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
Wednesday, July 8th 11:00 AM. The Toho Center for Rehabilitation.
To say that Ranko was nervous would be an understatement. Yes, she could admit that her fear of water was something that she probably needed to work on, but it was justified! No, she couldn't explain to them exactly why it was justified, but it was! It really was not fair that Akane had Nabiki gang up on her to persuade her. Honestly, Akane should be glad that she was her girlfriend, or else...
That said, the sudden blush and derailing of her train of thought at that particular revelation did wonder to molify the ire and dread of the Saotome heiress. She might have squealed, but surely not. A Saotome never squealed like a lovestruck schoolgirl. Clearing her throat she glanced ahead at the looming building before her, seeing Akane waiting outside for her in a light yellow sundress. Once Ranko remembered that breathing was, in fact, important again she managed to compose herself before Shiro opened the door for her.
Akane approached the car, leaning down and brushing some of her hair behind her ear as she smiled that megawatt smile at her furiously blushing girlfriend. "I'm so glad that you decided to give this a chance, Ranko. I know that this isn't easy for you, but if we can get this behind us, it opens up so many possibilities for us, both in getting you better and spending time together."
Ranko glares a little at Akane as Shiro helps her into her chair. "And what are you right now? My therapist or my girlfriend?" She asks tartly before Akane leans in and dazzles her at point blank range with a warm, happy smile.
"Sometimes, I am both. Like now, I want to see you get better, and I also really want to get to see you in a swimsuit…" Akane confides quietly before stepping back and accepting the handles for the wheelchair from Shiro. "Thank you, Shiro. I will take good care of her."
Shiro nods as he walks to the door, holding it open for them both before he bows to Akane. "I entrust her to your care, Lady Tendo."
Akane casts an odd glance at Shiro before starting up small talk with her girlfriend as they walk towards the reception desk. "Is this your first time here, Ranko?" She politely asks as they wait for the physical therapist to arrive.
"It is. I know that my brother attends here, and I happen to have met one of the employees outside of her work-related duties." Ranko says as she covertly glances about.
"Oh? Another woman? How scandalous!" She jokingly says, grinning down at the pouting face of her girlfriend.
"Yes, actually… Her name was…" She trails off as she meets the eyes of the person who was going to be helping them with her time in the water today.
Ukyo smiled and waved as she walked over. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today, Ranko! Wait, are you my client today?" She blinks and looks at the athletic woman standing next to Ranko. "You must be Akane Tendo, then? I'm Ukyo Kuonji, it's a pleasure to work with you today."
Ranko, for her part, pales just a bit as she buries her hands in her dress, suddenly feeling much more nervous about the session than she had before. Of all the people, it had to be Ukyo. Yes, she knew she could trust her, but with the situation they were in, it could be bad. No, it was going to be ok. She could do this. She took one slow, calming breath after another and pointedly ignored the worried glances she was getting from both of them. "I'm fine, just..A bit nervous about this."
Akane nods and leans down as Ukyo steps back, watching the two of them a bit. "It's going to be ok, Ranko. Ukyo came highly recommended to me by my mentor, so I know that there is no one better to help us out with this today. Plus, you do seem to know each other." She winks at the blushing redhead as she stands back up.
She starts to push Ranko towards the changing rooms, a bag slung over her shoulder as Ranko holds onto the small bag in her lap nervously, casting sidelong glances over at the brunette walking beside them.
"So, can I ask how you two know each other?" Akane asks as Ukyo holds open the door for them.
"Certainly, if Ranko doesn't mind? I can't break confidentiality normally." Ukyo says as she looks towards Ranko who gives a timid little nod. "I actually work with her brother, Ranma. We..Have had occasion to meet outside of work before, and I am just glad that I can help her now."
Akane smiles and lays a gentle hand on Ranko's shoulder. "Do you want me to help you change into your swimsuit, or would you rather Ukyo help you?"
Ranko blushes even more. "I...can manage on my own, thanks." She says as she looks away from the two of them.
"Ok, we will just be waiting over here, then. When you are ready, call and I will come get you, ok?" Akane says as she gives a gentle squeeze of Ranko's shoulder and walks off with Ukyo, talking about the session ahead of them.
Once they are gone, Ranko sighs and levers herself onto the bench and starts to change out of her dress and into the swimsuit. It was a one piece that Nabiki picked up for her. Luckily, the request for something conservative had been followed this time, much to her relief. Yes, she had plenty of other people that could do her shopping for her, but it was one of the things that Nabiki seemed to insist on doing herself. Sometimes, she really did feel like Nabiki's personal life sized doll.
Normally, she would have welcomed the help of either of the women, but as things were now, it was just too embarrassing. She didn't want her girlfriend to see her naked like this, and with Ukyo, it was embarrassing for a whole slew of other reasons.
Once she was done, she called out softly. "Ok, I'm ready Akane."
Akane quickly comes and knocks on the door of the changing room that Ranko was sitting in before opening the door with a 'I'm coming in." Akane walks in wearing one of the same robes that Ranko had wrapped about herself, her hair damp from the shower. "I hope you didn't mind, I took the opportunity to get ready myself, since I will be in the water with you."
Ranko swallows hard and nods as she clutches the robe about herself more tightly. "Ok...I'm as ready as I will ever be." She says before letting Akane help her back into her chair.
"We just have to rinse you off before we head into the pool, we have a chair ready for you in the showers, and I will handle the sprayer for you, if that is ok?" Akane asks as she wheels her towards the shower area.
Ranko nods and once again clings to Akane as she is moved and her wheelchair is moved out of the splash zone. The chair is a wheeled one, similar to her own but obviously designed with getting wet in mind. She mentally braces herself as her robe is removed before her brain temporarily locks as Akane does as well. What Akane is wearing is quite appropriate, but a bit showier of a one piece than what Ranko has on, with higher cuts along the sides and sweeping farther down in the back. She is brought out of her daze when Akane laughs softly.
"I can model it for you later, if you like?" Akane asks as she blushes just a bit. As much as she found herself enjoying the shocked stares of her girlfriend, perhaps right now was not the best time. She laughed even more as Ranko almost mechanically nods slowly, blushing bright. Akane laughs as she blushes as well, leaning down next to her as she adjusts the water a bit and whispering. "All you ever have to do is state what you want, and I will see if I can comply, ok?"
Ranko's mind breaks a bit as she finds herself nodding once again, pulled out of her stupor as Akane carefully starts to wash her off. Ranko sighs and relaxes into the slightly warm water, letting Akane do as she wishes. Once she is done, she is wrapped in the robe once more and taken out to meet the happily smiling Ukyo who is wearing her own very professional one piece. Ranko has to admit, she is glad that Ukyo at least has the proper sense of decorum about these things.
They arrive at the shallow pool, Ranko eyeing the water with a sense of dread and anxiety. Akane kneels down next to her, lacing her fingers into the tightly clutching hand of her girlfriend. "It's ok, we are both here for you." Akane says as Ukyo nods and slides into the water.
"Ok, we are just going to sit you on the edge for right now with your feet in the water, ok Ranko? If it bothers you, we will sit you in your chair until you're ready to try again, ok?" Ukyo says in a professional manner, smiling easily. At Ranko's stiff nod, Akane gently sits the tense woman on the edge with Ukyo there to help her steady herself. "Just close your eyes, and relax. Slow, deep breaths. There you go. Nothing to be afraid of. We are here, and you are safe." Ukyo says in soft, calm tones.
Ranko for her part does as she is told, gripping Akane's hand tightly as she can feel the fear roiling slowly in her gut, trying to drown out reason. After a bit, they gently ease her back from the edge onto a towel that was laid out, another warm towel wrapped around her as Akane sits next to her.
"You're doing wonderfully, Ranko." Akane says softly as she sits close to her girlfriend while Ukyo stands and watches them with a gentle smile on her face.
"I..I hate this feeling, Akane. I know I'm safe, but...It feels like I could drown at any moment." Ranko says meekly.
"Just take your time, breath and then we will continue, if you are ok? Both of us are here for you, Ranko." Akane says as Ukyo leans on the edge to smile at the pair.
"It's ok, we have all the time you need today, okay? We will take it easy, and go as slow as you need us to. Do you think you can come back on Friday? I know that I can't get you weekly, but if we can do two sessions a week, I think we can make some real progress." Ukyo says in that supportive tone of voice of hers.
Ranko bites her lip and nods. "I can do that." She looks at Akane. "I..I'm ready to sit on the edge some more."
Akane nods and helps her over, the two professionals taking care of the smaller woman.
When they call it a day, Ranko is clearly a bit drained emotionally and physically. As they wheel her back towards the changing room, Ranko reaches out and gently lays a hand on Ukyo's arm. "I'm...Going to need some help changing. Please." She asks as the two other women share a quick glance.
"Do you want me to help you, sugar, or would you prefer Akane?" Ukyo asks softly.
"N..No offense to Akane, but...Could you this time?" Ranko asks softly before Akane smiles and leans rests a comforting hand on Ranko's shoulder.
"That's perfectly fine, just means I get the showers first!" Akane says with a wink and a final look to Ukyo, who just nods as she wheels Ranko towards the other set of showers.
"Sorry about this…" Ranko starts but is cut off by a smiling Ukyo.
"It's ok, sugar. So, this is your mysterious other half, hrm? Is it ok if I take off your suit out here, or shall we wash you off with it on then go change?" She says while smiling down at the dimunite redhead.
"In the changing room, please…" Ranko says as she reluctantly lets Ukyo take off the robe.
"You know, your scars aren't that bad. They are in about the same shape as Ranma's, to be honest." Ukyo says lightly as she starts to wash the smaller woman off in a gentle, professional manner. She just gets a non-committal sound from Ranko before she takes her back to the changing room, helping her onto the bench before easing her out of her suit. Her eyes look over Ranko out of habit, stopping at a particular set of scars as her brow creases and her eyes narrow before quickly helping her client for the day finish drying off and back into her street clothes.
The two women stand side by side as an exhausted Ranko is driven off by Shiro, Ukyo casting a look aside at Akane. "She will be ok, sugar. She just needs to rest." Ukyo starts, seeing Akane nod stil lost in thought. Ukyo clears her throat looking a bit uncertain, then presses on. "Ranko's scars….It's odd. They seem to be the exact same as Ranma's."
"Well, they were in the same accident, after all." Akane says, giving Ukyo a puzzled look.
"No, I mean, they are the same. The exact same. I've never seen anything like it." Ukyo says softly before shaking her head and heading back in. "I will see you on Friday for her next session?"
"Yes, indeed. I hope that she won't be too worn out though. I think we have plans for Saturday night." Akane confides.
Ukyo laughs and shakes her head. "I will make sure that she isn't too worn out for her date. I also have plans for Saturday, so I will try to take it easy on all of us." She waves as she heads back in, checking the details once again in the message from got earlier from Mrs. Nabiki Watanabe. "The Weeping Lilies Teahouse and Revue. I don't think I have ever been there before… But, Mrs. Watanabe picked it out, so I am sure it will be great!"