Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that i claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
Broken Mirrors
Friday, June 12th, The Saotome Residence, 7:00 AM.
Ranko sighs as she sits at the breakfast table, eating her morning meal and flipping through the paper as the family retainers make their way around the home, taking care of the duties that are assigned to them as they prepare for the weekly change for the Saotome's. The end of the week always brings on a sense of tension for the siblings that they handle each in their own way. For Ranko, it brings on a sense of longing, a feeling that this familiar place is slipping away as she prepares herself for the change over that has become how they handle their lives. She enquires quietly about the various members of the household, almost as if she wants the days to never end, and for the end of the week to wait just a few more days. She knows how the changing of the weeks weighs on her brother, the extra pressure and stress of his life. Not for the first time, she wishes that things could be different, that there could be another way that they could live their lives. But this is how things were, and how they would remain.
She oversees the preparations for the weekend, like she has every time for the last few years. She smiles softly, shaking her head in wonder as she trails her fingers lightly over the gown that she would be wearing the next evening with her friend as they enjoyed the performance of the artist that has bridged a gap for them both. She smiles at Shiro as he arrives silently, waiting for her to signal that she was ready to leave.
She settles herself into the back of the car, watching out the window as they make their way through her daily routine, checking in with her accountants, making preparations for her brothers arrival the next week. She takes her time at her parent's graves, sitting under the umbrella that Shiro holds over her as she makes her peace with them, speaking to them quietly about the week that has come, and confiding her concerns about the weekend, especially going into the public with her companion. Thoughts of her companion confuse the reserved young woman, not able to explain fully the fact her heart speeds up, just a bit, when she sees her. That their bi-weekly visits are some of her favorite moments of the week. She bows her head silently for another few minutes, then mutely signals Shiro to take her to the dojo.
As always, the vibrant air of the dojo seems to draw the weight off her shoulders, even though she knows that she has lost so much, that the Art sits just beyond her reach, the sense of energy, of potential, is more than enough to make her sit straighter once again. She bows her head in greeting to the students as they stop and pay their respects to her, once again a pleasant smile on her face as she always has a word for those that she is talking to.
Ryoga is busy, so she just stops and watches his class for a while before heading on to the family's section of the dojo, sipping at the tea that is waiting for her and speaking quietly to the sensei that watches over the school for her family. 'Thank you, Master Kase, for making time to see me today. You honor me with your presence." Ranko says formally as she bows from the waist, showing respect to the man watching over her families legacy.
Master Hideo Kase smiles softly, returning her bow 'No, Miss Saotome, it is you who honors this old man. I am grateful that your brother and yourself have entrusted your father, my Master's, legacy in my hands to oversee. I am eager to see your brother once again practicing the Art. I have never had any doubts that he would recover from the injuries of the accident. I only regret that I had never had the chance to see you practice the Art." He says with a sincere look of regret.
Ranko smiles sadly, her hands folded demurely in her lap as she nods to Master Kase. "I wish I could practice my families Art as well, Master. But I have accepted that it is the price I had to pay to survive the accident. I am just glad that I have had the chance to get to know the rest of my family." Her smile is warm again, the demure little red head brightening the room with her presence.
Master Kase smiles warmly, amazed at the effect she has on the atmosphere of the room, so different from her much more serious brother. Once again, he wished he had been lucky enough to know Ranko's birth mother, the sister of Nodoka who was estranged from the family at an early age. The fact that the Master and his wife would gladly take in their niece, claiming her as their own spoke volumes of the nature of the Saotome's and their understanding of giri. "Family is the greatest blessing that the Kami could have bestowed on us. It is the enduring memory that will be passed on to the generations to come." He says as he smiles serenely, sipping at his tea.
Ranko nods softly, also sipping at her tea and looking a bit forlorn "Sadly, it is not likely that I will ever know that joy myself, because of my injuries. But I will always be grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me." She says softly, smiling gently. She sits quietly with the Master for a time before taking her leave and ordering Shiro to take her home once again. There are a multitude of little things that needs to be taken care of, in preparation for her brother's taking charge for the next week, and also for the concert Saturday night. Once again, she can't help but question the logic in what she is doing, but she softly chided herself "It's just a concert, and she is just another woman. Ranko, you are making too much of everything. Perhaps more of my brother is rubbing off on me than I had thought…." She says quietly to herself as she sits in her study, looking over the last of the weeks paperwork.
Afterwards, she goes to the conservatory to practice her playing on the keyboard that was added after Akane had made the suggestion to redirect her energy into another focus. She loses herself for a while in the delicate play of music, her eyes closed as she thinks about the time she has been granted, the possibilities that would not have been a possibility if things had been different. If they had not been saved that night, both of their stories would have ended. Why they were saved, what purpose their lives serve in the grand scheme of things was stiill unsure. She smiles softly, as she goes over the latest piece that Akane had introduced her to, the music making her think of her raven haired friend. Of all the things that this new life of hers had offered her, the friendships she had made are possibly the most important to her.
The years of traveling, of moving from place to place had never really let her find friends, her focus on the Art and the dedication it had demanded had left little time in her life for anything else. She shakes her head as she listens to the notes cascading from the keyboard, amazed once again at how her Gift had been changed, repurposed into something else. Pops would have been disgusted, dedicating herself to such a thing that he would have seen as a waste. Once again, she wishes she had gotten a chance to truly get to know Ranm'a father, to possibly have a childhood that was a bit more….Normal.
She laughs softyl, remembering the first time Akane introduced her to the keyboard. She had to admit that she had been a bit...rough...around the edges then, still dealing with the loss of her mobility, of the Art. It had taken Akane some effort to get it through her head, to change how she had seen things. It wasn't until she had been practicing for a month and could play a basic piece, mostly from muscle memory that Akane had truly gotten her to rethink how she saw things.
She had been sitting at the bench, seething a bit as she tried to get the piece worked out, not even really understanding why she was bothering. All that she had trained for, all that she had sacrificed for was gone, a waste. Akane had looked at her, shaken her head and leaned down to look at her from up close. Ranko remembered looking at her sharply, a sharp word sitting on the tip of her tongue as Akane smiled at her.
"Think of it as a kata, Ranko-chan. Each chord, each note are steps. Individual moves that flow together into a greater whole, each part separate yet connected. Here, let me demonstrate. Start over on my signal." With that, Akane walked softly to the center of the room, looking into Ranko's eyes and nodding once.
Ranko starts to play, not seeing the point as Akane begins to flow through a kata, each movement graceful and precise. Part of her mind seething as she is reminded of what she has lost as her fingers draw out each note. The part of her mind that has been honed by years of training notices patterns in her kata, series of notes that seem to repeat oddly. Then it clicks, Akane is breaking her performance into distinct segments, series of notes and chords that relate to elements of the kata. She decides to test that theory, playing a chord again. Akane smirks over at her, and repeats the kata segment. The next half hour was spent going over the piece, exploring how the notes interact with each other. From that day on, Ranko had found a joy in music that she had not truly felt for a while, her Gift finding a new purpose, a new outlet.
Once again she leans back, letting her thoughts drift to the performance that she was going to. She felt a mixture of joy and trepidation, still not comfortable around so many people, but she had to admit to a fair level of anticipation to see her favorite performer in concert with Akane. When her life, their lives, changed five years ago, she would never have figured that her life would have gone in this direction.