Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Distance ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Ranma spent the rest of the day recovering and shopping for the perfect bottle of saké in the small shopping center of Nerima. Several of the older shop-keeps still remembered him, and teased him about former bouts they remembered from the days of what they called the Nerima Wrecking Crew. It was fun, but painful, to reminisce, but once or twice Ranma felt a genuine sense of belonging in this community. Someone even told him they felt safer with him in the city, which was nice to hear. And they all loved Kaibutsu. “He's gonna get fat,” Ranma chided one old man who tried to give him the seventh treat he'd received that day, but there was no heat in it, and the old man knew. The two of them had laughed as Kaibutsu gobbled up the treat and burped, tongue lolling in happiness.

Eventually, he settled on a small, frosted glass bottle from a woman who had been brewing since she was thirteen. She was old and wise now, and she insisted that that particular bottle was the best she had. “Good for repairing broken friendships,” she had said knowingly, winking at him as she slipped the bottle into a special red box, “enjoy it, young man.” She gave him a discount, and Ranma was thankful - it was almost more than he could afford on his tight budget, but as he glanced underneath the box flaps at the gleaming bottle of rice wine, Ranma was sure he'd made a worthwhile purchase. He headed out of the shop, pushing aside the violet curtain, and untied Kaibutsu from where he'd been tied to a bicycle rack, waiting patiently for his master's return. The two of them set off for home together.

He had called his mother about Kasumi a few hours after the woman had left, and she seemed excited. His father had been put on speakerphone, and seemed pensive, and neither parent mentioned the obvious question on all of their minds: were the Tendous prepared to forgive Ranma? At least, one of them had.

Ranma had always liked Kasumi. In the absence of his mother, she had served as a maternal, and even paternal, voice to quell his temper, calm his addled mind, and make him think a little bit more clearly. He remembered several occasions when she'd let him help in the kitchen, or when he'd help her clean up around the house on the rare days when he wasn't busy fending off suitors and rivals and destroying the very home she maintained. Those times were always so peaceful, so nice, and Akane would join in sometimes, and they always were so at ease, like Kasumi exuded a calming aura that relaxed them both.

Come to think of it, Ranma mused as he headed down his street, Maison Ikou in sight, he and Akane had had some of their best conversations in Kasumi's presence. She had probably seen the… something between them better than anyone else, including Ranma and Akane.

In thinking of her again, Ranma felt a weight press down on him. Kaibutsu tugged him up the steps, eager to get inside and get at his water dish, and Ranma allowed himself to be led, practically dragging his feet. Once inside his apartment, he removed his shoes, hung up the leash, and set the saké down on his low table, all before collapsing at said table, resting across some of the cushions and staring at the little red box, the plastic loops that served as handles just starting to droop.

He felt depressed, that was the only way to describe it. The only thing that had kept him going at junior college those two years was distractions. He'd concentrated on all his general education studies, plowing through his classes, studying harder than he ever had in high school. He'd done tournament after tournament, almost losing himself in the violence. He'd dated a few girls. Gone to a few parties. Tried not to think about anything but the present and the small, narrow-minded goal of physical education studies at university in two years. And it had worked, mostly. He'd been so absorbed in succeeding that he rarely thought of everything he'd left behind in Nerima.

But now he was back, and the old feelings of depression were creeping up on him like snakes, coiling through his body and constricting his heart. He sighed, painfully, and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. When had it gotten this bad? How had he not noticed that his entire being had faded away until he was just a shell that punched trees, and ate, and slept, and took care of his dog, and waited until something happened?

Setting his jaw, Ranma sat up abruptly and looked at the clock. He had two hours until he had to be at Kasumi's, that was plenty of time. Setting thought to deed, Ranma walked out of his apartment, leaving Kaibutsu and his shoes behind. He headed for the door at the end of the hallway, opening it and heading up the stairs to the roof. He burst through the second door and took off into a run, heading right to the edge of the two-story building, and then he leapt…

Weightlessness took over for a brief moment before he came down on the roof of the house next to his apartment, landing well despite almost two years absent from the familiar routine. He leapt from roof to roof, ignoring the few shouts of surprise he got from family men and women returning home from work. Students, enjoying summer break at the various parks in Nerima, stared up at him when he passed.

Eventually, he circuited around back to his apartment, leaping from the roof he was on and onto the pavement in front of the Maison. His feet hurt a little, but other than a need for a shower and some water, he felt… really good. The circuit had cleared his head, and he was actually smiling. The endorphins made his body shiver with energy, and he rushed up the stairs to his room, now eager to get to Kasumi and Ono's.