Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Chained World: The Fall of the House of Kuno ❯ We Carry On ( Chapter 24 )

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 or Naoko Takeuchi.

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Akane slowly came awake, relaxing for a moment at the feel of an arm draped across her midsection. But that wasn't a man's chest pressing against her back.... Then the memories of the previous day's events — the auction, the stream of well-wishers — hit her, and she stiffened as her eyes shot open to find herself staring across Kasumi's room at the door to the hallway. She felt her arm about her waist tighten for a moment, then the mattress shifted as Kasumi sat up behind her and a gentle hand stroked her hair.

“I won't ask how you feel,” her oldest sister said softly, “but are you rested? Can you face the day?”

Akane sighed, but after a moment pushed herself up into a sitting position and turned to face Kasumi. The blankets fell about her waist, and she was surprised to find herself wearing only the panties she'd worn the previous day. Hastily pulling the blanket up over her chest, she nodded, pasting on a tremulous smile. “Yeah, I can. I can't simply hide from everyone, Ranma ... R-Ranma wouldn't like it,” she managed to get out past the lump in her throat. And it's not like I'll be going through what he's facing right now, she thought, shuddering slightly as for a moment her imagination insisted on tossing up images of Ranma-chan tied to a bed as a viscously grinning Kuno loomed over her and —

She felt Kasumi's arms slip around her, pulling her into a hug, and realized her eyes were closed, every muscle stiff. Forcing her body to slowly relax muscle by muscle, she fought the imagined scene out of the forefront of her mind and opened her eyes again. “Sorry to zone out on you,” she said to her sister with a brittle smile, then stiffened again at the sight of the clock on Kasumi's shelf/dresser. “Look at the time!” she almost shouted, scrambling out of bed. “I've been keeping you trapped in bed and everyone else is going hungry —”

“No, they aren't,” Kasumi said, shaking her head. “Auntie Nodoka insisted she would handle breakfast this morning when she shooed us off to bed.”

Akane paused in the middle of hastily picking up the previous day's clothing from where she found it scattered on the floor. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I don't remember that.”

“I'm not surprised,” Kasumi replied, eyes darkening. “I doubt you remember much of yesterday afternoon. You were too ... haunted.”

Akane thought back, and found her sister was right. She could hazily remember various neighbors and friends — or even just acquaintances — from school, vague words she couldn't really understand, and scene after scene playing behind her eyes of Kuno and the redhead that was half of the person that had somehow become the center of her life.... Shuddering slightly, she once again forced the images from her mind — she almost wished for the return of the nightmares that had haunted her for days, the day she had helped her father commit seppuku. “You're right. So, let's see what Auntie Nodoka has waiting for us.”

The two girls quickly dressed and made their way downstairs to the family room, where they found Nodoka moving about, tidying up and dusting, her cheerful manner clashing with the dark circles under her eyes. A bleary-eyed Nabiki, sitting at the low table finishing her own breakfast, hair disheveled and also dressed in the previous day's clothes, looked up as the two entered and weakly smiled. She opened her mouth and froze, a conflicted look on her face, and Akane surprised everyone (including herself) with a chuckle. “I'll be survive, big sis — I have to ... to take care of myself so I'll be ready when Ranma comes home.”

Nabiki ignored the catch in her younger sister's voice and nodded, smile becoming somewhat stronger. “Good thought, little sis, you hold on to it.” She reached up to cover her mouth as a huge yawn forced its way out.

“Oh my, weren't you able to sleep, Nabiki?” Kasumi hesitantly asked. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I'm fine, big sis,” Nabiki replied after fighting down the yawn. ““But no, I didn't sleep at all last night, too much to think about. In fact,” she added, rising to her feet as another yawn broke out, “I'm headed to bed right now.”

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Akane, freshly bathed and in her workout clothes, walked toward the dojo, grumbling a little to herself. It had seemed ridiculous to wash up before coming out to find Genma, but Kasumi had insisted — one did not go before one's sensei smelling of stale sweat, even if one left that sensei smell of fresh sweat. Stepping through the dojo's doorway, her eyes widened at what she found there. Genma's head briefly turned at her approach, then turned back again add his focus to that of the apparent (now former) gorgeous part-time waitress at Ucchan's on the former “cute fiancée” as she ran through a basic kata, one that was very familiar to the youngest Tendo.

Akane's hands curled into fists, and she closed her eyes. You can't attack them, you might be pregnant, you can't attack them, you might be pregnant, you can't attack them .... she repeated over and over, as she listened to the sounds of Ukyo practicing. Then the sounds stopped, and she opened her eyes to find Genma and Ukyo looking at her in confusion.

“What's wrong, Sugar?” Ukyo asked.

Akane whirled to Genma, shaking with anger. “You couldn't wait even one day to find a replacement for Ranma, could you? While Ranma's being ... being ... you're already looking for someone to replace his as your gravy train!”

“What are you talking about? I told you yest —” Ukyo started to say, only to break off when Genma placed a hand on her shoulder.

“How well do you remember yesterday after the auction?” he asked.

Akane flinched. “Not very well, actually,” she muttered, eyes dropping and shoulders drooping as she deflated. “I couldn't stop thinking ... about ...”

Ukyo stepped forward and embraced her former rival. “Me, neither,” she whispered.

Akane returned the embrace, gasping as she fought to keep from breaking down again. Enough, I've cried enough. I need to be strong, like Ranma, she told herself as she forced back the tears. Finally breaking the hug, she stepped back. “All right, if you aren't looking for a replacement heir, what is going on?” she asked.

Ukyo glanced at Genma, and he nodded. “Tell her again,” he instructed.

A quick explanation later, and Akane was shaking her head in confusion. “You aren't looking for another heir, but you adopt Ukyo? How is that not looking for another heir?” she asked, trying her best to hold on to her temper. It seemed so obvious — but so much about Ranma had seemed obvious, as well, and look how much time they'd wasted. And Ukyo had been so comforting just a few minutes ago....

“Yes, Ukyo is now a Saotome, or will be as soon as it is officially registered,” Genma agreed, “but she isn't going to be my heir — she's going to be yours.”

Akane stiffened in shock. “My heir?” she squeaked.

Ukyo nodded. “While I can't use my family art, it is weapons-based. That means of the two branches of the Anything Goes School, I should have the easiest time learning the Tendo rather than the Saotome one.”

“I ... but ... I can't ...” Akane's hand dropped unconsciously to her abdomen. “I can't spar for awhile, at least, I'm not old enough to teach, and ...” She broke off for a moment, eyes dropping in shame. Finally, she whispered, “I don't really know enough of Dad's Art. I tried to learn it, but without his help I couldn't even really master the basics — Ranma proved that, often enough.”

“Not a problem,” Genma asserted, and Akane raised her head, an ember of hope igniting. The stout middle-aged man walked over to a chest sitting on the floor against the dojo wall that Akane had failed to notice until now. “Yesterday, during the auction, I searched Soun's bedroom,” Genma continued, “and I found what I expected.” He raised the chest's lid, and Akane stared at its contents — scroll upon scroll. “The secrets of the Tendo School of Anything —” Genma got out, before Akane slammed into him, arms wrapped around his chest, squeezing with all her strength.

“Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she babbled. Her father's life hadn't been wasted, after all!

Slowly, hesitantly, Genma's arms circled the shaking youngest daughter of his old friend. “You're very welcome,” he murmured.

* * * * *

Nabiki opened her eyes, gazing for a moment at the afternoon sunlight shining on her floor from her bedroom window. Finally, she glanced at the clock and sighed. 2:30, time to get up and get started, she thought to herself, sitting up and swinging her legs over to put her feet on the floor. For a moment she simply sat rubbing the sleep from her eyes, then stood up to stride over to the computer on which she and her sisters had watched the auction the previous afternoon.

It had been a long night for the middle Tendo, as she lay in bed and did something she couldn't ever remember doing before — taking a long, hard look at the big picture. Before, she had always been focused with pinpoint intensity on simply keeping the family's head above water financially, seeking out whatever means she could use to bring in every little extra kaneitsuho. Now, with “Ranko” having assumed all the family's debts and Genma starting up classes at the dojo again, their finances were secure for the first time she could remember and she could finally look beyond immediate need.

She didn't like what she saw, at all.

Thinking over what had happened since the elder Kuno's untimely death, it hadn't taken her long to come to what was for her an inescapable conclusion: Lord Kuno wasn't the true enemy. Oh, she wasn't letting him off the hook for what he'd done, and she was still going to do whatever it took to get Ranma out the trap he'd walked into with his eyes open. Still, in spite of everything Kuno had done and threatened to do, the real enemy was the system that gave him the power to actually act on his delusions — the system that had allowed an obviously insane man to assume power.

The middle Tendo thought back to the list of powers in the Empire that had shown up at the auction to bid on “Ranko.” With a few exceptions (she still couldn't figure out why a Shinto priest, or even a businesswoman like Meioh-san, had bid at all, much less as much as the last had), they'd been there to take advantage of the obvious injustice, not to rectify it. And that, she would neither forgive nor forget.

I wonder how soon I should start distancing myself from the rest of the family? she wondered idly as she waited for her computer to boot up. I'm not likely to end up dead in a ditch for moving against Kuno, but after that the odds start to climb considerably and I really don't want Akane and Kasumi — or even Ranma and Genma — to be lying there next to me.

Then the monitor lit up with the symbol that meant the connection was secure and that the computer had checked for spyware and come up clean, and she leaned forward. Let's see, first I'm going to need a new organization, my old one won't work for this at all, small-timers the lot of them, every one of them in it for the thrills or money or both. This is going to take people willing to risk their futures, if not their lives. Maybe — Hiroshi dropped by yesterday to offer his assistance, let's find out how serious he was. He'd make an excellent leader and middleman if he's willing....