Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Adolescent Blues ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Adolescent Blues


A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by SaotomeRanchan

saotomeranchan@allaboutranma.com
http://www.all aboutranma.com/fanfics/

Disclaimers, author's notes, and other fine print follow. You
don't really want to read that stuff first, do you?


***************

Nodoka had just readjusted her haircomb when the woman
emerged from the stall. Smiling politely, she moved over to
make room for her at the counter. The woman nodded her
thanks and began soaping up her hands.

"Are you here for the CPJ meeting?" the woman asked
suddenly.

Still smiling, Nodoka shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

"No, of course you're not..." The woman sighed and began
rinsing off her hands. Turning to the towel dispenser, she
reached up to take a paper towel but stopped abruptly, her
shoulders heaving and her sobs rending the air.

Stunned, Nodoka hastened to the woman's side. "Are you all
right?" she asked, concerned.

The woman looked up at her, tears streaking her make-up.
"I'm... I'm sorry... it's just that ... I'm so worried about my
daughter... WAH!" With a fresh burst of wails, the woman
threw herself into Nodoka's arms and cried unconsolably.

Shocked by this turn of events, Nodoka led the weeping
woman to the couch near the entrance. She gently guided
the woman down, taking a seat beside her. "There, there
now," she soothed, patting the woman's back. "Would you
like to talk about it?"

The woman nodded, wiping her red, puffy eyes -- and her
nose -- on her hands. "It's my... my daughter," she began,
her words alternating with sobs. "I'd... I'd heard the teenage
years would be... be difficult... but... but..."

Nodoka responded swiftly before the woman started wailing
again. "Ah, I see. I have a teenager myself."

The woman smiled tentatively. "You *do* understand, then!"
She sat back, trying to gather her thoughts. "She was such a
good girl when she was little, sweet and obedient. But
now..."

Nodoka smiled encouragingly.

"But now," the woman continued, "it's as though she's a
completely different person! She tries to hide it... she tries to
hide everything from me."

"I believe that's typical of the average adolescent, ne?"
Nodoka commented reassuringly.

The woman's shoulders slumped. "I suppose, but my
daughter's actions are... extreme, I would say. She's always
sneaking out of the house and I never know where she's
going. And... and..." a sob escaped her, "she's seeing a
much older man, at least five or six years older than her!" The
weeping began anew, and the woman covered her face with
her hands.

Nodoka sat back, unsure how to proceed. "Oh, dear..."

"No, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," the woman told her through her
tears. "It's just... I never imagined my daughter would be so
out of control."

Just then, the entry door swung open and a well-dressed
lady stepped in. The harried look on the lady's face changed
to worry when she saw the sobbing woman on the couch.

"Goodness, what's wrong?" she cried out, hurrying to the
woman's side.

The woman held up a rather wet hand. "It's nothing... really..."

Nodoka turned and smiled at the lady. "Your friend became
distraught over her daughter's behavior and just needed a
listening ear," she explained.

The lady nodded. "I see. Are you here for the meeting as
well?"

Again, Nodoka shook her head. "May I ask what this meeting
is about?"

The lady smiled. "It's nothing major, mind you. Several of us
parents are having difficulties coping with our children's
teenage years, and we meet here at the Civic Center once
every other Monday with a counselor to discuss our
problems and get advice. It's more for moral support than
anything, I suppose."

"Are there many of you?" Nodoka asked.

The lady gestured "so-so" with her hand. "I only started
attending recently, in the hopes of breaking through my
daughter's shell." The lady sighed. "She always was a
brilliant girl, but now she's glued to her computer. She takes
one *everywhere*, and that's not just healthy for a young
girl."

Nodoka nodded slowly in agreement.

"I suppose it could be worse," the lady continued. "One of
the mothers is at the end of her rope because her daughter
would rather spend time with her cat than with people. The
girl apparently treats it as if it were human instead of a pet.
We even have grandparents in our group. There's one old
gentleman who is concerned about his granddaughter. She
apparently socializes *too* much, although since he's very
traditional, that might be an exaggeration." The lady placed
an arm around her friend's shoulders. "And I suppose you've
heard about Ikuko's problems."

"Yes," Nodoka said, her eyes full of compassion for the two
women.

The lady helped her friend to her feet. "Pull yourself together,
dear. The others are probably waiting for us."

The woman dried her eyes. "You're right, Ayumi-san." She
turned to Nodoka and smiled gratefully. "I'm so sorry to have
troubled you."

"It's no trouble -- please don't worry about it," Nodoka
replied.

The two women bowed and left, the well-dressed lady
chiding her emotional friend for having bothered a perfect
stranger in the restroom, of all places.

"And they think *they* have problem teens?" an amused
voice said.

Nodoka looked up, a wide smile forming upon seeing her
companion. "Midori-san! It's about time... how on earth did
you manage to get lost in the ladies'?"

Midori grinned, shrugging. "What makes this place different
from any other, Nodoka-san?"

With a gentle laugh, Nodoka took her perpetually lost friend's
hand and guided her out of the restroom, past the
Concerned Parents of Juuban meeting, and outside towards
home.


*****************************


Disclaimers:

Ranma 1/2 is a creation of Takahashi Rumiko. Sailor Moon is
a creation of Takeuchi Naoko. Rights to these characters belong
to Takahashi-san, Takeuchi-san, Shogakukan, Kitty, Viz, Koudansha,
TV Asahi, and countless other entities with the power to sue me for
borrowing them for a little while. But they won't, because gosh darn
it, people like me! ;)


Author's Notes:

I'm a parent. I worry about my kids. I figured other parents might, too. :)

07/08/01