Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ CHICAGO ❯ Chapter 1: Nowadays ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: Nowadays

It's good, isn't it?
Grand, isn't it?
Great, isn't it?
Swell, isn't it?
Fun, isn't it?
Nowadays
There's men, everywhere
Jazz, everywhere
Booze, everywhere
Life. everywhere
Joy, everywhere
Nowadays
You can like the life you're livin'
You can live the life you like
You can even marry Harry
But mess around with Ike
And that's
Good, isn't it?
Grand, isn't it?
Great, isn't it?
Swell, isn't it?
Fun, isn't it...

Dad died when I turned twenty-two. I was now truly alone. Ranma, his father and his mother indeed left. Kasumi had married Dr. Tofu and they had moved to New York City so Dr. Tofu could "expand his medical practice." The last I heard, Dr. Tofu was very successful and Kasumi had given birth to their first child. It's good that they're rich, because otherwise they would have never paid Nabiki back the money she lent them to get started. I know, strange, isn't it? My miserly, money-loving sister actually gave away money. Not that it really matters because she ended up with rich-rich Tatewaki Kuno in some penthouse apartment down in Miami.

So both of my sisters had turned out to be happy. Except for me, little Akane Tendo. The one whose future was planned out first and was almost guaranteed until the groom fucked it up. So when Dad died, I sold the dojo and with the money, moved to the States. I had planned on going to New York to visit Kasumi, except my plane went on a little detour and winded up in Chicago, Illinois. Since the O'Hare Airport was in a state of turmoil, the next flight to New York wasn't until two days after. So I made up my mind and stayed in Chicago. I figured, Kasumi and Dr. Tofu would probably be too wrapped up in their family life to fret about me.

But it turned out that I wasn't the only one around in Chicago. Ryoga Hibiki, the forever lost and wandering "pal" of Ranma's from Nerima had come to Chicago also. He had found a job as a mechanic down at some second-rate auto shop and was living in a run-down section of the neighborhood. I didn't want to move in with him but since I had nowhere else to go, I decided to accept his offer. We wound up getting drunk, having sex, and getting married.

Where do I even begin with Ryoga? Safe, sweet Ryoga. He gave me everything he could offer -- but I wasn't content. I didn't love him. Hell, I was too drunk to think the night I married him. And in the bed department, Ryoga was a zero. So I started fooling around. Then I started screwing around, which is fooling around without dinner. Then I met Shinnosuke. I had a great time with him. Until one night he was screwing me and I didn't hear the door open. So my husband walked in on me in bed with another man. Needless to say, total chaos ensued. I don't remember anything, except when I became conscious of my surroundings, the police were in my apartment and I had shot dead both Ryoga and Shinnosuke.

So now I'm in the Cook County Jail, naked as the day I was born, being obscenely photographed for police records. When they finished, the matron barked, "You're allowed one phone call. Five minutes."

Five minutes. Well, I was going to make good use of time. Quickly I dialed a number I knew by heart.

"Kuno residence." A woman answered.

"Nabiki, it's Akane."

"Oh my god! Akane, how are you?"

"Never mind that. I need help Nabiki."

"Yeah I know you do. It's all over national news that you did a double job. The Japanese Love Triangle. Yeah, that's what the Miami Herald called it. God, Ryoga and that boy who saved your life when you were little, Shinno-shinno....?"

"Shinnosuke." I announced clearly. "Look I only have five minutes so I'm going to make this quick. I need a lawyer. Find me one Nabiki. I'm allowed another phone call tonight so by then, find me somebody. Somebody good, you got it?"

Almost immediately, "Sure, sure. I know just the guy." Of course she would. Now she was with high society, she knew everybody who was anybody. "Don't worry sis, I got you covered. Even if I can't find someone, Kuno will. God, Kuno is like, king. He's the --"

I hung up on her. I didn't need any reminder about the fact that my sister was prosperous and happy, while I was in some miserable jail. I began to walk out of the room before I stopped and looked at the matron. "Um, do you know where I'm heading?"

The big black woman looked at me. Slowly, a big grin split across her face. "So you're Tendo. Aren't you the pretty one." She fingered a lock of my hair. My flesh crawled. I've heard stories about how there was lesbian action in woman jails. It made me shiver just thinking about it. Even when I loved Ranma and fantasized about him, I never thought about him as a woman.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"No, call me Mama," the black woman smiled. She put her hand on my shoulder and began to lead me down the hallway. "Now you'll be habitatin' down in the East block. Murderess Row, we call it."

Now I officially felt like a killer. At first, it was shock. Then denial. Then anger when I was shoved in the police car and searched for weapons. Now, it was guilt. Ryoga had loved me unconditionally, and I was too blind to notice it because I was too bored with my life and too busy suppressing thoughts about another man. Even after all these years, Ranma was still clear in my mind.

I decided to skip dinner and sat on my bed, waiting for the bell to ring. When it did, I rushed to the phone booths and began to dial the number I had earlier.

"Hi Akane." Holy shit how did they know? As if reading my mind, Nabiki's cool voice said, "Caller ID. Cook County Jail, Chicago, IL."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I found you a lawyer."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Nabiki you're a lifesaver. There's a reason why I picked you instead of Kasumi to handle these affairs."

Nabiki laughed. "Oh Akane you're so cute. Anyway, he's flying up right now. He'll see you tomorrow. And Akane, you owe me big. I mean, BIG."

I paused. "What do you mean BIG?"

"This guy is good. I mean really good. The best around here. Hell, probably the best in this whole damn country!"

"What's his name?"

"You'll find out." And she hung up on me.

That bitch! Fuming, I slammed the receiver down. Now I owed her BIG for some hotshot attorney she won't even talk about. I walked back to my cell and prepared for bed. I just hoped that what she said was true. Otherwise, I wasn't going to be the only one to hang.

~*~:~*~

I woke up to the shrill ringing of a bell and a woman's voice crying, "Get up!" Groggy, I began to pull on my uniform. In a way I am glad the DA was asking for the death punishment on my case. A lifetime in a jail like this? What a life.

I took my place in the breakfast line. After getting my food, I was about to sit down until Mama came over and said, "Warden's office baby."

Oh yeah! The meeting with the lawyer. I could barely contain my excitement as I followed Mama out of the cafeteria and to the office of the warden.

"He requested a private meeting with you, Tendo. Tire him out and maybe he'll take your case." She winked. Oh, so now I had to screw the guy otherwise no trial for me. I knew Nabiki wasn't going to randomly throw away money. Not even for her own sister! Mama left me there, fuming, before I finally threw open the door. And stopped as the man looked up and stared directly at me.

"I heard what she said, Akane. You don't need to do me any favors. I'm going to represent you." Ranma said.

so that was chapter 1! There were some direct quotes I took out from the movie. Don't sue me for that either please! I know the characters are a little OOC in this story. And I don't know if Miami Herald is an actual paper down in Miami. But whatever if it is...sorry.