Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Chained World: The Fall of the House of Kuno ❯ Counting the Hours - Mending Fences ( Chapter 10 )

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choice. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi.

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Walking through the front gate to the Tendo Dojo grounds, Ukyo paid the price for not watching where she was going by colliding with an exiting Genma. The brown-haired girl reeled backwards, and only a snake-quick grab by the stout Saotome patriarch kept her from falling.

Ukyo started babbling an apology, but Genma, and Nodoka standing beside her husband, looked over the exhausted, grief-worn girl and the middle-aged woman cut Ukyo off by stepping forward and pulling the girl into a hug.

“You know, don't you?” Nodoka whispered. “What my son is sacrificing to protect the Tendos?”

Stunned speechless, Ukyo nodded against the older woman's shoulder. Belatedly, she pulled herself together and pushed herself back from the hug. “Yes, he told me yesterday. I am so sorry for ... for ...” She broke off, unable to bring herself to sound like one mourning the dead, and Nodoka nodded calmly.

“Thank you,” she responded. “And it looks like you are close to my son, as well. Please, if it gets too much, or you simply want some company, come visit me, here at the dojo. It must get lonely, living alone at that restaurant, and I could use the company as well.”

“Thank you, I will,” Ukyo said with a bow. “I ... I'm here to see Ranma. Is he in?”

The two adults exchanged glances, and Nodoka nodded. “Yes, he is, but he's still asleep — he and Akane were up late, last night. But I'm sure you can wait for them to wake up, if you wish; let me find Kasumi.”

Ukyo watched Nodoka hurry back into the house, then turned to find Genma gazing at her thoughtfully. He said nothing for a long moment, then sighed and straightened.

“Miss Kuonji, I owe you a great debt for what I did to you all those years ago,” he said formally. “The cart is long gone, and just returning it wouldn't come close to making up for the pain I've caused you, nor would paying you its worth, even with interest. Marrying Ranma is now impossible, even if it wasn't for the pre-existing agreement with the Tendos, but what I can offer is to make you an heir to the Saotome School, and perhaps the second student of the Saotome-Tendo School.”

Ukyo gaped at Genma in stunned surprise for a moment, then collected her wits enough to ask, “After all this time, why now?”

Genma shrugged. “Let's just say that Soun and Ranma's examples have been something of a wakeup call. I've talked a good game, and Ranma's taken what I said instead of what I did to heart, but it's time I actually started living up to my own standards — Ranma isn't going to be here to clean up my messes for me anymore.”

“I ... I ... Can I think about this? I haven't spoken to my father about what's happening, I won't until after Ranma's ... I may be declared ronin in a week, because if Father demands I kill Ranma I'm going to tell him to go to hell.”

“If that is the case, come to us,” Nodoka said from behind them, and Genma and Ukyo turned to find the Saotome matriarch standing in the front door with Kasumi beside her. “I would be happy to have a new daughter,” she continued, then paled.

Ukyo flinched, but said in a shaky voice, “I'm hardly a fit replacement for Ranma, but I would be honored. Thank you.”

“The honor is ours,” Nodoka responded, bowing. “Now, Genma and I must be on our way. Kasumi says that of course you may wait for Ranma to wake up, but I'd ask that you take up as little of his time as possible — he and Akane have plans for the day.”

“Of course,” Ukyo said, and Nodoka rejoined Genma on the way to the front gate as Kasumi waved Ukyo into the house.

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Akane slowly came awake, feeling ... slightly not her normal self. She felt grainy, with an unfamiliar ache down between her legs. But at least she was warm — in fact, the source for much of the warmth was spooned against her back.

Then the memories of the previous evening returned, and her eyes shot open to take in the sunlight coming through her window, glanced up at the alarm clock on her bedstead (knocking against Ranma's forehead in the process), and she shot up to a sitting position and turned to shake Ranma's shoulder only to find him already sitting up and rubbing his forehead.

“Ranma, come on, the morning's almost over!” Akane shouted as she sprang out of bed and hastily started dressing. Ranma following, she hurried downstairs.

“Kasumi!” she yelled as she reached the bottom of the stairs, “Why didn't you wake us up? We should have been up hours ago!”

Kasumi came out of the family room, duster in hand, and Akane's thought stuttered to a stop as her eldest sister gave her a gentle smile she hadn't seen in weeks. “You and Ranma had quite a night last night, Akane, and I thought you'd prefer to be rested today.”

Akane blushed, but her hand reached out for Ranma's. “But ... but there's so little time left, we missed out on hours ...” she said in a tiny voice.

“Big sis is right,” Nabiki said from behind the couple, and they turned to find her leaning against the stairway entrance, bleary-eyed but smirking. “Better fewer hours you actually enjoy than more you spend forcing your eyes to stay open, trying desperately to have fun when all you really want to do is sleep.”

She broke off to cover a huge yawn with the back of a hand, then continued, “Kasumi's going to make you a picnic lunch, and the afternoon movie listing, locations of the best local restaurants, and enough money to more than cover everything are on the family room table. I suspect you can provide your own entertainment again tonight.

“Now, I'll see you in the morning, I'm headed to bed.” And with a jaunty wave, she disappeared back up the stairs, only to stick her head back into view a moment later. “But first, spend some time in the furo, you stink!”

The two teenagers, now both blushing furiously, started to follow Nabiki's advice, but as they approached Kasumi on the way to the furo, she hesitantly said, “Uh, Akane, Ranma, Ukyo's here to see you. Do you want to meet her now, or have her wait until after you get out of the furo?”

The couple glanced at each other, then past Kasumi at Ukyo, kneeling at the low table in the family room. Ukyo looked awful, bleary-eyed, eyes red and puffy, nodding off slightly where she sat, apparently unaware of the three by the doorway. “What happened to her?” Akane asked.

“Uh ... she knows what's happenin',” Ranma said nervously, scratching the back of his head. “I told her before goin' ta see Kuno.”

“You told her first?” Akane growled.

“Well, yeah, I figured I'd have ta tell her sometime, better an' easier ta tell her first, get it out of the way.”

Akane gazed at her former rival for a few moments, remembering all the anger, even hatred, then sighed and turned to Ranma. “Ranma, do you think she could join us? She looks like she needs a good soak as much as we do.”

Ranma tugged at his pigtail. “I-I-If yer sure, yeah, I guess ...”

 

A short time later, a somewhat more awake, somewhat nervous Ukyo leaned back against the furo's edge as the warm water loosened tense muscles. Akane and Ranma were soaking across from her, Akane's head resting on Ranma's shoulder. “I still can't believe you asked me to join you,” Ukyo murmured, glancing at Akane.

Akane smiled wistfully back at the chef, blushing yet again. “There's not much point to fighting each other anymore, is there? And you looked like you need to relax, Ranma and I have things to get to ... and we weren't planning on doing anything but get clean, anyway. So, why don't you tell us what you wanted to talk to us about, then we can bundle you off to bed, you look like you need it.”

“Uh ... right.” Ukyo stared at the two, wondering for a moment what else they might have planned to do besides get clean, then shrugged off the thought. “Akane ... I know we've had our differences ...” Akane snorted and Ukyo surprised herself with a chuckle. “Yeah, I know, goes without saying. But now ... anything I can help you with, anything at all, whatever it takes, you let me know.”

Akane's eyes widened and she straightened up, staring. “Ukyo, do you really mean that?” she asked, and the chef nodded.

“Yes, I do,” Ukyo replied. “It's obvious you're the person Ranma cares about the most, and he isn't going to be here to help — so let me fill in for Ranma at least a little, it's the only thing I can really do for him, now.”

Impulsively, Akane slipped across the furo and hugged a surprised Ukyo. “Of course, I'll be happy to let you help,” she whispered, tearing up, and Ukyo found out that she wasn't all out of tears after all.

When the two girls finally got themselves back under control, Ukyo looked over at a clearly uncomfortable Ranma. “Relax, Sugar, we're done with the weepy stuff,” she said with a slight grin, and Ranma returned the smile with an embarrassed shrug.

Straightening with a sigh and a grateful smile for Akane, Ukyo looked back over at Ranma, face serious. “There is one other thing I need to ask. What's happened — what Kuno's done — it's been a real wake up call. I can't do anything yet, not until I get more secure moneywise, but once I'm set ... I want to join the Underground Railroad, do what I can. Thing is, I don't know where to even start looking for them. But Ranma, from things you've said it's obvious you agree with them, and I thought you might know someone I could talk to.”

Ranma simply sat and looked at his former `cute fiancée' for a time, face expressionless, then finally nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do know someone,” he said. “But I can't just hand that name out on my own say so. I'll pass the word, but it'll be up ta them — if they decide they can trust ya, they'll contact you themselves. It'll be a little while, though, whatever they decide.”

“That's all I can ask for,” Ukyo assured him, then sighed regretfully, gave Akane another brief hug, and stood and stepped out of the furo and grabbed a towel.

“And now, I'll get out of your way. You two have fun today, as much as you can,” she said with a weak smile, dried herself off, and headed for the changing room and the change of clothing Kasumi had provided.