Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Rendezvous with Fate ❯ April ( Chapter 4 )

Revision History :
04/02/06 -- common errors in the English language
01/14/06 -- changed tenses (had) changed quotation mark punctuation
10/19/05 -- grammar
12/20/03 -- Extensive revision. A lot of grammar but there were 788 words added (I keep tab of the wordcount... hehe)

Little note before you start anything:

Implied Adult themes.
Special thanks at the bottom.

Much madness is divinest sense
To a discerning eye;
Much sense the starkest madness.
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur, -- you're straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain.
Emily Dickinson

Rendezvous with Fate V.3
by iCe
Chapter 4

...they thought I was crazy, it was a surprise I didn't live up to that...

Akane leaned against the side of the hallway she'd labeled Ranma's while waiting for him to emerge from the room, a little hurt that he hid its existence from her.

"I'm not crazy, Ranma," she said as he came out, sliding the shoji shut behind him.

"Kodachi, did that bump on the head make you lose what common sense you have, floating in there?" he asked, waving at her head for emphasis.

"If you're so upset, I won't run in the morning, I'll do it at night. I'll even practice at night. But you have to fill up my morning schedule." He was being stubborn, but he wasn't the only one who was upset about the entire matter. She didn't like the situation either, but she tried to do her best with what was given to her, why couldn't he.

"I wasn't just talking about the dress." He scowled again. Akane wondered if he scowled as much around anyone else. "I'd never call you Akane, and I'd never let you near Hanae."

"Never say never." She smiled. That was the only way she knew how to respond other than being violent about it. Patience wasn't one of the virtues that she was known for and she was grateful that her temper wasn't as short as in her youth. "I'll dress up for dinner so I can get out of this getup you so obviously despise." She tugged at the hem of the dress to stress her point. "Just don't look too surprised with my clothes. None of them fit me anymore."

Ranma gave Akane a puzzled stare. "Why not order some more?"

"Order more?" She didn't see any boutiques, say, Tokyo Fashion, around. Kodachi didn't seem like a woman who bought her clothes off the rack -- wait was there a rack in 1600? -- Possibly not. "I don't know how."

At that, Ranma laughed.

It was the first time she ever heard him laugh. He sounded genuinely amused for a change. Akane didn't guess that it was possible. It was the closest to happy she ever saw him. It didn't last long.

"I'm sure Ifuku will enlighten you." He let the topic go for the moment to focus on something he was really interested in. "Are you telling me you remember nothing? The doctor said some memory might return."

Akane let out a sigh. Obviously, he didn't believe the truth which honestly was understandable but she still couldn't let it go. "I really have nothing to remember."

"Don't tell me you expect me to believe that story about how someone else died and took your body, Kodachi..." He gave her an exasperated sigh. "Frankly I'm having a hard time believing you have amnesia as it is. Don't expect me to believe the other story."

She looked at him incredulously. Not only did he not believe the truth -- which was okay since she would be skeptical herself if someone told her -- but he didn't believe the doctor's prognosis. 'This isn't happening to me... this isn't what I planned in my head these past weeks.'

In her imagination, they would talk calmly and shake each other's hands. Sometimes, he even believed her crazy story. She was prepared for anything. Anything but this.

By this time, her temper reached its limit. She shouted, "Believe what you want then!" She could feel she was close to tears. Damn. "Kodachi is dead, and I'm alive. I won't let her ruin my life as she has apparently done yours!"

She hated it when people saw her cry. She wanted to whirl around and run to her room. If she didn't, she might just grab things and start pounding on something to make her feel better.

But she didn't.

"Stop staring at me!" she yelled. "I hate it when people see me cry!"

But Ranma continued to look at her oddly. This, for some reason, made her want to pound him even more. Wielding her mallet, which was a nifty little trick she picked up when she was learning martial arts, she pounded on the space he was standing on. Another problem emerged: she couldn't hit him. "Dammit! Stay still!"

He did stop. He caught her hands and pulled them apart, pinning them against the wall. He did this so gently that they didn't break through the thin paper shoji. He was about to disarm her, but it looked like the mallet was nowhere in sight.

"Kodachi, let's get this straight. You're reverting to a mallet now?" Letting her arms go, he asked, "You're picking such an 'unfeminine' weapon?"

"What did you say?!" Akane shouted. The mallet reappeared in her hand.

Just as quickly, Ranma disarmed her, pinning her hands behind her back. "I was just clarifying your choice in weapons. You were the one who referred to Ukyo's spatula as unfeminine and Shampoo and Rian's weapons as uncouth. Don't you think this is just the same? More so."

She registered for the first time that he insulted her choice of weapons, her nice choice of weapons. And that her mallet, which never failed her before, decided to do so now. Damn her stupid luck.

She didn't answer him. He didn't let her go. "Let's just get this out in the open to reawaken your foggy mind. You cannot hit me. Hanae is asleep. You are making noise. Do you really want me to dunk you in one of your potions to shut you up?"

Throughout his little lecture, Akane stared at him wide-eyed. No one has managed to stop her hammer before. Not even Ryoga. Evading simply wasn't possible. The fact that Ryoga was the only person she ever tried to mallet didn't cross her mind.

If she weren't angry, she would be amazed at his speed. They stood unmoving in the hallway, uncharacteristically staring each other down. Though they were locked in a battle of wits, if someone walked in, they would have thought Ranma was actually embracing her. The only indication that it wasn't an amorous tryst was Akane's hands which Ranma held firmly behind her back to keep her from moving.

"You have always been crazy, Kodachi, so let's stop the games," he said, regarding her cautiously. She still has her legs and her head. Keeping Akane's arms unusable was just a setback there would be a counter-attack somewhere.

They moved considerably away from Hanae's door, an indicator that Ranma tried his best to provide for his daughter at times like these. His determination to stop her didn't waver even after leading her away from Hanae and he was still staring at her. When she recognized the look he was giving her, she sighed. That look was going to get her admitted in an asylum.

Each second they stood at the center of the hallway Akane's anger seeped away from her. "I -- I'm sorry I remember now. I talked with Dr. Kinzaki and I told him of a dream I had of dying and going to another body," it was the biggest lie she ever said in her life. "He said it was natural for amnesia patients to believe anything other than what's truly happened to them..."

She might be saving herself from whatever verdict of lunacy they diagnosed in her, but she just thrown her sanity, not to mention her credibility, down a cliff and drowned it.

"Now it's back to amnesia. Did you dream that too?" he asked sarcastically. "And when did you turn into a terrible liar? I could see your face reddening. New trick you picked up. Did you learn it so you can convince me that you're lying?"

Her face flushed, she was never a good liar. "Why would I try to convince you that I'm lying? It wouldn't help matters, especially with your views about my sanity."

"Because what I think doesn't really matter, does it?" Ranma looked at her directly in the eyes in an attempt to intimidate her. To her credit, Akane managed not to flinch. "So, my dearest Kodachi, are you lying?"

"No, the amnesia is real, and I'm not lying." She didn't realize how hard it was to try to sound indignant when she was doing exactly what she was being accused of. "I still have no memory of you."

He leaned towards her and her eyes widened. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?" she asked, trying to bring her arms up. However, Ranma has a solid grip.

"Seeing if you have amnesia, my dear wife," Ranma retorted. His left hand came up to hold her head as his right hand encircled her waist, effectively trapping her arms. By now, his mind was giving him warning signals that the only attack his wife would use, if she chose to do so, would be bringing up her knee.

Akane meanwhile -- did not think of that. She was panicking because she had never been completely pinned down before -- at least not in the real world. She has plenty of experiences in the dojo -- or in bed. However, those times, she did not feel the complete helplessness that she was feeling now, and those certainly weren't attacks like this. Locking her ankle around his leg, she shoved him off using her shoulders. He didn't move by much but he dropped his hands.

It wasn't her desired effect. He was standing, and she was on the floor, the shove causing her to lose her precarious balance. She tried the move before when she was locked in a grip once when she was in high school but it was the boy who sank on his knees.

"I thought we already established something about fighting," he quipped, dropping his hands to his sides and looking at her with a half-amused, half-irritated stare.

"Worth a try," she answered while trying standing up with her dignity intact. "Never, never do that again with me, Ranma! If you want a kiss, ASK. NICELY." She was also very angry by now. "Don't you ever force me. You idiot! You pervert!" She stomped off frustrated that she couldn't think of anything insulting to say.

-

Ranma stared after her and wondered where she acquired the strength to push him off. If he didn't have a great sense of balance, he would have stumbled a bit. If it were any other person he knew, they would have been down on the floor. If it was an ordinary person, they would be at least five feet away.

He heard the door slam shut and winced. 'Wait...Back up a minute...PERVERT?' He shook his head as he rubbed his shoulder. "She has got to be kidding." Compared to her, he was practically a monk.

Had he been about to kiss her? He honestly didn't know, although the thought had always repulsed Kodachi. Kissing has always been a Western idea and something he learned in the Amazon Village, and from what he knew, never practiced out of the wedding futon.(1) He shuddered. He didn't want to dwell on the idea too much.

He didn't know if it was a good idea to block Kodachi's hits. After all, anger, the longer put off is stronger when it comes and the longer felt. But then, if he let her hit him, he'd lose the last semblance of control he had. Delay was also the best remedy for anger... 'I'm actually confusing myself.' Ranma thought, shaking his head to clear it.

"Daddy, why didn't you wake me up?" A sleepy tug came with the voice.

Ranma looked down to find Hanae rubbing her eyes out. Apparently, Kodachi did wake her up, and he was thinking deeply enough not to notice her walk towards him. "You were tired. You've seen it lots of times." He smiled at her, lifting her up.

Hanae stared past his shoulder towards the area where Kodachi disappeared. "That was Kodachi, right?"

"Hmm...Forgotten her already? You see her practically every year," Ranma asked, heading towards Hanae's room. Ukyo decorated it, but the only thing that Hanae owned in it were her clothes. Most of Hanae's things were at Ukyo's place since Ranma thought the things would be better off with her than his wife.

"Is she my mother at Rose Brier?" she asked solemnly.

He hesitated before answering. Hanae was barely six years of age, and he didn't want her to be exposed to the cruelty Kodachi was known to exhibit. In a house of paper doors, it was difficult to hide things from people. "I'm sorry I can't keep the noise down."

"I'm a light sleeper, daddy," she whispered clinging to his neck. Ranma was surprised at the gesture. She was actually trying to reassure him. As he entered Hanae's room, he looked about the pastel decorated walls. There was nothing much in the room, a few shelves to keep her dolls, a mirror, and a closet for her clothes.

When Hanae was newly born, he brought her here. Kodachi threw her out. Literally. He needed to run out to catch her in the rain. It was a good thing he was fast enough. Kodachi screamed then. She still retained that screaming habit.

He took pains to see that Hanae would not be around when Kodachi was, even if it meant she was away for long periods of time. He did not count on Kodachi deciding to stay. Ukyo informed him of her leave weeks in advance so he couldn't very well cancel on her.

"Look, Hanae. Kodachi and I aren't on the best of terms." He put her down and rumpled her hair. "And I really am not the person to deal with her." Bringing her bag towards the bed Ranma sorted it while Hanae got some fresh clothes from the closet. "I'm sorry you are home when she's here and..."

"It's all right, Daddy. Kodachi isn't so bad." She tried to put him at ease and then smiled. "Do you want me to have dinner with you guys?"

"No," Ranma answered grimly. "Kodachi is someone I have to handle alone."

When Ranma stepped out of the room, Nabiki greeted him with a raised eyebrow. "Welcome home Ranma, and how is my brother, today?" Nabiki said while giving her son a pat in the back to greet his uncle. The boy bowed immediately, then, the formalities finished, he rushed up to give his uncle a hug.

When Sei (2), saw Hanae who rose from her bed again he asked permission for them to go out for a swim. The girl happily agreed to, even though she still couldn't figure out how to breathe under water. After she greeted her aunt and received permission and equal words of caution, she and Sei were off to the bay. Ranma and Nabiki proceeded to the teahouse for privacy.

"So what happened, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, automatically arranging her kimono as she sat down on the cushion with her brother. "I trust everything is fine."

Ranma explained the location of the troops and the trouble that was brewing in the side, as his suspicion of mobilization, the well-placed fires and his worries.

"Looks like you're right. If mercenaries are being hired... well, it cannot be good," she said after listening intently to what Ranma was saying. Once, plotting would have made her smile. Now, she saw all of it through dispassionate eyes and offered what she knew. "We still have to find out who is wreaking havoc on Nerima first. Mercenaries... they can never be traced to a house."

Ranma would have given anything to see his sister happy. Giving her a job that keeps her mind working was the only way to do it. To others it may seem that he was working his own sister too hard but it was the only way. Nabiki was only happy when she was using her mind.

"Usually we start with who hates you -- or me -- enough to want to destroy us," Nabiki suggested, since those who didn't know about her thought her to be Ranma's consort. After all, if you're a consort you must share your master's ill luck. "It is possible it is against Kodachi too... but her enemies are far too many, and an attack against her is unthinkable, most think she's touched by Kami"

Many believed that when you were touched by the kami, you became crazy. These people were given special privileges. It was because of this that it was improbable for anyone knowing about Kodachi could strike against her, even if she was bordering the insane. "We've both made enemies," Ranma said slowly, unmindful of the maid who entered and left the sake and porcelain cups to Nabiki.

"Yes, I must agree. Though mine cause less property damage than yours," Nabiki murmured, offering the same cup filled with sake to him. Ranma declined at first, but finally accepted.

"Hey! You were the one who had a samurai out for your head because you just HAD to tell him you were better than him, and humiliated him in front everybody to boot," Ranma said pointedly rudely gesturing with his tea cup at her.

"Something someone I know would have done if he were goaded, hmmm?" Nabiki frowned as she remembered the said samurai. "He cost me a very good sword! But at least I don't lead insanely powered martial artists here."

She placed her own cup down and folded her hands in front of her, leaning closer to her brother. "Cologne, an enraged Amazon with that fight of yours because you didn't marrythe hair-care product that chased you half-way around the globe. It was lucky for us that Rian didn't choose to go after you too. Pantyhose Tarou is another, just because you wouldn't let him in the border of Kanto (3) because of our dear liege lord... need I go on?"

"Hey -- Shampoo saved us money by making doors!" Ranma protested, falling back to the banter that usually found its way when he was talking to Nabiki. It usually eased their minds off their problems.

"Oh yes! DOORS! How can we forget those?" Nabiki nodded slowly, her sarcasm not reaching him. "Be that as it may, there are the four regents to put in mind. We are under the Lord Ieyasu, so Briar Rose is in his corner and since the Kanto is the center point of the region we are at a tactical advantage. All the other regents would want us in their corner. They can be the ONLY ONES."

She let this information sink in. "Those powered friends of yours wouldn't go on a systematic destruction of the Kanto Regions. They would think it dishonorable not to fight your ritualized bashes. The peasants cannot be under revolt, you tax fairly and you're as nice a lord as they come. The etas... they will not even think about pulling a stunt like this. All the rest have no motive."

"Do you think Cologne would do it?" Ranma queried after a moment of silence.

Nabiki sighed, but thought about it for a while before giving her answer, "I wouldn't know. Cologne is still in China last I've heard of her, but she's not been hostile ever since you married Kodachi. She almost looked sympathetic."

Cologne was known to use some underhanded tactics but she always did everything in her power for the benefit of the Amazon Village, the twins and their training. Her actions held reason and engaging in a petty squabble with the Saotomes didn't seem reasonable at the moment. "It doesn't make any sense."

Nabiki gave him an odd reprimanding look when she heard his words. "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma, when will you learn that nothing in this world makes sense?"

"I've thought of putting one of the samurai on this. Konatsu seems a good choice, this being his area of specialty." He paused as he weighed her reaction to his statement, when she didn't show any outward signs of displeasure he continued, "But I wanted you to be in on this first. I don't mean any disrespect or insult on your abilities. After all, you are my sister. I think it would be best if it was kept to family."

Nabiki weighed his statement. "Think Konatsu isn't up for the job?"

"Your idea. What I'm saying is, you might want to take it on as a personal project" He was pleased to see a predatory smile on her face. It could only mean she was interested.

"Oh?" She settled her chin on her hands, time for a little brotherly talk, and to gauge how much he wanted her working on it. "What makes you think I'll work on this project of yours Ranma?"

"This project of mine is also a project of yours Nabiki." He waited for a few seconds before saying what Happosai never let them forget, even in the middle of China. "You are a Saotome."

"I swear I was switched at birth," she drawled still giving him that predatory look.

"And you'll want it for the rep Nabs." He matched her look with his. "I mean a case you couldn't solve?"

Nabiki stared at him for a moment. It was Ranma's turn to smile. He hit a chord. "I take it back, you may be my brother. But I'm still not entirely sure on that part."

"Sure, sure," Ranma answered, making all the motions saying that he believed her and yet tinting his voice with his disapproval. "Still can't resist a challenge?"

"It's what has gotten that man a sword," she muttered, frustrated that she lost a verbal spat with her brother. She did not let it go without sticking her own sword in. "It's what gets you all those enemies..."

"So you'll take it." Ranma felt like giving her a hug, he settled for a grin and an annoyingly knowing look instead. Nabiki glared at him, to which his reply was, "Thanks!"

"I never said I would do it." Nabiki watched him, wanting to know how much he was willing to push her before she felt like she was obliged to do it. Since Nabiki was under his household, he could give out the order, but he liked the play of words. It kept his wits about him. He was also sure that Nabiki would take up the challenge. "I'll look in on the matter," she said a little too resignedly for him to take her opposition against the idea seriously.

He wanted the investigation over as soon as possible and he could kill two birds with one stone. "You want incentive, how about if I tell you about the little history of Hanae?"

Nabiki frowned and gave Ranma a puzzled look. No one ever asked anything about Hanae from him and she was so interested in that child. Ranma never told her the reason for Hanae's presence because there was no need to. She was tied with other things when Hanae arrived in his live and now, there must be a reason why he wanted to tell her. He used the information as a bargaining chip so that he wouldn't lose face.

Nabiki had a fine head for investigative matters as well plus a penchant for adventure -- having Ranma for a brother made that a necessity. She was also, at best, a little bit below Ranma for his fighting skills. They were raised by the same foster father after all. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to find out how you get away with this."

"Really Nabiki, you should recognize your techniques by now." He shook his head at her. In a silly way, he looked like the old schoolteacher she had way back when she was seven. "Anyway, thanks. I do hope you find it soon."

"You don't trust me?" Nabiki asked wide-eyed pointing to herself. Her disbelief was apparent, yet she was challenging him to come back at her.

Ranma frowned. "Let's just finish this quickly."

"So... you never answered my question. I wasn't talking about your trip." At his blank stare, she knew he forgot what they were talking about before the issue of their enemies cropped up, so she repeated her question, "What happened Ranma?"

She slowly raised an eyebrow at him waiting for the answer while Ranma tried to process exactly what she was asking. "Uh... what exactly do you mean?"

Giving up on him realizing it on his own and mildly suspecting that he was being deliberately obtuse she finally said, "The tender scene with you and Kodachi."

He cringed a little. He didn't know how Nabiki put up with Kodachi. It was one of the miracles he credited to her every day. Nabiki was usually left alone at the house with his wife. They managed to meet rarely and when they do, Nabiki always manages to be on the winning side. She even managed to conceal her son from Kodachi. In a paper house, it was something short of a miracle. 'Without using the forbidden techniques, that is.' Ranma made a mental note to ask how Nabiki managed to do it some time.

"It was nothing," Ranma quipped waving his hand, signaling her to forget about it. This only raised her curiosity to another level. It's never 'nothing' when people claimed it was. "I was just testing her 'amnesia'."

"It didn't look like it," Nabiki said softly, she saw the whole encounter and waited until Kodachi was safely out of the scene she called her son to greet her brother. "You lost your temper for a moment there, brother. It was not how you usually handled her. Don't tell me you're starting to find in yourself... affection for the woman."

He was also surprised at how he managed the situation. 'Yeah, Real smooth.' The fact that it was years since he felt anything more than hatred for his wife added a little worry in his already troubled mind.

The bottom line was that she rejected him, and that was what he was keeping in mind. Sure, she was a bit out of character, but one fact remained. Kodachi -- he knew -- simply did not love him. She had been forced to find a husband and he had been at the right place in the right time. He had given his love easily and his trust freely. It was different now. She didn't need him anymore.

He wondered if he could keep her out of his bed from pure hatred. That was what he did before. It was only in the last three years that the alcohol, food and the long and endless nights took its toll on her. He hoped hatred was enough for now.

He stopped and looked at Nabiki in the eyes before giving his reply, "Nothing has changed."

At dinnertime, Akane was so worried about her husband and that girl that her heartbeat sounded loud in her own ears. That -- and the rustling of her kimono against her ankles was getting pretty annoying.

She reached an empty room with only the soft light of the lantern to guide her. She looked around to make sure -- but Ranma wasn't anywhere in sight. She walked to her place in the table and said aloud, "Coward."

"Who are you talking to, Kodachi?" Akane was so startled she let out a scream when she whirled around to face her husband. By this time, her heart was beating so fast and so loudly, she swore that even he could hear it. She clutched her heart as if to steady it.

He had been standing by the window, hidden by the shadows. When he moved, it seemed as if the shadows moved with him, making him very disconcerting to watch. And he was fast too. He was in front of her before she could let out a squeak. "You scared me half to death."

"I'm not half that lucky," he quipped as looked at her.

"And exactly what do you mean by that?" she asked her temper getting the better of her. Again.

"Calm down Kodachi. I mean it exactly the way you heard it." He simply could not resist letting a gibe pass by. It was a direct consequence of being around Nabiki too much. "Or is your ear just as gone as your head is nowadays?"

She had to shake her head, there had to be something other than his good looks that would make him a better person. There just had to. "Is Hanae joining us? And please, call me Akane."

"No," He answered stiffly to both questions. It was obvious he still didn't want her near the child. "And, as I said, I'd never call you Akane. Kodachi suites you."

A short-sword, a deadly weapon in a skilled one's hands. That was what Kodachi's namesake was. Obviously, Kodachi was very much like her namesake in every regard.

"Akane... crimson..." He paused for a moment thinking about it. "It sounds like a bloodbath."

"Kodachi ignites a bloodbath," Akane answered rapidly.

He smiled slowly. "Then Kodachi it is then."

"Hmmm...witty tonight aren't we?" Akane smiled a little. "I suppose it is better than your biting sarcasm. Honestly! Where do you get all that from anyway? You're much too grumpy for a man your age...uh...how old are you anyway?"

"Twenty-nine, as you know."

She ignored the as you know part, and continued with the next question that she thought up while she was nervously preparing for her first dinner with her husband. "How long have we been married?"

"Seven glorious years."

"And was one of us in love during these 'seven glorious years'?" she asked curiously. From his tone, she knew he was getting bored from the conversation.

"You are mistaking the word affection for love." He used the Latin word for it. "Love is a Christian word, Kodachi, it is the priests who let you believe ai is synonymous to both. Love has no Japanese translation as we Japanese understand it, it is an illusion, a word within a word (4)."

She stared, she presumed that the unknown word was love in some other language she did not understand. She didn't know how he had the perception to understand that she was talking about love when... as he pointed out there was no Japanese translation for it. "Well... were we?"

"Ours was an arranged marriage, Kodachi. You can't hope for anything more than at least affection." He regarded her carefully watching her reaction, but discreetly, so much so that she wasn't aware of it. "And the ideology of Christian love requires so much more."

"Well, were we at least affectionate?" His ability to dodge her was fast becoming irritating in her book.

"One of us was," he answered then cursed himself when he realized what he just said. It was automatic. She knew that he was thinking of something else when he answered, so it was the truth. If she had been looking at him, she would have caught a slight flicker of change in his expression, despite his curt remarks.

"Then it must have been me," Akane answered a little sadly, knowing that if it was only Kodachi in love with Ranma, all was lost. "You seem too dead to the world to feel anything."

"Really? That's new. I've never known for you to care for anybody but yourself," he said this so dispassionately that Akane wondered what Kodachi did to make him marry her.

"Then you loved me!" she exclaimed happily, that certainly would make her mission easier. But then the present situation brought her back to reality. "But... you don't anymore. You hate me. The servants are afraid of me. I have no friends..." The last part was brought on by the fact that no one came to call upon her, regardless of her accident. She wasn't that dense not to notice.

"So, you remember then," he said sarcastically.

"I still can't remember," Akane scowled a little, he was being sarcastic again, and she hated that. For every step she took forward, he managed to pull her two steps back. She couldn't even read his reactions with his back on her... how rude of him. "But I'm not deaf, I'm not blind, and I'm certainly not stupid. I know what's going on around here."

He grunted, it looked like he was about to say something more but he continued to stare out the black night. "Can't we make a new beginning? Forget anything has happened? I'm a different person."

"It's too late for that, Kodachi. There is nothing left of this marriage, and there is nothing left to forgive. How much do you think anyone can forgive? And I am not a forgiving man. You know that."

"But that's it," Akane said softly moving towards him until only a chair remained in between them. "I don't know that, Ranma. I don't know why everyone hates me."

He whirled around. It took Akane her whole life's training of self-control not to shrink back from him. He was angry, that was probably the reason why he didn't face her. "You want to know? What do you want me to tell you?" He almost smiled at that, as if he was having the sadistic pleasure of telling her about her misdeeds.

He paused, waiting for her answer, but for the life of her, Akane could not speak. "Nothing? I'll pick it out for you then. You abuse the servants -- even though they are loyal to the Kunos. Flaunted your lovers -- and heaven knows that they don't need the flaunting you do -- of course you kill them afterwards. Drink yourself into stupors, poison anything that's moving and test out your little ribbons on anyone who gets in your way -- that was before you lost your gymnastics training to your vices, after that you ask Sasuke to do it for you."

Not knowing what to say she just stared at him and endured the words. She was the one who asked for it.

"I have gotten you speechless, Kodachi, that's a first." Ranma paused, looking at her. "Do you want me to continue? Should I tell you about the men you've seduced, the families you've torn apart? Or should I just skip that and tell you about the people you've left sick and those that you left so beaten up out to die?"

He left that for her to answer, when she didn't he tilted his head in mock appraisal. "Perhaps a story containing some -- or one that contains all? You once insinuated in public that you slept with a good man -- you want to remember his name? Does Daisuke ring any bells in that memory of yours? I knew he didn't, you knew it, hell the man knew he didn't. But his liege lord as certain as hell didn't know and denied him seppuku, which he deserved, he was hunted by my cousin... to the death, and left out for the dogs."

As a rule, a married woman may not even stay alone in a closed room with another man. The act was punishable by the woman's husband or his kin to take both their heads, Ranma's cousin did not know of Kodachi's misdeeds and thought her accusations to be true.

"His wife, poor over-emotional, fragile Sayuri who didn't know you for the scheming liar that you are, believed you. She didn't even ask to commit seppuku, she just did it... without a second! Her four-year-old son found her. She was ordered to be buried in the eta (5) village along with her son, who by the way, my cousin also killed."

"Why..."

"He killed them because he thought he was defending your honor. Mine and yours."

The story was interrupted by a maid, who quickly assessed the situation and backed off silently, wide-eyed at Ranma's gaze. Ranma let her get out before he continued.

"You dared to come up to the liege lord and offered your condolences for the loss of one of his vassals, shaming me yet again and tried to dig out the son in the eta village. You are a consummate liar and actress, Kodachi, but even you failed to stir the crowds that day. Later, I found out that your brother ordered the pathetic apology to save what scraps of honor you have left."

He clutched the katana he wore so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. For a brief moment, Akane envisioned her neck slashed, and her hand unconsciously shot up to her throat. It seemed as if he realized that he was about to break the hilt and let go of it immediately.

"You think you can come to me with a pretty pout and an absurd story that you don't remember anything? It's a grand game, Kodachi, but I don't believe any of it."

Akane was stunned, before she only pictured Kodachi as a shadow that moved about, with a couple of bad things here and bad things there. She never painted a picture of her so close to what Ranma spoke of. And suddenly, she knew why nobody liked her. She knew why she was being treated badly. "Then why are we still married?"

"Divorce is out of the question. We've talked about this before. The dojo and Rose Brier is yours. You are a bargaining chip, an ace of cards, a tactical advancement and I HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO. For that, I'd put up with you." He turned around and walked towards the door. "I think my appetite is gone. Goodnight, Kodachi."

"That's AKANE!" she shouted as she slumped down the chair. She held her tears back until Ranma completely left the room, then let it flow freely.

A mallet appeared quickly in her hands, but as it appeared, she quickly put it away. A destructive mood was not something she should get into right now. Besides, the way he moved she would never catch up.

A sob escaped her, in all her years, only two actually angered her enough to let her pull the damned mallet out. Ryoga was the first half, Ranma was the other. It seemed as if her husbands brought out the worst in her.

Things were more grim now, but not hopeless. Not yet anyway. After all what motive could she have to pretend amnesia?

-

Still burning with anger, Ranma headed out to the dojo, not bothering to grab a lantern on the way out, he knew the way even by night-light. It was one of the places in the house that actually soothed his nerves. It had an immediate effect on him as he entered. The dojo was one of the few places Kodachi entirely moved out of after their third year together. Only the box remained as her mark there at all.

He sighed as he stepped into the middle of the large room, he didn't even bother with the gas lamps. He started on the easiest katas he knew moving on to the hard ones. That way, he had time to think about what just happened.

He didn't notice Hanae by the doorway until she spoke up, "Daddy, are you all right?" He stopped at the middle of the move to look at her, running up to him. "Oh, daddy. I didn't ve-s-drop on you and 'dachi. I just saw you go out."

That was no surprise, Hanae was quite perceptive, and she knew where her father would go, he doubted that she did listen in, but it was a paper house after all... she didn't need to listen in, but wondered how she spotted him in the dark. "You did, huh?"

She nodded, and then smiled. "I went down to the kitchen to see if you ate..." She looked at the doorway. "So I brought you dinner, daddy. Aunty Nabiki was the one who actually told me to check on you."

For the first time, he noticed the tray at the door. It shouldn't have surprised him since Hanae had started to bring him his dinner instead of Yuka since her third birthday, but it did. "You carried that big tray again."

Sometimes Hanae gave him dinner when she was home and he came in late or something interrupted his meal like what happened this evening. Other times, Nabiki did this, sometimes, the cook, Yuka.

"Not that big," she protested as Ranma pulled her up in his arms, then got the tray on the way out. It was the lacquered one with legs of its own, one made for special occasions, not needing a table to separate the plates.

"Where do you want to eat this?" he asked, he still wanted to avoid the dining room, and was glad she chose the library.

Moving one cushion for her to sit in front of him, Ranma looked at the contents of the tray. Some maki, a bowl of rice and miso soup. He then proceeded to dividing everything in two, giving half to Hanae, they shared the small tray together as well. "My stomach and I thank you Hanae."

"Save some thanks for Yuka-san," she piped up, she was in a talkative mood tonight. "Yuka-san sent up a tray to 'dachi. She didn't eat, too."

When Ranma didn't say anything, Hanae tilted her head to look at him, something she picked up from her father and resumed talking, "She doesn't eat that much though. Yuka says 'dachi is starving herself."

There was a pregnant pause in the air and Ranma got the feeling Hanae was waiting for him to tell her what happened, as he usually did, but he didn't. Things between Kodachi and him were still too complicated. She was after all, still six years old.

"Everyone in the kitchen thinks she's starving herself," Hanae said after a while. Ranma filed that information at the back of his mind then steered the conversation to another topic, he has had enough Kodachi for one day.

Talking about the past, especially concerning his wife didn't awaken good memories for him and Hanae understood his want to keep it at that. He didn't even know what he would do if Kodachi would continue with this charade of hers. At least he told her what he thought about it, and then it would end soon.

The next morning, Akane woke up early, before the servants did, before the sun rose, and probably before Hanae and Ranma. Pulling a green robe over her thin cotton shift, she walked barefoot towards the kitchen. She smiled at the feel of the tatami.

The apartment Ryoga and she owned was carpeted and the Tendo household which was appointed with tatami... was so long ago. She glanced appreciatively at the floor and rushed out to make tea.

She blinked outside and smiled because the sun hasn't risen yet. That was good, she wanted to catch the sunrise and today it would be spectacular.

In a world full of technology, you tended not to realize what beauty nature held. Her father taught her that -- when he managed to take them out on training trips when she was younger. Later, Ryoga brought her around to loving outdoors, mostly because he usually got them lost on one of his trips.

Putting the green leaves into the water, Akane smiled as she walked towards the porch to watch the day begin -- she just hoped her culinary skills were adequate for some tea.

That was how Ranma-chan and Hanae saw her, looking at the sky's first light. Hanae couldn't resist teasing her father, "She looks like a different person. She's beautiful, don't you think, daddy?"

"If you like the crazy lunatic types," Ranma-chan muttered too soft to hear as he looked out Hanae's window. "How many times are you going to ask that?"

"Until you answer me!" She giggled then looked at her father, tilting her head to the side. Hanae usually crept up to her father's room in the morning so that they would go down to eat breakfast together when he was there. "So, shall I tell her you're my father, my foster mother or my first mother... what?"

Ranma-chan scowled at Hanae's obvious joy from her discomfort, which made her laugh even more. "Don't tell me you believe what that woman says. You know better than that!"

"Well, what should I tell her when she sees a strange woman in my father's clothes?" She pointed out rather smartly.

"Ughhh...if she really has amnesia, I don't want to scare her. Not yet anyway," she answered, ruffling Hanae's unruly hair. "And if she's lying, she'd go with the flow or stop it. We'll lose nothing."

"Oh goodie! We get to play pretend!" Hanae shouted happily clapping her hands together. "We don't get to do that much!"

Ranma-chan nodded carrying Hanae off the shoji window, which miraculously enough, supported her, and walked towards the kitchen. They still needed that hot water. Somehow, while they slept Hanae managed to upturn a glass of water she kept in the side of her futon over him.

Akane didn't hear them enter, which was just as well. Ranma-chan wanted to get in, get the hot water, and get out. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Akane used up all the hot water in her drink, which meant she needed to boil another round, which ultimately meant, she'd notice them.

Putting Hanae down, she took the kettle and filled it with water, then placed it over the charcoal brazier. At that, Akane turned around, and jumped at the two of them.

"Sheesh, you scared me to death!" Akane said holding her hand near her heart. "Why'd you sneak up on me like that?"

"We didn't," Ranma said flatly leaning against the counter. "It's you who's been jumpy. You've done that twice already. At dinner and today."

At that, Akane turned towards him. Ranma had to hand it to her. She really was a good actress. She managed to look at Ranma-chan as though this was the first time that Ranma's girl form ever made an appearance.

"How did you know that? I haven't seen you around here before..." she trailed off then looked expectantly at Hanae for introductions.

"Oh?" Ranma raised her eyebrow in perfect imitation of Nabiki's, though she guessed that the hostility was lost on Kodachi. At that moment, she knew Kodachi was pretending. Any woman, even Kodachi, would blow up to see another woman in her husband's clothes. "I haven't been around lately."

She would hear Kodachi though, if nothing else. And when Kodachi grew tired of this little game, she would get out of Rose Brier as she usually did. Besides, with Kodachi's usual ranting, she made the servants believe Ranko was Ranma's consort -- a lot of people believed she had many consorts. She never corrected them.

"Wait, you're one of the people who took care of me when I was unconscious!" Akane said, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. She smiled bowing deeply. "Thanks."

That surprised Ranma and Hanae took some moments before she finally re-introduced her father. They never heard so much as a whisper of gratitude coming from Kodachi. It was startling.

"Miss 'dachi meet one of my family, Ranko." Hanae said smiling, they had done the fake introductions before and they used that name. So far, only Ranma's family and a select few know about the truth. "Ranko, my daddy's wife, Miss 'dachi."

"Please, call me Akane," Akane said, taking her time to bow deeply once again. At first, Ranma didn't want reciprocate the bow, especially since her girl-type bow looked extremely unladylike. Ranma also noted that she was still calling herself by that ridiculous name. However when Hanae glared at her for the pleasantry, Ranma grudgingly complied.

"Why are you guys up so early?" Akane asked, looking back out towards the gardens once again.

"Oh, we're always up early," Hanae informed her then realized that Kodachi was never really up in the wee hours of the morning. She dested the dawn and hated the chirping birds that alighted on her window, claiming that their screeching songs woke her up. "Though, you don't like that..."

They always counted on the fact that Kodachi woke up late to sneak out. Though Kodachi never saw Hanae, Hanae always saw her. After she learned stealth tricks her father taught her. She always wondered about the woman her father married. When Hanae sneaked off to see Kodachi, she received more than she bargained for when the woman spotted her. She kept that meeting from her father.

"I love the morning, I sit here every day and watch the sun come up." She looked outside and hugged herself. "I love it here."

Ranma stared at her back open mouthed then looked at Hanae. Kodachi never expressed love for anything except her reflection. She stepped out into the porch and tiptoed to reach Akane's forehead with mock concern. "Are you sick again?"

-

Akane whirled around to face Ranma indignant at the way that the new-comer was treating her. "What's wrong about," she trailed off as she saw Ranko under good light. She was short, shorter than her so she needed to step back to see the girl properly.

Her red hair was bed-rumpled and some locks of it fell across her shoulder. Two deep blue eyes, alert even though Akane could've sworn she just came from bed. But what caught her attention more than anything else was what she wore.

Black silk pants which were obviously too long for her and a Red Chinese shirt with the top buttons opened revealing she wore nothing underneath. They continued staring at each other, Ranko's eyes turned to steel as she watched her. If Ranko was anything like her husband, Akane realized, it meant she has just decided to be angry with her. At the corner of her eyes, she saw Hanae wince. 'What is she angry about anyway?' Akane fumed, she was about to speak up when Ranko beat her to it.

"You hate Rose Brier," she spat out going back to the kitchen. "It's too quiet, it bores you. You hate this drafty house, the old dojo. You hate the crash of the waters and complain that that is too noisy. You hate the servants, you hate me. And now you're telling me that you love it?"

Ranma stopped in front of Hanae who flinched at her father's tirade. Akane guessed that Ranko usually refrained from raising her voice in front of the child. She started out softly but the end was a shout, "And since when do you get up at the crack of dawn? What is going on here?" The last was a question said geared more towards herself than Akane.

"You mean Ranma hasn't told you?" Akane asked curiously, anger disappearing at Ranko's bafflement.

"What's there to--" Ranko stopped herself from saying anything more. She didn't want to play Kodachi's game and threw up her hands. "Kodachi, let's stop this charade. You know very well that I know what your dear Ranma knows, so what is going on here?"

Akane walked over to the kitchen picking up her mug from the porch. "Am-ne-sia," she drew each syllable slowly and clearly that clearly said she did not believe that.

"Amnesia," Ranko repeated, frowning and looking at the confused child taking everything in. "Don't tell me you're hanging on that ridiculous story of yours."

"He told you?" Akane squeaked out. It must mean that he at least thinks it sane enough to tell anybody, the bad part about it is that of all the people he could have told it to, he told it to Ranko.

"Yes! No! Well, sorta. But that's not the point."

"OK. Fine, amnesia it is then." She put down the mug and tugged the robe. "I'm going up to change then walk along the beach before breakfast. Either one of you want to come?"

Hanae shook her head, and Ranko just stared at her blankly. "I--uh, my mother is coming for a visit. Feel free to go to the city." She took Hanae up and got the steaming kettle--already boiling because she left it alone and turned to go.

"Why would I want to go to the city?" Akane asked bewildered at the odd request. "And what city?

Ranko turned around slowly, Akane was surprised she could hold Hanae with her left hand alone while holding the kettle of water away from her body, Hanae seemed to almost be half as high as she was. "Surely it won't come as a surprise that you despise my family and they completely and passionately reciprocate the feeling. In fact, I can't believe that you're still here. Do run along to Nerima now," she said that with such biting sarcasm that Akane had to wonder what Kodachi did to her.

"Oh..." Akane bit her lip, something both Ranko and Hanae have not seen Kodachi do before and took in with another puzzled glance. "I think I'll stay and meet them."

Ranko angrily raised her hand to swipe her hair, and realized that she had a steaming kettle in that hand and Hanae on the other. She looked at Akane frustrated. Swallowing the anger she felt she said a prayer for patience closed then opened her eyes slowly. "I don't think that's a good idea. And now that you've decided to meet my family, I am forbidding it. When I said you could go to town it wasn't a suggestion."

"She didn't think you'd want to stay," Hanae offered. "They don't have the same pa-sie-se as daddy has with you. You put them through enough pain without having them sub-je-cted to your present state of mind."

Akane would have looked at Hanae curiously and wonder how a child could come to that piece of conclusion, but since she was in the brink of her temper she pointed at Ranko. "This is my house, isn't it?" She was surprised that it had taken her this long to raise her voice. "And I am mistress of this household. Since you seem to be Hanae's relative and that Hanae is Ranma's daughter, I am allowing that, but I'm not going to be thrown out of my own house. By someone who doesn't own it at that!"

She stopped when she saw that Hanae was hiding a smile behind her hand and Ranko was looking at the girl with a touch of irritation by that gesture. Akane folded her arms to her sides.

"I am still your master and you are married to--"

"My master? Last time I checked... Ranma was doing that plenty."

Ranma completely forgot he was in girl form... she had him there. But then Kodachi knew about the Jusenkyo curse. All it would take to stir that memory of hers was cup of hot water. She started to upend the kettle over her head, but Nabiki-kun's voice stopped her before the kettle could pour any water.

"Stop that." Ranma-chan turned around to see Nabiki-kun in her cursed form, a male that looked completely like Ranma. She had grown her hair a long time ago, since their foster father suggested that they could exchange places at selected times. It served as an advantage if she could pretend to be him. "Kodachi, I forbid you to meet Lady Nodoka. You are ordered to the Nerima house immediately. The kaga will be waiting for your departure after first meal."

Ranma-chan looked at Nabiki-kun who was currently in his Chinese clothes. With the exception of Nabiki-kun's dampness they looked like mirror images. Ranma winced. They must have woken her up, and Nabiki wasn't a morning person.

"You cannot order me out of my own house!"

"YES I CAN! I am the master of this house and you are just my wife, your loyalties are to your liege lord who has no say on this matter and then to me." Nabiki was doing such a good impersonation of Ranma that Ranma let them argue. It was better for his sanity to keep out of the fight.

"And then what?" Akane asked rebelliously. "Make me commit Seppuku?"

"Seppuku is an honor! You have no honor and therefore you are forbidden to seppuku."

"Then what will you do? You can't do anything because this is my house. The contract of the Kuno estate safeguarded my death." Akane smiled, she still controlled the situation with the little bits of information she got from Ranma last night.

Anger was showing in Ranma-chan's eyes already, going against her own decision that she was not going to interfere with Nabiki she asked, "Why are you so interested in my relatives anyway?"

"You brought up a good point, why should I let your relatives meet you here?"

"You're making me answer my own question, Kodachi," Ranma answered evenly, as she turned to walk away from her yet again.

"Whatever you say, I will stay here," Akane said forcefully bringing her hand down on Ranma-chan's shoulder. The girl ignored it but stopped. "I won't do anything bad to your family and I hope they don't do it to me. And my name is AKANE."

She stomped past them and cursed the pig in anger. It was impossible.

Reaching her room, she kicked the robe across the floor. "I have nothing to lose. NOTHING."

-

Watching Kodachi go, Hanae sighed as Ranma-chan tested the water. It looked like it wasn't boiling anymore and poured it over himself to reverse the curse. "She was pretty mad." Hanae whispered.

"She always is." Ranma muttered offering the rest of the water to Nabiki-kun, who smiled ruefully.

"I swear if I had a koban (6) for every time you wake me up fighting with Kodachi, I'll be richer than the Emperor." Nabiki's voice shifted octaves as she emptied the kettle over her head.

Ranma didn't speak until they reached the dining room and sat there looking out to the garden. The household help would be rising soon, it was against custom to be asleep when the master was awake, if the samurai didn't wake them, he was sure the fighting did. "Why did you stop me, Nabiki?"

His sister smiled as she stared at the koi pond that she could see from the dining room. "Because I wanted to see if she truly has lost her memory."

Ranma nodded, that was wise, in an angry state the mind did not work and at the way the conversation rang out in the kitchen, he was a little bit inclined to think she really did have amnesia. "Did she?"

"I honestly don't know, I thought so, back when she was ordering me, but... she disobeyed the order, and you know as well as I do if she truly had amnesia she would at least obey."

"We still don't know, do we?"

"Things are going to be interesting around here," Nabiki commented, looking at the teapot and the cup she brought for herself. She stared at the leaves, wishing there was some truth in the tea arts and that she could read her future in it.

"Kodachi thinks that Ranko's your consort," Hanae piped up, not glad that she was left out of the conversation. "She thinks that Grandma Nodoka is Ranko's relatives."

"They are," He answered truthfully, motioning to Sasuke who was standing in the shade of the garden who had remained unnoticed until now. Ranma asked motioned for him to take Hanae to the bathing house.

"What will she think if they walk in here and be all chummy to you?" Hanae asked inquisitively, she had always been a curious child.

"It's not her business to know who they are," Nabiki answered for him as she patted Hanae's head and requested Sasuke to rouse Sei for his bath and morning practice as well. "She's your wife." Nabiki looked at him when Hanae was gone. She hadn't seen her brother confused like this about Kodachi in ages.

Looking at her, he found Nabiki's words displeasing. He did not want to talk about Kodachi more than he had to. "Why are you defending her, Nabiki?"

Nabiki shrugged as she stood up from the cushions. "I'm not defending her, brother. I'm merely trying to sort the truth from distortion. Sickness of the mind is one thing a doctor cannot prove." She smiled at the soft breeze. "Care to spar Ranma?"

He cocked his head to the side at the unusual request. Nabiki has not asked for a sparring session in a very long time... not since she married, not since she returned. He accepted willingly because she was his sister, because she was one of the few people he enjoyed fighting with and because he knew that she would never hold back in a fight with him.

They stood at the garden the koi pond to the right the rock garden to Nabiki's back. She smiled, it was unsettling. They both knew that Nabiki could outwait Ranma, so the first move was his... he was much more impatient than his sister.

The first blow came. Nabiki blocked it with her left hand. In the next one she wasn't so lucky, she grunted. "Why did we learn martial arts?"

Ranma shrugged as he jumped backward making Nabiki's roundhouse kick hit the air, he let her take the offensive before continuing, "To serve Lord Happosai to the best of our abilities, through any ability."

Nabiki was a respectable martial artist in her own right, but she was not as good as her brother. She has not trained as rigidly as he had because she needed to learn the womanly arts but Genma always made it a point to treat them equally. Because of this equal treatment, their techniques were almost parallel to each other.

She followed the punch with an aerial kick, she missed, she almost laughed, her brother had a 'don't hit girls policy'. But then he found out the hard way that he always needed to strike first in a match with her. It took him a two-day staring match to learn that.

Besides, she had other talents, her manipulative skills and her ability to be a spy for her lord just a few of them. "No aside from that."

"To protect my vassals and all under my house, to guard my fief..." Ranma danced around her blows, she wasn't at all irked at this, she had only one purpose for this match, and it wasn't to win.

Tiring of being in the defensive and noting that the koi was already dangerously close, Ranma went offensive. He did not try to slow his punches down and treated Nabiki as he would Genma or one of his powerful playmates. Nabiki stopped when Ranma was in mid-punch. He was surprised, it took no little effort for him to stop it... and he managed to stop the blow centimeters from Nabiki's nose.

"Am I your vassal, Ranma?" Nabiki asked solemnly, he shook his head. "Then why did you pull your blows when I merit no protection, and why did you stop that fist from connecting to my face? Why dishonor me by doing that? Why insult my abilities?"

"Because in a way I decide who I hurt. You're not one of those people."

There was silence, she had her brother now. "Kodachi, is she your vassal?"

"In a way..."

"She is your wife and she is under your household. No matter how foul her manner is, no matter how we both hate her and no matter how she makes our lives a living hell you were ordered to marry her, to protect her. I was ordered the same thing. No matter how we both detest those orders, we must live with it."

Ranma let his hands drop to his side. For the first time Nabiki noticed the sheen of perspiration on Ranma's temple. She was sure that it didn't come from overexertion as hers. Her brother too physically fit for him to be winded by an extremely slow sparring session. She had not been sure if he had time to stop that blow but she trusted him enough not to hurt her. Both of them stood there in silence waiting for the other to pick up the conversation.

"Yes... but that doesn't mean I have to make her life any easier. It doesn't mean I have to like her." She heard him whisper to himself.

Endnotes:

(1) Was Ranma going to kiss Kodachi/Akane? Quite frankly... no. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do anyway... besides... kissing is a Western idea. Kissing in front of the house even though with a lot of people is a bad idea. Kissing (if this ever happened in feudal Japan) is restricted to lemons in feudal Japan... :)

(2) Sei: family name
sex, gender
spirit
holy, sacred, saintly

Okay... here it means spirit (am I sounding like a dictionary already?) meaning the soul. But Nabiki chose this name for her son because... well... you need to proceed to the middle of the
series to get this out of me.

(3) Since it might do you well to know this little bit of info since it's been mentioned three times already:

Where is the hell Kanto (cheap Ryoga imitation)? The Kanto district is located in S-Central Honshu. (This is where Tokyo, then Edo, is.)

I am placing Briar Rose in the Kanto region in the Kanagawa prefecture (then named Sagami so I renamed everything again), Kamakura City, Nerima ward.

Nerima is... well... Nerima is the ward in Kamakura City... see it limits everything.

I know, I know Nerima a ward in Tokyo, thus making it in Edo. Ok, but I understand but I need a place familiar setting, I need somewhere in the Kanagawa prefecture. I'm not researching a new ward when Nerima is perfect for the taking. Oh and yes, Nerima means trainig horses, or something similar. (You might wanna know if you don't know yet)

So if you see a holiday, it's not gonna be a Tokyo holiday but a Kamakura one :)

Oh... and by the way, there aren't any prefects in that time. I learned (From Jourdan Bickam) that:

The prefecutral system wasn't developed until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 or maybe the constitution in 1889. Feudal domains (fiefs) were called 'Han'.

So, let's just say that Sagami prefect is the main han, this was divided into little subgroups (cities) that are divided into smaller subgroups (wards) so that the daimyo (Ranma) can go about his chores (ruling the big thing) easily.

(4) 'Love is a western idea'? Yes, well in feudal Japan I found out that the word love/ai doesn't exist! (How nice!). I bended the rules a little I looked up ai and saw it also means affection. I have a suspicion they took it from the Chinese word... now though they have levels of how to say 'I love you'. Of course in the olden times, Japanese DON'T say what they feel out loud, you have to second-guess.

(5) What are eta? Eta (much filth) are the lowest caste in feudal Japan. Generally they do tasks, which to Japanese seem unclean. They work as tanners leather workers butchers and handlers of dead bodies, which in Buddhism is unclean. They could not marry outside their caste (which is hereditary) and are forced to live separately from the general populace. They were given family names that marked them as eta. In the Meji era, the caste was abolished renaming them barakumin (village dweller), but the caste still unofficially exists.

This means stepping on eta ground was a very BAD idea. Being buried in eta ground is a dishonor... :) or a punishment depending on how you see it.

I mentioned this before, but if I explained it then, you might forget it by the time Ranma's telling his tale of Kodachi's misdeeds :). It merits more of an explanation now anyway.

(6) Koban and Koku: this is not the police box... a koban is roughly equivalent to 3 koku. It is a gold coin, which weighs 18 grams. Koku is the measurement of rice, this is what liege lords pay to their samurai vassals... What? Did you expect YEN to be actually alive back in the 1600s?

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 and the book I based it from is
When there is Hope, and if you sue me you can't possibly get money from
me.

Special Thanks to: MJ, Maurice Phillip, Tony Loco, Dream and Angel, Jourdan Bickham, Jose Aragao, Byooki Desu, Anno Nimus, C. Jones, Richard Robinson, David Bateson, David Stanley, Jitou, King Chan,
Lawrence Chu, Bert Miller, The Dragonbard, Darthcwader1, Erin,
Outlawone1, David Calvarese, Larry F

And to the person reading this.

Author's notes:

We are still very much paralleling When there is Hope in this chapter. Quite possibly because I managed to write out six whole chapters before deciding to reset the story in Medieval Japan.

It's a refreshing change isn't it? Akane stepping around and trying to second guess Ranma's feelings. And Ranma doesn't get to be malleted in here... not even once!

So, now do you guys realize why I just had to have Nabiki as Ranma's sister:) Devilish laugh More plans on them... more flashbacks... (isn't it frustrating though one step forward and then I suddenly thrust you back in the past?)

Sorry about that, the reason for that is I want both the past and Ranma's present running parallel (uhh... am I making sense?) In the same way, you're as ignorant as Ranma's past as Akane's... but in time you start to know more while she's still clue-less. :)

I hope this comes out right :))

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We sometimes tend to forget that criticsm is better than praise, when
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our words and take it as a challenge to become better because of this.

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I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves every day.