and the picture so similar to the one in Himeko's Child Welfare file.
"What the hell?"
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Ritsu Mirakai knocked on the Saotome's front door, smiling pleasantly. She blinked in mild surprise when a girl she hadn't met previously opened the door. "Um... Hello. I'm Ritsu Mirakai, are the Saotome's home?"
"Yeah, step on in, but they might be a while. I'm Ukyo Kounji by the way."
"Good to meet you."
"He's WHAT?" Ranma's voice came through the house, incredulity almost oozing from the sound.
"What's wrong?" The social worker asked as Ukyo led her into the living room. Himeko was sitting on the couch, staring at the closed dinning room door.
"I'm not real sure. Ranchan hasn't even explained Himeko-chan here, and was really vague when he asked me to keep an eye on her. She says she isn't another fiancee."
'Why is that such a big deal around here?' Ritsu wondered.
"They're talking about my father." Himeko spoke up. She turned and looked at the two older women. "They've been yelling for a long time."
"Boy! How should she have known?" Genma's voice poured over them. "Hiokai isn't THAT uncommon a name! Of course she had to check her photo albums!"
Ritsu blinked. "Okay..."
"They've been yelling since I got here. I'm only here because he didn't want Himeko in the room during the argument." Ukyo sat down. "Sometimes I regret not going to college." She muttered.
The reasons why Ranma had called Ukyo were that she was a martial artist, meaning she could slow Hiokai down if not stop him, and her restaurant wasn't open in the morning, at least not the whole morning. Ukyo had decided not to go to college, even the early or late classes, because of her reasonable business success. Akane and Shampoo were both either busy at school or injured while Ryoga had managed to get lost shortly after the men stopped sparing.
"Ranma, if you want to yell at someone, yell at me!" Genma's voice raised above the wall's ability to absorb again. "I'm the one who gave him the manual!"
The dull, indistinct roar of an argument stopped abruptly, and Ritsu suddenly felt like se was sitting near a high power transformer. Not living in Nerima, she wasn't familiar with Battle auras.
"Now boy... Let me expl..." Genma's plea was cut off by the sound of flesh striking flesh and something splintering wood. All three occupants of the living room jumped up and rushed to the door. They slid it open to find Genma pulling himself out of the wreckage of the porch doors. Ranma was literally glowing with rage.
"Ranma! I didn't even know he had a daughter! I honestly thought he was going to try and teach it to himself! Hiokai was always a little fanatical!"
Ranma's battle aura faded, but he was still visibly angry. "Fine. But you could have told me who they were."
Nodoka grabbed Ranma's arm. "He couldn't because I asked him not to ever mention him to you. I didn't want you to know!"
"That I can understand! How could this Hiokai freak possibly be related to us!"
"What!" Yelled three feminine voices.
The three Saotome's froze, and turned to look at Ritsu, and the other girls. "Um... Well... Let me explain." Nodoka stuttered, in a manner rather similar to her own son.
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"Doctor Tofu. May Shi have cookie?"
Ono tofu looked down at the small girl, smiling at the intense expression her gray/green eyes held. "You liked your first one eh?"
"Better then worms!" She nodded, vaguely disturbing Tofu with the fact that she seemed to think that was very good indeed.
"One more." Tofu agreed, handing the girl a cookie, which she promptly broke in half. She smiled with her slightly over developed canines. "Want part?"
"Thank you." He said, taking the half a cookie. He watched her bounce off, passing under the small kitchen table instead of around it.
"Impressive isn't it?" Cologne asked, pogoing in. "The young are so adaptable."
"I have to admit her language skills are shocking."
"If bellow par for an eleven-year-old now, by the end of the month she'll speak like other little girls, and make me wish for hot water!" Both adults laughed.
"What I really came in here to ask is if it is okay for Shampoo to head home."
"She's free to go, along with Shi. Both seem fine since Shampoo's fever broke, though I'm urging you to go without a waitress for a couple of days."
"Of course."
"One question. Do you know why Shi keeps breaking her food? I mean, this time she offered me a share, but she did it to most of the potato chips and the hot dog I gave her earlier."
"I haven't the foggiest. Shampoo goes through periods where she does it to." The old woman chuckled. "You know cats, always mysterious."
Tofu nodded, picking up the cup of tea he'd been making and walking out with Cologne following beside him. "If either of the girls show symptoms of any illness, call me and I'll come over. The inoculation should handle the Rabies infection, but their other injuries could have complications."
"I am familiar with the healing arts, Doctor. I will call if there are any problems."
"Right." Tofu nodded. "Oh! I almost forgot." Turning the doctor dashed into his office, and quickly reappeared with a backpack. "Ka... Kasumi dropped this off earlier, before you came back. She thought Shi would probably like some clothes and everything she sent for Himeko was way to big, or so Akane told her."
"Well, that is nice of her. She's a little passive, but Kasumi's a fine girl." Cologne smiled. "Are the tapes helping?"
"Since I'm not dancing with my skeleton, they must be." Tofu frowned. "It's going slowly."
"These things do." Cologne assured him. "Shampoo! Come get this pack from Tofu and get Shi dressed in more then a long shirt! It's time to go home!"
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"Your telling me this guy is your brother." The statement, it was phrased like a question but the tone of voice wasn't the least bit interrogatory, was made by Ritsu Mirakai. She, along with the Saotome's, sat in the living room of their home.
"Yes. My father disowned him about a month before I married Genma, Hiokai was a taciturn and easily angered boy." Nodoka was slumped on either side of her. "He had started hanging out with some Yakuza thugs and my father wouldn't have it. When he got arrested the first time father bailed him out, then officially had him removed from the family register.
"Man Grandpa didn't hold back!"
Ritsu nodded. "No he didn't we at the Childs Services haven been seeking out his family for literally years! Your father had him erased from the family so bad we couldn't trace him!"
"Father always did do thing thoroughly."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
Genma, sitting far from his son, spoke. "Twelve years ago." At Nodoka's surprised look he shrugged. "I know your father would throw a fit if he knew you met your brother so I didn't let him in the house."
"What was he there for?"
"He was getting married." Nodoka glared. "Your father knew before I did! Those two's relationship make me and Ranma look touchy feely. I did, however, give him money for the wedding. They were planning a plain civil ceremony without rings he'd said. You'd have not forgiven me if I didn't help him a little."
"Is that the time you said you bought Ranma a savings bond?"
"Yep."
"Geesh, mom. Ya bought that?"
"No. I thought he went out drinking with Soun."
"Would have been my guess to." Ukyo, who'd been allowed to stay, said. "You know, in a tragic sort of way, that was very noble Genma."
"Yeah. By the way, mom says we're loaded so what's up with the stealing and fiancee' crap, old man?" Ranma asked, off the subject but curious.
"That's my fault." Nodoka admitted. "I refused to let him use any of the family's money for the training trip. I'd hoped it would make him return periodically."
"Oh."
"Well, either way this makes things easier." Ritsu pulled a pair of folders from her briefcase. "I can hand custody over to you as foster parents and these papers we talked about, for official adoption, should go through just fine now. We just need the Clan head to sign."
"Is that grandpa?" Ranma asked. Ritsu looked surprised while Nodoka looked sheepish. "What?"
"I was, well, afraid to tell you Ranma, but your the clan leader, Father gave it to me about a year before you came back into my life, and I passed it to you on your last birthday."
"Why were you afraid to tell me?"
"She probably thought you'd disown your Jackass of a father." Ukyo said with a chuckle.
"Actually its because you can, sort of, overrule your father's decisions."
Ranma didn't get it, but Ukyo understood and made a small "Oh."
"What?"
"She means you can reverse his deals... Like the engagements."
"Oh..."
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Hiokai shivered. He usually did when Wakari Troika entered the room. The burly man looked at Hiokai. "What news?"
"She learned the technique you asked me to teach her, but she got away. The people who have her now are a bit tougher then average and I'll need more power to get her back." He replied, trying not to show his terror. He knew this man could, and would, kill him given half a reason to.
"That is fine. She will need the time to recover from the Neko-ken, so go train. Return in three months for further orders."
"Yes... Yes sir." The scared man replied, then his curiosity made him ask. "Why do you want her to be so powerfully trained? Seems a bit much for a wife. What exactly does your employer want?"
"That does not concern you. Your only concern should be training to take the bride to be back. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Then leave!" Troika turned away, even as the black clothed fighter left, and stepped back into his office. Lifting a phone he dialed from memory. "Lord Hakama. It is as you said it would be. He lost the girl but can't seem to get her back."
"I expected as much, but who has her is what worries me. The fates of many around her seem so chaotic to my visions."
"How can that be?"
"It is not hard, my friend." Lord Hakama replied. "It means she has found people who have the will and power to shape their own destiny. A shocking, disturbing, and strangely reliving discovery."
"Relief? I don't understand."
"I feared none would challenge what is coming, and that would have been... Dull."
AN: Here ya go, it's even longer then usual. Any questions?