He pulled his arm away from Suteko and raised his hands to defend his head. He was amazed to see Akane back down for a second time this afternoon. Maybe having Suteko around was going to be better than he thought.
“What’s going on?” Akane looked from Ranma to Suteko and back again.
“Nothing Akane. Ranma was just being nice. I was telling him about someone I lost recently.” Suteko smiled weakly. Akane sure got mad a lot. She slid her staff back into staff-space and shook herself. “We should probably go meet the bus back to Nerima now. Yes?”
Akane nodded. “Kasumi said she’d hold dinner until we got back, Ranma.” She turned to Suteko. “She also told me to ask you to dinner.”
Suteko looked surprised. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Akane. Genma would be there and I shouldn’t see him again until the time of our challenge.”
“I told Kasumi that but well....”
“She’s a bit different.” Added Ranma. “She doesn’t seem to understand battles and the like, right Akane.”
“Yes. I told her that you probably wouldn’t come but I promised her I would ask. Have you found a place to stay the night yet?”
“Ukyo offered me crash space at her place. So I’m taken care of for the night.” She leaned up against the wall as they waited for the bus. “I never did get that explanation about the fiancée thing. Ukyo told me you have four?”
Ranma looked stricken. He had hoped she would have forgotten that. “Um....” But before he could say anything Akane broke in.
“He only has three ‘official’ ones. Me, Ukyo and Shampoo. Kodachi just latched on to him for no reason.” Akane send a viscous look Ranma’s way.
“Hey, it wasn’t my idea. Besides she’s no worse than Kuno.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Akane turned to Suteko with an evil look on her face. “Then there’s Kuno. He has a real thing for Ranma.”
“Akane!” The two started to toss insults at each other again.
Suteko could see that Akane was enjoying making Ranma squirm so she broke in. “Does he want Ranma as a guy or a girl?”
The two broke off and looked at Suteko. “As a girl, of course. What kinda guy you think I am?”
“Oh, don’t worry, I understand. Must be tough having a guy fawn all over you when your a guy.”
“You don't know the half of it. Besides he loves Akane.”
“Kuno is such a jerk. He couldn’t make up his mind...”
“If he had one.” Ranma snorted. Then Akane and Ranma got to explaining just exactly who was or thought they were engaged to Ranma. There explanation was just short of an all out war but Suteko got the gist of the story.
“So, Akane, you have first claim on Ranma, right?”
“Yes, not that I want to.” Akane answered with disgust. “He’s a pervert, girl chasing pain.”
“How’s he a pervert, Akane.”
“Well, he’s a cross dressing, window peeping......”
“Akane!”
“Does he dress in women’s clothes when he’s a guy?”
Akane thought a moment. “No....”
“Then he’s not a cross dresser.” Suteko said smugly. Sounded like Akane just wanted to find something wrong with Ranma. She knew she shouldn’t jump to conclusions but Suteko trusted this younger brother of her’s for some reason. She turned to Ranma. “So do you have a favorite?” Ranma didn’t answer that one. He was still torn. Besides he didn’t want to say anything in front of Akane. After a moment Suteko continued. “Do either of you have a problem with me staying at Ukyo’s? If you do I can find somewhere else to sleep.” Ranma told he didn’t and after a quick thought Akane didn’t either. “OK. Look I don’t know anything about this Shampoo but her claim doesn’t sound as valid as Akane and Ukyo’s and this other girl, um, what’s her name?”
“Kodachi,” answered Akane.
“Thank you. She sounds like a real problem. We had someone like her back in Boston. She finally got put away for her own good. Poisoned the boy she had her crush on. Better watch out for that one.” Just then their bus pulled up. The three got on board and took the back seat since it would sit three.
***
Suteko took the right side of the seat next to the window. Ranma sat between Akane and his sister. “So have you avoided that fiancée thing?” Asked Akane.
“They don’t do things that way in America. Forced engagements fell out of fashion a century ago. Besides Grandfather Mikado said that I wasn’t worth engaging to anyone, being an illegitimate child.” She said the last part with loathing. It was obvious that there was no love lost between Suteko and her grandfather.
Akane was shocked. How cruel for a grandfather to say such things to his grandchild. It wasn’t her fault that she was conceived outside of marriage. “Is he the reason your mother moved to America?”
Suteko pulled her legs up and rested her feet on the seat. “Mother told me that she left Japan to get away from sad memories but I think that what you said is closer to the truth. Uncle Tanto always told me that his brother, Grandfather Mikado was a real hard line, old fashioned kind of man. He never forgave my mother for her slip but he never said anything to me the few times he visited his brother.”
“Pop caused a real mess of trouble, didn’t he?”
“You don’t know the half of it. After Grandfather died, we came to Japan for the funeral. She and Uncle Tanto were allowed to go but I had to stay away.” Her voice became very flat. “No non-family members allowed.”
“But you were family. You were your mother’s daughter.”
“Not in Grandfather Mikado’s eyes. But that doesn’t matter. He died three years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
Suteko stared out the window at the gathering rain clouds. “Looks like rain.”
Ranma shivered a little. “It rains a lot around here.”
“Must make life interesting, what with being cursed to change and all.”
Ranma answered. “Yeah.” He thought for a minute. “Suteko?”
“Hmmmm?”
“You seem awfully calm about my curse. Why?”
Suteko looked a bit sick for a minute. “I told you about how I followed you and Genma around for a year, right?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I found Jusenko.” She added, a slight blush creeping up her throat.
Ranma looked at Akane and she looked back. Together they said, “You didn’t?”
“Pool of drowned boy.”
“Oh, boy.” Suteko winced at the pun. Ranma apologized. “So when you get wet you turn into a boy?”
“Look just like you with blonde hair. Should have guessed you were related when I saw you but I wasn’t paying attention to anyone other than Genma when we met. Took Ukyo to tell me I had a little brother.”
“How’d it happen?” Asked Akane.
For a minute it looked like Suteko wouldn’t answer but she took a deep breath and told them how she stupidly jumped in. Stunned Akane and Ranma just sat staring at her with their jaws open. Suteko smiled weakly, “I know but we get claims of amazing things in America all the time. And the motto of every good New Englander is seeing is believing.” She chuckled. “I was being a bit of a stupid, arrogant jerk but well shit happens.” She turned back to staring out the window.
Ranma and Akane just sat stunned. “You jumped in?” Ranma asked incredulous.
“Yep. Stupid, I now know. So we have something else in common, little brother.”
For most of the trip back there was silence. Suteko sat staring out the window as the rain came down. Ranma and Akane just sat quietly next to each other. For once not arguing, a small miracle in itself. After a long while Suteko started to talk quietly again. “Ranma?”
Ranma looked up. “Yeah?”
“What’s your mom like?”
Ranma was a bit taken aback. He hadn’t seen his mom in a long time. “I haven’t seen mom since Pop decided to take m
e on his training missions, why?”
“Sorry. I was just wondering.” Suteko traced the path of a drop down the window pane with her finger. “I was wondering if she was anything like mine.”
“I remember her cooking and how she smelled.” Akane stiffened at the mention of cooking but didn’t do anything. Ranma wasn’t talking about her. “She always had a hug for me and stuff like that. You know she was mom like.”
“My mom was too, once.”
“Whatcha mean?”
“Remember I told you we came to Japan three years ago for Grandfather Mikado’s funeral?”
“Yeah.”
“After the funeral Mother went to talk with great-grandfather Ito. She left me with Uncle Tanto since he was the only one who would talk to me. She was gone for a long time.” She kept tracing patterns on the window as she talked. “After about six hours she came back. I was glad to see her. We had made plans to go to one of the bigger temples. She wanted to show me where she had grown up. But after her talk she canceled our plans. She told me it was time to go home. To say the least I was disappointed. I started to argue but she cut me off cold. The look she gave me.” Suteko shivered. “It was like I was an ant climbing up her leg. I shut up and went along with it. We flew home within the hour.” Suteko swallowed. “I don’t know what Great-grandfather did but she was changed. We stopped going on picnics and started training real hard. She kept at me to be the best. That and she suddenly decided that it was time to make Genma pay.”
Ranma listened to her outpouring. Something obviously wasn’t right. “Why the sudden change?”
“I don’t know but she made me quit all my clubs and only train. I lost a lot of friends that way. Uncle Tanto tried to find out what she was up to but she wouldn’t talk to him at all. Plus she started to spend a lot of time away from home. I think being home reminded her of all she had been missing. When Uncle Tanto died she told me that I had to find my father and make him pay for her dishonor. She wouldn’t even let me mourn him for a week before she pulled me out of school and sent me to find Genma.”
“That’s rough.” Akane looked past Ranma toward Suteko. She felt the pain the girl tried to hide in her words. Why was she telling us this? It seemed too strange to Akane to have the same girl who had challenged Genma to a duel this morning telling her about her family’s problems that afternoon. “Suteko, I know this isn’t the best time but..:
“What?”
“Why are you telling us all this? I mean we barely know you.”
Suteko curled her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. “I’m not sure, but well, Mother plans on being at the dojo tomorrow and I thought it might be important if you knew. She’s got something planned and I don’t think she’s told me everything.”
“That’s OK, Suteko, we’re used to trouble.”
She looked up at Ranma’s face, so like her own in male form. “Besides your the first people I’ve had to talk to in a long time. And your family.” She reached out and tapped Ranma on the arm. “Your my ‘little’ brother, right?”
“Hey, I’m not little!” Ranma groused half-heartedly. Suteko smiled. It was good to have someone to tease.
***
In a boardroom somewhere in Japan. Seated at the conference table were an elder gentleman and a beautiful woman in American clothing. The resemblance is striking.
“Granddaughter, tell me how the revenge is going.”
“My daughter has challenged the man. The battle will be at dawn, tomorrow.”
The old man looked thoughtful. “That is good.” He placed hands together and rested the fingers against his lips. “Where?”
The woman looked down at her notes. “At the Tendo Dojo, in Nerima.”
A slow, evil smile crossed the man’s face. “So he still visits his old friend. Good. We can take out two with one blow. Very good, granddaughter. You have my approval.” Pause. “The girl knows what she is to do?”
“Of course! I have trained her as is required. She will do as she is told.”
The old man flicked open a folder in front of him. “And what of my son’s influence?”
There was a quick flash of uncertainly in the woman’s eyes and a quick shake of her shoulders. “The girl will do what I say! I will have my revenge!”
With a slow, evil smile the old man said, “Good.”
CHAPTER SIX
Back in Nerima
OR
Time for Dinner
The three teenagers sat lost in their thoughts for the last part of the ride back to Nerima. Suteko’s revelations about her mother had touched a cord with her two companions. Each now thought back on the times spent with their own mothers. Akane’s memories were a little fuzzy due to the time since her mother had died. She remembered many good things and was secretly glad that she didn’t have to deal with the type of personality change that Suteko was dealing with. How a family could treat a young girl the way they had was beyond her. In her entire life, she had always been a cherished child. She may have been misunderstood because of her focus on the martial arts, but she was always loved. To be ignored at a family gathering must have been very painful. She could now understand some of the pain she had seen in Suteko’s eyes when she had asked about their families. Akane looked at Ranma from under lowered lashes. She didn’t want him to catch her studying him. He always reacted badly. Right now, his face looked thoughtful, something Akane didn’t often see. Hearing him reminisce about his mother showed Akane a side of him she rarely saw. She knew that he missed his mother and she wondered just when was the last time he had seen her.
She understood that there was some reason that he and Mr. Saotome couldn’t go back home, but she had yet to get that out of Ranma. “Have to work on that,” she thought. Maybe having Suteko around would help.
***
Ranma sat and thought about his family. Having a sister was just too new a concept to truly seep into his thoughts. After their talk about her mother, Ranma’s thoughts turned to his own. It had been too long since he had even talked to his mom on the phone. He hadn’t even written her a letter. It was one of the things that he held his father responsible for. “If Pop hadn’t made that oath to Mom about raising me to be a Manly man, I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in.” Ranma longed to call her up and tell her about his curse, Akane, and his life in general. Surely his mother could help him resolve his feelings about the girls surrounding his life. He knew that he should make a choice but he didn’t know who he wanted and he didn’t wish to hurt anyone. But thanks to Pop’s little training mission in China, and a slip, made it impossible. The more he thought about his mother, the more he hoped that Suteko would knock sense into his father in the morning.
“Just how good is this girl?” Ranma took a quick look at his sister. She didn’t notice, staring out the window at the rain. She was certainly quick. He thought back to the morning and had to admit that Genma was a bit slow. But then he remembered her reaction at the airport when he had come up on her unnoticed. His reflexes were fast enough to dodge the staff but also she had seemed to control the strike at the last moment. It would be interesting to spar with her. Maybe.
He sat in thought, debating internally until they were almost to their destination. “Well, why not? The worst she can do is turn me down.” He turned to Suteko and opened his mouth to speak. “Suteko?”
***
Deep in thoughts of the past, Suteko at first didn’t hear her name. She pulled herself back to the present. With a weak smile she turned to face Ranma. “Hmm, what?”
“Suteko, I was thinking. Have you had time to practice, yet?”
For a few minutes Suteko was confused. Practice what? Then she shook her head. Ranma must mean the art. That was his focus in life, if what she had learned today was true. “Been traveling all afternoon, remember?”
Ranma just smiled. “Yep, I just thought that you might like to have someone to spar with. You know --practice.”
Suteko was confused. Practice? “Ranma, I don’t think we should. At least not until after tomorrow.”
Akane joined the conversation. “I agree with you, Suteko.” Ranma looked quickly from his sister to his fiancée. Akane continued. “It could be taken wrong. If someone saw you two sparing they might think you were giving her training in your father’s techniques. In an honor battle, that could cause problems.”
Ranma sighed. “That’s true.” He thought fiercely for a minute. He really wanted to see his sister in action. “What if I didn’t spar with you but just watched you workout?”
She thought about that. Would there be a problem with that? Other than the fact that she didn’t have a place to workout. “Ranma, I’m sure there would be no problem but I’m not sure it will be possible. I don’t have a place to workout. I doubt Ukyo would appreciate me using her spare room to practice staff work in and I don’t know the area at all.”
Akane thought of suggesting she use the dojo but that wouldn’t be good either. Then she thought of the field that was halfway between the dojo and Ukyo’s place. It was close to where the bus would be dropping them off. She mentioned it and Ranma grabbed at the idea. That was perfect. Suteko looked a little doubtful but she did need a workout. She was stiff from all the sitting and wanted to stretch out. She made sure to get directions from Akane before the bus reached it’s destination.
As they got off the bus Suteko was glad to see that the rain had stopped. She didn’t need to get wet and deal with the transformation being wet caused. There were puddles of course but traffic seemed light at the time so she turned to bid her brother and Akane good-bye. As the bus pulled away they said their good-byes and set up a time to meet later. As luck would have it a car sped by, hitting the puddle square and sending a sheet of water arcing over the three teenagers. As the water settled on the ground, Akane laughed. Suteko and Ranma had the exact same expression on their now opposite faces. Suteko was right, she did look like Ranma. Just like Ranma with yellow hair, like an American version of her fiancé.
Ranma looked at his sister and she looked back at him. The disgust that he knew was on his face, was mirrored on hers. “I hate this!” They mumbled in unison. Akane smirked but she quickly went to a nearby tea shop and returned with enough hot water to transform the siblings back to their natural forms.