Hello all...

Here's number two!

Copyright Notice:
I just looked around and I noticed that I don't own any of these 
characters...Some are borrowed,Most are stolen...All are used 
with deference to the original. Salud!

***

The All-Americans
By
Joshua Trujillo

Part 2: Salvation in Earnest

Ranma looked up from the park bench. It was a fine morning. The 
sky shone crystal blue over the Midwestern horizon. The birds 
were singing as the sun blew dew-covered kisses as the night 
vanished away.

Ranma had been on the road most of three days. Today was the 
day that he would finally get to Earnest, the town that he would be 
calling home from now on. Today was the day he'd meet his 
mother. The first meeting they'd had since his late father took him 
away, fifteen years ago. He sighed inwardly. He didn't even know 
what she looked like.

The only memory he had was just a blurry vision of kindness 
wrapped in a blanket of sad regret. But why regret? He'd have to 
ask her about it someday. Probably not for a while though.

He finished his fast food breakfast and got back in his car. Time to 
begin again.

***

The house was huge. It was the first thought that entered into his 
head. Ranma stood before the correct address, which he verified 
again, and marveled. His mother had left a note on the door saying 
that she had to run to an important meeting in town but that's she 
would be back within just a few minutes. Ranma smirked. Maybe 
that's why she liked dad after all.

So he decided that he'd just wait here until she got back, instead of 
going somewhere and perhaps missing her again. The front tower 
of the house was set at an odd angle, indeed the whole house was 
at an angle on the property. The porch wrapped around the tower 
and around to the other side of the house. Well, at least he should 
be able to get his privacy. Victorian, if he remembered the style 
correctly. Beautiful house.

Looking out over the back of the property, he could see a well 
manicured garden as well as a small orchard in the distance. Good 
living. Ranma smiled. Now, if the school is only so well 
appointed...

"Excuse me, sir?" a voice said from behind him, "I'm sorry to keep 
you waiting, but as you can see, we've been out doing some 
interviews in town. Is there something I can help you with?"

Ranma turned and considered the young woman standing before 
him. She was about his age, immaculately dressed in slacks and a 
white silk blouse. Her brown hair was cut to form two perfect little 
lines running the length of her face. And she had the air of one 
who was used to dealing with the people of this little town, but still 
didn't like it.

"Can I help you sir?" She said again.

Ranma shook himself out of his revelry. She was quite beautiful.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Ranma. Ranma Saotome," he said, not without 
some difficulty, "I think my mother is expecting me."

This seemed to take a moment to register with the young lady.

"Mother?" she asked, then catching on, "Saotome? Are you...?"

She began to back away, turned and ran into the house. The wind 
blew quietly between Ranma's ankles as he stood, alone, on the 
porch. He was a bit startled a few seconds later when the front door 
flew wide. The young woman ran back outside and started shaking 
his hand profusely.

"Please, Ranma, come in," she said, shaking his hand some more, 
"My name is Nabiki."

He was jerked along as they scrambled into the house. He 
wondered what all the fuss was about?

"Just stay right here, okay?" Nabiki said, then she turned and ran 
off into another room.

Ranma took a moment to inspect his surroundings. The house 
seemed to be tastefully decorated, a bit Spartan for his tastes, but 
tasteful nonetheless. There were sounds of quick, but quiet 
argument issuing from the back room. Nabiki rushed out a few 
minutes later with several stacks of notebooks and other papers.

"See you later Ranma," she said, hurrying out the front door.

Ranma watched her go and waved after her, a bit bewildered by it 
all.

"Ranma?" a voice from behind asked breathlessly.

Ranma turned. The middle-aged woman wore a powder blue 
business suit that reminded Ranma oddly of the Orient. Her hair 
was pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head, which did 
nothing for the look. He went over and stood in front of her.

"Hi mom...Sorry about this," which seemed to be the right thing to 
say.

***

After much hugging and a bit of crying, though not from Ranma 
mind you, he and his mother, Nodoka, settled down at the small 
kitchen table.

"I'm really sorry about all the confusion, but a client in town made 
some really bad choices in stock options and since the market 
crashed slightly today we had to reassure him. You know how 
people get when they loose money."

Ranma nodded. Yes he did know.

The banter quickly faded as some more serious questions came to 
the front. Why did Ranma choose now to talk to her, much less 
come and live with his mother? Did something happen to Genma? 
There were other questions that Nodoka wanted to ask, but decided 
that prudence was the better of her virtues at the moment.

"I just really have one thing I want to ask," Ranma said, trying to 
be as cautious as he could.

Nodoka seemed to sense it, "Go on."

"Who...Why...Which one of you..." Ranma shook his head in 
frustration as he couldn't quite express it.

"Why did I divorce your father?"

Ranma nodded. Something else nagged about what she just said, 
but he wasn't going to push it.

"Well, there are really many things that go into the whole story. 
And I don't know how much he's told you, or even if it's the truth, 
but here goes..." she took a deep breath, "It all begins with a little, 
ugly man named Happosai..."

***

Ranma couldn't believe it. Of all the twisted tales of sex, murder 
and foul treatment against people, this took the cake. He shook his 
head to clear it of the image of his father and...He shuddered 
again.

"So now you can see why I divorced him," Nodoka said from her 
cup of tea, "The whole thing sounds almost ridiculous if it weren't 
so painful. I can't believe he never gave you the cards, or the letters 
or anything. That's below even him."

"Well," Ranma said, clearing his throat, "That's why I left."

Nodoka nodded slowly, seeming to mull something over in her 
mind.

"Well Ranma," she began, "Of course you can stay, that's not even 
an issue, but because of what Happi did to Soun, we don't have 
many rooms left."

Ranma nodded. He shook his head, trying to clear the anger. To 
orphan three girls like that over an imagined slight...Happosai will 
have to answer to him if he ever came to this town again.

"Do you have an attic?"

"Yes, but it's a bit cramped," Nodoka thought for another moment, 
"Now that I think about it, there probably is enough room, just not 
as much as you're probably used to having though."

Ranma smiled and sucked down the last of his tea. If she only 
knew...

"C'mon, let's go see it," Nodoka said.

***

"This is cramped?!?" Ranma asked, incredulously staring into the 
cavernous space before him.

"Well, okay, maybe not cramped, but with the rafters in the way, 
it's only about an eight foot ceiling."

"No," Ranma said quickly, "The rafters are almost the best part."

He trailed off as he jumped up and caught the nearest rafter. With a 
gentle push, he propelled himself into a handstand. He pushed 
harder with his arms and dismounted on the rafter next to him. He 
stopped as he heard Nodoka begin to clap. He blushed a bit and 
swung down to the floor.

"Where in the world did you learn to do something like that?" 
Nodoka asked.

"Here and there...It's where I pick up most stuff," Ranma said with 
a shrug, "Here and there. So is it okay if I stay up here?"

Nodoka smiled and hugged her son again.

"Of course dear," she said, "It's good to have you home."

"It’s good to be home, mom."

***

Ranma looked around the attic. This was just too cool for words. A 
home workout area built in to his bedroom. He was in heaven. 
There had been an old bed that he set up in the corner, across from 
the side window. Ranma would use his suitcases and his trunk for 
now, until he could get some real furniture. Which reminded him, 
he had to find out some ready sources of cash in this town...One 
good thing about having a curse, he supposed.

***

"I'm home...Hmm, what's this?"

It was a note from Mom saying that she had a couple errands to 
run, but that Kasumi would be home tonight and Nabiki was off 
talking Mr. Shumacher down from the roof again.

And a surprise? Wonder what kind of surprise? Hope it's a good 
one.

Ick...They always put too much chlorine in the pool. Ah well, I 
have time for a quick shower before dinner.

***

Ranma swung down from the rafter again and hit a perfect landing. 
It felt so good to do that again, seeing as how the schools in the 
Desert League forced him out of four sports. Said something about 
his studies being more important.

Hmph...What did they know?

Whew, he missed a good workout though. Perhaps time for a glass 
of water, he thought.

Ranma tossed his red shirt aside and wrapped his favorite towel 
around his shoulders. He'd have to see about getting a fan up here 
too. Ranma stepped lightly down the stairs and stopped at the 
bottom, aware that...something...was wrong. There was a 
humidity in the air that wasn't upstairs. Ranma listened closer and 
heard the distinct sound of a shower in the downstairs bathroom. 
Maybe Nabiki was back. Taking a shower, though? Ranma 
shrugged, she did look pretty haggard after her last trip through.

Apparently Mr. Shumacher had pulled this before, just not this 
suddenly. Kind of caught them off guard. Ranma strolled down the 
second flight to the ground floor and around to the kitchen. He 
pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it at the front of the 
fridge. Ranma smiled. He loved these modern gadgets...His 
thoughts stopped in midstream as the door down the hall opened.

Damn, he forgot! The downstairs bathroom is in direct view of the 
stairs. Unfortunately, the person who came out at that moment 
wasn't Nabiki. It wasn't Nodoka either. Ranma stood there, frozen 
at this vision before him. A lady wrapped in a large yellow towel, 
both fresh from a shower. She was young, maybe even younger 
than he and quite well muscled to boot. He was about to apologize 
and quietly slip upstairs, but that was when her towel decided it 
liked the floor better than being around her. Apparently it was a 
cold shower...

Ranma blushed fiercely and backpedaled into the kitchen. His 
mind racing, he scampered out the back door. He looked up and 
jumped to the first landing. Ranma caught hold of the rain drainage 
pipe and thrust with his feet. In one final push, he was on the roof. 
Ranma oriented himself quickly and ran along the roof until he 
was at his window. Good thing he left it open to air out. He swung 
out and into the open window.

And there she was. Waiting on him. Of course, he would have seen 
her, if she hadn't smacked him upside his head with a board first. 
The glass shattered as it hit the floor and water pulsed outwards to 
mix with the blood coming from Ranma's head.

That'll show him. Housebreaking pervert...

***