Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Silent Warrior ❯ Meetings and Confessions ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5 Meetings and Confessions

Akane and Nabiki are walking down the road on their way home. Nabiki continues to steal glances at her sister, wondering why she kept on zoning off like she was. The girl in question seemed to look off into nothing, as if in deep thought.

"Yen for your thoughts?" Nabiki says as she gives her baby sister her full attention. She raises her eyebrow as Akane gives her a blank stare. "Okay 'Kane-chan,' spill it." She emphasized on the pet name she had heard Ranma call her back at school. Then smirks at the blush she receives for her effort.

Akane's brow knits and she regards her older sister. "What do mean, Nabiki?" she says as they continue walking.

Nabiki's smirk gets a little bigger as she leans toward her sister and peers at her cheeks. "Feeling a little flush, Akane? Hmm?"

Akane 'Hmmphs' and sticks her nose in the air, looking away from her sister.

"Okay Akane. What was the deal at lunch today? What were yall talking about?" Nabiki says, putting one hand on her hip in an annoyed fashion.

Akane looks back to her. "I believe that is none of your business, big sister." She huffs while turning away once again. "I don't feel like letting the whole school know just so you can make a few Yen."

Nabiki Frowns. "Okay sis, let's talk sister to sister then. I promise I won't say a word to no one. I'm just stumped why all of a sudden your 'hate boy' attitude took a u-turn with this Ranma guy. That's the first time I've ever seen you actually talk to a guy without leaving them unconscious in the end." Nabiki says.

Akane turns back to her sister and looks into her eyes. All she sees is concern and truth about her promise to secrecy. So she lets out a long breath and looks forward again. "So far he's not like the other perverts at school Nabiki. I mean, when one of those guys talk to me their eyes never get any higher then my neck. But Ranma…" she trails off in thought for a sec, "Ranma's eyes never left mine. I was like actually talking to someone that was interested in me and not these." She emphasizes with a gesture to her chests with both hands.

A small laugh is heard in Nabiki's throat. "Okay so he's more mature then the others. What else did you find out?"

"Well, he practices the same style as our family. That's what surprised me the most at first. Our school really isn't well known you know." Akane says facing her sister and absently waving to a woman sweeping her front walkway.

Nabiki raises an eyebrow. "Really? That is interesting. Seems I'll have to look into that." Nabiki says and she writes that down in her book so she doesn't forget. 'She's right, not many know about Anything Goes. I wonder if daddy would know something about it.' She looks back up to her sister. "Well, what did you think about his looks? Gorgeous, ne?" she smirks as her sister blushes again.

"He's ok…" she trails off and looks to the ground. "But his eyes…they were so…lonely." She is speaking in a whisper now. She looks up at her sister. "It was like seeing a man that was lost with no where to go."

"Hmm, well he was trekking across Japan with his father all his life. I could see where things could get lonely. How bout his mother, did he say anything about her?" Nabiki asks looking up to her sister.

"No…he didn't say much about his life. I mean we only talked for a little while and we still don't know each other very well, so I wouldn't expect him to just spill his life story to me." Akane states looking back forward. They pass a building that has been for sale for awhile. She notes that a sign on the door says that a restraint will soon be opening. 'Uchan's? Wonder what kinda place that will be.'

Nabiki nods to her sister and they continue walking. Then she smiles and looks towards Akane. "So…you two gonna be a couple?" She about falls over laughing as her sister misses a step and almost falls flat on her face.

Akane glares at her sister. "There is no way that I am going to go out with that BOY. We are just 'friends,' and don't you dare think it's any more then that." She continues to glare to make her point clear.

"Ah…I see." Nabiki smirks, "But he 'did' beat you, and you 'know' what Kuno-baby said." She stops talking for a second. "Oh and he came to class late today. Boy was he pissed. I'm surprised he didn't jump Ranma at lunch today. He kept on spouting off about "Foul Sorcerers" and "Black Magic." So I'd be expecting a formal confrontation soon. Probably tomorrow if I know him." They see their house coming into view.

"I knew he would. But if what I saw Ranma doing today is any indication of the level of his skill, I wouldn't worry about him too much." Akane states as she opens the front gate to the house.

"Yea, I know. I'll probably make a killing…" Nabiki's voice trails off as the gate is closed and the scene fades away.

Ranma was on his way to the park, walking with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his satchel over his shoulder. He's humming an unidentifiable tune as he strolls down the sidewalk.

As he approaches the park, he begins looking for a suitable place to sit down and begin. He walks around for about 5 minutes until he comes to a pond. Ducks swim around casually with little ducklings trying to keep up. The pond is surrounded by trees and rocks of all different sizes. He smiles, 'Perfect.'

He approaches a particularly large tree and stops below it. He looks over the pond and then looks around. There are a few people here and there and a couple sitting on a bench about 50 yards away, but all in all this spot is fairly secluded. He nods to himself then looks up into the tree. "There, that aught do it." He quietly says as he spots one of the larger branches about 10 feet off the ground.

With one leap, Ranma was situating himself against the trunk of the tree, sitting on the branch. As he finds a comfortable spot, he hangs one leg off the branch and brings the other up to his chest. He hangs his satchel on a smaller branch off to his right, and reaches inside. He pulls out a small flute that almost could be considered a piccolo. He holds it in one hand and examines it closely. He smiles at the memory of the old woman that had given it to him.

~Flashback~

We see Ramna sitting on large boulder looking over a beautiful lake. He looks to be around 8 or 9. He holds a small wooden flute that he had received from Lo-sensei a year or so ago. His eyes are cast out over the waters as his hands idly move over the holes. A soft, sad melody is coming from the small instrument.

Ranma's eyes close as he loses himself in the melody and remembers happier times. Times when a little boy was running and jumping in the backyard of his house. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air as his mother idly watches her son through the small kitchen window. 'Oh Ranma…' she thinks with a small, wistful smile on her face. 'So care free and energetic.' Then she frowns as she thinks of the demand her husband made earlier that morning. 'What will I do when you are off with your father…' she trails off as she wipes away the tears that had come to her eyes. Outside chiba-Ranma continues to leap around the yard.

Ranma is brought back to the present as his song ends. He's startled to hear clapping coming from his left. He turns to see a woman, fifty or so in age, lightly clapping with a smile on her face. He drops his eyes in embarrassment at the thought of getting caught. He hopes beyond all hope she won't tell his father.

"Wonderful child, simply wonderful. In all my years I've never seen one so young play as you did." The old women says as she approaches Ranma. She had seen the look on his face and had felt the emotion his music had given off, it was sadness. "But whatever is troubling you son? Why would one so young be so sad?" She asks as she reaches him. She sits down and beckons him to sit beside her.

Ranma looks at the woman and the small smile on her face and decides to join her. He leaps off the boulder and kneels across from her. "I was just thinking about my mother…" Ranma says in a small voice as he looks at his hands. "I haven't seen her in 3 years, I've been with my pop on a training journey."

The old lady nods her head in understanding. She knows how it feels to be away from loved ones. "I see. So, what type of training are you doing?" She asks as she lowers her head to peer into the boys eyes through his bangs.

Ranma straightens up and gives her a small smile. "I'm the Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." He states in a more confident voice. Then he bows deeply to her. "My name is Ranma. Ranma Saotome."

"My such manners" She says smiling down at the boy, then bowing her head. "And I am Sakura Fei. It is a pleasure to meet you Ranma."

He raises his head and smiles. "Thank you Fei-san, it is nice to meet you."

So the two talked for awhile about nothing in particular. Ranma would tell her a little about some of the places he had been and Sakura would tell him a little about her grandchildren she takes care of sometimes. Soon though the sun was dropping and Ranma knew he needed to get back to his camp before his father got back from the bar. He had not been there once when his father had returned and Genma had beaten him severly, though he probably wouldn't remember it later when he was sober. So they parted and said they would meet again. Ranma had told her they would be in this area for a few weeks and to look for him at the boulder.

So a few weeks passed and they met many times, chatting about what Ranma wanted to do in the future and such. Ranma enjoyed it immensely since he rarely got to talk to someone so casually. Sakura was worried about some of the larger bruises on Ranma's face but when she asked he would say, "It's nothing, I just fell." Then change the subject quickly. But she had saw the brief panic in his eyes and she knew bruises like that could not come from falling or even sparring, but she never brought it up again.

It was the last day Ranma would be in the area and they had met one last time to say farewell.

"Please come visit me once you're older Ranma. You're a sweet boy and will be a great man someday." Sakura hugged little Ranma to her chest.

"I will Fei-san, I promise." Ranma hugged her back. She had been like a mother figure to him during his brief stay. But like all the other places he went, nothing good lasted very long.

Sakura broke the hug and reached for her hand bag. Ranma's eyes looked curiously on. Then, she pulled out a small bundle wrapped in silk cloth. She looked it over then held it out to Ranma. "Here, I had this made for you. I saw your wooden one and thought you might like this instead." She smiled as she saw his eyes widen.

Ranma slowly put out his hand and took the bundle. He unwrapped it and looked at the beautiful golden flute that lay in his hand. His eyes got wider and he looked up at Sakura. "But…there's no way I could take this Fei-san. It must have cost a fortune and I might lose it or…or it could get stolen or…or." He was silenced as Sakura put her finger on his lips.

"But you must Ranma," She reaches for the flute and turns it over in his hands. She points to an engraving on the back. "That is you, is it not? No one else would take it now that your name is on it." She smiles.

Ranma examines the engraving that states 'Ranma Saotome' in silver. His eyes water up and he jumps into Sakura's arms. "Thank you Fei-san. Thank you so much!" He whispers to her.

A few tears make it down Sakura's face as she hugs him back. "Now you better get going. You take care and don't forget your promise." She says, putting a light kiss to his forehead.

Ranma smiles and shakes his head. "I won't. Sayonara Fei-san" He reaches up and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sayonara Ranma." She says in return. Then she watches as he takes off down the path, wishing him the best.

~End Flashback~

Ranma smiles as he runs his finger over the engraving. 'Don't worry Fei-san. Some day I'll come see you again.' With that he brings the flute up to his lips, closes his eyes, and begins to play.

A tall Japanese woman is strolling down the street with a shopping bag in her hand and a purse on her shoulder. She's humming a small tune and has a small smile on her face. She's wearing a white house dress and has her long brown hair tied up with a ribbon. She idly nods to another person who says 'hello' as they pass.

She had taken a trip to the market today to buy some fresh vegetables for dinner tonight and was in a cheery mood. As she approached the park though, her attention was caught by a beautiful melody. She stopped and looked through the trees to see if she could locate its source, but none was in sight. She looked down at the small watch on her wrist and decided she had enough time before dinner, so she decided to investigate.

As she approached the small pond in the middle of the park, the music seemed to get louder, so she made her way around the edge. As she approached a large tree, she was surprised to see a handsome young boy sitting on one of the branches. In his hands he played a golden flute.

'It's very beautiful.' She thought as she sat the bag down and took a seat by the water. 'I've never heard anything like it.' And she hadn't. She had heard many people play the flute in her life but never one that put such emotion into it. It was a light, cheerful tune that seemed to lighten one's heart at the sound of it.

As the boy finished some time later, she began to clap.

Ranma was hit with an intense sense of déjà vu when he heard the clapping as he finished the song. He looked down towards the source and saw a beautiful woman sitting in the grass with a big smile on her face. 'She looks…familiar…'

"That was beautiful sir, what was it called?" The young woman asked.

Ranma nimbly leaped down from his spot, satchel in hand. He stopped in front of her and gestured to the ground with his hand. "May I?" He asked. At her nod, he sat down across form her. "I call that 'Sakura leafs in the Wind.' I named it after a person I met when I was very young." He said in a soft voice.

"Well it was very moving. You wrote it yourself?" At his nod, she smiled. "I've never seen anyone as young as you play so well."

"Thank you very much." He bowed again. "My name is Ranma. Ranma Saotome."

The girl bowed in turn. "Kasumi. Kasumi Tendo."

Ranma's head shot up and his eyes widened. Then he smiled. "No wonder you looked so familiar. I'm a friend of your sister, Akane. I also met Nabiki today."

'Akane? Friends with a boy?' She thought in wonderment. Then she smiled. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you Ranma-san. How well do you know my sisters?" She asked as she shifted to get a little more comfortable.

Ranma smiled. "Not very well I'm afraid. Today was my first day at Furinkan. But Akane was very sweet. I only met Nabiki for a second."

"Oh, I see. Did you just move here?" Kasumi asked as she looked Ranma. 'My, he is quite handsome, and so polite.' She smiled towards him.

'That smile must run in the family.' Ranma thought, trying to keep his heart rate down. "Yes, my father and I just returned from a training trip. We had been gone for ten years." Ranma stated. 'I can see beauty runs in the family. All three are quite an eyeful.'

So Ranma and Kasumi spent a little over an hour or so talking about Ranma's first day and how Kasumi's day had went. They discussed their interests and hobbies and discovered they both enjoyed cooking. But soon, Kasumi looked at her watch and decided she needed to get going.

"Well, it was very nice talking to you Ranma-kun. I hope we can do this again." Kasumi said as she got up from the ground then bowed.

"I had a great time too, Kasumi. Please say hello to both your sisters for me." Ranma bowed.

"I'll be sure to. Sayonara Ranma-kun." She smiled and waved as she walked away with the bag in hand.

"Sayonara Kasumi, see you soon." Ranma waved and grabbed his satchel to put away his flute. It was almost dinner time and he needed to get some training in beforehand.

Both took one last look over their shoulders and waved with a smile on their faces. They both were very happy. They had made a new friend.

So how was it? Please send me comments on what you think. Thanks for reading

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