Cinders 9
Cinders
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
January 16, 2003
Ranma 1/2 and its universe were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and belong to her. This work of fiction was written for entertainment only, and is not intended for commercial purposes.
Chapter 9
"And now for today's weather. The skies will be clear today, and the residents of Tokyo should see plenty of sun--"
"Oh, shut up!" Nabiki shut the radio off and reluctantly sat up. She would have preferred to hit the snooze button, but she'd already done so three times, which was two times too many. Over the past couple of weeks she had been on the go constantly, doing things for Akane and Ranma. Now she had a moneymaking opportunity--her first since the disaster--and she couldn't afford to be late.
She dressed quickly, ran downstairs, and ate breakfast with a speed that would have impressed her brother-in-law. Then she was gone.
*****
"C'mon, Akane, let's go!" Ranma held out his hand, and gently pulled his wife across the room. He was surprised to get some resistance. "Are you okay?"
Akane nodded. "Yeah. Just nervous."
Ranma pulled again. "You're the one who got so excited when the doctor said you could leave the room. Let's go!"
"Okay. Do I look all right?"
"You look beautiful." That seemed to be the right thing to say, because Akane smiled, stood up straight, and followed Ranma through the two doors and out into the hallway, where she stopped and looked around curiously.
"It's quiet."
"Yeah, it usually is." Ranma turned right and started walking down the hallway, Akane at his side. They encountered no one but members of the staff already familiar to both of them, who smiled and greeted them as they passed by. Then an IV pole appeared in one of the doorways, followed by an elderly man who was slowly pushing it ahead of him as he walked towards them. Akane shrank close to Ranma's side, and clutched his hand.
"What's wrong with you?" he whispered.
"I don't know," was Akane's quiet response, "but I suddenly feel very nervous."
"Why? That old guy can't hurt you!"
Akane's voice got even softer. "No. But he can look at me."
Ranma stopped dead. "Wait a minute. You sound like that act you've been putting on. You're not starting to believe it, are you?"
Before Akane could reply, the man had reached them. He gave them a brief nod, and a gentle smile. "Good morning," he said pleasantly.
"Good morning," replied Ranma.
"It feels good to get out of bed and move these old bones," the man continued. "This is my first time out of my room."
"How long have you been here?" asked Ranma politely.
"Three days! Three days too many, I say!" The man nodded his head vigorously, and then gestured to the Saotomes. "How are the two of you?"
Ranma looked at Akane, and squeezed her hand. "Much better," she said softly. "Thank you."
The man smiled. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I must keep going, before I stiffen up." He nodded once more, and continued down the hallway. Ranma waited until he was out of earshot before speaking.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?"
"No."
"Good."
*****
Nabiki waited until the door closed behind the attorneys before speaking to Cologne.
"May I ask you something?"
The old woman nodded. "I've been expecting you to."
"Why did you ask me to help you sell your restaurant? You're perfectly capable of doing it yourself." Nabiki looked at the check in her hands, firmly resisting the urge to clutch it to her chest. "It would have saved you a lot."
"Consider it compensation for my great-granddaughter's behavior at the wedding." Nabiki started to reply, but a gesture from Cologne silenced her. "I knew a long time ago that Shampoo had no chance with Ranma, but I permitted her to keep pursuing him. That was a mistake."
"But you've already helped us. If it hadn't been for you, Akane might have died."
Cologne started to laugh. "Nabiki Tendo, are you ill? I have never, ever known you to refuse money."
The check vanished into Nabiki's purse. "I didn't, did I?"
"That's better. Now if you'll excuse me, I have the last of my packing to finish."
"Mousse is helping, isn't he?"
Cologne shook her head. "I'm afraid not. When he found Shampoo gone, he followed."
"I should have guessed." Nabiki got up and began to leave. Then she turned around. "I forgot. You'll stop by the hospital to say goodbye before you leave, won't you?"
"Of course I will."
"Thank you."
*****
Soun Tendo wandered down to the marketplace. He'd left the house with no clear idea where he was going, and somehow ended up in front of a flower vendor's stall.
"May I help you?"
"Pardon me?" Soun broke out of his stupor to see a pretty young girl smiling at him.
"Did you want some flowers?"
Soun looked away from the girl to her stand. "Yes--yes I think so. Do you deliver?"
"Sure. Where to?"
A few minutes later Soun headed back home, smiling. Perhaps the flowers he was sending Akane would cheer her up. Just looking at them had made him feel better. Then gloom descended on him once more. Flowers could make his little girl feel better for a while. What would happen when she found out her fiance had been taken from her? What would happen when she learned that Ranma's parents had rejected her because of her injuries? He had no answers to that.
*****
"There's not much to choose from, is there?" commented Akane, as she looked through the books in the lounge. "Some of this stuff is ancient."
Ranma nodded. "I noticed. Maybe we should ask your sisters to stop at the bookstore for us, or maybe the library." He held the door open for Akane and they stepped back out into the hallway. As he did, Ranma noticed the door to his and Akane's room closing. "Did you see that?"
"See what?"
Instead of replying, Ranma sprinted down the hall, ignoring Akane's pleas to wait for her. He'd been in the hospital long enough to learn the routine. It wasn't time for medication, the doctor had already visited, their therapist wasn't due yet, and the cleaning woman had been in. The female figure Ranma had seen entering his room was of medium height, shapely, and quite unfamiliar. He opened the first of the two doors into his room, and nearly bumped into her as she came out. Ranma couldn't help but stare. The stranger was not a young woman, but certainly not old--perhaps the same age as Ranma's mother. She was quite lovely, and vaguely familiar. She looked him up and down, and smiled in a way that made him acutely uncomfortable.
"You must be Ranma."
*****
Nabiki was walking up to the house when she saw the mailman greeting her father.
"Hello, Mr. Tendo! There's a lot for your family today."
Soun had been looking at his feet as he walked, but the mailman's voice got his attention. He automatically put his hands out, and they were promptly filled with envelopes. "Thank you," he said.
"Thanks. You saved me a few steps. Have a good day."
Nabiki observed that her father didn't respond. He was too busy checking the stack of mail as he let himself into the house.
"Daddy, don't close the door!" Nabiki came running up behind her father, and entered the house with him. "Anything for me?"
Soun continued going through the stack. "Yes. Mostly bills and advertisements." Then he stopped and stared at an official-looking envelope. "What could this be?"
"Is something wrong, Daddy?"
"I'm not sure. This letter appears to be addressed wrong, unless there's something Ranma hasn't told us."
"Excuse me?" Nabiki looked over her father's shoulder, and turned white. The envelope was from City Hall, and it was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Ranma Saotome. This was going to require some very fast talking on her part.
"How can there be a Mr. and Mrs. Ranma Saotome? They never got a chance to--" Soun's eyes filled with tears, and he was unable to continue. Nabiki took the opportunity to take the letter from him, tuck it into her pocket, and lead him to the table.
"Kasumi? We need some tea for Daddy, please." Nabiki waited until she heard her sister's response before sitting down beside her father. She waited patiently for him to calm down and poured him the tea Kasumi brought. Kasumi looked like she wanted to ask questions, but a subtle gesture from Nabiki kept her quiet. "Daddy? Do you feel better?"
Soun nodded. "Yes, but I'm still confused."
"Let me explain. I think you'll agree that what happened at the wedding was a disaster you won't want to see repeated, right?"
Soun began to tear up again, and shook his head in agreement.
"Ranma and I have taken steps to ensure that it won't. That envelope you saw was part of it."
"But--are the two of you married? How did you manage to?--"
"Daddy, that's all you need to know for now. I�m not a martial artist. Do you want to see somebody come after me because you engaged me to Ranma?" Nabiki had the satisfaction of seeing her father turn quite pale. "I didn't think so. That's why nobody must know of this, not even Ranma's parents. It's not the right time."
Soun pushed himself away from the table and got up, swaying slightly. "I need to go lie down." He stumbled out of the room.
Kasumi waited until her father's footsteps faded away before she spoke. "You wanted him to jump to that conclusion, didn't you?"
"I know you don't approve of lying, Kasumi, but--" Nabiki was interrupted by her sister, who placed a finger over her lips.
"Very well done."
*****
Ranma had not yet recovered his composure, and was still staring apprehensively at the strange woman when Akane caught up to him. "Who are you?" she demanded suspiciously. "Why were you in our room?"
"I was looking for this young man," the woman replied. "Now I see why Shampoo was so determined to bring him home with her. Too bad she didn't succeed."
Akane gasped, and clutched Ranma's arm. "He's not going anywhere!"
The woman looked at Akane, and laughed. "That is not my reason for being here, Akane."
"You know my name?"
"Shampoo has mentioned you once or twice."
"I'll bet she has!"
"In any case, taking Ranma away from you was not my purpose in coming here."
"It's not?"
"Of course not, child." The unexpected voice caught everyone by surprise, and they all turned around to find Cologne standing there. "I did not expect you so soon, Lili. Were you that eager to see me?"
To Akane's amazement, Lili blushed, and began to stammer. "Grandmother, I--I wanted to see--."
Cologne began to chuckle. "I know, dear. His office is that way."
"Oh!" Lili paused long enough to nod to Ranma and Akane, and took off down the hallway.
"Akane looks tired, Ranma. Why don't we go sit down?"
Ranma finally found his tongue. "She called you 'grandmother'? Was that--was that Shampoo's MOTHER?" He walked Akane into the room as he spoke, and helped her into the bed. Cologne took a nearby chair.
"Shampoo's mother died some years ago. Lili is her sister."
Akane nodded. "Shampoo's aunt, then. Yes, I can see the resemblance. But why is she here?"
"Now that is an interesting story. Many years ago, a young Japanese man wandered into our village, quite lost, and quite ill. Lili took pity on him, and nursed him back to health, despite warnings from the older women about associating with outsider males. He fell in love with her, and she with him, and for a while I believed that he was going to stay with her."
"What happened?" asked Ranma.
"He was already engaged to another, back in Japan. When Akito was well enough to travel, he went home and married his fiancee. Lili waited for a long time for him to return before she chose a husband from the village."
"But why is she here now? If it was to see Ranma, she didn't stay very long."
"No, she came to see Akito again."
"Akito is here?"
"He is your doctor, my dear."
Ranma suddenly remembered the day he and Akane had been brought to the hospital. "You said he was an old friend. Now I understand." He looked down the hall in the direction Lili had run, and grinned. "He doesn't stand a chance, does he?"
Cologne chuckled. "He asked me to contact her, Ranma. What do you think?"
Akane looked at the understanding dawning on her husband's face and squeezed his hand. "That's so romantic!"
"Yeah, I guess it is."
"Well, that's an improvement, Ranma! Akane is a good influence on you." Ranma blushed, which made Cologne laugh. "That's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Hey! Ow!" Cologne's staff caught Ranma on the tip of the nose, hurting no more than his pride.
"That was for old times' sake, Ranma. I won't be able to hit you from China."
Ranma caught his breath. "You're going home now?"
"Yes."
Ranma scrambled to his feet, and bowed respectfully. "I want to thank you. For helping us after the fire, and for all the things you taught me." He paused, feeling it necessary to say more, and not knowing how. "You drove me crazy, you know, but you're not so bad."
Cologne broke up laughing. "You sure can sweet talk a girl, can't you, Saotome? It's been fun." She moved close to the bed, and kissed Akane's cheek. "May you have a long and happy life together, my dear. I won't wish you a quiet one, because a quiet life isn't possible for that husband of yours."
Akane's eyes got misty. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome." Cologne turned to Ranma, and surprised him with a hug. "Farewell."
"Farewell, Great-Grandmother."
Cologne's face broke out into the biggest smile Ranma had ever seen. "Thank you."