Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ You Reap What You Sow ❯ One-Shot

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Eight years after the battle of Mount Phoenix...

"Is Ranma coming today, Onee-chan?"

"Hai, she should be here sometime soon, Akane-chan," Kasumi
smiles as she squeezes her sister's hand. "And by the way, she..."

"Hai, I know," Akane impishly smiles, playfully batting her
sister's hand away. Kasumi is quick to sense the mirth in Akane's
voice. "She goes by 'Kikuko' now. You've told me that many times,
Onee-chan."

Both laugh. It's a warm day, allowing the youngest Tendou to
relax outside the hospital in her pyjamas, a housecoat and her
slippers, though she is forced to remain in her wheelchair.
The aneurysm that nearly killed Akane while she had been training
in the dojo had damaged her spinal cord and certain elements of her
brain. Effectively crippling her, it had also left her with partial
amnesia -- permanently, her doctor had warned Kasumi as soon as it
was diagnosed. While it had delivered a brutal blow to Akane's
volatile temper, that it had also done THIS to her...

"Akane!! Kasumi!!"

Both look over as a lovely vision in a white sundress, sandals
and sparsely applied makeup, earrings and a bracelet, appears.
"Kikuko!" Kasumi rises as the arriving redhead walks up to embrace
her.

"Ranma!!" Akane automatically calls out, opening her arms.

Kasumi stares at her sister, causing the new arrival to laugh.
"Oh, relax, Kasumi!" Kikuko playfully bats the Tendou matriarch's
nose, then leans down to embrace Akane. "Hey, how's my favourite
girl today?"

"I've missed you, Ran-..." Akane then catches herself before
gazing into the redhead's glittering sapphire eyes. "Kikuko-chan!"

"Well, you won't miss me anymore, Akane-chan," Kikuko rises,
warmly holding Akane's hands. "I just got finished with the bank
arranging for the modifications to my place to be paid off right
away. Soon as we talk to your doctors, you're out of this dungeon
once and for all."

Akane blinks, then her eyes widen. "Leaving...?"

"You bet! Unless you WANT to stay here..."

"NO!!!"

Kikuko ducks. "Didn't think so," she winks at Kasumi.

The Tendou matriarch laughs...

* * *

A meeting with Akane's personal physician is arranged, then
Kikuko goes to work discussing the crippled girl's needs, things
such as nursing care, medication, check-ups and transportation.
Watching the redhead negotiate with Waka-sensei, Kasumi quivers
with pride. Kikuko Hayashi -- idol star extraordinary, movie actress
working both sides of the Pacific Ocean, not to mention budding
social activist. Long burned out of her heart and soul was the shy,
stammering man/woman-child who had first appeared at the front
doorstep of the Tendou dojo a lifetime ago, slung over the shoulder
of what seemed a well-trained panda.

Ranma...

Kasumi closes her eyes. To believe that after over a year of
sacrifice, things ended up like they did. To believe that after
Ranma had done the one thing true martial artists dreaded to do -- to
actually KILL someone in cold blood, even if said target was, in the
eyes of many, evil incarnate -- her family "honoured" Ranma's
sacrifice by throwing her into the streets. To believe that, even
after pronouncing Ranma to be "manly" the day she finally learned
of her son's curse, Nodoka just turned around and disowned her child
when it appeared that Happousai's "revenge" would leave Ranma a woman
forever. To believe that no one had tried to...!

To...

"Mrs. Ono?"

Kasumi jolts, then sighs. "Oh, gomen, Sensei! I was..."

"It's alright," Hirosuke Waka chuckles. "I was wondering
if you have any sort of objections concerning your sister's homecare
with Hayashi-san."

"Ah! Oh, no, no, of course not!" Kasumi shakes her head.
"Kikuko-san and I've discussed this beforehand, Sensei. It's
alright."

"Alright, then," he nods. "What of Akane's other relatives?"

Kasumi stiffens. "Father is dead, Sensei. Even if I have the
Ono name, I am the head of the Nerima Tendou Clan due to what
happened to Akane. As for our sister Nabiki, her opinions..."
she pauses, then finishes her sentence in a voice of ashes. "No
longer matter."

"I see," the doctor nods. "Well, let's get everything set
up..."

* * *

An hour later...

"Nabiki did a lot of bad things, didn't she, Onee-chan?"

"Hai, that she did," Kasumi nods as the sisters and Kikuko ride
a limousine to the actress' penthouse home in Shibuya.

"How long do they say she'll stay in jail?" Kikuko wonders.

She and Kasumi exchange a knowing look. "For quite some time
to come," the Tendou matriarch reports. "Much that we did benefit
greatly from her..." she pauses, "...activities, that she didn't
break some of those habits when she went into business full-time
was regrettable."

"You reap what you sow," Kikuko glances out the window.

"Hai, that you do," Kasumi nods.

"You won't throw her out of the house when she comes back, will
you, Onee-chan?" Akane gazes curiously at her sister.

"There's no house for her to return to, Akane," Kasumi returns
her look with a warm smile. "Once Father was dead and Kikuko-chan
offered to take care of you, there was no need to hang onto it
anymore. We were able to sell it off to those who'd put it to far
better use."

"But what about Nabiki, Onee-chan?"

"Relax, Akane," Kikuko gently grasps her ex-fiancee's
hand. "She's a big girl now. She'll be able to take care of herself
when she gets out."

Akane gives her a wary look, then nods. "If you say so..."

"Ah, we're here!"

The limousine turns into a basement parking lot, then drives
up to a private elevator lobby. Kikuko and Kasumi get out, then
after Akane's wheelchair is unfolded, the younger Tendou is put into
it. Boarding the car, they ascend to the top floor, then step out
into a lobby with a single set of double doors and a doorman.
"Afternoon, Miss Hayashi," he bows, then glances at the woman in the
chair. "And this must be Miss Tendou."

"It sure is!" Kikuko grins as the doors are opened, revealing
a fair-sized yet modestly decorated studio flat.

"Wow!!" Akane breathes in...

* * *

Later...

"She's asleep now."

"That's good," Kasumi sighs, gazing out the picture windows
onto the Tokyo cityscape. "This must have set you back quite a bit,
Kikuko-chan."

"Not as much as you might think," Kikuko, now dressed in a
button shirt and slacks, sits in an armchair. Kasumi places herself
in the sofa opposite her host. "The owner of the building's
a fan of mine, so he let me rent this place at a discount. Land
prices in this town are still high as the sky, so I can appreciate
the sacrifice he's made for me."

Silence falls as Kasumi takes that in, then she glances anew at
her host. "What about the two fellows who came to the house?"

"Gone."

"How?"

"Do you want to ask?"

They gaze at each other, then Kasumi shakes her head. "No,"
she gazes once more out the window. "As distasteful as it was, it
was also necessary, especially after what happened to Akane-chan."

"Why didn't you do something about it sooner, Kasumi?"

"Father forbade it, of course," a tinge of bitterness seeps into
the older woman's voice. "Blinded himself to the fact that Akane
was just getting worse day after day, regardless if she needed an
emotional 'vent' for her feelings or not. At first, I thought it was
just left-over grief from Mother's death that made her so mad at
times, but..."

"Yeah, I know," Kikuko nods. "Did anyone else try to help?"

"Ryouga-kun did -- until Akane learned the truth about P-chan."

The redhead winces. "Ouch! I'm glad that U-chan, Shan and
'Dachi weren't close by whenever Akane had to blow off some steam."

"I never found out what happened to them after you left," Kasumi
crosses her arms. "Father even forbade Nabiki from keeping an eye on
you or the others after you were forced out of the house. Are they
alright?"

"Oh, they're just great!" Kikuko grins. "U-chan told her dad
what happened and he let her off the hook on the spot. She moved
back to Kyoto to operate her business there. Now she's got U-chan's
franchises from Kinki straight down to Okinawa, even places in
Korea." A pause, then, "Since I killed Saffron and Happousai,
the Amazons decided to adopt me as a sister into the tribe. Means
I got to spend one month every summer in the village, but it's
alright in the end. Hibaa-chan's taught me a lot..."

"I noticed. You pronounce her name 'Shan' instead of 'Sham.'"

"Hai, true. Anyhow, Shan and I are blood sisters now..."

"'Blood sisters?'"

"Hai. There's this seldom-used law that permits outsider
mates to become adopted sisters or brothers of the tribe whenever
the Nanniichuan or Nyanniichuan gets involved. Also gave me the
right to choose my ex's new husband, believe it or not," Kikuko
crosses her arms.

Kasumi gapes. "Did you choose...?"

"Hell, no! Of course not!" the redhead smirks, then sighs.
"Kasumi, after all I went through because of arranged marriages,
did you HONESTLY suspect that I'd do something like that, even to
Shan?"

Silence falls as the Tendou matriarch considers that, then she
shakes her head. "No, of course not. What about Kodachi?"

"Well, when she learned the truth about my curse -- atop hearing
what Jijii did to me to get his 'revenge' on Oyaji and Souun -- she
was willing to help right away," Kikuko sighs, a twinkle flashing
in her eyes. "At first, it was to spite ol' Bokken-for-Brains
and Mister Coconuts since they didn't like me whatsoever. But as
time went on, we became friends. When I finally got my break in the
pictures, I helped pay for her to spend some time at the Betty Ford
Clinic in the States. After she got out, we teamed up on her brother
and dad, then got them both sent in for treatment."

"And?"

"They're still there."

Kasumi giggles, politely covering her mouth, then she sighs,
her eyes turning to her lap. "I overheard Genma telling Father one
day a few years ago that you had been adopted into the Hayashi Clan
of Aomori after you left us so you wouldn't be ronin. Were they
another of Genma's victims?"

"Hai. Have a very nice daughter named Taeko; she's into
aikidou, naginata-dou, kyuudou and t'ae kwondo. It would've been a
nice match had I stayed a boy. She..." Kikuko sighs. "She's just
as understanding as you are, Kasumi. You'd get along a lot. I'll
introduce you to her sometime."

"I'd like that," Kasumi nods. "I think they deserve both thanks
and an apology from us for what brought you back to their
doorsteps..."

Kikuko makes a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it, Kasumi.
When they got the whole story about what Oyaji and Nodoka did, they
adopted me on the spot, then sponsored my going to the States to get
my degree and get into Hollywood. In their eyes, it was the ultimate
slap in the face to all that Nodoka tried to do since -- as they all
saw it, even U-chan's dad! -- the Saotomes were 'running away' from
their honourable obligations."

"I doubt Nodoka would've taken that very well."

"Naturally. It was Taeko-chan who destroyed her sword."

Kasumi gapes. "REALLY?!!"

"Hai. Want to know what she told Nodoka when it happened?"

"What?!"

"'A family without honour has no right to an honour blade.'"

Kasumi blinks, then nods approvingly. "It was about time she
was made to see the truth," she crosses her arms.

"You sure Nabiki won't try to find out what really happened?"

"Do you think she'll learn that it was you who exposed her using
Genma's Umisen-ken techniques?" Kasumi returns Kikuko's look.

"She's a smart girl, Kasumi."

"Hai, true, but I think a decade in jail might make her change
her mind about a lot of things," Kasumi's eyes narrow.

"Touche..."

* * *

An hour later, Kasumi departs the actress' home, heading to the
basement where the limousine awaited her, ready to return her to
Toofuu's side in Hachiouji. As the car slips back into traffic,
Kasumi then calls out, "Can you take me to the site of the Tendou
dojo in Nerima, driver?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he nods.

Within an hour, the limousine makes its way through the streets
of Nerima. Fortunately, the vehicle, though large as Japanese
cars came, was still agile enough to negotiate the odd tight corner
or two. In the proverbial blink of the eye, Kasumi finds herself
staring at an empty lot with its surrounding walls knocked down, a
burn-tinged hole in the ground and a dried-up koi pond the only marks
which indicated where her family home had once been. Even the sakura
trees had been cut down, she notes...

** ** **

Six months ago...

"OH, SAOTOME, IT'S HORRIBLE!!!! JUST HORRIBLE!!!!"

"There, there, Tendou-kun," Genma patted his best friend's
shoulder as they and Nodoka sat around the living room table. "I'm
sure it'll be alright! Your daughter'll be able to get out of this
soon enough!"

Souun moaned, his tears showering everywhere. Fortunately,
too few of them fell on Genma to trigger his transformation.
Watching her father make a fool of himself from the kitchen, where
she had been called back to by Souun for this evening's meet with the
Saotomes, Kasumi frowns. A quick glance to Nodoka revealed a
sympathetic look on the older woman's face for Souun's plight.
"Father, would you want more tea?" she called out, hoping deep down
to get the stupid fool to finally shut up and act his age.

If that was even possible, of course...

"P-please..." Souun whispered, then launched into another wail.

Nodoka sighed as she rose, following Kasumi into the kitchen.
"You father is very distraught," the former mused. "First the
accident with Akane-chan, now this. What exactly happened to
Nabiki-chan, anyway?"

"From what I understand, Saotome-san, it appears that despite
her success in starting her own business, Nabiki held onto certain
habits she should have let go of when she graduated high school,"
Kasumi flatly noted. "As much as I care for her, I can't condone
that sort of behaviour."

She didn't have to look on Nodoka to see the older woman's
frown. Ever since THAT day, Kasumi had refused to address the
Saotome matriarch as anything other than family name and the basic
honorific; Genma got the same treatment. Neither of Ranma's parents
had been invited to Kasumi's wedding three years beforehand despite
all of Souun's protests to the contrary; it was only a threat of
elopement and a permanent break between Kasumi and the rest of the
family that made him lay off. "So when is the trial?" Nodoka then
asked. "We should be there for Nabiki-chan at least."

"Soon, I suspect," Kasumi glanced at the watch. Ah, perfect.

The doorbell. Kasumi walked out of the kitchen, then headed
onto the porch. A minute later, she returned, two plain-dressed
men following her. Seeing their general demeanor, the older people
in the house were quick to suspect who they might be. "Souun
Tendou?" the older of them drew out a small black book with the
Imperial chrysanthemum on it.

"Uh, y-yes..." Souun stammered. "And you are?!"

"Inspector Akira Hojou of the Special Crimes Unit, Tokyo
Metropolitan Police," he nodded curtly. "This is my partner,
Detective Chiaki Aoki. We came to speak to you about your daughter,
Nabiki, sir..."

* * *

Later...

"You've investigated her for THREE YEARS?!!"

"That's correct, sir," Hojou grimly nodded, then sipped the tea
automatically offered by Kasumi. "From what we've ascertained
so far, your daughter's behaviour stemmed from illegal and
quasi-legal activities she was involved in while still attending
Furinkan High School. We need this information to better build a
psychological profile on her..."

"She never did anything wrong!!" Souun vehemently stated.

"Sir, as much as I am sympathetic to your plight, any denials
you might make, either now or at your daughter's trial, will not do
her any good in the long term," Hojou gave him a knowing look, then
he placed the tea cup on the table. "From what I've learned through
those other people we've interviewed -- her former classmates
and boyfriends, plus other friends and acquaintances -- she initially
acted to help keep your family financially solvent. In fact, so
we've learned from her directly, she hands you a considerable
amount of cash every month to pay for expenses incurred by this
household, expenses not augmented by any income generated here. This
IS a dojo, is it not? Why don't you have students?"

"I..." Souun trembled, then sighed, gazing at the table. "I've
not taught students for so long now. Not since my wife died..."

"That was eighteen years ago, sir," Aoki noted. "What of your
younger daughter, Akane? Why has she not been given control of the
dojo and allowed to seek out her own students? Is she not...?"

"N-no! A-akane-chan had an accident sometime ago..."

Hojou: "Sir, I'd hardly call a brain aneurysm an 'accident.'"

"B-but..."

"It wasn't."

"Kasumi!" Souun spun on his daughter.

Kasumi glared her father into silence, then faced the policemen.
"Inspector, there are many things I can say about life in this
household. Ever since Mother died, Father has done nothing to help
keep this house, much less try to better our lives. Nabiki, for all
her faults, was the real breadwinner in this family. Yes, she
engaged in very questionable acts since she was old enough to do such
and understand the potential consequences. Does that make her an
evil person? I can't answer that. Only a public trial can do that.
But regardless of her actions, she always kept her family's welfare
first and foremost in her mind."

Silence fell over the room. Souun gazed at his oldest, a
mixture of emotions tugging at his face. Genma remained silent;
he had long since come to understand the truths haunting the Tendou
household. Nodoka's lips twisted in disapproval; regardless
of Nabiki's actions, Kasumi had no right to defy her father in front
of strangers, even the public authorities.

"I see, then," Hojou sighed, then stared intently at Souun.
"You actually ALLOWED your daughter to sink deeper and deeper into
that morass, yet didn't lift a FINGER to try to get her out of it?!"
Taking a deep breath, he gazed knowingly at his partner. "Perhaps
we should have the incident concerning your youngest daughter
investigated, also..."

"Th-that's not necessary...!" Souun sputtered.

"Father, you can't deny the truth anymore!"

"Kasumi!!" Souun shrieked, spinning on her.

Before his hand could lash out, the ominous *click-click!*
of a firearm's hammer being pulled into the "ready" position froze
him in place. Turning to Aoki, Souun paled on seeing the detective's
automatic aimed his way. Nodoka was white-faced at the sight while
Genma looked ready to bolt and run. "Now, that'll be enough of
that," Aoki warned. "I'm sure Mrs. Ono's husband would not approve
one bit of your behaviour, especially since she clearly desires
to speak the truth about events in this house. Put your hands on the
table where we can see them, Tendou-san. And if you try to hurt your
child again, maybe we'll run you in for assault-and-battery."

Souun shuddered, then quickly collapsed into a heap of tears.
Genma moved to comfort him as Aoki lowered his weapon. "Now, Mrs.
Ono, why don't you tell us about what happened to your other sister?"
Hojou bid.

Kasumi nodded. The explanation took about ten minutes. On the
mention of a particular name associated with Akane, Genma's eyes
widened in shock. Nodoka remained icily calm on hearing Ranma's
name, but Kasumi was quick to tell that having this part of her
family's past dredged up again was quite discomforting. At the end
of it, a thoughtful look crossed Hojou's face, then he gazed on the
Saotomes. "Ranma Saotome? Your son?"

"No," Nodoka answered automatically. "We have no son."

"They renounced and abandoned him eight years ago," Kasumi
added.

"Kasumi!" Souun gagged. "You can't..."

"Can't WHAT?!!" Kasumi spun on her father.

"Enough!!" Nodoka snapped. "Kasumi-chan, you have no right to
speak out about that! You will remain silent about this...!!"

The sharp *CRACK!* of a fist slamming into Nodoka's cheek caused
everyone to spin on Kasumi as the older woman is flung back a metre
or so from the table. As Nodoka collapsed, Souun spun on his
daughter, his whole body quaking from the storm of conflicting
emotions tonight's meeting was creating. "HOW DARE YOU HIT OUR
GUEST?!! APOLOGIZE TO HER, NOW!!!"

"No."

Silence as Souun stared wide-eyed at his eldest, then his face
twisted into a mask of cold fury. "Kasumi, you will apologize
to Nodoka this instant!" he hissed, holding up a shaking finger.

"No."

"Kasumi, APOLOGIZE!!!"

"No."

Souun shuddered as the beginnings of a Demon Head aura began
to billow around his shoulders. "Kasumi, APOLOGIZE NOW OR ELSE!!!!"

"Or else what?"

"YOU WILL NO LONGER BE MY DAUGHTER!!!!"

Kasumi blinked, then sighed, rising. "Fine, then. I stopped
considering this place home when you listened to THIS over-honoured
bitch..." she tilted her chin towards the stunned Nodoka, "...and
threw Ranma out of this house," she turned to leave. "Gentlemen?"

"Hai!!" both "policemen" nodded.

Aoki's pistol snapped up, the hammer dropping once. The
*swish-clack!* of a subsonic bullet being fired through a
silencer-modified barrel was followed instantaneously by the wet
noise of flesh and bone shattering as the bullet punched through
the middle of Souun's head. As the Tendou patriarch was flung back
to collapse on the floor, Hojou's weapon locked on Genma. Another
shot mangled the side of his head, making him drop straight down as
his legs knocked over the table. Before Nodoka could try to react,
even if it was just to scream out on seeing her husband and his best
friend murdered before her very eyes, Aoki spun on her, sending
a third bullet to punch through her trachea, oesophagus and spinal
column all at once.

She dropped to the floor, the pain overwhelming her as the two
shooters got to their feet. "Before you die, Nodoka, ask yourself
this," Kasumi's voice rang loud and clear in her ears. "Did you
really believe that Ranma-chan would ever forget what you did to
her?"

Nodoka shuddered as she tried to cry out, just as Hojou walked
up, calmly aiming his pistol at her forehead.

"Much less forgive...?"
** ** **

"Mrs. Ono?"

Kasumi blinks, then stares at the driver before noticing that
he had stopped the vehicle by the corner of the old Tendou property.
Taking a deep breath, she nods, giving him a thankful smile. "Home,
please."

"Yes, ma'am."

The limousine heads off. Kasumi sighs as the familiar sights
pass by her, then sits back in her chair, closing her eyes.

There had been simply no choice in the matter, she knew. Ranma
had been made to give up the one thing that matted the most of all to
him -- his manhood -- when he fought Happousai that last time. But
in putting the evil lech out of his misery once and for all, Ranma
had saved them all from fates far worse than death. And what did
Souun, Genma and Nodoka do in return? Threw the suffering
boy-turned-girl onto the streets, stripping her of her family name
and martial arts legacy, all because of...?

What?

That rancid, old seppuku contract?

Maybe.

Some perverse loyalty to Happousai?

Less likely, but possible.

Perhaps...

Fear of what Ranma might've done to them?

Kasumi grimaces. If it was that, then...

Did Kikuko believe that?

Possibly.

Well, it no longer mattered now. Even more, the deaths of her
father and Ranma's parents had been rated as accidental thanks to an
intense fire that burned the old home to its foundations (set after
the bullets fired by the two Yakuza hitmen pretending to be policemen
had been extracted) and conveniently melted their bodies to the point
where only dental records could identify them. And with the two
shooters now out of the way thanks to Kikuko and Kasumi herself
resolving to remain silent about this...

Yes, it no longer mattered.

*** Fin ***

* * *

"You Reap What You Sow"
a Ranma 1/2 shortfic
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
C&C by Robert Geiger, Steven Cornett, Jeremy Fogelman and Andrew Norris
**** **** ****
"Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko Takahashi. You know the rest of it.
**** **** ****

Why did I write this?

Well, one of the many recurring themes in "Ranma" fanfiction
I've noted to date is the "abandonment" idea. This is where, for
whatever reason, Ranma is virtually abandoned by his family and/or
friends because of some slight or another (frozen as a girl, found
out to be descent of burakumin, etc).

The natural outcome of this storyline application is that Ranma is
forced to emotionally and spiritually break away from his upbringing,
then carve a new (often better) life for himself, either with someone
who stayed loyal to him (say Akane or Kasumi) or with someone totally
new.

Much that I understand this approach to writing a Ranma fanfic (and
yes, this can be applied to certain "Sailor Moon" fics I've seen),
I just don't like the idea of those who abandon Ranma getting away
with destroying his life. Yes, there are stories which show Ranma
turning around and getting some measure of revenge/justice
on those who turned their collective backs on him, but they are few
and far between in my eyes.

After seeing the latest attempt in using this plot idea on
Mediaminer.org (a Ranma/Sailor Moon X-over called "Sunshine,"
by azn_otaku), my muse got to work and this came out of it. Take it
as you will.

Cheers!

Fred

P.S. One of my reviewers suggested I expand this into a larger fic.
I've no real interest in doing this, but if people ARE interested
in expanding this idea, please feel free to do so (with proper
credits, of course!).