Work Text
~some characters will be slightly OOC~*just to clarify, Ranma's pronouns maybe a little messy for this story, this is on purpose and will be expanded on*<when not directly stated assume the POV is Ranma> The morning greeted Ranma in a very familiar way, with him being tossed out the window. Now a slightly more unpredictable part of his morning is whose throwing him out said window, it’s usually his pops always pushing him to be better, though as Ranma’s been stuck at the Tendo’s for a while a certain tomboy has started waking him up in an extremely aggressive manner. It appeared that Akane had chosen gravity as Ranma's alarm clock for the day, and, to Ranma’s slight joy and annoyance, the tendo’s koi pond, filled with unquestionably cold water. A now unmistakably shorter and much brighter haired Ranma crawled out of the pond, happy not to have hit the ground but still upset about being suddenly woken up glared up at the guest room bedroom. “What was that for!?” Ranma shouted at the figure leaning out the window. “Oh shut up Ranko , you know how hard you are to get up in the morning” Akane responded as she left Ranma’s point of view. Ranma flinched at the jab, she knew Akane (and Nabiki) was upset about the lie she had been telling her mother to spend time with her. Ranma shook her head not for the first time annoyed by the constraints currently in the way of getting to know his mother and not her aunt. She began to walk towards the house determined to find some hot water and try to set things right, or food, now that she thought about it a good breakfast would set her up to tackle the day. Before she could reach the doorway a familiar voice stopped Ranma in her tracks. “Boy, I see you're finally taking your morning training serius, but have you grown so confident that you're going to try to beat me in that cursed form!” a surprisingly morning inclined Genma questioned in a boastful tone of voice. Now at one point Ranma had held similar feelings towards her current form, but the many battles it had seen her threw had left Ranma to grow pretty defensive of herself. “Pfft I could take you down in any form, anywhere old man!” She shouted back in response, turning away from her initial route and getting ready to pound her pops into the ground. (Roughly one hour latter) Not having properly faught her father in a decent while Ranma was surprised (and reminded of certain memories of pain she’d rather keep buried) of just how much of a challenge he turned out to be, begrudgingly Ranma had to admit that Genma’s reach advantage combined with his wide spread knowledge of techniques allowed for him to get in a worrying number of hits in, some that would definitely bruise, and a few that had already started. Though it was clear that Ranma's added speed and flexibility paired with her own (amazon primarily) secret techniques allowed for Ranma to push her pops steadily back towards the pond, slowly but steadily, sapping his stamina. For the second time this day a familiar voice reached across the yard and halted both of the Saotomes in their tracks. “Auntie Nodoka, how nice of you to visit!” A particularly loud Kasumi practically shouted out. Taking this opportunity a slightly less panicked Ranma threw out one last punch, pushing Genma over the edge of the Koi pond. Briefly looking back to make sure the panda hadn’t chosen to drown himself to avoid Nodoka (he hadn’t) and finally managed to make it back into the household. “- aren’t in right now, but I’m sure they pass on their best wishes” Kasumi was just finishing off the initial pleasantries as a disheveled Ranma came rushing into the room fully submerging into her expected role as Ranko. “Oh Auntie, it's so nice to see you!” Ranma gushed as she moved towards her mom, verbally excited but hesitant to make physical contact, after all Ranma knew for a fact that the sword at her hip was rather sharp and not just for decoration. (Nodoka’s POV) “Ranko my dear, it’s good to see you again” Nodoka responded in turn a bright smile on her face as she walked towards the young girl and reached out to embrace her, a happy Ranma walked forward to return her offer, though to Nodoka’s displeasure she appeared to flinch ever so slightly as Nodoka opened her arms up for the hug. At this response She began to look closer at Ranko and noticed some severe looking bruises on her arms and legs. “Tell me Ranko what have you been up to since we last saw each other?” Nodoka asked, trying to carefully get information from the young girl. “You know the standard stuff, mostly some training and playing around with Mr. Panda!” A clearly excited Ranko responded not quite finished she continued “though I have tried to improve my cooking abilities and prepare some of those dishes you taught me” “That’s lovely dear” Nodoka replied, ‘ those were large hand prints on Rankos arms and legs, some old and new bruises as well, even if this is just training it’s a bit too intense for such a young girl’ Nodoka was lost in thought and hadn’t noticed Rankos attempts to gather her attention, as a matter of fact she also failed to notice Akane approaching the trio, though to be fair the only one that did was Kasumi. (End of Nodoka’s POV) Ranma was thrilled to be talking with her mother, though Nodoka seemed to be a bit distracted by something. Ironically enough as Ranma tried to figure out what was puzzling her, she found herself too distracted to notice a quieter than usual Akane walk into the room. “Oh!” Akane yelped as she walked into the room, “what brings you over today?” The sudden disturbance caused both Saotomes to whip around, Ranma raising her fists up in a defensive pose before realizing who it was that startled her and lowering them. Interestingly enough Nodoka's own hand seemed to be resting on a now partially unsheeted honor blade. “I was merely passing through the area and thought I’d stop in” Nodoka responded. “You also mentioned last I stopped by that Ranma should have returned from his training trip by now” She paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. “I know Kasumi here said that neither he or my husband are in, but are they out for the day or?” Ranma could feel her heart shatter as she could only watch as her mother desperately tried to gather any information about her son and where he might be. ‘ I’m right here mom! ’ was all Ranma could think, but knew that to even suggest that possibility as things stood would result in at least three people's deaths, something that could not happen. Before Ranma could work her thoughts into a sentence that wouldn’t end with the death of her entire immediate family, Akane spoke up. “No Ranma isn’t due back anytime soon” she paused before staring at Ranma as something in her eyes froze over “in fact I haven’t seen him in a while, ever since Ranko started staying with us for longer periods of time.” (Nodoka’s POV) Nodoka felt the last part of her hope of reuniting with her son (and husband, maybe) today shrink up and fade, all she could bring herself to do was a slow nod at what Akane was saying as she retreated into her own thoughts to avoid any improper appearances. She was aware that Akane had continued, and while she could see her lips move and technically hear her, none of it was forming into understandable words for her. As Nodoka began to regain some control of her emotions, something caught her eye that brought herself back to attention, Ranko had flinched and was clearly devastated by something. “-anma probably doesn’t want to be around Ranko” Akane continued to lay into Ranko. In response, Ranko began to shake her head. “No? You want me to stop! When Ranma's poor mother only wants to see her son and your stopping th-“ “Akane! That is enough.” Nodoka cut in, surprised by both the harshness of Akanes’ comments and her own raised voice. “But Aun-“ “I don’t know what has caused you two to fight, but it is neither proper or fair” Nodoka had acted outside of her own views of proper behavior, but seeing Ranko begin to actively tremble snapped something inside her, ‘Ranko seemed unwilling to stand up for herself, the sight alone broke her heart’. When it became clear to Akane that Nodoka would not budge on this topic, she threw hands up in frustration and left the room, mumbling something along the lines of “-course she’d take that idiot's side” though Nodoka could not be certain. Merely shaking her head, Nodoka turned to face the last remaining person in the room, Ranko ‘ huh, Kasumi must have left when I was distracted’. The petite redhead in front of her looked a mix of emotions, her face torn between joy, sadness, and what could only be described as a mixture of shame and appreciation. All in all they combined to create a (at least to Nodoka) devastatin expression. “Thank you for standing up for me Auntie, but you really didn’t need too” Ranko began as Nodoka went to reassure her, Ranko raised her hands to ask for a moment before she responded. “And Akane she’s, you know, she’s right, and since Ranma and your husband aren’t here I understand you’ll want to leave, I’m sorry for causing you any trouble” Ranko finished, her head cast downwards and Nodoka could guess by the combination of avoiding eye contact and shaky breathing, Ranko was crying and trying desperately not to be seen as doing such.(End of Nodoka’s POV) Ranma was trying desperately to hold himself together, as he looked down at his form and Akanes comments echoed in his skull, ‘ this body-this curse was standing in my way, I can’t reassure my mother and I’m not even sure I could have been called man enough prior to it’ his hands began to tighten further and further as her nails dug into her hands, ‘ I’m to much of a coward to even tell her, so much for a man amongst m-‘ suddenly two warm arms wrapped around him as his mother held her body close. “It’s alright Ranko, you're not to blame, you're not to blame” Nodoka spoke to Ranma in a soft and soothing tone of voice as she ran her hand across Ranma's back. Something in Ranma snapped as the emotions that had been bottled up came pouring out and she began to cry outright, slowly growing in volume as Nodoka tightened her grip on her. With the tears came the release of a small but certainly notable amount of the built up stress she had gathered the past few days, well really weeks, and it be honest months, or even years since Ranma had last seen his mother and even if at the moment this woman was supposed to be her aunt, she couldn’t deny that it felt good to be held by her. Slowly Nodoka slowed her constant reassurance and lifted Ranmas’ head to look her in the eye. She offered Ranma a warm smile and asked the question that would hopefully change both of their lives for the better. “Why don’t we go for a walk?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ranma replied with a soft smile but a firm nod. Nodoka wiped the slowing stream of tears from Ranma's eyes, took her hand and began to lead the pair out of the house. As they walked towards the front door, Nodoka poked her head into the kitchen, spotting Kasumi.
“Ranko and I will be stepping out, apologies for any disruptions we may have caused”
“Oh it’s no issue at all, enjoy your walk” Kasumi replied in her ever calm tone of voice as she wrapped up the last bit of left overs from breakfast and put them in their proper places for later.
As the front door shut, Kasumi had one thought at the forefront of her brain, ‘
I do hope Ranma’s not too hungry after missing breakfast’
————————————————————
Ranma had just about pulled herself back together as the pair made it a couple houses down of Tendos’ home, and was just about to ask Nodoka if she had particularly place she wanted to go. That question was shot down before she had even opened her mouth when a noise from her stomach braught other issues to the top of her priority list.
“Sorry about that, I must have forgotten to eat breakfast yet” an unusually bashiful Ranma explained.
For a split second the smile her mom had equipped dropped away, before finding itself reinstated as Nodoka voiced her concerns, “Ranko it must nearly be 11:00? Why don’t we stop by a restaurant and grab something for you to eat?”
Once more Ranma could only nod her head in answer ‘
she’s actually concerned about me?
’ Ranma quickly squashed that thought as
he
picked apart what she had said,
‘that’s
right,
she cares about
Ranko,
not me’
. Even Ranma recognized how negative this line of thinking was going and quickly shut down that thought process, frankly one emotional breakdown in front of
her aunt
was more than enough for one lifetime.
(Nodoka’s POV)
Nodoka looked down at the short girl in front of her, as the two were seated at a nearby Yoshinoya, which had luckily been very empty, largely in part to the pair arriving an hour before the lunch rush began.
She made note of Ranko looking around the restaurant, seemingly pausing on random things before relaxing fully into her seat. Nodoka also noticed when the waiter had first greeted them and handed them menus that Ranko had begun to flirt (though charm may be the better word for her actions) with him.
Though that action quickly stopped as soon as Ranko turned back towards her. In an instant Nodoka saw her eyes quickly widen in fear and then settle into a downtrodden look of shame or maybe regret? This reaction had left Ranko silent for the past couple minutes, and Nodoka wished to converse with her but couldn’t seem to find the right words to start up a conversation.
This wall that had come up over Ranko was fortunately broken down, or at least lowered, as the waiter returned to take their orders.
“What can I get for you two today?” He asked, pulling out a notepad and clearly forcing the biggest smile he could manage.
Nodoka responded first “I would like to order a regular sized gyūdon”
“And for your little one?” Nodoka was just about to explain that the ‘little one’ wasn’t really hers when said ‘little one’ answered.
“Can I have your combo gyūdon XL, pretty please?” The tiny redhead asked, having apparently completely missed what the waiter had said.
That request caught both Nodoka and the waiter off guard, neither expecting the girl to order anything larger than a size larger of Nodoka’s own order, especially not the largest item on the menu.
The young waiter recovered first and let his automatic response come out as he began to walk back towards the kitchen. “Will that be all?” With no hesitation, Ranko replied in all seriousness “Yeah, don’t want to overeat” the poor waiter merely nodded and fully left Nodoka’s point of view.
It was at this point that Nodoka once again re-examined the girl before her, and began to feel an extra layer of concern built upon her prior thoughts.
“Ranko, I know you missed breakfast, but are you sure you're aware of how much that is?”
Ranko looked back at her, first in confusion and then concern began to appear on her face.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that, I shouldn’t have ordered such an expensive item without your permission first” that statement only got a more concerned look out of Ranko, “and now I’ve gone and assumed your paying and that’s rude and well I’m just so-”
Nodoka cut her off before the girl could apologize for nothing. “It’s alright Ranko, trust me the cost is not the concern” this seemed to bring some level of relief to Ranko, though even that was short lived as Nodoka asked another question. “I’m more worried about just how much food you ordered, that’s all”
That brought a more bashful look out of Ranko as she rubbed the back of her head while answering, “well, you already know I missed breakfast but I’m also worried about what might be waiting for me at home with regards to diner, and that’s not even really taking how much I workout into consideration.”
Those were not as reassuring to Nodoka as she suspected Ranko had intended. The combination of an uncertain chance of a meal with the reminder of the girl's rather active nature left Nodoka with concerns of not just her relationships with some individuals but perhaps some of the basics of her home life.
Once more trying to reassure Nodoka, Ranko tried to explain what she meant about the meal issue. “Not that Kasumi is a bad cook, far from it, but with you stopping by their house more recently, Akane seems to try to cook more and more often, and you’ve had her cooking.” Ranko briefly paused before finishing with “sometimes I wonder if she actually is trying to poison me”.
Nodoka could only take that information in stride as she recalled just how questionable the youngest Tendo’s talents were with regards to anything including food, and that one taste was with her own supervision. By the time Nodoka had recovered from the flashbacks to the most recent time she had nearly died the smell of a freshly cooked gyūdon had snapped her out of the trance.
The pair of diners quickly thanked the waiter before they began to eat, and eat may have been a generous term in Nodoka’s opinion for exactly what Ranko was doing, a more accurate word may have been consumed. To be honest there was only one other person she had known that could eat like that, and frankly Nodoka would like to avoid comparing the petite redhead in front of her with the image of her husband, a very bulky individual.
“I’m sorry for causing you to miss breakfast, I don’t realize how hungry you must have been, though I must wonder how you're not choking yourself?” Nodoka asked the last bit quieter then her initial statement, as the question was more targeted towards Nodoka herself and not Ranko. This fact did not stop said girl from answering “oh I learned how to do that while I was on the road with my pops, kinda had to or he’d take all the food.”
That statement alone left her more concerned than nearly everything else she had heard and seen for the past day. Any judgment Nodoka may have been passing on the girl's eating habits quickly faded from her mind. The more she heard about this kid's life the worse it sounded, and that last comment reminded her that Ranko was the Tendo's cousin and a new concern about what kind of house Ranko must have been raised in. If Genma had treated Ranma half as poorly as she began to fear Ranko had been treated by those in her life, she didn’t care how manly he had made him, she would be having words with her soon to be ex-husband.
By this point the duo had finished their meal and Nodoka moved to pay and leave when she looked back to see a slightly disappointed looking Ranko who answered her question before she could ask.
“So no desert?”
A singular sweat drop formed on the corner of Nodoka forehead before quickly vanishing, as Nodoka observed the young girl before her she wondered just how she was able to stay in shape with all the food she could pack away.
“Why don’t we grab some ice cream later on in our walk?” Nodoka suggested, trying to at least give the kid a chance to digest what she had just eatin, and frankly more and more questions were popping up in her head, and none of them had what she would call good answers.
Rankos’ head almost seemed to blur as she nodded, a look of happiness began to form on her face as her smile grew in lumincy. This warmth radiating from the younger girl helped ease some of the negative feelings Nodoka could feel building up in her own heart, of course not towards the girl but instead the situation she appeared to be in.
(Back to Ranmas’ POV)
To be honest, Ranma was a bit concerned about how their little lunch trip had gone. On one hand Ranma was thrilled to spend time with and try to get to know Nodoka better, but worryingly she seemed to be more interested in Ranma herself, and to Ranma's own concern some of the habits she had developed slipped through, a few of which Ranma had the sneaking opinion that wouldn’t reflect as entirely manly in the eyes of her mother, at least as far as she could tell.
Their walk had since taking them into the local park, a location Ranma was more then happy with, being just about as far away from hot water as physically possible in this city, as such the odds of
her
being turned back into
him
where slim enough slowly relaxed back into the conversation, just in time for her mom to put an end to the nice (though slightly awkward) silence that had lingered with the two Saotomes after leaving Yoshinoya.
“Ranko, if you don’t mind me asking, how did your visit to the Tendos’ get to last as long as it has?” Ranma could feel her heart begin to sink, ‘
There it is, she’s trying to get rid of me. I guess Akanes comments about me keeping
Ranma
away were more impactful than I thought.’
Ranma felt the self loathing
he
has felt earlier return in full force, everything about this
body
was incredibly nauseating to him. Just as Ranma was trying to come up with an excuse as to why
she
had to leave so
he
could get away from this situation, a look
up
at Nodoka (an action that had nearly pushed the recent meal back out of him) met Ranma with a face filled not with the loathing he had projected onto it, but once more it showed a level of concern that was almost unseen of in his life.
Before Ranma could try to ease the concern that had appeared on her face, Nodoka moved to comfort him again, “I’m sorry Ranko, I shouldn’t have asked you something like that out of the blue, that was rude of me and-“ Ranma only shook his head and reached out to hug the woman who had been trying to reassure
her
.
“You don’t need to apologize, I just didn’t understand your question, I thought you were tired of me being around and with what Akane had said it just-“
“No, Ranko I’m not tired of you and I would never want you to feel that way, though what Akane had said, and some of the things you’ve been saying have been on my mind” Nodoka cut Ranma off in an attempt to steer her away from another breakdown. Ranma was trying to process what her mom had been asking if her assumption had been as far off as Nodoka made it out to be, when once more Nodoka put forward a suggestion that was guaranteed to brighten Ranma's mood.
“Why don’t we grab some ice cream on our way back to the Tendos?”
The brilliant smile had made its return to Ranma's face as the duo slowly walked out of the park. Ranma focused on the potential sweet treat in her near future, the emotional mess that the earlier part of the day had been was already being compartmentalized in the very back of Ranma's mind.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
(Nodoka’s POV) Nodoka let a similar smile rest on her face, though it didn’t reach her eyes the same way Rankos had, instead she looked after the younger girl with a slightly saddened, confused, and deeply concerned look in her eyes, something about this girls situation seemed entirely off to Nodoka but so far she had only managed brief glimpses into her life, and what she had seen were not promising.The duo were nearing the edge of the park and the distant sound of voices began to float across some of the nearby streets. It looked to be lunch break for a good chunk of the businesses in Nermina and likely the wider Tokyo complex. Luckily for Ranko, this also meant that those in the business of selling food were open for customers.Nodoka had no idea how the tiny girl in front of her could possibly still be hungry, but hungry she seemed to be. As Nodoka began to lose ground on the bobbing red head as she seemed to slip through the crowd and steadily progress through the line to the nearest ice cream stand. Nodoka was able to get closer again as she remained outside of the slow moving line of people desperate for something cold in the rising spring heatwave. She noticed Ranko began to smile and flutter her eyes at different people, each one she seemed to be able to convince to let her by all the way up to the server, getting as close as Nodoka could manage without too much grumbling from the people in between, she could just about make out what Ranko was ‘ordering’ if one could call her actions as such.“Wowie mister, you’ve got so many options, and I’d love to try-‘em all but I don’t have enough money” at this Rankos' head seemed to drop down as she tried to shrink down further. It was right as the server began to look down at her, seemingly on the verge of tears, he went to open his mouth to try to calm her down. “Oh-but they look so good, I’ll just leav-““No no, I can give you one on the house, now what can I get for you?” Nodoka could see the faint outline of a smile as Ranko faced the seller and began to explain her dish.“Oh thank you, could I have one of your sundaes with as many flavors as you can fit?” Once more the tiny redhead paused before continuing “I just don’t know if I’ll ever get to try so many flavors again”. Whatever resistance the ice cream man was going to present crumbled as he rapidly piled up a dish and handed it off to Ranko with a smile, who immediately returned the smile and quickly left, heading back in Nodoka’s direction.(Ranma's POV)Ranma couldn’t shake the smile from her face as she walked towards her mom, the sweet treat in her hand already half gone and melting away, slowly but steadily.While a smile may cling to Ranma's face, the one Nodoka currently bore was far more familiar for the teen, a look of disapproval. Though for the briefest moment Ranma could have sworn something else slipped past that mask.“Now Ranko what was that for?” Nodoka’s voice was stern, further reinforcing that feeling of déjà vu for Ranma.“What?” Ranma asked, her treat now fully finished.“Why didn’t you wait until I could pay for your ice cream?” She further inquired “instead of lying to that kind gentleman?”The added questions only served to further confuse Ranma, for one thing Ranmas hadn’t lied to the ice cream server, she really didn’t have any money, but on the other hand the concept of someone else paying for her treats was weird. “I didn’t know I had to pay them!” Ranma replied, “I always figured they either gifted them to me or left samples out.”These statements apparently only served to further confuse Nodoka, who paused before continuing her line of questioning.“Why would you think this?”“Is that not how it works?” In truth Ranma wasn’t so socially inept that she couldn’t figure out that most people pay for these things, but on the other hand the ideas drilled into him as a child to get food under any circumstances by Genma left Ranma the necessary skills to get a free meal.“Who taught you that?”“My pops”.(Nodoka’s POV)Any anger Nodoka had felt building up at the actions of the child in front of her evaporated as the situation Ranko appeared to be in came rushing back to the forefront of her mind. This also caused Nadoka to abandon the lecture she had intended to repremind the younger redhead with.“Ranko I understand that you may have been taught these things by your father” Nodoka paused at this point, feeling the conflict between instructing this child in, what she would consider, the proper social expectations and also knowing that one should always respect their parents, continued on. “And while I’m sure he had the best intentions at the time, most people pay for goods of any kind, alright?”Rankos' eyebrows briefly scrunched up before she gave Nodoka a firm nod.Feeling that She had handled that situation as best as she could, Nodoka reached out and lightly patted the young girl on her head before lightly resting her hand on Rankos back and began to walk away from the food vendors.“Let’s get you back to your uncle and cousins” (Ranma POV)The ice cream Ranma had grabbed on the way back was completely gone, a feat that seemed to surprise Nodoka, who was unfamiliar with the redhead's eating habits, especially her speed. Overall the walk itself was the most relaxed Ranma had felt in, well, a really long time. Dealing with all the fiancées and whatever new trouble had shown up for that day left her with so little time to relax.As much fun as Ranma found in martial arts and truly he was dedicated to becoming as good as possible, the time with her mother was a nice break.This realization had just dawned on the teen when they had reached the front gate of the Tendo Dojo. The familiar sight paired with the unfamiliar calm was a surprise for Ranma as peace wasn’t something she connected with the dojo, this moment would quickly pass as Nodoka had walked up to the front gate making their presence known.(Nodoka Pov)A warm smile greeted Nodoka as she opened the door, the eldest Tendo girl's demeanor was in stark contrast to the sounds and smells further within the household. “Aunt Nodoka and Ranko, how was your walk!” Kasumi asked, with such volume as she always seems to possess when first greeting Nodoka before quitting once others join them.“It was very enjoyable, thank you for asking” was her curt response before turning back towards the younger girl still waiting near the front gate. “Are you coming Ranko? We don't want to seem rude”. The once relaxed girl seemed to have gotten even smaller, as Rankos shoulders tensed up and her eyes scrunched up. The sudden change in attitude was confusing for Nodoka, who couldn't imagine what about her question could have caused such a reaction.“Yeah i’m coming” was Rankos response before addressing Kasumi, “Has Akane been cooking recently” a statement that sounded like a question to Nodoka but came across more as a resigned statement in feeling. This was met by a simple but almost solemn nod from Kasumi.Nodoka was familiar with Akanes’ frankly bizarre cooking talents but couldn’t imagine even her cooking was enough to bring such a weight onto the other two. While the failed attempt at cooking may explain away the smell, a strong mixture of smoke, burnt sugar, and… car battery? The loud noise from within the house was still left unexplained, a clear sounding raised voice made it out of the general chaos.“Come Tendo, we should brush up on our training!” a distinctly masculine voice, familiar but clearly not a Tendo, reached the trio at the entrance. It was quickly followed by an equally loud shout from Soun Tendo.“Great point, there's no time the present G-”“Thank you for coming over Auntie Nodoka but it's getting to be midday and I wouldn’t want you to walk home alone at night!” Rankos shout drowned out the last part of Souns’ statement.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
(Ranma's POV)
Ranma could only imagine that his heart could be seen pumping out of his chest based on how he felt. Those two morons in there are going to get him and at least one of them killed if they don’t shut up, that excuse he came up with was panicked and wouldn't work if they kept it up.
“If you insist” Nodoka replied, tilting her head slightly to the left as her eyes clouded over with thought, “It was very nice to walk with you Ranko, we’ll have to do this again sometime”. A smile found itself on Ranma’s face at her mothers words, the thought of another break from the chaos of his life and getting to know the mother she’s been away from for so long was nice.
“Perhaps Ranma will be able to join us” and then that thought and smile came crashing down, as
she
remembered just the situation that
he
was in.
“Yeah, that’d be nice, have a good day” Ranma could tell just how bitter his voice sounded but the combination of just escaping what could have killed him, the comfort he had gained from the thought of, what exactly,
Aunt
and
Niece
or even Mother-
Daughter
bonding, all of which would only make any attempt at being the son he had to be, the one he was meant to be, all that much harder. So yeah, Ranma was a little upset, somewhat with his mother but mostly with the world.
“Yes, you two as well” and with that Nodoka walked away, heading back to the childhood home that Ranma was growing more and more certain he would never see again. As distant as he was physically from it, he felt even further away from a mental standpoint, his memories had always been cloudy, especially when it came to his childhood. What remained was more a feeling than anything close to proper images. It was warm and soft, when everything on that gods forsaking training trip was nothing but cold and rough.
Ranma was snapped back to the world around him by a light touch on his shoulder.
“Let’s go inside Ranma” was all Kasumi had to say, before she too walked away. Further into the house that as far as Ranma could remember had been his longest home, but unlike the feelings he had grown to associate with the other major stages of his life, this one was hot and ingrained, every day brought with it some ‘new’ struggle, but their nearly all the same, someone shows up, angry with him or his father or both for some reason or another, and ranma has to fight, he can’t afford to lose. If the anger doesn’t come from somewhere new it flares up anyways, sometimes it truly is Ranma’s fault, other times it’s jealousy from any number of different people, it doesn’t help that the two and ½ most common culprits live in this very same house.
Even with all of this reflection, what choice did Ranma really have? He was bound by enough family honor to last a few generations, no need to add personal pride into it, he couldn’t leave, the number of lives it would ruin, plus, it wouldn’t be very manly. As such Ranma also walked further into the Tendo household.
The sound of crashing pots paired with a happy sounding hum, let him know exactly where Akane was, and while Ranma knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid her latest concoction forever, he was certainly in no rush. With the two ‘adults’ off training their liver more than any martial arts he couldn’t take out his gnawing frustration at a ‘Mr. Panda’, instead choosing to seek the relative peace of the dojo proper.
The training hall was empty save for one redhead progressing through a rather (as counter active as it sounds) intense tai chi routine, attempting to regain some of the calm that she had achieved earlier in the day, it had already been a few hours of different techniques and styles and the routine of everything had brought him some calm and cleared the building resentment. This was completed in time for dinner to be waiting for the young martial artist, as he moved back towards the house proper the eerie silence had barely registered in his head by the time he had reached the sliding door to their usual dining table.
A table that was nearly void of any of the usual dining party, save for Akane. While the table may have lacked people it more than made up for it with piles of food. Ranma could practically feel the vital organs inside his body preemptively shut down.
“Hi Ranma, everyone else had something to do tonight apparently, but that just means there's more for you” Akane stated with a strained happy tone of voice. It had quickly dawned on him just why the house was so quiet, everyone else had gotten out while they still could. The katas he had been doing had cleared his mind, apparently a little too much.
“Oh Akane, that's fine, I'm not really all that hungry anyways.” Ranma lied through his teeth, he just hoped the rumbling from his stomach wasn’t as loud as it felt.
“That doesn't sound like the Ranma I know” Akane snapped back, “I see your still parading around as Ranko, I can’t believe your still stringing your own mother around like this, I knew you could be a pervert at times but I didn’t realize how cruel you could be as well.”
Cruel,
the irony was for once not lost on Ranma, he was being cruel for what exactly, not wanting to die because of some stupid agrement that was made without his own input and then any chance he had of living up to it being ruined by the very man that put him in that situation.
“That’s low Akane, really low” That was all Ranma could say, sitting down at the table and reaching out for some of Akane’s creation, hoping that his body would shut down long enough to get through her latest mood. The taste was a mixture of incredible spice mixed with a mouth shrinking sourness that Ranma thought had killed every taste bud, when a suddenly strong taste of bitter almonds hit him, bringing the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Well it was either the food or the hammer impacting the back of his skull.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next few days were as standard as any other for Ranma, dealing with fights, winning competitions, and spending a ridiculous amount of time getting water thrown on him, or in some situations Ranma supposed, her.
At least he was sorta right earlier in the week, Akane had mostly calmed down, emphasis on had. Admitialy looking back on it, her most recent outrage might be partially his fault, or at least his big mouth. One comet about back pain getting worse and suddenly she was angry with him. While quick bursts of anger could be handled, Ranma finds the moments like this, where Akanes anger could be best described as smoldering just beneath the surface, the worst. Her physical outbreaks could be dealt with, but her passive aggressiveness was going to, and had already, hurt him more than any of her malet strikes had ever managed.
For example the currently red headed martial artist was sitting in the family room, nursing a handful of some rather dark bruises he had gathered over the past week, some from Genma, the occasional from Mousse, but the most recent and most prevalent where the result of his latest clash with Ryoga, or he supposed P-Chan as the badana wielding martial artist currently appeared on the other side of the room, in, of course, Akanes lap.
“What you staring at perv”
“Nothin special Tomboy”
Of all the techniques Ranma had learned, one still laid just out of reach, that being when to shut up. Though it seemed for once the universe was going to give the teen a break, as the distinct sound of knocking could be heard at the front door, followed by the clear sound of a small bell.
Kasumi's slightly louder voice brought with it silence within the house, save for the faint sound of splashing from the garden. The silence lasted for a mere moment, but was enough to leave the insult match they were about to have in the proverbial dust. As the significantly faster Ranma dashed to the entryway, hoping she was right about who would be there.
(Nodoka’s POV)
Kasumi welcomed her with the same grandeur she always seemed to hold in reserve for first greetings of the day, a charming if slightly aggressive habit.
“I’m sorry to say that you just missed Ranma and Mr Saotome, they’ve left for another training exercise” The eldest Tendo sibling answered preemptively, and while it was true that Ranma was often always on her mind, she had actually returned to the Tendo Dojo for a different reason, or more accurately, person.
“I’m not actually hear to check in for Ranma, I happened to be in town and figured i’d offer t-”
“Auntie Nodoka!” The shout alerted her to the presence of the very person she was hoping to see, Ranko. Nodoka took one good luck at the younger girl and decided her excus-reason for coming to see her was well deserved.
“Hello to you as well Ranko” As Nodoka reached out to hug her, she could swear it looked like Ranko had flinched right before she made contact. This was in such contrast with the general feeling Nodoka could gather from her that she dismissed it as something she must have imagined.
At this point another of the Tendo children walked in, this time the youngest, Akane, and in her arms rested a small piglet, while Nodoka noted that as a rather interesting pet, she had definitely heard of stranger.
Paired with Akanes entrance was another strange reaction from Ranko, she almost seemed to shrink in on herself while sending a rather strong glare towards what appeared to be Akane from Nodoka perspective. Whatever had happened between the two girls clearly had only gotten worse from Nodoka's last visit, she decided that today would also have to be a two person outing, if only to separate the two.
“What was it that brought you over if not Ranma Auntie? I don’t think you were able to finish your statement before
Ranko
had interrupted” Akane inquired, while matching Ranko’s glare with her own.
A bashful Ranko looked down and slowly rubbed the back of her neck before apologizing for interrupting her.
“It’s alright Ranko, I had actually stopped over to talk with you, I was hoping to ask you to join me as I complete some shopping” Nodoka’s statement was quickly met by a chorus of huhs and what sounded like one very confused squeal.
A slightly baffled looking Ranko took a moment to regain her composure before responding.
“I’d gladly join you”
“That’s great, I figured if you came with we could do a little shopping for you as well” Nodoka continued, “it just seems most of your clothing is oversized for you”
This last comet on her part seemed to have amused Akane slightly who merely responded with an off handed comment about how nothing seemed to
fit
Ranko properly before walking back into the house proper.
Akanes' comment in turn seemed to have left Ranko with ears nearly as red as her own hair, or Nodoka's hair she supposed. An ever peaceful Kasumi wandered back to undoubtedly handle cooking before someone else tried.
This left the two red heads the only people in the entry hall, about to begin what Nodoka would consider a more than overdue wardrobe update for the girl. A slightly less excited looking Ranko had joined her as they walked the path out of the dojo, and began the short walk towards the nearest all purpose mall and/or marketing area.
“Let's get going then” was muttered by both of them at the gate, one upbeat and the other a more neutral sounding.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
(Ranma’s POV)
Ranma was beginning to worry about the long-term effects of the life he lived. With the constant assaults on his body, from enemies to friends, his head was clearly getting rattled.
That was the only excuse he could form for why he had agreed to go on this venture so quickly.
(Nodoka’s POV)
Nodoka couldn’t put her finger on what was affecting the young girl who had joined her on the shopping venture. It seemed the closer the pair got to their destination the more withdrawn and anxious Ranko appeared to get. Nodoka knew the girl wasn’t exactly
thrilled
about changing up her wardrobe but figured the opportunity to both get some time away from whatever issue Ranko and Akane had, while also spending some more time with Nodoka would have left her with a better disposition.
“Is everything all right, Ranko?” The mentioned girl's head snapped up at the question, her eyes wide before she shook her head.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine, just had something on my mind” Rankos response was not exactly what could be considered confident sounding, but Nodoka was not going to push her any farther, hopefully Ranko would relax in time.
The weather was actually rather pleasant, a cool breeze helped ease the usually hot spring day. Though the blue sky seemed to stretch for miles ahead of the pair, Nodoka had her doubts about how long it would last, as in recent times she's been in the Nerima ward the weather seemed
chaotic
often resulting in a burst of rain out of nowhere. As such the elder redhead carried with her a sturdier sun umbrella, as opposed to her trusted katana. It had been a long time since Nodoka had wandered outside of her home without said blade, it left her feeling a little on edge, ironically.
Nodoka took a glance back at Ranko to refocus on the present and let the emotions she tied to her weapon fade into the background. The young martial artist had taken a slight lead on the journey to the mall, with Rankos hands resting on the back of her neck it was hard to tell but Nodoka could have sworn she saw what looked to be a mixture of dark bruise and a more recent red. While she knew that bruises were not an uncommon result of the training and matches that Ranko would likely put herself through, it still tugged at something within Nodoka when she saw them. Before a comet could be made Ranko broke the silence that had settled around them.
“What were you going shopping for?”
“What?” was Nodoka’s initial response, not sure why Ranko had asked.
“I mean, you mentioned going out shopping and had stopped by to see if I'd come with you, so you must have had something in mind before I joined you?”
(Ranma POV)
The closer Ranma got to the mall, a place that his mind kept reminding him certainly had some hot water, or if it didn't, some kami was certainly going to mess with him in some way or another, the more he felt that something was bound to happen. So Ranma figured while he could still speak with her mom, no matter the nerves or the question it would be for the best.
Nodoka had shaken the confused look from her face at Ranma's question.
“I was preparing to make some takikomi gohan when I realized I still needed a few more items”
“Takikomi gohan sounds wonderful, I hope you enjoy it” Ranma replied, while she hadn’t had it in a long time, Kasumi is a fantastic cook, but she tended to go for slightly more exotic foods, the mention of the dish had brought back a craving.
“I believe I will, my grandmother was very fond of it, and I seem to have inherited the same sense of taste” Nodoka took a breath, almost sounding like a sigh from where Ranma was walking, before continuing “with Genma and Ranma hopefully being back from their training trip I’m not sure when I’ll next be able to enjoy the dish”
There it was again, a reminder of the deception that Ranma was doing, standing right beside
his
mother, leaving her to suffer, somewhere between a hope and a sense of abandonment from his pops and himself. Ranma wanted to just tell her and damn the consequences, and he would but it wasn’t just his life and future that rested at the end of that conversation.
While the conflict of personal honor vs the honor of those tied to him was wrestling somewhere within him, something Nodoka said confused the boy.
“If you like the dish, why would you stop making it?”
At this question Ranma noticed as Nodoka's resting smile slipped for a second, a small frown which faded faster than it had appeared.
“While it is true that I like the dish, and I believe that Ranma does as well, or at least he used to” Nodoka said the last part softer, almost speaking to herself. “There is more to cooking and preparing food for family than one’s personal taste, one must take into account what everyone likes”
“I understand that Auntie, but you just said both you and Ranma enjoyed the dish?” Talking about himself in the third person left Ranma feeling rather disassociated.
“Oh Ranko, you’ll understand when you have your own husband one day”
That brought Ranma back to the world around her just too late for him to explain that he was most certainly not getting married to a guy, or honestly anyone at this point in time, as the young martial artist noticed just as Nodoka announced.
“we’re here”
(Nodoka’s POV)
If she was being honest with herself, Nodoka really didn’t know where to start with Ranko, the chance to formulate a plan for their shopping had long since passed to the wayside during their conversation over to the mall, not to mention the moment of concern Nodoka held for those bruises on the back of Rankos neck, bruises that left Nodoka with an almost painful sense of familiarity. She found herself playing it by ear so to speak, as such her hopes of a smooth trip were limited.
As Nodoka once more focused on the shorter redhead before her she added to the list of slightly off things she had noticed. For one thing, the girl clearly lacked support in more than one way, which Nodoka decided would need to be dealt with. Now how would she go about getting Ranko to try anything on. That was another issue that had become noticeable the more the two interacted, Ranko by all means of her power fought against appearing to feminine, but the issue wasn’t that she was a tomboy or anything, there was something more that Nodoka couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“So, are we picking up those food items or?”
That snapped Nodoka out of her thoughts, right, she is standing in the middle of the mall not moving just staring at the rather bright headed teenager, not the most subtle situation she found herself in.
“I actually was hoping we could pick up some things for you first, just to make sure the food doesn’t spend too much time out in the open” Kami above, Nodoka really needed to work on her excuses, yes, she intended on getting ingredients, but being she walked right pass a market on the way to the Tendo household, it wasn’t the hardest puzzle to figure out what she intended this shopping trip to be about.
“I appreciate the offer but we really don’t nee-“
“I assure you; I want to get you some items” Nodoka cut her off.
Surprisingly Ranko caved with only a slight pout to show for her initial defiance, a short sigh led into her next question.
“What did you have in mind?”
(Ranma’s POV)
Ranma was eyeing the entrance way, the fight or flight reflex was in overdrive and had apparently chosen freeze, the least helpful option, as he recognized there was no chance of making a run for it now, he faced forward and accepted his fate,
if he was to die here than let it be honorable
.
“What are your sizes?” The tired customer assistant asked the petrified redhead.
“I-uh, don’t know?” was all he could choke up, a response that he hoped would get her to leave him alone. All Ranma received was a long blink from the store clerk paired with a long sigh, the more concerning noise belonging to his mother, sounding almost wounded by this.
“Why don’t you know?”
“They grew?”
Another sigh and the worker walked away, hopefully to never return. Ranma turned around ready to face whatever as long as he got out of this store. This will not be possible, as Nodoka looked at him with concern on her face and Ranma felt
her
will to leave crumble.
“Ranko, please be honest with me, why don’t you know” The way she worded it made Ranma think that Nodoka was far more concerned than she could understand, yeah, the not knowing might be a bit surprising and difficult to shop but it wasn’t really all that important.
“I mean my pops and I traveled a lot growing up, and he’s not the type to spend money on anything when possible, so we pretty much just stuck to our gis.” Ranma felt like she had given a pretty good answer, none of it was a lie, just a little vague. The concern had not left Nodoka's face by the time the clerk had returned, with a long piece of yellow material.
“Ms. I can either measure you, or if you’d prefer, your mother may instead” The clerk stated, already done with the day.
“We really don-“”I can measure her” Before Ranma was able to finish her sentence his mother had responded over him. “Very well, just let me know when you're done and we can go from there” the clerk returned to the counter, a yawn being let loose halfway.
Ranma knew there was no way out of this situation, at this point mitigation was her best bet. “I can take care of it by myself” was all he allowed himself to say before grabbing the cord Nodoka was holding and heading towards a changing area. Of course, Ranma realized that he really didn’t know what exactly was being measured, but how hard could it be to figure out?
(Nodoka’s POV)
Nodoka decided that she had already pushed Ranko farther than she should have, as such granting her some privacy and time was more than understandable, this held true for the first few minutes.
“Everything alright dear?” A muffled grunt was all that responded, not the clearest of answers. As more time passed and with no change from Nodoka’s perspective, the only hope for any success today would need to be a more hands on approach.
“Ranko? Do you need a hand?” paired with a knock and no verbal response, Nodoka reached out for the curtain before poking her head in.
Two things became apparent to her in quick succession, first, the girl in front of her had clearly never done this before, at least that’s what the measuring tape around her head and arm indicated. Secondly, Nodoka had seen bruises earlier, Ranko was coated in a wide array of shades, some light red, dark red, sickening purple and green.
The sight froze Nodoka in place, the marks did not just differ in color but also in style, no matter what martial arts training Ranko was doing she couldn’t possibly have been wailed on by a hammer, surface level cuts, a tire track, burns, and a wide array of mystery marks she couldn’t make out.
Rankos voice finally brought Nodoka back to the wider world around her. “Auntie Nodoka? Could you help me, I don’t think I’ve figured out what I’m doing here?”
“I’ll do anything I can to help” and Nodoka ment it, whatever had been happening to this girl she was going to help her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ranma’s POV
With a bag in hand, Ranma followed the taller redhead out of the store, the new clothes mostly contained within, except for one item that Nodoka insisted he should wear out. The bra was weird, on one hand Ranma could feel a little wire digging into him, on the other hand the weight redistribution was already noticeable.The further they walked the more the pros began to outweigh the slight physical discomfort, with a couple arm stretches and a light increase in pace Ranma matched stride with his mom. She looked down at him with a soft smile and slightly furrowed brow, then continued on her path.Everyonce in a while Ranma noticed Nadoka’s eyes dart towards him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted within her, whatever it was it had to have happened recently, or maybe Ranma just hadn’t noticed it. Maybe she figured it out? Nodoka had realized that Ranma wasn’t really Ranko, but how could she have figured that out!As the thought took root in his mind Ranma could feel himself tensing up, a quick glance towards Nodoka showed she too was tense, the absence of her honor blade brought a slight relief.“Ranko, is everything alright?” A simple question, not an accusation, just concern.“I’m alright, a-ok, couldn’t be better” was the rushed response he provided.“I understand that you're unfamiliar with the new clothing, but I imagine it must be better now”That was it! Ranma felt the last bit of anxiety in his system drain out and a slow exhale paired with it.“Yeah! It's actually been a lot more help then i thought it would be”“That's great to hear, I hope the other items will also be better than you expected”In all honesty, Ranma didn’t mind much of the other garments, a blouse or two, one sundress, even a red silk pair of pants similar enough to their standard clothing. All of the new items would likely be used for something, maybe martial arts sunbathing? If not, they weren't too bad to have on hand just in case.The pair had made their way past the clothing section of the shopping center and moved towards the exit closest to the food market. With food in sight Ranma felt her stomach growl out, more out of habit than actual hunger having managed to eat a nice meal before heading out for the day. Nodoka turned towards her and raised her eyebrow slightly, Ranma felt a creeping warmth fill her face as she reached up to fiddle with her pigtail. Nodoka made a slight noise before continuing into the market, with Ranma close behind.Nodoka made quick work of grabbing the ingredients for takikomi gohan, some fresh vegetables, a large bag of rice, some mushrooms, and finally the newest catch from the bay area on some ice. As she finished the last purchase, Nodoka looked down and lightly shook her head, Ranma noticed as her mother turned to look at her with a light smile on her face.“I appear to have bought too many items for myself, and would hate to see these ingredients go to waste, Ranko would you be willing to join me for dinner?”“Really!?” Ranma shouted out almost instantly.“Of course I would check with Mr Tendo first, and while I wish I could invite everyone, but sadly didn’t buy that much extra-”“Absolutely I’ll have dinner with you!”To be honest, Ranma hadn’t even thought before giving her answer, but now the opportunity presented was filling up with questionable outcomes. On one hand, Ranma would get to see his childhood home, a place that was practically non-existent as far as the pigtailed martial artist's memory was concerned, on top of that, she would get to spend more time with Nodoka, all together a really hard thing to pass up. Now on the other hand, Ranma knew she had been lucky so far, the longer she spent with her the more likely that his curse would pop up when least wanted, and if his pops was right that would end rather poorly for him. Still the chance was too good to back out, Genma would likely have done everything in his power to keep them apart, so who knew when this would be an option again?“That’s great to hear dear, my house is a little outside of the district, we could take the train and call the Tendo’s when we arrive” Nodoka offered in explanation as she moved in the opposite direction of the Tendo Dojo, Ranma paused briefly then quickly followed her home.(Nodoka’s POV)Nodoka was amazed by how easily that had gone, sure Ranko had seemed to hesitate here or there, but the way she practically jumped at the opportunity to have dinner only furthered her concern. She couldn't ignore that Ranko seemed to want to spend time with her whenever possible, but that combined with those marks she noticed, something about it struck her as more a need to create distance from something (or maybe someone) instead of just wanting to spend time with her. Taking another look at the young girl Nodoka made some more notes, she seemed to carry the groceries with ease, and while her face was practically filled to the brim with smiles, there was a level of stress that seemed to have settled on her shoulders since they had left the market. What had brought that on was hard to put her finger on, but that was a question to deal with later.The red headed duo had reached Nerima Station and had begun to make their way to the trains, as Nodoka stepped into the cart, Ranko once more paused before completing the short trip on to the vehicle. Nodoka chakled that up to her being raised by her father, afterall Ranko must not have been able to ride on the woman's only cart before. The train ride was crowded but quiet and allowed them both to rest for a few minutes as they passed into Itabashi.A slight lurch as the train came to a stop ended the brief respite they had, the doors opened and passengers streamed in and out, taking Rankos hand Nodoka pushed their way out of the cart and into the station proper. It was nice to be back in a more familiar neighborhood, a funny thought as far as Nodoka was concerned, afterall Nerima was all of a 6 or 14 minute train ride away, rational thought pushed aside, a weight had been lessened as far as she could tell. Her family had lived in this region for as long their records could attest, first when it was a town by itself and then still when it fell under the growing shadow of the great city of Tokyo. Even here so far from the city center the station was active, making the pairs exit another breath of fresh air.“I didn’t realize you lived in Itabashi,” Ranko noted.“Well, I suppose you wouldn't have any reason to know, I haven't mentioned it before. Have you ever been?”“I’m not sure, my pops and me wandered around a lot,” Ranko paused, “though something about this place seems familiar, so probably.”“Maybe your memory will be refreshed on the way to my home?”“Maybe”The journey from the station to home wasn't particularly long; if one stayed on the main road for a kilometer or so, Nodoka and Genma Saotomas' house could be found down a side alley. Nodoka glanced down at the shorter redhead, Ranko was glancing around, not really settling on anything for long, a few houses, store, and the occasional green area all passed by without comment, on the street prior to Nodoka's home Ranko paused and stared at a temple.Ranma's POVRanma couldn’t put her finger on it, something about this place was tugging at her memory in a way that reminded her of their reunion with Ryouga, the temple shared that fuzzy feeling of something on the edge of her consciousness but wasn’t crystalizing into a proper memory.“That's the local temple to Inari, something interesting to you?” Nodoka's question brought Ranma back to the present.“Not sure, something about it is familiar, but not sure what”“Oh, do you spend much time in temples?”“I stopped at a few temples or monasteries through my childhood, probably just that” Ranma decided to shelf the issue for the time being, after all it probably was just reminding her of those places his pops and him would stay at on the road, and if it wasn’t Ranma really didn’t want to test whatever had caused this curiosity, at least not today, with her luck some Kami would be interested in screwing something up for her.“Very well, my home is right up here”Ranma wasn't sure what they were expecting, his childhood home wasn’t something that managed to remain a memory or even the foggy sense of a memory that old and faint memories invoked, as she looked at Nodokos home, it was simply a house - a nice house but not a home as far as Ranma could feel.The building was smaller than the Tendos, it seemed to lack the frankly giant yard that was an oddity in the ever growing capital, it wasn’t tiny either, the house had two stories to it, with a small balcony on the second floor looking out onto the path the duo stood on, a small front yard was located right behind the 4 ft brick wall with a simple metal gate providing entrance, on the right side of the gate a plaque had SAOTOME written across it.Nodoka opened the gate and walked in before calling back “Come along Ranko, we should get the food put away, that should give us enough time for me to call Mr. Tendo while you get the chance to rest.”For the first time in 14 years, Ranma crossed over the Saotome's home threshold.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Nodoka's POVThe house that greeted Nodoka was so familiar a sight that she could have walked through it with her eyes closed, everything was exactly where she had left it before, which she supposed was a good sign, if something had changed, she'd have reason to worry. Even that concern was more humorous than anything else, it had been a great many years since anyone would have had the chance to mess with the house while she was not present, and if she was, well not many guests would take it upon themselves to redecorate. A quiet shuffling of bags reminded Nodoka that she was not alone in this house anymore as she turned back to face Ranko, she had remained in the entry, looking around at as much of the house as she could, seemingly determined not to go further.“Ranko dear, if you'd place the groceries in the kitchen, I’d greatly appreciate it” Nodoka's comment invoked a downward look from the small girl as she readjusted one of the bags further down her arm to scratch at the back of her head.“Yeah, I just realized I didn't bring any change of shoes and wasn't really sure if you would be ok with me going barefoot, auntie”. Nodoka was herself a little surprised before she repeated the same head scratch.“Oh, my apologies, feel free to simply remove your shoes in the meantime” That seemed to have eased Ranko’s initial hesitation as she entered the house proper. It was an interesting view to see Ranko in her house, it wasn't as though Nodoka hadn’t invited the occasional friend over for tea or a simple gathering, but it had been a long time since someone new had visited. Ranko walked further down the entry hall and entered into the kitchen, a room of decent size, that frankly served Nodoka's solitary lifestyle's limited meal requirements with no difficulty, it was nice to have anyone else in here with her.The pair made quick work of the groceries and sorted them out into what was needed for the dinner and what could join other items in storage. A quick glance towards the clock revealed it was only 16:30, if she began to prepare dinner now it would be a little early for her typical schedule, but a slight rumble to her left reminded Nodoka what had set up this get together, Ranko would certainly appreciate the early meal.Turning towards Ranko, Nodoka voiced a suggestion. “You've had a long day dear, why don't you go freshen up in the washroom, it'll be at the end of the hallway on the right, I’ll get started on the meal while you’re gone.”“Are you sure? I can help make it if you'd like, I mean I’ve never made takikomi gohan but I could still help if you wanted and it'd be really nice to learn and i-”“I am sure dear, the help would be welcomed, but I really do insist, you're my guest” That seemed to settle Ranko’s concerns, and the shorter redhead left Nodoka to prepare the dish.Ranma’s POVAs much of a fight as it was to actually leave her mother, Ranma recognized that the kitchen was one of the worst places to have both of them spend a long time in, she hadn't been lying earlier, Ranma really does enjoy making food with Nodoka, but the curse had yet to cause her any trouble today, and she knew it was only a matter of time, she could only hope it was in a private enough area that Nodoka wouldn’t see it.The walk down the hallway brought back some of the initial thoughts she had had entering the house, it was quiet. Silence wasn't accurate entirely, but certainly the quietest anywhere Ranma had been in a great deal of time, it lacked the yells that frequented anywhere she had gone during the most recent visit to Japan. Outside of the quiet on an audible level, the house seemed still, or even stagnant in a way, something that clashed even more with Ranma's own personal chaos bubble that it nearly staggered the young martial artist. All of this wasn’t to say that the house was bad either, in fact it felt calm, a very controlled area, as if in this Nodoka had claimed her own little domain from the massive city outside. Ranma couldn't help but compare the house to the Tendo’s home, much of the basic elements were consistent between the two, a glance into the room on her left showed what must be the living room, the same style table rested within, what struck her was the prominent kami shelf within, which feature depictions of white foxes with red markings upon them. These foxes invoked a slight tingling in the back of her head, but Ranma brushed it aside and continued to the washroom.The door she passed on the left was probably a closet and the last two in the hall must have been some bedroom on the left and the washroom on her right. Pushing the door open revealed a standard toilet room, the next door led into the sink section and the final connected room held the bath. The entire area was smaller than what the Tendo’s own furor-room offered but was more than sufficient to the habitual wanderer. A mirror was stationed on one of the walls, Ranma looked at her reflection. Even after having this face off and on for at least the past year, he couldn't help but compare the person in the mirror with what he actually looked like. At first this comparison was drawn out of a need to both find themselves again but also to separate the two in his mind, these days it was the effort in anchoring himself into his body, the constant change was barely noticeable but at certain moments Ranma would slip up on which form she was in, and get hit with a wave of nausea, as some kind of out of body experience would wash over him.Staring back at him was a reflection that really looked both familiar and still alien, the pigtail was newer than this body but remained a constant between the two, the length was something she couldn’t help but smile at, a sharp difference from his father. The eyes were strange, the same blueish color could be found in both forms, but the exact shade seemed to differ, the one in the reflection held a deeper blue versus the nearly gray color memory gifted the form Ranma had possessed for the majority of his life. Stroking the pigtail brought to attention the extremely vivid red color it held, probably the most unique feature this body held. Ranma supposed that some of the amazons she had met possessed similarly vivid hair colors, but still it acted as an extreme variation between the two forms. The last two things Ranma allowed herself to focus on were her height, which was frankly ridiculous, everyone her age was taller, especially the boys, the loss of reach and difficulty with comfortable close was the worst of it, and finally was the chest, how the form had first greeted him all that time ago, they usually caused her pain after long enough. That thought brought to mind the newest addition to her wardrobe, the bra was nice, frankly, and Ranma was willing to swallow his pride to consider keeping one on hand at least to deal with days like these.Completing the brief self-reflection Ranma moved to turn the faucet towards hot water, before quickly stopping themselves, the odds of her mother just wandering in would have skyrocketed knowing Ranma's prior experience with washrooms and his curse, so girl mode it would have to remain for the time being. One last splash of cold water to help refocus and a quick drying brought Ranma’s reprieve to an end, stepping out into the hall she went to rejoin her mother in the kitchen.Nodoka's POVNodoka was determined to nail her Takikomi gohan, both out of her own desire to eat one of her favorite dishes, but also to bring as much joy to that young girl as she could. Ranko mentioned that she liked the dish, and by all the divines Nodoka would make sure she was happy with the meal tonight. That thought had dominated her mind for the past few minutes while Ranko refreshed herself, in the meantime Nodoka got started on some of the basic prep for dinner. By the time she had finished pulling the needed supplies and items together, and washed the rice, the older redhead was joined by her younger guest.“You were able to find everything, I hope?” Nodoka inquired, taking the moment to look at the short girl in the doorway, she was fidgeting with her hands while glancing around the kitchen.“Oh, a yeah, thank you!” She responded quickly, before glancing down at the floor “I'm sorry for any extra work I have made for you.” That phrase tugged at Nodoka's heart, true it was polite to demonstrate appreciation and concern for what others would be doing for you, it just hammered home how the usually bubbly girl had seemed to close back up since entering her home. She couldn’t fix whatever had spoiled her mood, but Nodoka could provide an outlet for Ranko to feel less burdensome.“There is nothing to worry for dear” She reassured her, “but if you're still interested in helping, I haven’t finished seasoning the mix yet for the meal” at this open ended offer Ranko looked up with a light in her eyes.“I’d love to!” was said with a sparkling smile, before Ranko dashed into the kitchen proper, a vaguely red blur all that was visible.“Wait for a minute dear!” Nodoka declared with a slight shake of her head “let's get you an apron, i would hate to see any of your clothes get stained.” This resulted in a slight blush painting Ranko’s face as she nodded in acceptance. Stepping over to the pantry nearest to the doorway Nodoka pulled out an apron that matched the one she ordained herself when preparing meals, an extra she kept for laundry days. She handed it off to Ranko before joining the other redhead at the counter.“Now, the truth of this dish, it isn’t very complicated, which is both good and bad for preparing food,” Nodoka explained to the hyper focused teenager beside her. “The trick is in a slow cook that celebrates the freshness of the ingredients, that's why we picked up the daily catch at the market.” At this point Nodoka began to transfer the various ingredients into a mixing bowl before pushing it towards Ranko. “If you would be so kind as to add our seasoning to the mix and make sure it is well blended.” Ranko nodded and faced the bowl with a level of determination Nodoka could picture present on her face when she performed her martial arts; it was a dedication that one found joy in their activity as opposed to frustration. After a minute of careful mixing Ranko stared up towards her, a look of anticipation so clear it might as well have been written across her forehead.“Is this good?”“It looks perfect dear, now we only need to let it cook and dinner will be ready in no time” matching smiles were reflected between the two, their joint passion being transformed into a shared joy. Nodoka broke the moment as she looked out through the window and noticed just how dark it had become.“Oh my!”“Is everything alright?”“I am sure it is, I just forgot to telephone Mr. Tendo” Nodoka blushed slightly in embarrassment before moving towards the landline. “I do hope he hasn’t worried too badly.”
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(Nodoka’s Pov)Nodoka was glad that she kept a pretty well organized phone book, near the start of the faded text was some rough script that appeared to resemble ‘Souns Place’ scribbled near a number. While Nodoka had known of her husband and the Tendo patriarchs history, she herself hadn’t been the closest with the man and as such the phone number was not on the highest end of her priorities to keep memorized. That being said she was surprised to find out that Ranko didn’t know the number of the house she was living in, apparently the young girl was not well practiced with keeping in contact with people she couldn’t simply walk to, something that she hoped Ranko would begin to work on, after all if what Nodoka had gathered about her wandering upbringings and intentions on continuing she could stand to have longer term friends.Having made out her husbands chicken scratch, Nodoka dialed and waited while the phone rang, looking back she saw Ranko standing in the doorway to the main hall, with a simple smile and light gesture Nodoka motioned for her to head into the living room, Nodoka would join as soon as she had finished her call.~bring~bring~bring~“Hello, Tendo Residence and Dojo, how can we help you?” A chipper voice asked, one that was distorted over the line but could only belong to Kasumi Tendo.“Hello dear, this is Nodoka Saotome calling”“Oh hello Auntie, what are you calling for?”“I was hoping to speak with Mr Tendo if possible, but I understand if he is unavailable”“That shouldn't be an issue, he’s playing Shogi with hi- ~cough~ himself, I’ll ask him to take the phone, thank you for calling.”Nodoka didn't have to wait very long, she could make out the sound of the phone being handed off as Mr Tendo picked it up.“Uh hello Mrs. Saotome, what do I deserve the pleasure of having you call for?” Mr Tendo’s voice sounded gravely and slightly distracted, it was hard to tell over these phone calls.“My trip out with young Ranko resulted in us returning to my house, I just wanted to inform you that I would provide her with dinner and not to worry for her.” Nodoka explained, no need to mention that time got away from her when she first arrived.“Oh! Well thank you for informing us, we assumed that Ranko must have wandered off on her own.” Nodoka thought she could hear a slight gulp on the other end of the line. “Ranko hasn’t caused any issues for you?”That question, had Ranko caused any issues? It wasn’t so much as Soun checking in on Ranko, or even Nodoka, but instead wondering what problems that the young girl may have been the perpetrator of? Was that a common question with regards to children? Or instead was this specifically an issue that the Tendo’s felt was common with Ranko? Nodoka wasn’t able to put her finger on it exactly, but it struck her as incredibly odd.“No she’s been perfectly nice, why do you ask?”“Oh you know how Teenagers can be!” Was the simple answer a joyful Tendo responded with.Frankly Nodoka didn’t, all she could draw upon was her own memories of that time of life, and truthfully it was certainly a period of great change for her, but clearly Mr. Tendo would have more experience with teenagers, afterall he did raise three young girls.“I suppose so, I wish you a pleasant evening Mr. Tendo” Nodoka kept her response tight and polite, if she waited much longer dinner would have lost some of the freshness that all their work had been for.“The same to you Mrs. Saotome” and then a simple click paired with silence, Nodoka only briefly paused before returning the phone to its perch and joined Ranko in the living room.(Ranma’s POV)Once again Ranma was struck with how still this house was, sitting there by the table, much like the Tendos, he recognized that it had been a while since it had been just two people sitting down for a meal in his life, at least meals he had outside of any deals or challenges, of course both would be his parents. If Ranma focused closely he could hear one side of the conversation his mom was having in the other room about him or would her be more accurate?At that point Nodoka had entered the living room, with a smile on her face as she looked down at Ranma, it was nice to see such a smile directed at her. Nodoka’s eyes drifted down to the table itself before one of her eyebrows raised.“I see you waited for me, that wasn’t necessary” that statement brought a warmth straight up Ranma’s face, blush creeping up onto her ears, she could feel her hands reaching up to mess with his ponytail. It was true, Ranma had waited, something he didn’t do very often when food was presented.“Well-uh, I am a guest, and I-”“But I do appreciate it” Nodokas attention refocused on her and that smile began to be mirrored on Ranma's own face. “Now, let's not let this fine dinner go to waste.”And what a meal it was, Ranma had been fortunate enough to really enjoy some pretty good food for the past while now, Kasumi was gifted, but the same could be said for Ukyo or Shampoo. It was really cheesy to even think about it, but the food filled Ranma with a warmth not limited to its actual temperature, maybe it was a result of taking part in its creation, or Nodoka was even better at cooking then Ranma believed.While true the dish wasn’t incredibly complicated, something about it just brought on waves of comfort for Ranma, always had been the case. True his pops wasn’t crazy for the dish but for Ranma it had to be up there with the best parfaits she had begun to sample. Looking towards her mother, Nodoka had a look of satisfaction on her face. As the two made eye contact, tears pooled within Nodoka’s eyes, but a large smile remained on her face.A panic filled Ranma, a familiar reaction to seeing anyone cry, even when Ranma was upset with someone some quick waterworks would leave her feeling apologetic.“Is everything alright Auntie?”While Nodoka had appeared to be gazing down at the redhead, something seemed to click into place after Ranma had asked, Nodoka’s eyes focused and she raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had begun to slip past her eyelashes.“Oh I am alright dear, just very happy that’s all” Nodoka explained as her smile softened slightly but still filled with warmth.Happy but still tears? That was an odd combination in Ranma's mind, for as far back as he could recall tears had been associated with negative feelings. His pops always talked about how they represented a loss of control for a martial artist, and Ranma had really only seen tears from the hurt or deeply saddened (or in Mr. Tendo’s case, a slight disruption to one's day) still there was no reason to think her mom would lie about it.“Ok!”With a quick movement of her arm Nodoka wiped the last tears from her eyes before reaching down to grab her dishes.“Ranko dear, could you grab your dishes and help me clean up the last bit in the kitchen?”A rapid nodding of her head was all Ranma responded with, balancing all of her dishes on one arm she followed her mom into the kitchen. The window had darkened significantly, the only light outside a faded fluorescent from a distant street lamp. Gosh he really had been gone for a while now, it was just so easy to lose track of time when Ranma got invested in something. Directly below the window Ranma noted the kitchen sink, quickly placing the dishes to the side of the basin she turned the water on, happy to see that it was a purely cold faucet. With that concern out of the way the red head quickly began to rinse what limited dishes the pair had created while her Mother finished placing the excess items away and wiped off the counter. The two made quick work of the light mess, something Ranma could take some pride in, efficiency and a clean space always helped to ease the martial artist.The light sound of clapping hands brought Ranma’s attention to Nodoka as she brushed some invisible dust from her hands as she reached back into her cupboard to bring out a kettle, a sure sign that Ranma needed to start heading back.“Thank you for inviting me out for your shopping trip Auntie, but I really should start heading home” Ranma explained, trying to keep her hands down and away from his pigtail, if he could get out now before the water comes to tea temp he stood a good chance of avoiding any sour revelations for the night.“Oh my! It really has gotten late, I apologize for keeping you out for so long dear” Nodoka looked slightly guilty as she placed the kettle on the stove before continuing “but as it is much later then I had hoped I must ask you to spend the night.”Gods, the chance to spend the night was tempting, a full day away from the heart of the storm that had become his life, and a full night's rest all sounded heavenly. Still if he gave the curse any longer to catch up with her Ranma was sure things would turn ugly.“Auntie Nodoka I really can’t allow myself to burden you any longer” a good argument in Ranma's mind, after all he had long overstayed the initial plans.“I fear it is far too late to have you head home by yourself” Nodoka seemed to almost command and plead at the same time, determined to have Ranma remain until the morning. If their argument continued much longer Ranma didn’t trust himself enough not to cave, and that argument about it being too late to return home was all too familiar, a rephrasing of the same comment she had said to Nodoka earlier this week.“I can really look after myself Auntie” but with a defeated sigh Ranma carried on “but if it concerns you I can spend the night”.(Nodoka’s POV)A high pitched whistle caused both red heads to jump slightly, with a quick glance Nodoka noted that the water was sufficiently hot before removing it from the burner. A tension had left her when Ranko accepted her offer to spend the night, something had been demanding that she try and keep the red head away from the Tendo’s for at least as long as she could. Reaching up to grab a tea cup she turned to look at Ranko.“I apologize dear, but I do appreciate you taking my concern into note, would you like some tea?” That question seemed to leave the young girl with an aghast face.“No thank you, I uh-don’t handle hot drinks very well” Ranko responded as she physically distanced herself from Nodoka and the teapot.“Very well” Nodoka was confused by her actions but she was free to drink or not drink whatever she wished. Reaching back into the cupboard Nodoka gripped her favorite tea mug, with its gold filled cracks and began to pour her drink into the vessel. Having finished preparing her own drink, Nodoka reached up for another tea mug, this one painted with the scenery of a rice field. She placed this mug under the sink and filled it with water before handing the drink to Ranko.“Here dear, I apologize for only having water to offer at the moment”“Oh please don’t apologize, water is perfectly fine, thank you!” Ranko blurted out, taking the drink into her hands.“Would you care to join me in the sitting room?” Nodoka proposed as she began walking back into the multipurpose central room.“I’d love too”
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(Nodoka’s POV)One could faintly make out the sound of distant traffic on the main street, muffled by various buildings and walls in the way. This left Nodoka and Ranko in the relative quite of her dining area, admitaly it had dawned on her just how limited this all must feel when compared with the Tendos or the traveling it sounded like Ranko had undergone in her youth. The young red head seemed to have settled into the house once more, content to sit with her in silence and enjoy her plain water, Nodoka simply smiled at this and drank from her own mug. Now with no actions occupying her mind Nodoka was able to return to her recent hobby of observing Ranko when she wasn’t in the usual motion that possessed the child.Ranko sat on the other side of her table, she drank her water slowly, while gradually looking around the room. Her loose collar showed some off shade skin poking out, that same mismatching of various painful colors she had seen earlier in the day. Ranko leaned to her left, her face scrunching slightly before returning to the content but curious look she had settled into. That loose collar brought into attention just how weirdly proportioned all of the young girls clothes truly are, the arms looked baggy and far too long, as demonstrated by how she had them rolled up. The chest area seemed to fit well but the shirt bagged up around her waist, where Ranko had tied it with a black cloth belt. Nodoka couldn’t see her pants from here but she could recall the martial artist had repeated that trick with how they rested around her ankles. She couldn’t be certain but Nodoka was pretty sure this wasn't some kind of fashion trend.“What are those for?”“Huh?” The question had caught Nodoka slightly off foot and had disrupted the train of thought she had been working on.“The foxes.” a short and simple question, spoken to Nodoka but all the while Ranko wouldn’t break her focus on the kami shelf Nodoka had set back up in the living room.The two foxes sat on both sides of the shelf, staring back down at the women in the room. In between rested a small but clear mirror placed in front of the container of talismans within. The twin statuettes had been passed down from her father, and to him from his mother, and her father, and so on, one of the family heirlooms she kept around the house. Over the years their paint had faded and been reapplied, a cycle that fit with the other items on that shelf, upkeep and repair was a simple but honored practice with the kami.“Oh! Those are kitsune, I imagine you'd be familiar with them?” Nodoka responded, an answer and question flowed into one. Ranko still hadn’t broken her focus on the shelf, her eyebrows knitted together as she appeared to bite into her cheek.“Yeah I know about kitsune, just something about them felt…” she paused, tilting her head in a motion not unlike some cats Nodoka had seen over the years. “Different.”Different a good description if ever Nodoka had found for it, she could recall plenty of nights from her childhood when she had snuck out of her room at night and something about those figures would capture her attention. It was reassuring and slightly off putting to see another person seem to get that feeling, or at least something akin.“Old things often carry a feeling all unto themselves I find” Nodoka provided an answer to a question that had never been asked, even so Ranko accepted this with a slow nod as she let her eyes wander past once more. Her reaction to the shelf was slightly confusing, sure it was a prominent feature in the room but not a rarity in the average house.“What kami does your family pay heed to?” a question that would have been terribly rude in a day to day conversation, afterall one's relation with the divine was usually a private experience, especially with regards to family kami, but yet Nodoka still couldn’t stop the question from forming, they had already crossed into that line of conversation.“I guess that's kind of hard to say… I’ve seen enough to try and stay on good terms with any of the ones that will answer.” Ranko's response was slower than usual, pausing completely before she finished her response. “As for pops, I always thought he was partial to Susanoo but he’d probably say Hachiman”. A small smirk rested on her face, a small joke she must have made to herself.“As you may have guessed from the kitsune, I am closest to Inari, they have been a figure of importance for my family for a long time” Nodoka looked at the young girl before her. “I hope your able to connect with something helpful”Ranko turned towards her with a bright smile, she opened her mouth and her eyes scrunched up as began to yawn. It seemed the long day had finally set in for the young red head, and going off the yawn escaping from Nodoka herself, sleep was an invitation for the both of them.“We should retire for the night” Nodoka declared “allow me to show you to your room”(Ranma’s POV)Once more Ranma walked down the hallway, this time joined by her mother. That change of an extra person shifted the feeling that had clung to the space when she had been on her own. It left the area feeling all together more alive, it still felt still and calm but more as an extension of peace then the absence of change.The duo halted outside of the last door on the left, which as Ranma had guessed was a bedroom afterall. They stood outside the door for an extended moment, Ranma took the time to inspect the door a bit closer, decorating the upper middle of the door was a simple flower design. It looked familiar but Ranma didn't have the time to study much about flora on his trip with his pops. On the floral design some letters were sprawled on, a bit faded but Ranma could just make out ran spelt out.OhOhRanma felt his heart drop, and with it a weight that seemed to cling to his very soul pulled down with him. What Nodoka had said to her hit Ranma, to your room, this was his room, in this house, his home, and Nodoka had invited her to this place. What was Ranma doing here? How could he do this to her? This room was waiting for the child Nodoka had lost so many years ago and now she was going to stay here.The door still hadn’t been opened, that flower design remained, a fixture on the door, in her eyes, and his mind. Ranko looked over at Nodoka, her hand was outreached to the door but seemed frozen, the only proof that time was still moving was the heavy beat of Ranma's heart and the slight shake of Nodoka's hand. Nodoka closed her hand into a fist briefly before uncurling her fingers and finally making contact with the door and she slid it open, revealing a darkened room inside.His eyes adjusted quickly enough, within the small room rested nearly nothing, a small bookshelf on the distant wall a few children books on the shelves, to the far left of the room a section was clearly designated for storage with numerous small closest set in the wall, and the right side of the room seemed set clear for rest, a sizable enough space to set a mat for sleeping.“I will grab you a futon” Nodoka's voice was distant to Ranma’s ear even with her right beside him. All he could do in response was a slight nod, even with the fatigue that had settled in for the day Ranma doubted sleep would come easily in this place as things currently stood. It wasn’t so much a preserved space in the way that Ranma had expected, but came closer to the almost sterile like effect he had found in the occasional hospital room he had visited over the years.Finally his eyes dried out enough that Ranma needed to blink and that brought him back to the world around him, Nodoka had begun to lay out the futon in the corner, seeing her do so added more guilt onto the martial artist, the least she could do was help her.“Thank you very much Mrs. Saotome, but I can take care of that” Ranma rushed out as she joined the older redhead in laying out the mat. She could see Nodokas had briefly jolted back as she blinked a few times before nodding as she stood up and lightly brushed down her knees.“Very well Ranko, please rest well and please do not hesitate to ask for anything” was Nodoka's closing phrase as she stepped out into the hall.“Will do”Ranma felt horrible, the combined physical and mental exhaustion hit just as the door closed and Ranma could feel himself slip back into his mind, gods why did he always have to make things so difficult, if he could have just explained things or not have caved to just spend more time with his mom he could have avoided all of this. The shadowed room seemed to grow slowly darker as the weight of his dread clung to his eyelids as reflection drew him from the conscious world.A combination of smell and sounds hit Ranma, a rancid rotting odor coated everything, himself, the ground, the walls, and the distant ceiling. A low but growing hissing sounds built and echoed in the small space, all of this was painfully familiar, as a physical aching set in, sharp across his skin, sinking into each portion as Ranma opened his eyes, though his mind seemed to beat them to the punch in conjuring what would meet him, as glowing slitted eyes gazed back at him.Ranma was back in the pit, and suddenly he felt it all again, the pain came into sharp focus and just how small he was settled in. The nearly starved cats approached the 8 year old child both parties ribs would have been seen poking against taunt skin had then been in daylight, and Ranma could recall just how these days would go, but no level of pre exposure would halt the terror that gripped them in this moment as the mass of felines threw themselves towards Ranma, biting and clawing, the hiss of cats drowned out the sound of the sobbing and screaming child within it.(Nodoka’s POV)A heartstopping scream shook Nodoka out of her dreamless rest, as panic settled in Nodoka was already in the stairwell and was practically flying down the stairs as she neared the door into Ranma’s room all she could think was no no no not again no no as she pulled the door open quickly, and was filled with a mixture of emotions as she saw Ranko was still on the mat but seemed to be sobbing and shaking, relief and concern meddled into one at the sight.As she got closer Nodoka was able to hear some slight muttering from Ranko. “Please make it stop, no daddy please.” and sobs quickly followed before a singular “mama” was pleaded and Nodoka sank to her knees near the small child and held her close.“It's alright dear, it's alright, everything is going to be ok” Nodoka repeated over and over again as she slowly brushed against Rankos arms, letting her know she was here.“Everything is going to be ok”“Everything is going to be ok”“Everything is going to be ok”She hadn't bothered counting how many times she had repeated the phrase and Nodoka wasn’t entirely sure if she was only saying it for Rankos sake by the end.What ever nightmare the girl was gripped in seemed to slowly begin to fade as her breathing settled out and her muttering please became fainter and fainter, and her steadying heartbeat fell in pace with Nodokas as she repositioned herself so the pair could both laydown on the futon. Ranko drifted back into a calm slumber and Nodoka slowly moved her hands in comforting circles on her back.Nodoka was unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
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(Ranma's POV)The morning brought with it two surprises for Ranma, one, she had actually woken up on her own time, it seemed nothing had decided to interrupt their rest for once. Secondly, she was warm and could feel the steady heartbeat and breathing of another person she was being held by, that was nice.When was the last time she woke up next to someone? Maybe one of the times Shampoo had snuck into the Tendo’s? How did those usually end up again? Oh yes, with a rather painful (or at least shocking) wake up call. It was at about this time Ranma's brain had begun to catch up to the rest of his senses.Ranma had gone to bed alone, and another person this close was nearly always a bad sign, as they hadn’t done anything to him yet, Ranma assumed they must not have realized he was awake yet or someone else hadn’t walked in on them. If Ranma apologized right away he may be able to get out of this with minimum issues.Rolling out of the person's lap, Ranma slipped into the crouching tiger technique and began the proper kiai.“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” see three was the perfect number when exercising this move, or at least that seemed to have the most success when Ranma had tried in the past.“Ranko it’s ok” a familiar voice said with a brief pause as they rested their hand on Ranma's shoulder “are you ok?”Ranko? The name helped finally bring the world into focus for Ranma, first, he was definitely his girl half at the moment, secondly, he was still at the Saotome house, in his old room, and thirdly, the voice belonged to his mom. What was she doing here? To confirm his thoughts Ranma lifted up his head and got the first glimpse of her for the day.Nodoka had her hair loose, its maroon red color framed her face and rested about half way down her torso, a hadajuban replacing the full kimono she styled herself in. It was the first time he had ever seen her not in the nearly perfect appearance she cultivated besides the first meeting in the canal. The most off putting thing was the look in her eyes, they were exhausted, Nodoka had the signs of eyebags appearing and her eyes were slightly red. Her eyebrows were slightly pulled together as the general look of concern was heavy on Nodoka's face, her lips pulled up in a soft smile.“Ranko?” Nodoka asked, as she continued to look at him, seemingly waiting for Ranma (or more truthfully Ranko he thought) to respond. “Are you ok?”“Yeah yeah, I should probably get heading back to the Tendo’s place” Ranma explained as he tried to stand up but didn’t want to force his moms hand away. “Are you ok?”Nodoka blinked for a second, and then lightly shook her head, before laughing, she just started laughing, and with that she reached out her other arm and grabbed Ranma into a tight hug and just held him for a while, never stopping her laugh. She pulled back and looked back down at Ranma, her look of concern had been replaced with relief and a bit of joy as she smiled and nodded.“Yes i’m perfectly well, but before we get you back, it seems i'm not in proper form” Nodoka explained as she stood up “may I ask for some assistance in speeding along the process?”Remembering how long it had taken for him to get ready before checking out the festival with those piranhas, Ranma figured some help was the least he could do for Nodoka. Ranma stood up alongside Nodoka as she led him out into the hall and down past the bathroom to the end of the hallway which opened into a stairway on the duo's left. They ascended to the second floor, which had its own hallway, this was with an L shape and based on the light bleeding in at the end opened into the balcony Ranma had first seen when arriving at the Saotome house. With a few blinks his eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to see his mom slide open the door into what must be her (and at one point his old man's) bedroom.(Nodoka’s POV)Nodoka felt beat, it was by no means her first all nighter, but she hoped to avoid repeating that habit any time soon, at the very least it seemed that Ranko was feeling better now, that dream having left her mind and hopefully for some time.Unfortunately what Nodoka had said downstairs was true enough, she was considerably less prepared than she liked to be seen in, at least it was only Ranko, who, in Nodoka's opinion, didn’t seem to hold much in the way of concern on formalities. By herself she could get mostly ready in half an hour or so, but with another person she may just be able to finish in half that time.Looking back to make sure Ranko had followed along, Nodoka had her eyes drawn to the single brightest thing in the room, the young girl's pigtail. While still the same vivid red that made her stand out when compared to most people in this town or even country (something Nodoka felt great empathy for, afterall it hadn’t been that long ago she had hair as bright as Ranko’s) it had become a bit frayed and loos from the original braid. With that noted Nodoka’s eyes drifted to the right of the room and to her mirror and desk, on it sat her combs and oils, her eyes briefly jumped between Ranko and the desk as an idea formed in her mind.Nodoka had always liked when her mother was able to help with her own hair, and it often left her feeling relaxed and cared for, maybe she could have a similar effect on the young martial artist? In the process of thinking Nodoka also noted her own hair was still loose and would take some time to braid back into place, oh well neither had any pressing plans to her understanding.“Ranko dear, feel free to sit at the vanity, I just need to slip into my kimono and I could use your help in tying my obi in a minute”“Uh yeah no issue Auntie” Ranko replied as she quickly moved to the stool and seemed determined to look in the opposite direction of Nodoka, a kind enough if strange gesture Nodoka assumed.She grabbed for one of her jubans, a light green, putting in on before completing the outfit with her favored blue kimono, and grabbing a slightly dark green obi that she placed on her bed as she continued back towards the vanity.Ranko remained seated and seemed deep in thought as she stared into the mirror, flinching ever so slightly as Nodoka became visible in the reflection and rested her hand on Ranko’s shoulder, Nodoka felt as Ranko began to stand but she kept her hand stable before speaking.“Dear, your hair is a bit messy, why don’t you let me help with that?”Reaching up to touch her own pigtail, Ranko seemed to bite the inside of her cheek as she noticed just how the night had messed up her braid.“It’s ok Auntie I can put it back together with no issue, I wouldn’t want to delay you or anything”“Oh it wouldn't be a problem” Nodoka dismissed Ranko’s concern “here, just remain seated and let me do this, think of it as me repaying you for the help your going to be with the obi knot”With a slight sigh Ranko nodded and Nodoka reached up and pulled some kind of thread from the end of the pigtail as the braid came undone and her hair fell down to frame the rest of her face. Nodoka went to grab the brush from the desktop as her eyes focused on the mirror in front of her and she felt like she was seeing double for a moment mixed with a tinge of nausea as a memory overlapped with her own vision.Nodoka saw two young and bright redheads sitting before a mirror, their hair loose with two older women standing behind them with a darker shade of red hair. For Nodoka she saw in two perspectives, one from the young girl with brown eyes and the other from her own perspective. Nodoka blinked quickly as she snapped out of the memory induced illusion and grabbed the brush, with that in hand she began to brush Rankos hair from the end to the very roots, which confirmed that either Ranko dyed this hair often and with something that kept the hair healthy or her hair was as vivid as it appeared naturally, Nodoka was inclined to believe the later.Once more Nodoka looked towards the mirror, it appeared Ranko had relaxed and had begun to almost purr at the pull of the brush, looking between Ranko’s relaxed face and her own tired one Nodoka couldn’t help but think how similar the two looked, the face shape was all rather close between the pair, she thought that her younger self would have looked practically like Ranko’s sister (maybe twin if she was being generous) if not for the vivid blue eyes the martial artist had. Those were such a rare sight with her countrymen, why the last person she could recall with such eyes was her own son…“Auntie?” Ranko’s voice brought her back to the world around her, it seemed Nodoka had stopped brushing her hair while she thought. That skipped night of sleep was really putting Nodoka through it, she should make sure to have a strong cup of tea before Ranko and her depart for the Tendo’s home.Nodoka focused back onto the world around her and smiled down at Ranko “Oh I apologize dear, I was just lost in thought” the young child returned her smile and gave a slight nod. Nodoka took the freshly brushed hair and lightly applied some hair oil as she pulled it back into the braid of choice Ranko kept it in, though slightly looser as to lessen stress on the scalp.“Now doesn’t that look better?”“Thank you, you didn’t need to do that but I appreciate it greatly” Ranko responded as she ran her fingers over the newly made braid, with a bright smile that must have been a sign of satisfaction. She spun around on the stool and stood up with a bright light in her eyes, as she looked up at Nodoka before clapping her hands together lightly as she began to tie Nodoka's obi knot, in a simple enough style but still rather well done as far as Nodoka was concerned.A yawn escaped from Nodoka paired with a light grumble coming from Ranko, both wore a similar look of light guilt, which was broken with a gentle laugh finished with Nodoka’s declaration.“Well, it must be time for breakfast!”(Ranma’s POV)Ranma was a bit hungry, without the standard morning wake up to help distract her that hunger became apparent earlier, just without the same intensity it usually carried. On the other hand she had been away from the Tendo’s for a while at this point and Ranma really shouldn’t stick around much longer, pushing her luck as it was with how long they’ve spent with her mom.“Oh, I really should head back to the Tendo’s” Ranma replied as she stood up straight.“No please, I kept you late and I would hate for you to miss a meal on my behalf” Nodoka responded as the duo began to walk back downstairs.“I just wouldn’t want to feel like a burden for you Auntie” Ranma argued, she needed to get some distance before some stray hot water decided to become his problem, and it was true, Ranma knew well enough how much she could eat and didn’t want to bite into Nodoka’s own food supply.“What would ever give you the idea that you're a burden dear?”“Nabiki has mentioned it, with me staying with them and not really having the cash to pay, I’m a bit of a burden on them” Ranma answered. It was true enough, Ranma could recognize how much costs having him around must have brought down on them.“Oh…” Nodoka paused, both in sentence and in movement “well, like I explained dear, I placed the burden on you to be here, so shall we eat a good meal and I will make sure you get home safely”Ranma simply nodded, at this point she assumed any further arguing would just keep them here longer, and for once she managed to just keep her mouth shut.==================================================================Nodoka was being truthful in her description of the breakfast. The meal was good, it was put together from leftover rice and some grilled tofu, a bit light but all tasted great to the martial artist.Ranma kept it to a glass of cold water, for obvious reasons and Nodoka had a couple glasses of tea and seemed a bit more awake all things together. As the dishes were cleared and cleaned and placed into their proper places, Ranma recognized that her time here had come to an end, something that was a bit sad, the house was comforting in a way, maybe it was the break from the rest of his life, nonetheless Ranma couldn't avoid it forever.“If you would allow me one moment before we depart” Nodoka’s voice brought an end to Ranma’s thoughts as she walked back towards the upper floor and returned with a familiar bundle in her arms, the trusty family blade.Now fed, rested (or caffeinated), and fully prepared, two Saotome’s made the trip to the Tendo home once again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
(Ranma POV)The only similarities to Ranma’s first arrival to the Tendo’s home was he was with a parent, rain had recently started to fall, and he was a girl, that’s where the similarities ended and the differences felt all the more prevalent. For one thing, he didn’t smell terrible, which was a great improvement from the first time. The air carried the smell of light rain and some kind of flower, it was hard to nail down but must have been from the hair oil Nodoka had used. The (originally) slow walk which had picked up a bit with the rain was better than a blind sprint/fight and being fireman carried all the way there.As Ranma glanced to his right he took note of the determined look on his moms face, that was more similarity, a parent on a mission it seemed. Though why Nodoka would be so determined to go visit the Tendos was less clear, the only thing he could think of was she was hoping to see him. Was that the reason she had decided to walk her back? Just a chance to see this long lost son of hers while Nodoka took care of this helpless girl to pass the time?“Is everything alright dear?” Nodoka's voice interrupted Ranma’s assumption spiral, his hands having clenched so hard he could see the little crescent moons left by her nails.“Yep!” Ranma replied as he cracked her knuckles lightly “you really didn’t have to walk me back Auntie”Nodoka looked over at Ranma making a light hum before responding “Of course I was going to walk you back dear, I also have something I need to chat with Mr Tendo about”“Oh” Speak with Soun? That wasn’t something Ranma tried to do for very long, the old man could be all over the place with regards to emotions, sometimes as calm as Kasumi, or more often a very sad man. At times he could be downright terrifying, but Nodoka probably wouldn’t deal with much of that. “Ok”The duo had made it back into the familiar area near the Dojo for Ranma, going the pace they currently were should mean the Tendo home is right…there! With the gate in clear sight the two redheads switched into an almost full sprint to get out of the rain, yelling out an apology and greeting back to back as they got into the entryway. Ranma couldn’t be certain but he thought he could make out the faint sound of light cursing and click-clatter of shogi pieces scattered across some hard surface. Just as Kasumi reached the entryway, bright smile as always, Ranma caught sight of a now damp panda out on the porch as Soun placed the pieces back on the board, likely not in their starting position.“Hello Auntie Nodoka!” Kasumi bordered on shouting as she handed the duo some towels from the kitchen to dry off. “Thank you for walking Ranko back”“It was no issue dear” Nodoka reassured her “Is your father in?”“Oh yes he is” Kasumi tilted her head “would you like to speak with him?”“If possible”“Of course, please come in”Ranma was still cold from the rain and didn’t feel like sticking around while her aunt talked with Soun. “Thank you for allowing me to stay the night auntie, I had a blast!” That much was true, he really had enjoyed the time with just the two of them. “But if it is alright I am going to take a quick bath and change into some new clothes.”Nodoka looked down at her and smiled “I was very happy to do so, but please don’t allow me to keep you from anything”Ranma returned a slightly strained smile and headed towards the main room and eventually the furo. Kasumi and Nodoka had followed close behind and as the trio properly entered the main room Ranma took note that the ‘panda’ had gotten into the house proper and sat beside Soun. At the central table sat Akane and Nabiki who had some cards set down between them. The duo offered their greetings and waved as Ranma passed off towards the bathroom as he slipped into the laundry room section and removed her new shirt and bra for the first time. He had forgotten it was there but it was kinda good to not feel as restrained, he thought it was a bit ironic that the support clothing also ended up causing discomfort.Sliding the door open Ranma walked into the first part of the furo and stood in front of the mirror for a second and just stared at the girl that stared right back at him. She looked so much like him, and as he recognized earlier this morning just how much they both looked like his mom. Any doubts Ranma had held about the curse form not being just him as a girl was dashed at that moment. It was nice he supposed, if he had to look like one of his parents she was glad it was his mom over pops.Stepping away from the mirror Ranma finished scrubbing clean before sinking into the hot water the first she had gotten for nearly a full day. She figured even with Nodoka in the house she was busy with Soun, probably asking about wherever Ranma was and how he was. That thought was pointless, afterall sh-/-he was the person that Nodoka was looking for, he should feel comforted by that. Should feel is the key there, as no matter how Ranma thought about it, his mother’s search for her manly son brought pain, both at the moment and the most likely result of her search.Ranma allowed himself to soak in the hot water and his own concerns about what was going on for a few minutes, it gave him the odd combination of a relaxed body and the sudden inclination for a panda bear fur rug. He hadn’t heard the sound of goodbyes while he bathed and figured Nodoka mustn't have left and figured she should probably say goodbye and get out of the furo.Ranma reentered the first bathroom and prepared to throw the cool water over himself just as Ranma caught the guy staring back at him from the mirror. He still looked so much like Nodoka and with that thought she poured the water overhead and decided to put on the sundress she had gotten to see her mom off.(Nodoka’s POV)
-Seven minutes prior-Nodoka hadn’t known Soun very well when she was younger, having seen the man once or twice, she believed he had been present for her wedding but the two didn’t talk. That much hadn’t changed in the twenty or so years that had passed.The man looked well enough, tall stature and with mostly pitch black hair. Time had not left him completely alone, with gray hairs barely noticeable, and lines etched into his face, drawn in the corners of his eyes and mouth. With Nodoka's appraisal of the man before her one thing was evident, Soun Tendo was nervous.Soun’s hands tapped the table beneath him, an overly large smile stretched across his face, and his eyes would not settle on anything in the room. They flickered primarily between Nodoka, especially the package she rested in her lap and the panda sitting across the table from him.“So nice of you to visit us Mrs. Saotome” Soun finally said, breaking the silence that had subfused the room “I am sorry to say you just missed Genma and the boy”Nodoka frowned at that, while it would be nice to finally reunite with Ranma, that was not why she had come here today. “I am sorry to hear that Mr. Tendo but I was wishing to speak to you about another matter.”Soun locked eyes with her briefly at the statement, a moment of confusion clear with his ever climbing eyebrows. “What would you like to discuss?”Nodoka paused, she had the entire night and walk over to think over how she would phrase this, a delicate conversation that could result in some real trouble for people she cared about. “I would like to thank you for letting Ranko dear spend the night, I was curious how long she was going to be in your care?”This question could establish a lot of information for Nodoka, and while an invasion of details she was not privy to as not technically her kin despite the familiar titles she was referred to by.Soun’s eyes expanded slightly before he looked down and sighed. “That is -uh- hard to say” a moment passed “her and her father often wander…he left us with her for a few months now and hasn't returned for a-a while”Nodoka nodded at that information, it made enough sense to her, Ranko seemed not well established for staying with them for that long but with the expectation that she was supposed to move on may delay that.“That must have been rather surprising”A short and sharp laugh was Soun’s response “Yes, Ranm-Ranko was rather surprising to meet and get to know” A singular bead of sweat fell down his left side.“A rather heavy task to take care of another person suddenly I imagen”“It certainly can be '' the panda by Soun’s side started moving one of its paws up but stopped as Soun patted(?) it with a great deal of force.“I mean especially since you're housing my son and Genma when they are in town, all of them must be rather expensive for you?”Soun side eyed the panda as his shoulders slightly slumped before slowly nodding in agreement. This was the opening Nodoka was hoping for, here she could put forward the most important part of her plan.“I would be most glad to help you in anyway”Soun smiled at that “We appreciate that”“I understand the local school is going on break for a little while?”“I believe that is true?”Nodoka took a deep breath as she proposed her question “I’d be more then willing to look after Ranko for the length of the break”The panda once again reacted before Soun, standing and started moving towards the stairs (Nodoka admitaly didn’t know a great deal about the bear's nature but she wouldn’t allow the creature to simply wander freely as Soun did). Soun on the other hand froze for a moment as more sweat followed the first as he gathered his thoughts for a response. The faint sound of coughing came from where Nodoka knew Akane and Nabiki Tendo sat, giving her an idea of their reactions.A large gulp and finally Soun began to speak “That is a very - very kind offer Mrs. Saotome… but I couldn’t ask you to do that”Nodoka was able to smile at that “Well that’s perfect, you're not asking, I am the one offering”.“That is true enough I suppose, but it would ultimately have to be the b-girls choice”With a quick nod Nodoka couldn’t agree more, Ranko would need to be the one who chose. “Of course! We can ask her when she comes back down.”(Ranam’s POV)‘The dress was nice’ was Ranma's first thought, the fabric wasn’t as comfortable as the silk that Ranma tended to prefer but was relatively good. The color was a light cream and sat well on her, with slightly puffy shoulders and flowed all the way to her ankles, it certainly wasn’t something that she would like to get in a fight in, but did make her look good.She finished looking in the mirror with a nod as she stepped back and felt the dress flutter slightly by the air. Ranma tilted her head and shifted their weight to one foot and gave a quick spin as the dress floated around. She could imagine this must be something similar to Mousses robes, it’s fun but Ranma was certain it would get annoying eventually.With a final nod to herself in the mirror Ranma moved to leave the bathroom, just in time for the door to slide open and the space filled with the furry form of his father. Genma was not a happy panda by the tone of his growls as he waved his paws in an attempt to emphasize some unknown point to Ranma.“All right old man step aside” Ranma grumbled out at the still panicking (maybe? it was hard to tell with his pops non human form) “I’ve gotta say goodbye to mom.”Genma started shaking his head rapidly at that comment and began to pull out signs in an attempt to dissuade his son from the path he seemed to set on. Unfortunately for Genma, signs were very easy to ignore when compared to spoken words and Ranma was especially talented at ignoring his pops. The young martial artist grabbed one of the swinging panda arms and flipped him overhead and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him and walked back towards the main room.Ranma had been correct, as she entered the room Nodoka was still sitting across from Soun, as she made note of this Ranma also recognized that everyone in the room wore some version of a nervous look upon their faces. Soun looked downright panicked with his eyes fully opened jumping between the redhead and the hall she had just walked in from. Akane and Nabiki had similar looks of unease, with Akane’s mixed in with concern and Nabiki raised a single eyebrow as she appraised Ranma’s choice of outfit. Even Nodoka held a nervous look, though hers was not one of panic but bordering on pleading, whatever her mom had chatted with Mr. Tendo had clearly put the room on edge.Ranma pulled her pigtail into her hand as she began to speak “I just wanted to thank you again for inviting me to stay the night and say goodbye before you left.” The hair was still softer than usual, the hair tonic holding up well despite the rain and bath. Raising her eyes back up, Ranma saw as Nodoka stood up and walked towards her.Nodoka smiled down at the younger redhead “I was more than happy to.’ She paused for a moment and looked back towards Soun before continuing “I had just explained to Mr. Tendo how nice it was to have you over for the night and we wanted to ask you a question.” Having finished for the moment, she once more looked at Soun and very slightly raised her eyebrows as the Tendo patriarch began to speak.“Mrs. Saotome was wondering if you would like to spend the break with her?”Spend even more time with her mom? Ranma was ecstatic to hear that option, after the most peaceful hours of their life for the past few months if not years “Yes” but on the other hand, it was undeniable that he had gotten extremely lucky that hot water hadn’t got him on any of the short outings he had had with her all ready. Despite the heavy heart Ranma felt sinking further into his chest he knew what he had to say, that she was deeply sorry bu-Ranma found himself enveloped in a comforting hug.“That’s wonderful! I will let you get your things together today and we will head out tomorrow, in the meanwhile I will make sure my home is properly set up.”Before he could process what had taken place, Ranma began to nod in agreement as Nodoka said her goodbyes and thanked the Tendo’s for their hospitality, by the time Ranma had started to process at normal speeds again, his mother had slipped from the house and began heading homebound.Once the Saotome Matriarch had passed from anyone's line of sight and hearing another Saotome family member greeted Ranma and the Tendos in the main room, but instead of the nervous happiness that Nodoka bore, Genma wore a face of cold anger as his eyes flared in panic and wrath.“Boy! You and I need to talk.” Genma jerked his head in a come along gesture “Dojo. Now.”The fight that Ranma normally had within him just wasn’t flaring up as the reality of the trouble he just volunteered for came crashing down on him like Ryoga's depressing ki. The young martial artist followed after his oldest instructor to a chat he certainly wished to avoid. As Ranma looked around the others bore faces of various emotions, Akane held worry and confusion, Kasumi had raised her eyebrows at some point in shock and seemed to have forgotten to lower them. Even Nabiki looked confused with a heavy mixture of annoyance, while Soun was far paler than usual with panic clearly etched into his features.“BOY!”Ranma finished the march into the dojo.(Genma’s POV)
[warning on abusive tones]That boy had really done it now, after all of Genma’s hard work he had the gaul to simply throw it all out the window and practically sign his death warrant.Sure the boy had been trouble before, occasionally when they traveled across Japan, he would catch the eye of the occasional ‘concerned adult’ but that was always trivial issues that could simply be corrected with some training as they fle-journeyed to other regions. But once they had crossed into China and nearly every day after the boy started causing issues that couldn’t be so simply fixed. Genma had thought that the boy falling into that accursed pool was a punishment for the both of them, and would be the worst thing the boy had ever done to him.That had remained true for a while, sure the run in with those supposed warrior women tribe was far more trouble than their mediocre feast was worth, and the boy managed to acquire another source of trouble in the form of the chinese girl. But those were manageable, the curse would eventually be cured once Genma had time to put his mind to it, and any of these extra attachments for the boy could be dealt with if they persisted post any Tendo wedding ceremony.But no. The boy had to go and run into her, and continued to do so even after Genma had made clear the issue that any reunion would pose. Now it seemed his fears had begun to manifest as Genma watched the boy walk into the dojo.“Why are you wearing that?”The boy still had on the ridiculous dress Genma had seen as he ignored him earlier this morning.“Ma bought it for me, figured she’d like to see me wearing it’s all” The boy replied, briefly meeting his eyes as the boy slipped into the speaking patterns he usually used.“No she wouldn’t” Genma snapped back “she would hate to see her son dressed like that.” Genma was careful not to raise his voice any louder than absolutely necessary, both to make sure the boy listened closely and also keep prying ears at bay. Genma took notice of how the boy shrunk down a bit, tightening up his shoulders and averting his eyes.“I-I know th-”“Clearly you don’t. She would kill her son for that don’t you realize that? She’d kill me.” Genma paused “though I suppose she might think Ranko would look good in it, isn’t that right?”The boy - no Genma decided - Ranko looked up at that comment with horror practically written across that all too familiar face, and hatred in her eyes, though Genma felt no battle aura, no this hatred wasn’t directed towards Genma or anyone outside of the terrified little brat before him.“I don’t know what I was thinking”“Clearly.” Genma took a step towards Ranko “Listen here and your old man will get you out of this mess, it's pretty simple. Get rid of Ranko and you get rid of her” tears briefly appeared in Ranko’s eyes before the boy stopped them from falling. “You’ll do this and save our lives, you’ll save the school, and you’ll save our honor.”The boy slowly started to nod.“Good.” Genma briefly stretched his arms “we’re going to take care of some endurance training.”[End of warning]
{1 hour later}
(Ranma’s POV)Ranma slipped out of the dojo right around noon, the dress she had worn was frayed and damaged past any easy repair and he was decorated in a few bruises that had already begun to fade as Ranma walked past the others in the house. He felt a hand reach out to grab his arm and Ranma yanked his arm out of their grip with a quick “leave me alone” uttered he finished his march to his room to plan out how to get out of the mess he had made. The bar of soap over in his old man's corner and the fluttery outfit in his own closet sparked the beginning of an idea as Ranma nearly ran towards the furo for the hopefully hot enough water. Fortune was on his side as Ranma rid himself of her and back into more appropriate clothes. With a clear destination in mind, Ranma sprinted away from the Tendo home and towards the C-creature Café.